PASSMATE TUTORIALS
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL GUIDE FROM UNISA. THE FRAMEWORK IS
NOT PREPARED NOR APPROVED BY UNISA, RATHER REPRESENTS A POSSIBLE
SOLUTION TO THE TASK CONSISTENT WITH THEORY. THIS ASSIGNMENT IS
INTENDED TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN GETTING STARTED WITH THEIR ASSIGNMENT,
AND IN NO CASE THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE USED FOR CHEATING. WE BELIEVE
THIS WILL BE A GOOD STARTING POINT AS IT WAS PREPARED BY OUR TEAM OF
PROFESSIONAL PRIVATE TUTORS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, AND IT WAS
PREPARED USING VARIOUS SOURCES. ANY SIMILARITY WITH ANY EXISTING
THEORY OR DISCUSSION BY OTHER AUTHORS IS EXCUSED. THE AUTHORS
HOWEVER DO NOT CLAIM MONOPOLY TO KNOWLEDGE HENCE MODIFICATION OF
THE ANSWERS CONTAINED IN THIS FRAMEWORK MAY NOT BE PROHIBITED AS IT
CONTRIBUTES TO EXPANSION OF KNOWLEDGE. FOR ANY FURTHER GUIDELINE
ABOUT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HERE AND THE MODULE IN GENERAL,
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS.
WE ASSIST WITH OTHER MODULES INCLUDING:
ECSs, FACs, MACs, MNGs, INTs, TRLs, HMEMS, PRMs, PROs, MNBs, DSC, QMI, MNMs,
MNO, MNPs, FIN, PUBs, MNMs, RESEARCH among others.
WE OFFER CLASSES, ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES, EXAMINATION PREPARATION,
RESEARCH AND RESEARCH PROPOSALS, DISSERTATION EDITING etc.
OTHER THAN UNISA, WE ALSO ASSIST STUDENTS AT VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS
INCLUDING MANCOSA, REGENT, REGEYNESES, BOSTON, STADIO, OLG, UJ, UP etc
For any enquiries the following numbers can be used for calling, SMS, WhatsApp and
telegram
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
, PASSMATE TUTORIALS
QUESTION 1
1.1 Analyse the communication process (8 marks)
The communication process involves interconnected components through which
meaning is created, transmitted, interpreted and fed back between parties, including the
sender, encoding, message, channel, receiver, decoding and feedback, while noise can
interfere at different points. Effective communication therefore requires more than merely
distributing information because the receiver must understand the intended meaning and
have an opportunity to respond (OpenStax, 2019). In the Mzansi Retail Distribution
Centre, senior management was the primary sender, because it had approved the revised
work allocation schedule, shift times and reporting arrangements. The first major
breakdown occurred at the encoding and message stages because management
communicated the operational changes as an already-finalised decision, without initially
explaining the reasons, implications or opportunity for employee input. This is significant
because encoding involves translating an intended idea into a form that the receiver can
understand, while decoding involves interpreting that message through the receiver’s own
frame of reference (OpenStax, 2019). Employees therefore received the “what” of the
change before receiving a convincing explanation of the “why”, which contributed to
uncertainty and perceptions that management had disregarded their interests.
A second breakdown occurred in the channel selected by management. The staff notice
board communicated the decision through a largely one-way written channel, which was
inadequate for a change that directly affected employees’ working arrangements and
required clarification and discussion. Although management subsequently used the
company WhatsApp group to explain that the changes were intended to improve
productivity and reduce order-processing delays, this communication occurred only after
employees had already become frustrated. Research on communication channels
indicates that channel effectiveness depends, among other things, on accessibility,
information quality and opportunities for feedback, making channel selection particularly
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
, PASSMATE TUTORIALS
important when messages are complex or potentially contentious (Daft, Lengel & Trevino,
1987). A third breakdown occurred at the feedback stage because employees’ questions
did not lead to a meaningful two-way communication process. The employee’s question,
“Why were we not told about this before?”, represented legitimate upward feedback, but
the supervisor’s response merely referred to senior management’s prior approval rather
than addressing the underlying concern about consultation. The subsequent employee
resistance, including continuing to work according to previous arrangements, can
therefore be interpreted as behavioural feedback indicating that the original
communication had not generated shared understanding or acceptance. Consequently,
the communication process failed not because information was completely absent, but
because the process was predominantly one-directional, poorly timed and insufficiently
responsive, producing misunderstanding and conflict.
1.2 Types of communication and barriers (7 marks)
The scenario primarily demonstrates downward and upward communication, although the
interaction also reveals weaknesses in two-way communication. Downward
communication occurs when information moves from management to employees, which
is evident when management communicated the new work allocation arrangements
through the notice board and later through WhatsApp. Upward communication occurs
when employees communicate concerns, questions or feedback to higher levels of
management, as shown when employees questioned their supervisors and later raised
their concerns through union representatives. The problem was therefore not that the
organisation had no communication channels, but that the channels were used mainly to
announce decisions rather than facilitate dialogue. The study guide emphasises that
communication mechanisms are important for transmitting information, instructions and
feedback and are particularly significant in negotiations and conflict management (UNISA,
2026). Thus, the case illustrates an imbalance between downward communication and
meaningful upward communication, with employees being informed about a decision after
it had effectively already been made.
