Wellington - the World’s Most Southern Capital
Wellington, situated on the southern tip of New Zealand’s Northern Island is the southernmost capital city in the world. The gusty winds that blow non-stop off Cook Straight have earned it the epithet “Windy City”.
Wedged between steep hills, Wellington’s limited space for expansion has forced the city to build ever upwards in order to accommodate increased demand for commercial and residential space. Victorian structures fell victim to new construction and modernization, giving Wellington the most modern skyline in the country.
The Maori people called the area around Wellington “the Head of Maui’s fish”, a reference to an incident in the Polynesian Maui Cycle when the hero, Maui, fought his brothers over a great fish, leading to the land being cut up both by the fish’s thrashing tail and by their knives.
When James Cook made a side trip here in 1773, the rough landscape of the bay was densely settled. Maori tribes fought one another constantly for the best coastal locations. This, along with the strong, unfavourable winds, may explain why Cook did not drop anchor and go ashore.
European settlement began with the landing of the warship Tory on 20 September 1839. In January of the following year, William Wakefield, commander of the first expedition of the New Zealand Company, “bought” the area from the Maoris for one hundred muskets. Wakefield thus became the founder of Wellington. The city was named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke of Wellington and England’s national hero in the Napoleonic Wars. Wellington was named New Zealand’s capital on 26 July 1865.
Wellington is more than the political centre of the country; it has also made a name for itself as a city of culture. Wellington is the home of Te Papa, New Zealand’s pioneering, interactive national museum, as well as to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and such national treasures as the original Treaty of Waitangi.
New Zealand’s most famous writer, Katherine Mansfield, was born in Wellington and published her first short stories in a local literary magazine. New Zealand’s capital is remarkably diverse topographically, with mountains and hills embracing the compact city and its wide harbour.
At the summit of Mount Victoria, which can be reached by a cable tramway built in 1902, visitors can enjoy the beauties of Kelburn Hill and the Botanic Gardens. The gardens, established in 1869, now cover 26 hectares.
Watch out for penguins
Wellington is almost certainly the only capital city in the world where penguins freely roam the streets. This encourages visitors to walk alongside them; the city centre is best experienced on foot. Visitors (and penguins) can wander through its shopping arcades, lovely cafes and, less happily, constant traffic.
Nowhere else in the country is urban life lived as intensely as in Wellington. Unique adventure tours are available along the Kapiti coast and hiking trails run all along the craggy coastline, just off the coast, the world famous bird sanctuary of Kapiti Island attracts visitors from afar.
The environs of Wellington are known for their luxurious country lifestyle. Many great estates lie inland, just over the hills. Directly north of Wellington is Hutt Valley, where visitors can arrange bush and coastal hikes, SUV trips, golfing, mountain biking and angling.
For cheap flights and great deals from
Melbourne airport, Sydney airport or Brisbane airport, contact Flight Centre today.
USA Travel - Miami City Profile
Miami sometimes feels like a huge Hollywood set. The cliches about the city and its illustrious beach community, Miami Beach - nearly all of which are based in fact - are but a small part of Miami’s colourful mosaic.
International financial deals are not the only thing happening in Miami. The city’s concerts, theatre performances, gallery exhibits, ballet companies and museums offer plentiful cultural stimulation and world-class entertainment. Located in picturesque south Florida, Miami is a popular location for television and movie crews.
Fashion photographers from glossy magazines pose their models against the backdrop of the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico or the deep blue Atlantic Ocean. Looking at Miami’s striking skyline, home to corporate headquarters of hundreds of international financial institutions, it is hard to image that until recently southern Florida was a landscape dominated by mosquito-infested swamps. The first Spanish explorers of the region, arriving in 1513 with Ponce de Leon, declared it completely uninhabitable.
The real history of the city, which was founded on 28 July 1896, began with the advent of the railway. Freezing Canadians and New Yorkers climbed aboard to escape to beautiful, sunny Miami. In the 1920s, during the days of Prohibition, Miami was known as a city with legalized gambling and less than serious efforts to enforce the ban on alcohol. The result was a building boom. Little by little, starting with hotels and apartments, the Miami skyline began to rise.
Melting pot for Latin Americans.
After Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, a stream of refugees poured into south Florida. The impact was enormous. Hoards of Cuban refugees arrived in Miami, settling in the neighbourhood called “Little Havana”. There, salsa music resounds in the streets, men play dominos and chess in the parks, and the air is thick with the aroma of coffee and cigar smoke.
