Kiewit Website and Justification - Assignment Example

Running Header: Kiewit Website Proposal and Justification Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Kiewit Website Proposal and Justification Introduction Kiewit is one of the biggest construction companies in United States where integrity, hard work and innovation are embraced. In the last 125 year, Kiewit has remained as the one of the big and most recognized organization in the region of North America (Kiewit 2007, p.1). This firm has carried out various projects of all magnitude to produce solutions of world class in various markets. The organization is committed to all of its mining and construction projects with a goal of building them on budget, on time, safely and with no surprises. In every organization including Kiewit, effective communication is lifeblood and it is associated with transfer of communication (Fielding 2005, p. 13). Communication is referred to as effective if it establishes a needed impression on the other individual and supports in attaining all intended goals. Effective communication, whether written or oral, is a skilled work. A method by which information is passed between companies and persons with the aim to persuade, request or inform and to create goodwill is also viewed as an effective communication. The information should be correct, clear, complete, and save the time of reader and support to achieve its objectives. The advancing technology has helped in creating useful communication tools which are entertaining and effective. Through internet, website has been found as a vital tool in creating effective communication because of its some advantages such as cost effectiveness, easily updated and easy accessibility (O'Reilly & O'Neill 2008, pp. 41). In order to accomplish its objectives, website must be easy to navigate, interesting, up to date and filled with information that is well displayed and appropriately worded. Locker and Kaczmarek’s PAIBOC principles are aimed to answer PAIBOC questions. The PAIBOC represent an acronym required to be analyzed in order to obtain foundation of effective communication. These are; purpose, audience, information, benefits, objections and context (Kamath 2007, p. 11). Proposed Website The objective is to propose and justify the website that will be opted to attract high school students to pursue career in engineering oriented to construction and mining. Kiewit organization has its values which include; integrity, hard work and innovation which are the key drive to it success (Kiewit 2007, p.2). Therefore, the organization will be obliged to develop a strategy that will be targeting to lure high school students to pursue profession in engineering in their further education. This is because the organization is an engineering based and professionals produced in this career will be important to its operations. From available strategies, it will be appropriate and convenient for Kiewit to choose website as its strategy to effectively communicate with its targeted audience who are high school students. The website will be developed by designer who will bearing in mind that it is aimed to attract young people who turn out to be high school students. The tag line of our website will be ‘Launching construction and mining based career to shape the world’ and it will be designed to appear in appealing graphics and themes. This will also be supported by the reasons for high school graduate to choose engineering as a profession. Students will also be able to obtain exciting information about opportunities and benefits for working in a mining and construction organization such as Kiewit. These benefits emanate from the fact that the company is employee owned where long time employees are offered equal opportunities to service as senior managers. The opportunities presented will be listed in categories of construction and mining. Construction offers opportunities in various industries of engineering such as architecture, consultancy, civil engineering, electrical, mechanical, structural, water, environmental, transportation, geotechnical, hydraulic and surveying. List of opportunities offered through mining are explosives specialists, exploration, geologists and mineral processing specialist. The Kiewit website will be designed in a way that it will list all United States universities offering quality degree education relating to construction engineering and mining. The strategy will involve United States National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) so that Kiewit website is able to promote the benefits of mining and construction careers and provide information concerning engineering oriented universities. In an effort of increasing effectiveness of website communication, Kiewit will incorporate incentives in its strategy where it will be webhosting all high schools websites at a subsidized cost in order to create platform of advertising its website to students. The website will also contain information regarding the programme initiated by Kiewit in its effort to welcome and encourage new university graduates to join the organization. High school students will be able to appreciate how to launch mining and construction career in Kiewit and this will fuel their enthusiasm toward this profession. This organization admits that a person in this profession is a vital and valuable investment in the future success of the organization and hence it commits itself to enriching mining and construction career achievement and growth. In this strategy, Facebook, RSS feeds, Twitter and You Tube are internet communication tools that have been brought in the website. Paul and Chung (2008, p. 113) suggest that these tools have found a place as universal tools to share information through microblogs especially in young people such as high school students. Through these entertaining tools, it will be