Magisteruppsats från Internationella ekonomprogrammet

Självständigt arbete på avancerad nivå (magisterexamen) Having a functioning internal communication is necessary for the survival and existence of every company. Traditional communication channels are for example meetings, noteboards and personnel newspapers. During the last ten years we have witnessed an explosion of new channels, who are based on information technology. IT is a natural part in new IT-companies, like Framfab and Icon Medialab, but what role does IT have in a large, manufacturing company with a long history? The purpose with this thesis is to investigate how IT has influenced the internal communication in a company. With this thesis we want to contribute to a developed understanding of communication within companies and discuss what role IT can play for internal communication in the future. We have chosen to study Akzo Nobel and have interviewed employees in different business units to investigate their view on communication and the influence of IT. We found that IT has had a relatively great impact on the internal communication and that the new technology often work as a complement to the traditional communication channels. We believe that IT will lead to an increased amount of written communication and that the communication will be detached from persons. There is a risk that the amount of information will increase and that this will make it harder for the individual to find relevant information. For IT to be an efficient channel for companies in the future, we believe that companies must educate employees regarding technology, pedagogic and written presentation. Having a functioning internal communication is necessary for the survival and existence of every company. Traditional communication channels are for example meetings, noteboards and personnel newspapers. During the last ten years we have witnessed an explosion of new channels, who are based on information technology. IT is a natural part in new IT-companies, like Framfab and Icon Medialab, but what role does IT have in a large, manufacturing company with a long history? The purpose with this thesis is to investigate how IT has influenced the internal communication in a company. With this thesis we want to contribute to a developed understanding of communication within companies and discuss what role IT can play for internal communication in the future. We have chosen to study Akzo Nobel and have interviewed employees in different business units to investigate their view on commu