A trip along the palm-tree-lined Ocean Drive, Miami Beach’s famous boulevard in the heart of its famous Art Deco district, offers breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the beach and, of course, the rich and famous. With its uniquely “Miami Style” Art Deco architecture, the entire district is under historic protection today Rich with pastel colours and full of eclectic details, there is no other cityscape like it on Earth.
Unfortunately, the building boom of the 1920s also caused considerable damage to the natural environment. Over 120 hectares of the unique Everglades wetlands were drained to provide Miami with water and sewage facilities and dry land on which to build. Even today, south Florida draws millions of litre of water from the Everglades.
Interrupting the water cycle that supplies this magnificent natural landscape with moisture and nutrients diminishes the vitality of the biosphere. At present, national parks and wildlife preserves protect barely 20 per cent of the Everglades watershed.. The unique flora and fauna of the Everglades were added to the UNESCO List of World Natural Heritage Sites in 1979. Still, the environment was classified as endangered in 1993.
No stay in Miami would be complete without a short trip to Coral Gables, one of the first planned communities in the country. Distinguished by its beautiful Spanish colonial-style villas, Coral Gables also boasts elegant country clubs, world-class art galleries and the University of Miami.
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The Future of Demolition
Introduction
The definition of the word ‘demolish’ is deliberate and controlled collapse of a structure. In the late 1970’s Fred Dibnah became the most famous steeplejack in Britain when his work on demolishing tall chimneys without the need for explosives was shown on Television. Fred was an specialist on repairing tall chimneys, so when it came to taking them down he knew just how to do it. He would cut an alcove at the base of the chimney, and then place wooden props to support the structure. By carefully positioning the props, the chimney would collapse in the right direction when the wood was set alight and burned away. Once he was nearly crushed when he miscalculated demonstrating how dangerous demolition work is.
The actual word to demolish only came into being in 1570, and was used after that to mean the deliberate taking down or destroying of a building or structure. Although in fact the process of demolition in some form or other has been occurring for thousands of years. Buildings have been destroyed either by natural disturbances of the Earth’s crust or during battles or attacks on communities for as long as there have been structures. The remaining ruins would be removed and rebuilt or used for other buildings nearby and must be the first examples of recycling.
Preserving the past - preparing the future.
To preserve Britain’s history of agriculture the land between built up areas of the villages and towns is protected from growth of urban sprawl. This land is known as Green Belt and is preserved for farming which is vital to the continuing economy of the country. By containing the Green Belt, urban areas are squeezed to provide housing, so developers have to be more creative to find suitable sites.
Britain is a country with a very dense population per square mile. The amount of land available for building is limited compared to other countries. Therefore there is always a high demand for space on which to build. Taking down old and unused buildings and replacing them with new is one way to counteract this shortage.
Land that may be disused industrial and commercial sites, but could be contaminated with hazardous waste or pollution, are called Brownfield sites. Once the land has been cleaned up they are potentially valuable for redevelopment. Both Glasgow and South Wales created gardens out of old industrial sites and put in Shopping centres to attract visitors.
Greyfield sites are distinct from Brownfield sites in that they do not have the environmental concerns of toxic waste. The term greyfield comes from the large areas of asphalt which had once been car parks of commercial urban properties. Their value is in the fact that the infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water, sewage, and gas is already in place. These urban areas are underutilised or abandoned and are valuable because require very little remedial work to be utilised. Cities such as Leeds and Manchester have had a massive programme of converting the old warehouses or factories into apartments, shops and restaurants, retaining the original shell and refurbishing the interior into valuable accommodation.
The Demolition process
Before the actual demolition day arrives, make sure your contractor has addressed these points.
• The construction and size of the building.
• What items are valuable for re-use?
• How will the old site be re-used?
• How is the waste to be disposed of?
• Electricity water, sewage and gas mains.
Hydraulic excavators and bulldozers can be used to undermine the walls at the base, so that the structure will topple; at the same time controlling the manner and direction of the fall. Safety issues are paramount, and clean-up strategies are also taken into account when choosing how the building will be demolished.
Traditional Demolition
Once all the services were disconnected, the men and machinery would go in and just knock down the walls. The whole structure would collapse and the resulting debris would be piled onto lorries and disposed of in landfill sites. Concrete foundation would be broken up by pneumatic drills and the site would be cleared of rubbish. However today demolition practices are subject to strict planning, safety and monitoring regulations and are highly controlled by the local authority.