easy for the website to convey it information to the intended audiences (O'Reilly & O'Neill 2008). The website will also bear the information of success stories of Kiewit in the sector of mining and construction in order to inform young students that there is bright future in this profession. The information will be archived in such a way that accessibility will be simplified where it can be sorted by date, client, partner or industry. In those having interest in wanting to inquire deeper about the field of mining and construction, will be granted chance to do so in section of Kiewit archives. This website will also have an advantage because Kiewit organization has taken an obligation of making this web site widely accessible, including visitors with disabilities like vision or hearing loss. This is enabled through incorporation of software such as Easy Web Browsing which is easy to install and allow the user to navigate content of web page more easily by permitting user to customize web experience. Also included in the content of website are testimonials of young graduates who opted to take career in construction and mining and their success stories with one of the leading organization in construction (Kiewit). This website will also persuade high school students to pursue career in mining and construction since organization will give student incentives through student programs that are aimed to offer the particular real world, valuable experience that speeds preparation for a professional career. Website Justification According to Harvard Business School Press (2003, p. 2), every strategy in communication must evaluate its purpose for it to be effective and the way to follow in order to address organizational problem. The main purpose of Kiewit website is to attract high school student to careers of mining and construction since it is its business core. The information bearing attractive content persuading and advising high school students to choose career in construction and mining include interesting employment opportunities and also how to build career. The employment opportunities included are categorized in construction and mining fields. Baker (2009, p. 10) confirms that construction field present huge and exciting engineering opportunities ranging from architecture, consultancy, civil engineering, electrical, mechanical, structural, water, environmental, transportation, geotechnical, hydraulic and surveying. Mining field also offer opportunities in explosives, exploration, geology and mineral processing. Others include superintendent, estimator, business management, project management, accounting, quality management, foremanship, quality management and safety management. These are diverse opportunities that have ability of attracting and enticing young people to pursue construction and mining career in their university education. The information shows that there are fewer places that give stimulating challenges and as many opportunities as construction organizations to gain more knowledge in construction and reward for excellent performance. Kiewit as a construction based organization provides various benefits to it professional which include employment ownership program, attractive salaries, healthcare benefits and plans of income protections. The website content will be able to attract young people to pursue construction and mining based career and ensure continuous supply of expertise in this market. The audience of this website is high school students who are being attracted to pursue construction and mining related careers in university education (Harvard Business School Press 2003, p. 3). Majority of people seeking information regarding career are high school graduates and this is why website has focuses on the information concerning construction and mining career building. The tag line ‘Launching construction and mining based career to shape the world’ is also directed in differentiating its audience from others. Audience is able to know that construction and mining careers offer opportunities that are diverse in order to earn more, achieve more, learn more and do more. Involvement of United States National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) in content of web page is to help in addressing high school students about United States Universities that offer quality degrees that are oriented to mining and construction. Incentive of webhosting all high schools websites at subsidized cost provides a vantage position to communicate effectively with audience who are students in high schools. Facebook, RSS feeds, Twitter and You Tube are some of internet communication tools that bring enthusiasm to young people especially high school students (Haigh 2010, p.14). These tools are both entertaining and helpful. It is possible to permit user to send micromedia such as audio clips or photos, or short text updates and publish them, either to be available to selected group or anyone which can be selected by the user. These tools have been found not only entertaining but also serving as effective tools of communication among young people who are targeted audience. The whole content in the website contain attractive and appealing information about careers in construction and mining. Information included is meant to show high school students that construction and mining is a vast industry presenting a wide range of exciting opportunities. Included opportunities are architecture, consultancy, civil engineering, electrical, mechanical, structural, water, environmental, transportation, geotechnical, hydraulic and surveying (Baker 2009, p. 10). National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has provided a very useful information concerning universities in US. Audience will be provided with list of United States universities that offer quality degrees oriented to careers in construction and