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL GUIDE FROM UNISA. THE FRAMEWORK IS
NOT PREPARED NOR APPROVED BY UNISA, RATHER REPRESENTS A POSSIBLE
SOLUTION TO THE TASK CONSISTENT WITH THEORY. THIS ASSIGNMENT IS
INTENDED TO ASSIST STUDENTS IN GETTING STARTED WITH THEIR ASSIGNMENT,
AND IN NO CASE THIS DOCUMENT SHOULD BE USED FOR CHEATING. WE BELIEVE
THIS WILL BE A GOOD STARTING POINT AS IT WAS PREPARED BY OUR TEAM OF
PROFESSIONAL PRIVATE TUTORS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THE FIELD, AND IT WAS
PREPARED USING VARIOUS SOURCES. ANY SIMILARITY WITH ANY EXISTING
THEORY OR DISCUSSION BY OTHER AUTHORS IS EXCUSED. THE AUTHORS
HOWEVER DO NOT CLAIM MONOPOLY TO KNOWLEDGE HENCE MODIFICATION OF
THE ANSWERS CONTAINED IN THIS FRAMEWORK MAY NOT BE PROHIBITED AS IT
CONTRIBUTES TO EXPANSION OF KNOWLEDGE. FOR ANY FURTHER GUIDELINE
ABOUT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HERE AND THE MODULE IN GENERAL,
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS.
WE ASSIST WITH OTHER MODULES INCLUDING:
ECSs, FACs, MACs, MNGs, INTs, TRLs, HMEMS, PRMs, PROs, MNBs, DSC, QMI, MNMs,
MNO, MNPs, FIN, PUBs, MNMs, RESEARCH among others.
WE OFFER CLASSES, ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES, EXAMINATION PREPARATION,
RESEARCH AND RESEARCH PROPOSALS, DISSERTATION EDITING etc.
OTHER THAN UNISA, WE ALSO ASSIST STUDENTS AT VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS
INCLUDING MANCOSA, REGENT, REGEYNESES, BOSTON, STADIO, OLG, UJ, UP etc
For any enquiries the following numbers can be used for calling, SMS, WhatsApp and
telegram
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
, PASSMATE TUTORIALS
QUESTION 1
1.1 Analyse the communication process (8 marks)
The communication process involves interconnected components through which
meaning is created, transmitted, interpreted and fed back between parties, including the
sender, encoding, message, channel, receiver, decoding and feedback, while noise can
interfere at different points. Effective communication therefore requires more than merely
distributing information because the receiver must understand the intended meaning and
have an opportunity to respond (OpenStax, 2019). In the Mzansi Retail Distribution
Centre, senior management was the primary sender, because it had approved the revised
work allocation schedule, shift times and reporting arrangements. The first major
breakdown occurred at the encoding and message stages because management
communicated the operational changes as an already-finalised decision, without initially
explaining the reasons, implications or opportunity for employee input. This is significant
because encoding involves translating an intended idea into a form that the receiver can
understand, while decoding involves interpreting that message through the receiver’s own
frame of reference (OpenStax, 2019). Employees therefore received the “what” of the
change before receiving a convincing explanation of the “why”, which contributed to
uncertainty and perceptions that management had disregarded their interests.
A second breakdown occurred in the channel selected by management. The staff notice
board communicated the decision through a largely one-way written channel, which was
inadequate for a change that directly affected employees’ working arrangements and
required clarification and discussion. Although management subsequently used the
company WhatsApp group to explain that the changes were intended to improve
productivity and reduce order-processing delays, this communication occurred only after
employees had already become frustrated. Research on communication channels
indicates that channel effectiveness depends, among other things, on accessibility,
information quality and opportunities for feedback, making channel selection particularly
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
, PASSMATE TUTORIALS
important when messages are complex or potentially contentious (Daft, Lengel & Trevino,
1987). A third breakdown occurred at the feedback stage because employees’ questions
did not lead to a meaningful two-way communication process. The employee’s question,
“Why were we not told about this before?”, represented legitimate upward feedback, but
the supervisor’s response merely referred to senior management’s prior approval rather
than addressing the underlying concern about consultation. The subsequent employee
resistance, including continuing to work according to previous arrangements, can
therefore be interpreted as behavioural feedback indicating that the original
communication had not generated shared understanding or acceptance. Consequently,
the communication process failed not because information was completely absent, but
because the process was predominantly one-directional, poorly timed and insufficiently
responsive, producing misunderstanding and conflict.
1.2 Types of communication and barriers (7 marks)
The scenario primarily demonstrates downward and upward communication, although the
interaction also reveals weaknesses in two-way communication. Downward
communication occurs when information moves from management to employees, which
is evident when management communicated the new work allocation arrangements
through the notice board and later through WhatsApp. Upward communication occurs
when employees communicate concerns, questions or feedback to higher levels of
management, as shown when employees questioned their supervisors and later raised
their concerns through union representatives. The problem was therefore not that the
organisation had no communication channels, but that the channels were used mainly to
announce decisions rather than facilitate dialogue. The study guide emphasises that
communication mechanisms are important for transmitting information, instructions and
feedback and are particularly significant in negotiations and conflict management (UNISA,
2026). Thus, the case illustrates an imbalance between downward communication and
meaningful upward communication, with employees being informed about a decision after
it had effectively already been made.
CONTACT PASSMATE TUTORIALS @061 262 1185/068 053 8213/0717 513 144
