NATIONAL ECONOMIC UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE BUSINESS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT PORTFOLIO Lecturer: Mrs Le Thi Thu Mai Students: Nguyen Dang Phuong Linh - 11182730 Nguyen Thuy Huong - 11182185 Pham Thi Trang Anh - 11180443 Tran Thi Quynh – 11184281 Nguyen Viet Hoang - 11181930 Class: Business Communication E(121)_01 Hanoi, 2020 Table of Contents I SITUATION OF UNILEVER .1 Overview Reasons Situation analysis Lessons .3 II SITUATION OF BURGER KING .4 Overview Reasons Situation analysis Lessons REFERENCES I SITUATION OF UNILEVER Overview Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch multinational corporation that specialize in consumer goods The company, which operates in over 190 countries, is among the biggest consumer goods firms in the world Globally, Unilever dominates this industry alongside Johnson & Johnson, their main rival Since their first appearance in the Vietnamese market in 1995, the company has risen to be one of the most successful foreign investors with many of their brands becoming household names such as Clear, Knorr, OMO, Lifebuoy, Pureit, P/S, Vim, … In May, 2017, an advertisement was posted on the Unilever Pureit Vietnam’s Facebook page to promote their water filter product Its caption states: “2 hours after being boiled, the water will be reinfected with harmful bacteria Are you sure that boiling is enough to make your water safe to drink?” They hinted that boiled water, which is a common source of drinking water in Vietnam, is not safe to drink Then, they went on to claim that after being boiled, bacterias in the water will be killed and start to decompose Therefore; they will turn into organic material and become a source of nutrients for external microbes to live off They also claimed after hours the water will quickly get “stale”, it will attract twice as much bacterias and become even more contaminated All of these points were made without any factual or scientific evidence This quickly drew a lot of online attraction and created misunderstanding which led to apprehension and anxiety among the public They feared the source of water which they have been drinking contains lots of potentially harmful organisms Many scientists have spoken up and refuted the claim in the ads According to their words, these statements above are partially untrue and the way Unilever Pureit Vietnam framed the words was intentionally misleading Reasons Nowadays, advertising is an integral part of every product in any industry Along with the development of information technology in the 4.0 era, advertising is becoming more and more diverse from forms to means to bring products to the masses It is apparent to see that today people spend a lot of time on social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc This is a potential resource that could be exploited to promote their products However, with the thought that social networks are just an auxiliary tool and not as important as other advertising channels, many manufacturers have not really paid much attention to them Therefore, that carelessness leads to mistakes in using words, forcing the brand to receive negative comments from network users as well as customers This Unilever advertisement also fell into a similar situation Thus, our team chose this case to emphasize the following things: The importance of business communication with its customers It can be said that communication is one of the keys to the success of a business because it is a channel for customers to visualize the business Conversely, if the business is not well prepared in communicating with customers, the image of the business will also be affected As in the case of Unilever mentioned above, carelessness in product promotion has caused this brand to receive complaints and grievances from users The role of choosing and using the right words to convey the message Successful business communication depends on the words people use Choosing and using the right words to convey exactly what the manufacturer wants is extremely important Wrong choices will lead to misunderstandings for users In the case of Unilever, the manufacturer's intention to the reader was misinterpreted because of the incorrect used language The hidden power of social networking sites in promoting products It can be seen that social networking sites are an indispensable part of today's life Exploiting their potential will be very helpful in promoting the products as well as the company With a large number of users, this is a source of potential customers that businesses can easily reach However, a mistake in communicating on these social platforms could be able to lead to a boycott of an