Strategic Management Communication

for Leaders 3rd Edition Walker

Solutions Manual
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 Chapter 6 – Communicating in Writing

Lecture Notes and Teaching Suggestions

CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
How would you judge the writing skills of your colleagues, peers, or employees? How would
you judge your own writing skills? What steps might you take to improve the quality of your
written communication? If you are a leader or manager, what might you do to improve the
writing in your organization?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
I. Plan and develop content for routine and persuasive messages as well as longer
documents and proposals.

II. Consider and incorporate the elements of visual impression into a written message, as
appropriate.

III. Revise written messages for coherence and logical flow.

IV. Revise written messages for style and tone.

V. Proofread for mechanical correctness

LECTURE OUTLINE
I. Introduction

PowerPoint slide 2
Content:
Tactical Elements for Written Communication
• Planning and developing the message
• Selecting and incorporating visual elements
• Revising for coherence and flow
• Revising for style and tone

Notes:
Good writing skills are critical to success in the workplace

1
© 2011 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
 • According to the Wall Street Journal, 80% of businesses believe that their
employees’ biggest weakness is written communication

• After considering the strategic issues involved in written communication

(discussed in previous chapters: identify your purposes, analyze your audience,
consider the context, choose a medium), it’s important to select the appropriate
tactics that will enable you to achieve your broader communication goals

o Planning and developing the message

o Selecting and incorporating visual elements

o Revising for coherence and flow

o Revising for style and tone

• NOTE: Depending on the audience, purpose, and context of the message, some of
these steps may be eliminated (e.g., if you’re sending a text message response to a
question from a colleague that you received just a few seconds ago, no planning,
little development, no visual aids, and little concern for coherence and flow may
be needed)

II. Planning and Developing the Message

PowerPoint slide 3
Content:
Parts of a Message
• Introduction
o Direct approach
o Indirect approach
• Body
o Direct approach
o Indirect approach
• Close
o Goodwill conclusions
o Summary conclusions
o Sales conclusions

Notes:
A. Good organization in written messages is important for two key reasons
1. It helps your reader understand your message

2. It demonstrates the quality of your thinking

 B. Two types of message approaches:
• Direct: Used for most messages in the United States

• Indirect: Used for bad news messages and some persuasive messages when
it’s expected that the audience may be resistant to a proposal

C. The parts of a message include:

• Introduction – should indicate to your audience why it’s important to read
your message
o Direct: States the purpose of the message and provides an overview of
subtopics

o Indirect: Purpose may not be stated immediately but will instead open
with a neutral buffer, which may not state the bad news explicitly but
prepared the reader for the bad news coming in the body of the
message

• Body
o Direct: Provides the necessary supporting details for the purpose of the
message. This might include: the reason for the decision, procedures
for the reader to follow, background information, a description of the
situation, or evidence to support the claims that are made in the case of
a persuasive message).

o Indirect: For a bad news message, tactful delivery is important. The

body might also discuss ways to avoid similar bad news or explain
what is being done to avoid such situations in the future.

• Close – Like the intro, the close is very memorable, so be sure your close is
something you want your audience to take away
o Goodwill: A few simple sentences or statements aimed at maintaining
your relationship with your reader - provides you an opportunity to
distinguish yourself as a person who truly recognizes and appreciates
others

o Summary: For longer, more complex, informative messages, you

should restate/summarize the subtopics of your message in a slightly
different way.

o Sales: Restates the benefits your reader will receive from adopting
your proposal – may include a call to action if you are the person who
will be following through

PowerPoint slide 4
Content:
 Persuasive Messages
1. How will my audience initially react to my proposal
2. How does my audience feel about me, my company, or my product or
service?
3. What are your audience’s needs? In what ways does your idea or proposal
fulfill those needs?
4. What benefits does your proposal provide to your audience?
5. What obstacles or objections must you overcome?
6. Is this a sales proposal or a competitive message? If so, what do my
competitors offer? How might I distinguish my ideas or myself favorably
from my competitors?