Deconstruction and Recycling
The new approach to demolishing buildings is known as deconstruction - a green approach. Landfill sites are in short supply so the aim when demolishing a building is to minimise the amount of waste remaining.
Small structures such as two or three storey houses can be dismantled quite easily. The work may be a painstaking task of dismantling by hand - brick by brick - or beam by beam but by going carefully expensive materials are preserved for re-use. The value of deconstruction is that 90% or more of waste is saved from going into landfill sites and reclaimed materials can be re-used and recycled for future buildings. The farmer opposite my house sold his barns in the farm yard for housing; when the builder demolished the barns he cleaned up the bricks and reused them for the wall around the farmhouse thus retaining the character of the farm.
Modern techniques and machinery allows demolition companies to efficiently segregate waste types on or off-site. Construction materials are recycled and re-used whenever possible in the new structure making considerable savings in project costs as well as being good for the environment.
Concrete can now be rapidly broken up with a new machine called a guillotine.The creation of 6f2 recycled material can be done on site from the bricks of the now demolished building. This creates an ideal sub-base for foundation of a new building and avoids removal of the waste to landfill.
Copper pipes, lead, roof tiles or slates, floor tiles, wiring and doors, and wood panelling are valuable items that are saved for recycling and re-use. Many specialist firms sell reclaimed old or antique building items in most towns and cities.
Tall Buildings
Tower blocks and chimneys are the type of tall buildings that may need to be demolished. The demolition of tall buildings necessitates specialist techniques. The tallest building to be demolished lawfully was in 1967/8 of the Singer Building in New York. The collapse of the World Trade Centre after the 9/11 attack in 2001 illustrates the terrible devastation that occurs if the demolition is uncontrolled and haphazard.
In the demolishing of tall buildings and large structures a wrecking ball on a crane can be used, but is rarely practiced because the swinging ball is rather uncontrollable. The proximity of other buildings is a determining factor which prevents the use of explosives to implode a tall structure. So ‘High Reach’ demolition excavators are used where other methods are not possible to demolish the top part of a tall building. Once it is down to a manageable height demolition can continue in the usual way. The various methods of demolishing tall buildings are by implosion using explosives, controlled collapse and piecemeal. To control the dust produced in demolition, water hoses and spray equipment are sometimes used and then it is called a wet demolition.
Explosions
The use of explosives in demolition is very specialist work and getting it wrong would be devastating. If for instance there is atmospheric pressure from low cloud above the implosion site, the shockwave may spread outwards instead of upwards causing the wave of energy and sound to break windows. If an implosion is not prepared correctly the danger may be damage to surrounding buildings where flying debris may cause injury to spectators.
For many people when they think about demolition they may have in mind the use of explosives in the dramatic collapse of a tall building. This process is actually called implosion using explosives. Implosion is essential for dense urban areas as it brings down a tall building so that the surrounding environment is damaged as little as possible. The collapse takes only seconds for the building to crash into its own footprint.
Because of the risks of working with explosives they will only be used when other methods are too costly or impractical. Where there is a partial collapse of a building and there are still primed explosives that failed to go off, workers are in great danger because the remaining structure is highly unstable. At the same time the demolition has to continue to secure the safety of the site.
Health and Safety
The work of demolition is a much more technical and complicated process than most people would appreciate. The job is highly dangerous and requires experienced and skilled operators to carry out the work. It is essential that personnel working in the industry are thoroughly trained. Health and safety awareness is crucial in demolition services so it is advisable for operatives to have gained a Certificate of Competence in Demolition to ensure safety for both workers and public alike. All demolition work is regulated by the Construction, Design and Management Regulations.
Sequence of Demolition
An incorrect sequence of dismantling will result in unplanned collapse of a building because the stability of any structure is reliant on the interdependence of its component parts. Think of a house of cards and what happens if one of the supporting cards is removed.
There is a strict sequence of events before any demolition can take place. Councils throughout the country will have their own specific list for planning approval in their area, but a typical order would be as follows:-
• Provision of Information
Information must be provided about the construction of the structure to be demolished. Details of its previous use and the appropriate demolition methods to be used, including disposal of hazardous substances, have to be submitted by the demolition company.
• Survey of Demolition
A thorough survey of the site to identify any structural problems, as well as risks associated with hazardous or flammable substances, will need to be discussed in detail with the authorities. (E.g. A disused garage where petrol has been stored is a potential fire hazard so preventative measures will need to be taken).
