A Survey Of Integrated Corporate Communications Practices In Organizations (A Case Of The Mobile Phone Service Providers In Kenya)

ABSTRACT

There is need for integrated corporate communications. Integrated corporate communication is very relevant to marketing, management and organizational communication. Organizations thus strive to manage their communications in an attempt to reach all stakeholders and to transmit coherence, credibility and ethic. They have to align symbols, messages, procedures and behaviours in tandem with the envisaged communication. The practice offers centralized control of all communication and projects the image of an organization which has what it takes with regard to its communications with its constituents. The study aimed to find out how mobile phone service providers practice integrated corporate communications. It aimed to investigate the extent to which integrated corporate communications affect marketing communication, to identify how integrated corporate communications activities affect management communication and to determine how integrated corporate communications affect organizational communication. The study employed a descriptive survey design and its population of interest was the mobile phone service providers which included Safaricom, Airtel, Yu and Orange. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and augmented by use of secondary data from the regulator and service providers records. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics by use of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The results were presented by use of tables, pie charts and bar graphs and show the current situation with regard to integrated corporate communications in the Kenya Telecommunications Industry. The study found that most of the respondents were aware to a greater extent that there was a communication practice in the organization. The study also revealed that the involvement of the departments in communication practices helped the respondent‟s organization realize better performance. The study further disclosed communication between management and the other departments enables the membership to own the firms vision. The study thus concludes that integrated corporate and marketing communications are one of the most important factors behind the success of any company. The study concludes that the organization sending the messages have to understand the target audience needs, emotions, interests and accurately deliver the message to achieve the relevance and results desirous from the target audience.