Notes:
Questions to answer to determine strategy and info required for a persuasive message
1. How will my audience initially react to my proposal?
• To determine the strategy and information you will need to provide
in a persuasive message

2. How does my audience feel about me, my company, or my product or

service?
• To determine how past encounters with the company might impact
how your audience received your message

3. What are your audience’s needs? In what ways does your idea or proposal
fulfill those needs?
• To determine how you might be able to tailor the content of your
message to explain how your proposed idea meets those needs

4. What benefits does your proposal provide to your audience?

• To determine if there are any benefits your proposed idea could
offer that your audience hasn’t even considered

5. What obstacles or objections must you overcome?

• To determine whether the direct or indirect approach would be
most effective and to identify what information you need to
provide in your message as well as how much

6. Is this a sales proposal or a competitive message? If so, what do my

competitors offer? How might I distinguish my ideas or myself favorably
from my competitors?
• To determine who your competitors are, what they offer, and how
they differ from your organization’s offerings

PowerPoint slide 5
Content:
 Persuasive Messages
• Components
o Claim
o Evidence
▪ Quality of the evidence
• Types of Appeals
o Logos
o Pathos
o Ethos

Notes:
Components of Persuasive Messages
• Claim: More general or more abstract statement

• Evidence: More specific information that supports the claim

o Quality of the evidence is important: Not all evidence is relevant or of
high quality, and evidence can be used to mislead an audience; however,
evidence can also be tested for its validity

Types of Appeals
• Logos: Logical appeal that consists of such information as facts and statistics

• Pathos: Emotional appeal that evokes empathy

• Ethos: Ethical appeal based on information that provides credibility

PowerPoint slide 6
Content:
Persuasive Messages
• The AIDA Approach
o Attention
o Interest
o Desire
o Action

Notes:
The AIDA approach for organizing persuasive messages
1. Attention: Gain the audience’s attention and interest with a brief statement that is
personalized, audience-centered, and relevant to the situation

2. Interest: Heighten the audience’s interest in your topic or proposal by explaining

in more detail why your message is relevant to your audience

3. Desire: Provide evidence to prove the claims made previously in your message
 4. Action: Suggest a specific step the audience can take and make that action easy

PowerPoint slide 7
Content:
How Do I Deal with a Resistant Audience?
1. Open with statement of common ground
2. Explain need for change
3. Eliminate objections
4. Provide specific solution or recommendations
5. Explain implementation of plan if appropriate

Notes:
Using the Step-by-Step Indirect Approach for Resistant Audiences
1. Open with statement of common ground to defuse any differences between you
and your audience. Then follow with an indirect statement of purpose explaining
your idea.

2. Explain need for change—for your proposed idea

3. Eliminate objections by showing that your proposed solution is clearly best of all
the alternatives. You must do this in an objective tactful way to reduce the
potential for judgments of bias.

4. Provide specific solution or recommendations; this is done after eliminating your

audience’s objections to make them more receptive to your proposed
solution/recommendations

5. Explain implementation of plan if appropriate so the plan seems feasible

PowerPoint slide 8
Content:
Reports and Proposals
• Reports
o Define a problem
o Gather data
o Develop recommendations
o Can be formal or informal
• Proposals
o Serve as sales documents recommending changes or purchases internally
or offering services externally
o Can be formal or informal

Notes:
Reports and proposals are common forms of longer written messages in business. They
come in many different forms and styles
 • Reports can be:
o On feasibility
o On research
o On progress
o On incidents
o Formal or informal in style

• Proposals are:
o Sales documents intended to recommend changes or purchases within a
company—or show how your organization can meet the needs of another
if the proposal is intended for an external audience
o Sometimes formal and sometimes informal in style

PowerPoint slides 9 & 10

Content:
Do Visuals Matter for Writing?
• White Space
o Makes the message look less dense and more “skimmable”
o Accomplished by chunking information in short, well-focused paragraphs
• Headings
o Cueing devices that let your audience know what to expect
o Indicate the relationship between ideas
• Graphics
o Improve understanding
o Make information more memorable
o Enhance professionalism and credibility of a speaker
• Lists
o Can increase white space and “skimmability”
o Typically used as forecasting devices

Notes:
A. Visual elements of messages are critically important in business writing.
Formatting is important for all written messages, including e-mails and other
digital messages.