entire brand Situation analysis Based on the learning concept in chapter “ Business Communication in the Digital Age” in Business Communication course In this case, the information “boiled water after hours will be more poisonous than unspoiled water” Unilever gives in their advertisement is not authentic This information has not yet been proved or based on any scientific basis According to the available previous scientific research, it is recommended drinking is best after boiling for about – hours so that oxygen in the air is saturated into that water Therefore, the information Unilever gave is not objective and truthful because toxic bacteria must take a long time, not two hours to develop in the boiled water Unilever here was trying to be informative, but they rather overdid it, so there have been some unexpected counter-effects to that As a consequence, the way Unilever did is counterproductive with what they want to deliver in their message Customers, therefore, feel confused and easily misunderstood by provided information Besides, there are some customers who think that this is the “trick” of Unilever to catch customers’ attention However, this reduces the trust of customers to Unilever because of its being dishonest It shows that Unilever was not professional when giving information without carefully researching the information and anticipating the customer's reaction, showing the unprofessional working way In terms of technique to address this situation, Unilever should follow the goal of ethical business communicators: Unilever should be objective and trustful in delivering information It means that information should be backed up by persuasive evidence, reasons, or tactics Moreover, Unilever should also use inclusive language to avoid bypassing among customers as well as possible Indeed, communicating clearly should be involved in the case of Unilever Information should be accurate and straightforward instead of being ambiguous From all above, Unilever could build credit with their customers, and maintain a positive image and presence Lessons From the case of Unilever, determining goals of ethical business communication plays an important role in making right decisions Ethics describes standards of right and wrong prescribing what people should and includes virtues such as fairness, honesty, and loyalty Ethical standards are more rigorous than the law The goals of ethical communicators include abiding by the law, telling the truth, labeling opinions, being objective, communicating clearly, using inclusive language, and giving credit Dealing honestly with customers will develop trust and build strong relationships Not only Unilever, but every business should use tactics for delivering messages via channels that are well-received Information will be more persuasive when backed by tactics, evidence, or reasons, as a result, build the credit with customers II SITUATION OF BURGER KING Overview Burger King is an American global fast food chain The predecessor to Burger King was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, Florida, as Insta-Burger King After almost 70 years of existence, Burger King has established itself as one of the biggest brands in the fast food industry The company has become well known not only in the US but all around the world with almost 19,000 restaurants However; the brand has been struggling while trying to expand into the Vietnamese market much like its competitor McDonald This is mainly due to the special socio-cultural and economical situation of Vietnam Their main problem does not lie in other fast food franchises but the local street vendors that are way more affordable and palatable to the Vietnamese A Burger King restaurant at 539, Nguyen Tri Phuong, 10th District, Ho Chi Minh city recently faced backlash and criticism from the Internet community It started when the restaurant put a note on the glass door which started with the line: “ Goviet and Grab Food deliverers; Remember to put the chairs back where they belong after you have taken your order.” The note also stated that the restaurant would not take orders from Goviet and Grab Food drivers if they did not comply After the picture of the note was posted and circulated among online groups of Technology drivers, it quickly infuriated many of them because they considered this use of language to be discriminatory According to them, whether it is ordering food to eat or to deliver to others, Grab and Go-Viet drivers themselves are also guests that help bring in revenue for the restaurant Consequently, they reached out to the netizens to boycott Burger King by rating it star on google maps review Incidents like this, though at a single store level, can