• Preferred and Safe Method of Work
A reputable demolition company will be able to select the appropriate method of disposal showing the outline dismantling process. Planning is essential for meticulous monitoring. The authorities will require a detailed statement of the safety procedures to used, and all parties involved need to agree the methods before any demolition can take place.
• Preparation and Planning
Issues such as asbestos abatement, rodent baiting, dealing with hazardous substances, disconnecting utilities, and making safe any electric, gas or other services have to be shown in the planning stage. There is a lot of preparation to be done before even starting work on demolishing the building itself.
• Protection of the Public
Safety cannot be compromised so where there are heavily populated areas around the demolition site the protection of the public is paramount. Any health hazards will need to be assessed and temporary services arranged, and people affected will have to be informed.
Conclusion
The aim in demolition is to eliminate an unwanted house as safely and quickly as possible and in our modern environment efforts are made to recycle or re-use most of the old material. This is not a new idea although the word itself is relatively modern. On the borders between England and Scotland after the Romans left, a large part of Hadrian’s Wall was hauled away and use was made of the beautifully dressed stone to construct the new buildings in the towns and villages nearby and some are still standing today.
Demolition work by its nature is a very dangerous business and demolishing any building is a complex and skilled process. Next time you see demolition work occurring on a building give a thought to the people who work in a dangerous situation daily and how much is involved in the meticulous planning, regulations compliance, care and skill that goes on to carrying out the project to clear the way for our future.
Numerous towns are ready for cheap cable Internet
There is a notably good offerer of cable connections. If you want to have a cable connection that is multisided for television, Internet and phone, then I can recommend the company Kabel Deutschland as a specially effective and advantageous German provider. You can find a testimonial here: Digitalfernsehen in Stuttgart. For anybody, who wants cable television, this vendor is a intelligent choice. This cable television access provider is Europes largest cable operator and provides in my eyes an unbeatable price-performance ratio. I am quite enthused by the fantastic multimedia possibilities that the cable network offers. Digital cable television is not everything you can get. You can also browse the Internet super-fast via cable connection and have advantageous phone calls without being connected by another telecom provider.
If you do not need a double-flat for Internet and telephone, because you want to continue telephoning over your existing phone offerer, you also can use the available cable Internet separately. Here you can choose between various Internet offers at eminently convenient prices. If you only want to telephone via the cable network, but do not need an Internet connection, you can get a good cable telephone extension. You will need no separate telephone extension any more. There are several convenient packages for Internet surfing and telephony. From the classic package over the comfort package up to the deluxe package there is the fitting alternative available for anybody at a very opportune price-performance ratio. With the eco Internet Award 2008 the provider has received an additional award and has been declared the best Internet provider for private customers by an independent expert jury for the best price-performance ratio. Furthermore, they got already several specialized awards for their products, for example in the magazine Computer Bild 23/2007 as the winner for DSL speeds and in the magazine PC Praxis 11/2007 with a “very good” at the price-performance ratio for the cable package Comfort.
With such a cable junction you are able to receive more than 30 analog and up to 100 digital free TV channels. You also can receive up to 70 radio stations and additionally browse the Internet and telephone at a very favorable price. By having a cable connection, besides the amount of free TV channels you also may subscribe to additional channels and so arrange your personal desired television. There are various countries packages available, which make television in your native language possible. If you want an advantageous access to the Internet and telephone simultaneously for free with a flatrate in all German fixed networks, that is no problem with the double-flat. There you can be sure not to overpay for Internet and telephone. You can check the availability of the digital products in several German cities here: Digitalfernsehen in Saarbruecken. You can use your cable connection only for phone calls and surfing and do not need to order cable television. So you only have to pay your beneficial tariff for Internet and telephone. Television may be continued as before, for instance via a satellite receiving system. With the efficient comfort package you have an Internet connection with Internet flatrate and a telephone extension with telephone flat rate for all German conventional telephone networks. You can quit your current fixed line network and take the existing phone numbers with you.
New Trends To Buy Australia Houses Using Rent To Buy Schemes
Renting to buy a fridge and television has been something most of us have come to expect as being normal in this day and age, but what about being able to rent to buy a home? The market is opening up for both buyer and sellers alike and what was once wishful thinking, is now becoming a normal part of everyday life, for people wanting to purchase their own rent to buy homes.