B. Key visual elements in business writing might include:

• White Space
o Chunks information
o Makes message more “skimmable”

• Headings
o Tells audience what to expect
o Indicates relationship between ideas

• Graphics
 o Improves understanding and makes information more memorable
o Can enhance speaker credibility if used correctly
o Might include:
▪ Graphs
▪ Tables
▪ Diagrams and drawings

• Lists
o Increase white space
o Often used as forecasting devices

PowerPoint slides 11 & 12

Content:
Revising: Coherence and Flow
• When revising:
o Check for accurate topic sentences
o Check for paragraph coherence
o Include transitions and forecasting where appropriate
Revising: Style and Tone
• Written business messages should use:
o Short, simple, precise words, and yet avoid slang
o Short yet complete sentences and short paragraphs
o Standard English
o First- and second-person pronouns

Notes:
A. Revising for logical flow and coherence
o Check for accurate topic sentences
▪ Ideally in business messages, each paragraph should begin with an
accurate topic sentence or transitional phrase that mentions one of
the subtopics referred to in the introduction if the direct approach
was used

o Ensure paragraph coherence

▪ There should be a clear logical flow of ideas throughout and within
each paragraph. Each sentence should clearly lead to the next, and
clear connections should be provided between each point or each
sentence.

o Include transitions and forecasting where appropriate

▪ Transitions assist your audience in moving from one topic to
another and forecasting tells your audience what you will cover
next

B. Revising for style and tone

 o Style is the level of formality of your written communication. Business
communication typically should use business style, which is less formal
than traditional academic writing but more formal than a conversation.

o Tone is the implied attitude of the communicator toward his or her

audience. When considering tone, you should think about language
choices, level of formality or familiarity, the power relationship between
you and your audience, and your use of humor or sarcasm.

o Some rules of thumb

▪ Use short, simple, precise words, and yet avoid slang
▪ Use short yet complete sentences and short paragraphs
▪ Use standard English
▪ Use first- and second-person pronouns

C. NOTE: It’s also critical to proofread for mechanical correctness

o Disruptive errors
o Credibility errors
o Etiquette errors
o Accent errors

PowerPoint slide 13
Content:
Tips for Submitting a Message
• Avoid using BCC, which may look sneaky
• Proofread for mechanical correctness
• Only send copies to those who need to info
• SEND!

Notes:
The process of submitting a message wasn’t as important in the past when you just put a
stamp on a letter and dropped it in the mailroom, but e-mail is different. There are many
things to consider after you’ve written the message but before you send it.
• Consider the formality of the salutation

• Only send copies to those who need the information

• Avoid the use of BCC – it may seem sneaky

• Include a signature line to create an air of professionalism that is often lacking in

e-mails

ANSWERS TO CHAPTER DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do the reading practices of academic audiences, such as instructors, differ from
those of businesspeople? What are the factors that lead to these differences?

Student responses will vary but should include a discussion related to the causes of these
differences in reading practices between the two groups.
• These differences are based upon context, purpose, and type of job being
performed.

• While instructors are interested in reading related to teaching effectiveness and

formal research, businesspeople may be interested in successful business
practices as well as the current status of the market.

• Businesspeople are often very busy, so they appreciate short, concise writing
visually designed to be “skimmable.” Academics have more time available to
read lengthy pieces, since research is part of their job, so they tend to appreciate
beautiful language and detailed explanations at any length.

Tags:
BUSPROG: Communication
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Application
Difficulty: Moderate
Topic: A-Head: Visual Impression in Written Messages | Revising for Style and Tone |
Proofreading for Mechanical Correctness

2. What tactics have you used to ensure that your messages are logically organized?
What new tactics might you incorporate into your message-creation process to
ensure well-organized messages?

Student responses will vary but should include a discussion of the following points:

While knowing the purpose of your message can help you distinguish the type of
message you should write, identifying the type of message (e.g., persuasive vs.
informational) helps you determine the organizational approach to the message.