greatly tarnish the reputation of the restaurant and also negatively affect the image of the brand Reasons “Sustaining a business is a hell of a lot of hard work”, said Wendy Tan White - a famous UK business executive Customers are central to all business, even a small relatedcustomer mistake can lead to the downfall of the business In other words, satisfied consumers contribute to increased revenue, growth, and long-term viability Burger King is a household name in the US and its well-known reputation spreads all over the world including Vietnam However, the recent boycott case of Burger King has brought its business on the verge of recession Through that incident gives us insight into the reason why such an unfortunate event happened The reputation of the company will be affected by a boycott movement, because the worse the company's image becomes, the more likely consumers will be concerned about the company, and the more likely they will boycott and stop purchasing the product Boycotting a corporation can be harmful, as there is evidence of boycotts having a negative financial impact on businesses This incidentally demonstrated the importance of the following points: The value of business communication with customers Everything will fail without a good ability to communicate with customers Client communication is crucial because it builds and maintains confidence between the client and the company Customers who trust a brand are more inclined to stick with it Open client communication can also reduce misconceptions, increase customer happiness, and increase the likelihood of customers recommending a company to others Alertness for using exclusive language This can discriminate against people and make them feel inferior, especially if they are different because of their status or other features Alertness organizations regarding the power of social media Events on social media attract instant attention and boost business visibility if the events involve positive information In contrast, negative news will leave bad images about the brand in the customer's mind The propagation of rumors and lies via social media quickly became a source of knowledge, particularly for younger Vietnamese generations Situation analysis Ba s e nt h et he or yl e a r n e di nc h a p t e r4“ Pl a n ni n gBu s i n e s sMe s s a g e' 'i nBu s i n e s s Co mmu ni c a t i o nc o ur s e ,t h i sc a s eofBur g e rKi n gmi g h ti n v o l v e“ b i a s e dl a n g ua g e ” Th e t e r m" bi a s e dl a n gu a g e "r e f e r st o wo r d sa n d ph r a s e st ta r ec on s i d e r e dp r e j u di c e d, o ffe n s i v e ,a n dh ur t f u l Bi a sl a n gu a g ei n c l ud e se xp r e s s i o nst td e me a no re x c l u depe op l e b e c a u s eo fa g e ,s e x ,r a c e ,e t hn i c i t y ,s o c i a lc l a s s ,orp h y s i c a lorme n t a lt r a i t s I nt hi sc a s eo f Bu r g e rKi n g ,t h es t a ffs h o we dt he i rdi s c r i mi na t i ona g a i s n tGo v i e ta ndGr a bf o odd r i v e r sb y j u s tpo i nt i n gou ts p e c i ficna me so ft hed r i v e rc omp a ni e st tne e dt opu tt h ec h a i r sba c kt o t h er i g htp os i t i on ,whe r e a si ts h ou l db ec omp l i e db ya l lt hec us t o me r s Fur t h e r mo r e ,t h i s c a s ei sa l s or e l a t e dt o“ ne g a t i v ee x pr e s s i on ”a st hes t a ffd i dno ts h o wa n yr e s pe c tt ot h e s e d r i v e r sa st h e yt e n dt ou s ei n a p pr op r i a t eph r a s e st oc omma nd t hedr i v e r swh e r e a s e mpl o y e e sa r es u pp o s e dt ot r e a tt h ec u s t ome r swi t hp r o f e s s i on a la n df r i e nd l ya t t i t ud e s Asac o ns e q u e nc e ,t hea c t i onofBu r g e rKi n gs t a ffpu t t i n gano t eont heg l a s sd oo rus i n g s o men e g a t i v ee xp r e s s i o nh a dl e dt ot h ef r u s t r a t i o nofal a r g en umbe rofc us t o me r s Mo r e s pe c i fic a l l y ,t hema j o r i t yofme mb e r si no nl i negr o up sofTe c hn ol o gyd r i v e r sf e l te xt r e me l y i n f u r i a t e db e c a us et h e yc o ns i de r e dt hi su s eo fl a n g ua g edi s c r i mi na t or y Co n s e q u e n t l y ,t he y r e a c he utt ot hen e t i z e nst ob o y c o t tBur g e rKi n gb yr a t i n gi t1s t a rong oo gl ema ps r e vi e w.Wi t hne a r l y4 00ne g a t i v er e vi e ws ,t h eBu r g e rKi n ga dd r e s so nGoo gl eha sbe e n d o wn gr a de dt obe l o wa v e r a g e ,a t2 4p oi n t swi t hma n yc r i t i c i s ms Th er e s u l toft h i sc o ul d b et r e me nd ou sa sBur g e rKi n gma yb eont hee d g eofl os i n gmor ec us t o me r s ,t h e r e b y l e a d i n gt oar e du c t i oni nt he i rs a l e s I nt e r msoft e c hn i q u et oa dd r e s st h i ss i t ua t i on ,Bu r g e rKi n gs h ou l df ol l o wt hea