There seems to be a innovative trend on the rise for purchasing property in Australia. The idea is that you lease a property from the owner or developer for a period of time and then buy, allowing you to test out the reality of your decision first.
The rent to buy idea is not new and is gaining ground, particularly for first time buyers in many places in Australia but now the idea appears to have spread to the purchase of offshore property, especially in the US and Canda.
As a purchaser the process is rather straightforward. You take out a rent to buy contract on a property. This contract is a combination of an option to buy and a rental agreement and can be for a period of between 3 and 24 months. It gives you the individual right to buy the property under the conditions agreed, at any time during the duration of the contract at the original agreed price. At the same time you get a tenancy in the property, at a previously agreed rental, for the duration of the contract. If you do decide to go ahead with the purchase the combined costs of the option and the rental paid are taken off the purchase price.
For example you could purchase a 2 bedroom apartment on the Gold Coast of Queensland with a purchase price of $295,000. The purchaser could take a 36 month rent to buy contract on this apartment would at a cost of $10,000.
On freshly built properties some developers allow a buyer to sublet the property for the duration of the contract, so if your purchase is for investing purposes or perhaps a holiday home that you wish to rent out for the rest of the year you can start doing so even before you have bought the property.
So, if you are buying or selling it could be to your advantage to check out rent to buy and see if it can help you achieve your goals.
An approach to Marketing Communications in a Flat Market
Introduction We’ve all seen the media frenzy over the banking fiasco, the so named “credit crunch” and redundancies as companies panic. In talking with clients and customers it’s becoming quite clear that there is a need for business as usual. Products still need to be made, distributed and sold and services commissioned.
The car industry has seen a massive drop in sales but just watch any commercial TV station, have the ads disappeared, no, has your favourite newspaper or magazine disappeared from the shelves, the answer is probably no.
In our experience there is plenty of business out there and buyers want to deal with positive and enthusiastic people. Cutting back on marketing budgets is not good for your business and the wider economy. Keeping your brand in the public eye is paramount. Adopting hermit strategies and falling back on old campaigns and images only dates your identity and makes you less visible. Just take a look near Christmas time, at a certain men’s aftershave featuring a man and the ocean. It’s been recycled for the last ten years as I can remember.
Ask you self this question; “Who would you rather do business with, a positive, enthusiastic company that seeks the opportunities or one with its head buried in the sand crying credit crunch?”
Recycling is the buzz word of this decade but not when it comes to marketing and PR, your brand image or customer communications, these need to stay fresh and up to date. The same applies internally with your employees, keeping them motivated with a positive outlook reflects in how they deal with customers. People buy from people and they come back to happy helpful people.
So before you all reach for the sick bucket or discard this as pure puff, remember it’s about having a balanced view but on the optimistic side of the fence.
The Detail behind It So lets take a few of the messages raised in the introduction and look at these in more detail.
Media Frenzy We see this so often over something that could be described as trivial. Just look at the pandemic swine flu story, breaking it back to the real world, a girl went on holiday and came back with a bit of a runny nose!
Within just a few hours of media interest in a story you can be the biggest thing from Boston to Budapest, all caught high def, colour corrected, computer enhanced. But what many stories lack, is depth and realism, it’s easy to whip up a panic or over reaction to an event, it’s harder to take a balanced view and report the facts, why, because that takes time, creativity, but is less interesting and doesn’t sell newspapers or generate viewer ratings and we site page views.
The press can be your friend or you foe - it all depends on if it’s a slow news day and what side of bed they got out of!
Take the banking fiasco as already mentioned, if this had been covered more neutrally then less banks, local authorities, businesses and home owners would have suffered. Fewer jobs would have been lost as less panic and knee jerk reactions created as companies laid off thousands of staff amid a banking freeze on loans and credit. All of which were perfectly acceptable the week before!
In terms of a company’s marketing communications then the media has a lot to answer for, it can make or break an economy, drive a share price higher or lower. As they say in the City “buy on fact sell on rumour!”
Layoffs and Panic Leading to Motivated Staff?
Well that would be great wouldn’t it? Well taking into account what has been said so far, lets take a look at two options , the panic company and the realistic company.
The Panic Company
Reads the newspapers and lays off all un-required staff - well un-required in their opinion, so they remove the temps, operations and marketing all seen as an unnecessary balance sheet item. Sounds good to a Financial Director. Wrong. Now you have no market presence, no new campaigns and no new customers and because you sacked operations, no one to do the work!