Organizing Persuasive Messages:

• Two persuasive situations might occur:

o Your audience is more or less receptive to your ideas or proposal

o Your audience is resistant or even hostile to you

 • The AIDA approach provides a system for organizing a persuasive message,
especially when your audience is more or less receptive to your ideas or proposal.
o Attention: Gain the audience’s attention and interest with a brief statement
that is personalized, audience-centered, and relevant to the situation.
Answer the audience’s WIFM questions: “What’s in it [this message] for
me?”

o Interest: Heighten the audience’s interest in your topic or proposal by

explaining in more detail why your message is relevant to your audience.
Depending on what’s appropriate, you might explain why current practices
are not the best or provide examples, data, testimony, or other kinds of
evidence to show your audience what life would be like if people adopt
your proposal.

o Desire: Provide evidence to prove the claims made previously in your

message. In product- or service-related persuasion, you might provide
evidence of the benefits your audience will receive.

o Action: Suggest a specific step the audience can take and make that action
easy. You might want to connect the dots by explaining how this action
will result in the benefits you discussed earlier.

• The indirect approach is a good way to organize persuasive messages for resistant
audiences.
o Open your message with a statement of common ground to defuse any
differences that may exist between you and your audience. Then, an
indirect statement of purpose should follow. Provide an overview of the
contents of the body of your message but should not include your specific
recommendations.

o The body of the message should begin by explaining the need for your
proposed idea. Your goal is to show in a persuasive manner that there is a
need for change of the type you are proposing.

o Eliminate your audience’s objections to your proposal. Show that your

proposed solution is clearly best of all the alternatives.

o Announce your specific solution or recommendation and emphasize why

it is the best of all possible choices.

o If appropriate, an additional step might include a plan for implementing

your proposed solution. The easier the change is to make, the more
attractive it may be to your audience.

Tags:
 BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Rhetorical Considerations
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Comprehension
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Organizing Persuasive
Messages | Using the AIDA Approach

3. Do you think that using the indirect approach to organizing a message is

manipulative or unethical?

It’s not manipulative or unethical

• The indirect approach is used when the audience is resistant to the message. This
does not mean that the sender is trying to manipulate the receiver of the message
or trying to be unethical.

• The sender is just trying to use certain persuasive strategies to overcome audience
resistance.

• The steps are as follows:

o Open your message with a statement of common ground to defuse any
differences that may exist between you and your audience. Then, an
indirect statement of purpose should follow. Provide an overview of the
contents of the body of your message but should not include your specific
recommendations.

o The body of the message should begin by explaining the need for your
proposed idea. Your goal is to show in a persuasive manner that there is a
need for change of the type you are proposing.

o Eliminate your audience’s objections to your proposal. Show that your

proposed solution is clearly best of all the alternatives.

o Announce your specific solution or recommendation and emphasize why

it is the best of all possible choices.

o If appropriate, an additional step might include a plan for implementing

your proposed solution. The easier the change is to make, the more
attractive it may be to your audience.

Tags:
BUSPROG: Communication | Ethics
DISC: Consequences | Ethics and Morals
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Evaluation
 Difficulty: Challenging
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Using the Indirect
Approach for Resistant Audiences

4. What are some of the challenges you have encountered while attempting to
persuade? How might the AIDA approach be used to better deal with these
situations?

Student responses will vary but might include:

• Competition for audience’s attention

• Audience interest but no conversion to action

• Audience not even interested in the issue/product/service/suggestion

• NOTE: Students might mention audience resistance as a challenge. This is an

opportunity that active audience resistance is often better dealt with using the
Indirect Approach rather than the direct AIDA approach. Encourage them to
think of challenges they may face other than a resistant audience that can be
effectively overcome using the AIDA approach.

The AIDA Approach is useful when trying to persuade someone to do something because
it clearly organizes the message into the following consecutive sections:
• Attention

• Interest

• Desire

• Action

NOTE: See question #2 (above) for more details on each step of the AIDA approach

Tags:
BUSPROG: Communication | Reflective Thinking
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Application
Difficulty: Moderate
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Organizing Persuasive
Messages | Using the AIDA Approach

5. Which types of evidence would be most persuasive to a business audience? Give

examples.
 The types of evidence that would be most persuasive to a business audience include:
• Statistics:

o Is the sample from which the statistics are drawn a representative one?

o Is a single instance used as an example of all instances?