da pt i v e wr i t i n gt e c hn i q ue si n c l ud i n g : Empl o yb i as f r e el ang uag e I na da p t i n game s s a g et ot hea ud i e nc e ,Bu r g e rKi n gn e e d st ob es u r et h el a n gu a g eont h e n ot ei ss e ns i t i v ea ndb i a sf r e e Mo r es pe c i fic a l l y ,i ti si mp e r a t i v et ob ec a u t i ou sa b ou t e xp r e s s i o nst h a tmi gh tb ebi a s e di nt e r msofg e n de r ,r a c e ,e t hn i c i t y ,a g e ,ordi s a bi l i t y Ge ne r a l l y ,Bu r g e rKi n gs t a ffc a na v o i db i a s e dl a n g ua g eb yc ho os i n ga l t e r n a t el a n g ua g ef or wor dsi n v ol v i n gdi ffe r e nts oc i a lc l a s s e s ,b yc h a n gi n gt oag e n e r a ls u b j e c t , i nt hi sc a s e ,i st h e c us t o me r sa sawho l e , no ts p e c i f yi n gon l yGo vi e ta ndGr a bf oo ddr i v e r s Exp r e s si d e aspo s i t i v e l y Thes t a ffc a ni mp r o v et h ec l a r i t y ,t o ne ,a nde ffe c t i v e n e s sofame s s a g eb yu s i n gp os i t i v e r a t h e rt h a nne g a t i v el a n g ua g e Po s i t i v el a n gu a g eg e n e r a l l yc o n v e y smo r ei n f or ma t i o nt n n e g a t i v el a n gu a g edo e s Mor e o v e r ,p os i t i v eme s s a g e sa r eup l i f t i n ga ndpl e a s a n tt or e a d St a ffa tBu r g e rKi n g ,t he r e f or e ,n e e dt oa v o i dph r a s e si n v o l vi n gnoorno ts u c s“ wewi l l n ott a k ey ou ror de rne x tt i me ” Ex pr e s sCo ur t e s y Ma i n t a i ni n gac ou r t e ou st o nei n v ol v e sn otj us tgu a r d i n ga g a i n s tr u de n e s sbu ta l s oa v oi di n g wor dst h a ts ou ndd e ma n di n gorp r e a c h y Exp r e s s i on ss u c si nt hi sc a s eo fBu r g e rKi n g “ y ous h ou l d” ,“ y oumus t ” ,e t c Oner e me d yi st ot u r nt he s ed e ma nd si n t or he t or i c a l q u e s t i o nst h a tbe g i nwi t h“ Wi l ly o up l e a s e ”o rgi vi n gr e a s on sf orar e q ue s ta l s os of t e ns t h et o ne Fu r t he r mor e ,s t a ffc ou l dus ep ol i t eph r a s e ss u c s“ Wewou l db eha p p yi f …” , “ Tha nky ouf orb e i n gs oe nt h us i a s t i c ” Lessons From the carelessness of Burger King in delivering requests to customers, it is imperative to draw several meaningful lessons with the aim to improve business communication in the future To begin with, business communicators should use inclusive language in communication in order to avoid expressions that discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of their sex, ethnicity, disability, race, sexual orientation, or age More significantly, the sender should select channels to transmit the message in an efficient way Messages may be delivered by computer, wireless network, smartphone, social network, letter, memorandum, report, announcement, picture, spoken word, fax, Web page, or some other channel In this digital era, the number of channels continues to expand, therefore, the decision to send the message on which channel may depend on some of the factors such as the importance of the message; degree of formality desired or confidentiality and sensitivity of the message In some specific cases like Burger King’s, an announcement put on a note on the door could be appropriate, however, it could be better widespread if Burger King consider other methods of delivering the messages, for example, posting an announcement on a Web page or social network with courteous and optimistic attitudes Thus, customers could be well-informed about the company’s desire and pay more enthusiasm towards new changes REFERENCES Coursebook _ Business Communication (9th edition) Burger King company: https://burgerking.vn/about-us Burger King situation: https://zingnews.vn/cua-hang-burger-king-bi-dim-sao-vi-ky-thi-tai-xe-grab-go-vietpost951229.html? fbclid=IwAR0ozBJtU694loDrRN92CunGCJ0e0Y5_Aaz91yEL4G2rcxHmQPZbA51qHQ Unilever company: https://www.unilever.com.vn/our-company/ Unilever Pureit Vietnam: https://www.facebook.com/PureitVN/ Unilever situation: https://kienthuc.net.vn/kinh-doanh/quang-cao-may-loc-nuocunilever-pureit-vietnam-noi-nuoc-dun-soi-nhiem-doc-la-lao-885444.html? fbclid=IwAR0UBBjB4byqut8q7QlaRSSMCdRAONlmMT0NXugNdDxgbcUBL8SZVYi7DU ... Situation analysis Lessons REFERENCES I SITUATION OF UNILEVER Overview Unilever is an Anglo- Dutch multinational corporation that specialize in consumer goods The company, which operates. .. operates in over 190 countries, is among the biggest consumer goods firms in the world Globally, Unilever dominates this industry alongside Johnson & Johnson, their main rival Since their first... exactly what the manufacturer wants is extremely important Wrong choices will lead to misunderstandings for users In the case of Unilever, the manufacturer's intention to the reader was misinterpreted