The Realistic Company
This company looks at its sales, balance sheet and order book. Gathers its employees and makes a statement - no layoffs if we can maintain our present position. What the directors say no growth, what about my bonus! Well they are just that, bonuses not guarantees. This is where maintaining a market presence and sales in an economic decline should be considered as growth! Alien concept - no it shouldn’t be because your company is not going backwards like everyone else’s. With them cutting back and you maintaining presence and sales you gain market share - just by doing the same thing you did last week with the same team of people.
This company then communicates with its employees and motivates them to look for opportunities, the ways to maintain sales, retain customers and to seek the sales and to deliver the service. Other companies will not, because they are panicking, laying off staff and failing to deliver on service. Their staff will be distracted, worrying about redundancy and are unfocused on the job, that or they just will not care.
Strategy
Hermit strategies leading to budget cut backs again are based on knee jerk reactions to a change in market conditions. Companies need to start being led by marketing and market conditions, not by accountants that only have historic information to base decisions upon. Sets of management accounts fail to deliver market opportunities and don’t motivate staff to go that bit further to look after an existing customer.
Now is the time to exploit the panic and cut backs your competitors are making and to raise your presence in the market place. Crawling under a rock and hoping it’ll get better just means people forget about you. Your competitors are concentrating on something else, now is the time to make a move. There is also another key opportunity, a market full of skilled people looking for work - you could gain some key assets, a time to change out some dull pennies and gain a shiny new 5p!
Marketing
A company loosing it market visibility is a real problem, we look at how this happens. Being a marketing consultant means that this can be summed up in two ways, less Marketing and PR and less customer communication.
Employees still read newspapers and magazines; it’s one of the last cut backs they make, their favourite read. This is where a well thought out PR strategy can work and it’s cheaper than display advertising and if you can do it in house - it’s essentially free.
Businesses still visit websites - so keep them up to date with fresh content and images. Find information that your customers would need or be interested in.
Direct Mail has for a long time featured less, due to the low response rates. How does 98% wastage sound when you try and justify the cost? Well targeted small campaigns can give 12 - 20% response in my experience. Some of this has transferred online but as the public have got fed up with Junk Mail, so too have they started to shy away from an over full Inbox. Opt-in newsletters are one way to build both customer and prospective customer awareness of your brand .
There are of course other tactics like sponsorship but measuring the response and attributing it to direct sales becomes more difficult. Exhibitions and trade shows used to do well, but with more sellers selling to you and less footfall from the buyers, picking the right event is paramount .
Internal Communications
Internal communications is in some organisations far from the agenda of the board room table; in others it is fully integrated into the organisation and embellished with the drive and determination of top management so that it succeeds. Good internal communications strategy and implementation motivates work forces and generates clear, useful communication to drive the company forward and ensures all employees take ownership of the positive side of honest communication of both opportunities for improvement and praise of fellow workers. Workers need to know what direction an organisation is heading in, where their individual and team roles fit in and what they have to do in order to achieve the goals set. People will put every effort into advancing the business if they can communicate their ideas.
So what do Internal Communications strategies look to achieve , well with many organisations it is the desire to further the quality standards needed in the business environment and to transpose that need internally towards its employees. With others, it is driven by the speed at which the business environment is changing and hence the need for the organisation to change. In this case good internal communication is delivered through a company vision and a change in focus toward face to face or more personal communication.
In order to achieve this, an organisation must understand several aspects to the organisation. It is necessary to understand the environment of the employees and what likely influences there are. These factors that influence employees include line management, immediate workers and any subordinates. As well as their own set of values, but also, those of their colleagues that surround them in the working environment. The important points of influence are, and always have been, our own co-workers. Peers influence more than managers influence subordinates. Added to this are the issues of culture and the sub culture of the company. Politics play a part as does the management style. In all a complex set of variables are at play.
The communication environment is conceptualised via the modification of the concept of communication taken from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. The author has embellished this concept to include the environment of the employee.
If the company understands the environment of the employee then it can use the best methods to get information to each person.
The second aspect the company needs to understand are the perceptions of the employees concerning the information they receive. If the firm understands this aspect as well, then it will know what information is best received. Hence an appreciation of these two aspects will indicate whether or not an Internal Communications strategy is working. Management is then in a position to either continue or change its strategy.
The importance of this article is to bring to the fore the need for firm to appreciate these two key aspects of the organisation and then to plan an Internal Communications strategy that works.
Author : Peter G Davey MA DipM