• Testimony:

o Is the person an authority on the subject? If so, how reliable is he or she?

o Was the person giving the testimonial close enough to witness the event?

o Is it possible that the person giving the testimony is biased?

• Comparison and Analogies:

o Do both items/activities have the same resources or authority?

o Are both items/activities governed by the same rules?

o Do both activities occur during the same time period?

o Are both item/activities measured in the same way?

Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Knowledge
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Quality of Evidence

APPLICATIONS
1. Revise the following message so that it is more logically ordered. You may also
discover that some of the content is irrelevant and thus can be eliminated and that
the message also is missing some critical information needed to fulfill the customer's
request. Be sure to check the subject line of the message for clarity

To: Martha Reeves <[email protected]>

From: Stan Liu
Subject: Accounting Software
Dear Ms. Reeves:
 I recently purchased your new accounting software at Professional Office Products.
When I got the product home, I was unable to install the product on my Apple
brand computer. I am a small business owner and think that your product will be
very helpful to me in improving my productivity and potentially my company’s
profits. I returned the product to your store to receive a refund or to exchange the
product for one that might work on my computer. The manager told me that he
could not make the exchange but that I should contact you, the maker, with my
request. Can you help me? I have overnighted the product to your office.

Regards,
Stan Liu
902 Oak Street Portland, OR 90042

Revised message below:

To: Martha Reeves <[email protected]>

From: Stan Liu
Subject: Installation of Accounting Software on Apple computer
Dear Ms. Reeves:

My name is Stan Liu, and I am a small business owner. I recently purchased your new
accounting software at Professional Office Products. I think that your software will be
very helpful to me in improving my productivity and potentially my company’s profits.
Unfortunately when I got the product home, I was unable to install it on my Apple brand
computer. Would you please assist me in installing this software? I can be reached at
(XXX) XXX-XXXX or at [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Regards,
Stan Liu
902 Oak Street Portland, OR 90042

Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Rhetorical Considerations
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Synthesis
Difficulty: Challenging
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages

2. You are a customer-service representative for RichRUs, a company that organizes

and holds seminars across the United States. These seminars are intended to help
educate "regular" people on how to become financially independent through the
purchase, resale, and rental of foreclosed properties. In addition to the seminars, the
company sells DVD recordings of its founder, Leonard Samson, espousing his sales
methods and techniques. Leonard’s seminars and DVDs have become so popular
 that your production has not kept up with demand. To make matters worse, you
advertise "same-day" shipping in your promotional materials. You have just
received approximately 50 orders for the two-volume DVD set that sells for $95.
Write a bad news letter that you can send to these customers in which you explain
the situation.

Student responses will vary but a sample of a letter is found below:

Dear Customer:

Thank you very much for your order of the two-volume DVD set, placed on March 15th,
2010. Because of the wonderful success this DVD set has enjoyed, the demand for this
product has clearly exceeded its supply. While we are working extremely hard to produce
a high volume of the DVD set to respond to the demand effectively, several factors have
emerged that have prevented us from reaching this goal.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience that this situation may have caused
you. I can assure you that we value each customer and are working very hard to ensure
that customer satisfaction remains very high.

As soon as the product becomes available, we will ship it to you. If you need to reach us,
please do so at (XXX) XXX-XXXX or [email protected]. We would like to thank you for
your understanding and patronage.

Sincerely,

Joe Smith
Manager
Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Rhetorical Considerations
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Synthesis
Difficulty: Challenging
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages

3. Using the AIDA Approach, create a message to persuade your boss to approve your
plan to hire two new people. You must show that the benefits will outweigh the costs
of hiring and additional salaries and benefits.

Student responses will vary but must utilize the AIDA Approach (see question #2 for
more detailed info on the AIDA approach):

• Attention
 We are unable to keep up with demand....we are behind in our orders...

• Interest

Two additional employees would allow us to be able to meet customers'

expectations.

• Desire

These two employees will allows us to respond to the demand and make more
money than what we would pay in salaries and benefits to them.

• Action

Place an ad in the newspaper to begin the search process.

Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Application
Difficulty: Moderate
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Organizing Persuasive
Messages | Using the AIDA Approach

4. Using the steps to formulate a message to a reluctant or hostile audience, create a

message to persuade a customer to consider the purchase of a new service or
product your company is offering. Assume that the customer has previously had a
bad experience with your company that involved the late delivery of your product
or service, which resulted in a small financial loss for the customer. Also assume
that the customer is currently pleased with the services he or she is receiving from
one of your competitors.

Student responses will vary but they should generally follow the steps outlined in the
indirect approach:
1. Open your message with a statement of common ground to defuse any differences
that may exist between you and your audience. Then, an indirect statement of
purpose should follow. Provide an overview of the contents of the body of your
message but should not include your specific recommendations.

2. The body of the message should begin by explaining the need for your proposed
idea. Your goal is to show in a persuasive manner that there is a need for change
of the type you are proposing.
 3. Eliminate your audience’s objections to your proposal. Show that your proposed
solution is clearly best of all the alternatives.

4. Announce your specific solution or recommendation and emphasize why it is the

best of all possible choices.

5. If appropriate, an additional step might include a plan for implementing your

proposed solution. The easier the change is to make, the more attractive it may be
to your audience.

Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Application
Difficulty: Challenging
Topic: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages | Organizing Persuasive Messages
| Using the Indirect Approach for Resistant Audiences

5. You work in the information-services department of SynSystems, Inc., a maker of

computer connectivity products. Your job, along with the other members of your
department, is to provide computer support to the employees of SynSystems.
Several years ago, SynSystems was purchased by computer products giant World
Connectivity Solutions (WCS). Because your company had an excellent reputation
for its customer service and extensive and positive brand recognition, WCS chose to
leave your division with its well-respected name.

Coincidentally, perhaps, SynSystems uses the same product—GroupPRO—as its

parent company for electronic collaboration among project-development teams.
GroupPRO was created by another company that WCS now owns, but it is not the
only product of its kind on the market. Because of lingering bitter feelings about the
company takeover, there is a move among the employees of your department to
switch to a newer collaboration product, TeamMAX. Write a persuasive letter to
your supervisor, Jonathan Reeves, to persuade him to stay with the GroupPRO
product. Include a visual element to compare the values of several items.

Student responses will vary but should include the elements of persuasion found below:

• To be successful, you must pay attention to the fact that you must establish and
maintain goodwill and credibility.

• The information you provide in persuasive situations is totally dependent on your

audience’s perspective or view of the proposal.
 • To determine the information you will need to provide to best ensure your success
at persuasion, you should ask and answer the following questions:

o How will my audience initially react to my proposal?

o How does my audience feel about me, my company, or my product or

service?

o What are your audience’s needs? In what ways does your idea or proposal
fulfill those needs?

o What benefits does your proposal provide to your audience?

o What obstacles or objections must you overcome?

o Is this a sales proposal or competitive message? If so, what do my competitors

offer? How might I distinguish myself or my ideas favorably from my
competitors?

Tags:
BUSPROG: Analytic | Communication
DISC: Audience | Patterns
LO: 6-1
Bloom’s: Application
Difficulty: Challenging
Topic: A-Head: Planning and Developing Persuasive Messages

CASE ANALYSIS
A. DHL: Closing Operations in the United States

Answers to Retrospective Discussion Questions:

1. What are the critical issues in this case? What issues are most critical?

Student responses will vary, but might include:

• Critical issues:
o Loss of DHL jobs

o Lost jobs at small businesses and other companies due to “ripple

effect” from DHL closures

o Economic trouble for the city of Wilmington, Ohio and for Clinton
County, Ohio where the large DHL hub that closed was located
2. Who are the stakeholders? Which stakeholders have been most affected and
have the potential to be the most affected? What are the critical issues to the
different stakeholders? What do the different stakeholders have at stake?

Student responses will vary, but might include:

• Stakeholders
o Employees from DHL U.S. Express (ground hubs; drop off
locations; central distribution hug in Wilmington, Ohio)
▪ Critical issues: Reason for hub closure, timing of hub
closure, future employment

▪ At stake: Their livelihood and ability to support family

o Executives from ABX Air Inc. that have to lay off their employees
as a result of the Wilmington hub closure
▪ Critical issues: Closures and employee layoffs

▪ At stake: Future of the company

o Employees from ABX Air Inc. that were laid off as a result of the
Wilmington hub closure
▪ Critical issues: Reason for hub closure, timing of hub
closure, future employment

▪ At stake: Their livelihood and ability to support family

o The City of Wilmington, Ohio (small business’s affected by hub

closure, mayor, other government officials)
▪ Critical issues: Economic stability, small business closures,
widespread unemployment, potential mass exodus from the
city as laid off DHL employees seek employment
elsewhere

▪ At stake: The future of the town

o Clinton County in Ohio where Wilmington is located

▪ Critical issues: Losses in tax revenue

▪ At stake: Possible massive budget cuts to compensate for

loss in tax revenue

• Most affected thus far

o Employees laid off by DHL
 o Employees laid off by ABX and other employees already laid off
by the “ripple effect” of DHL’s closure

• Potential to be most affected

o The City of Wilmington, Ohio

o Clinton County in Ohio

3. Was the sequence of events and time span that DHL utilized to announce the
end of domestic-only operations in the United States and the subsequent
shutdown appropriate? Should DHL have made the announcement earlier?
Should they have waited longer after the announcement to shut down all
operations?

Student responses will vary but might include something about the chronological
element of context from chapter 5.
• Chronological – The ways time influences interactions
o The time of year (busy and stressful vs. a break between projects –
depends on the business cycle) and time of day (morning when
your supervisor is available to talk vs. end of the day when
supervisor is about to leave to go home)

4. Is there any way that CHL could have postponed or avoided a shutdown of
U.S. Express operations? Should a company leave the market during poor
economic times?

Student responses will vary.

Answers to Prospective Discussion Questions:

1. What does DHL need to communicate to its non-U.S. customers in order to

assure them of the viability of its new business model?

Student responses will vary but should include something about the overall
stability of the company. DHL does not want its global audience to question the
company’s stability or its ability to deliver excellent service as a result of the U.S.
closures.

2. How does the closure affect DHL’s image in the United States? What does
DHL need to do in order to convince American customers to continue using
DHL for international shipping needs?

Student responses will vary. The closure could obviously negatively affect
DHL’s image in the U.S., but if the company does an excellent job of
communicating strategically with American consumers, they might be able to
 convince people that the company’s infrastructure is now streamlined and better
suited than ever before for customer’s international shipping needs.

3. Is there a need for DHL to take further action in the United States in general
and in Wilmington, Ohio, in particular? If so, what actions should DHL
take?

Student responses will vary but the general answer is, “yes, absolutely.”
Responses might include something about the nature of global communication in
a digital world. DHL won’t be able to isolate a PR problem in the Wilmington or
across the U.S. from the rest of the world when their company does business.
They most definitely need to take further action to ensure that the community of
Wilmington doesn’t implode as a result of their hub closure and to ensure that
they are mitigating the impact of other closures across the country. Perhaps most
importantly, they need to ensure that their lines of communication with key
stakeholders are open for as long as is necessary.

4. Is there a need for Deutsche Post to send a message to its stakeholders? If so,
what message should Deutsche Post send?

Student responses will vary but the general answer is, “yes.” It might appear
sneaky if Deutsche Post tries to distance itself from (or ignore) the U.S. closures
approved by the upper echelons of the company.

5. How should Deutsche Post or DHL’s corporate communications department

deliver its message, who should deliver the message, and to whom should it
be sent?

Student responses will vary but there should be some mention of determining the
right person/office to deliver the message for each stakeholder. For example, a
standard message from the CEO at Deutsche Post would seem impersonal if it
was the only or the most critical communication with laid off employees from the
Wilmington hub.

6. What responsibility does DHL have to its employees and the communities in
which it is a significant source of employment and revenue?

Student responses will vary.

7. Should DHL be concerned about its future prospects in the United States?
Should they be concerned about the effect this will have on its international
operations? Should they be concerned about the possibility of reentry into
the U.S. domestic shipping market?

Student responses will vary.