mining. Audience is able to access information regarding the programme initiated by Kiewit that are focused on welcoming and encouraging new university graduates to join the organization. This also provides information on how to launch mining and construction careers in Kiewit with an aim of fuelling enthusiasm toward this profession. The website has also incorporated information about its excellence in serving its clients in various projects which include; mining, buildings, oil, chemical, gas, power, wastewater/water and transportation among others. There is also information on testimonies of young graduates who have experience of working in construction and mining profession. Young, Marcel, and Wondra (2006, p. 49) show that in every effective communication, the reader is offered benefits in support of strategy chosen. Audience is able to understand that field in construction and mining is a wide and offers interesting employment opportunities. This is made easier to understand because opportunities are elaborated in categories of mining and construction. There is also rich information concerning how a young person can build a successful construction and mining careers that offer huge opportunities, stimulating workplace and rewarding performance. Through information provided with collaboration of National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), high school students benefit by get information regarding universities that offer degree courses related to construction and mining. Audiences with disabilities such as loss of vision or hearing are able to obtain information because Kiewit has incorporated software known as Easy Web Browsing which is easy to install and allow the user to navigate content of web page more easily by permitting user to customize web experience. Archive of the website is easily accessible and contains articles about projects of the organization which can be used as educational materials. It is known that majority of young people including high school students use internet for entertainment rather than for education purposes. This is a major type of objection that is expected from the audience. However, this is eliminated by incorporating internet communication tools that are both educative and entertaining. Fascinating tools such as Facebook, RSS feeds, Twitter and You Tube are included in the website to making audience more enthusiastic. Website has been designed with magnificent graphics and clear messages that are aimed to attract audience. Some students have objection that engineering fields are for geniuses but this negativity is reversed by incorporating testimonials from young graduates who have ventured and succeeded in these careers. There is also inclusion of benefits of working in mining and construction profession which are employment ownership program, attractive salaries, healthcare benefits and plans of income protections. This is aimed to show audiences that although the profession is challenging, it has huge benefits which outweighs its challenges. This website has addressed the question of how the context might affect the response of targeted audience. This is achieved by incorporating message into interesting tools that are able to efficiently pass information to high school student with an aim of attracting them to pursue careers oriented to construction and mining. Haigh (2010, p. 34) argues that tools such as Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and RSS feeds are more attractive to young people and this is capitalized to making audience respond more positively. The messages are short, clear and tailored in appealing graphics to make sure the audience respond to the information. Mining and construction industry has been depicted as a vibrant and flourishing sector by providing information about Kiewit excellence and testimonials from successful professionals. The context of this information is positioned to persuade audience so as to attract responses from high school students. Conclusion This website has been developed on the basis of Locker and Kaczmarek’s PAIBOC principles which are vital foundation of creating effective communication. The proposed website has potential of attracting high school students to undertake construction and mining oriented careers in university education in order to ensure continuous supply of competent human resources in this sector. Inclusion of Easy Web Browsing in Kiewit website is a huge boost to increase effectiveness in communication because of highly improved accessibility. Facebook, Twitter, FSS feeds and YouTube are internet tools that are found to attract young people including high school students (Haigh 2010, p. 34). The website has addressed principle of purpose, audience, information, benefits, objections and context throughout it design. There are advantages associated with website as a tool of effective communication and they include cost effectiveness and being paper free. References Baker, M 2009, “My involvement in engineering management during its pioneer years’, Engineering Management Journal, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 9-12. Fielding, M 2005, Effective Communication in Organisations, Juta & Co. (Pty) Ltd, Lansdowne, Cape Town. Haigh, P 2010, Social Network Websites: Their Benefits and Risks, Optimus Education eBooks, London. Harvard Business School Press 2003, Business Communication, Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, Boston. Kamath, G 2007, Business Communication, pp. 1-31. Kaul, A 2006, Effective Business Communication, Prentice Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi. Kiewit 2007, Experiences in Construction Engineering at Kiewit, pp. 1-12. O'Reilly, D & O'Neill, C 2008, ‘An analysis of Irish primary school children’s internet usage and the associated safety implications’, International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 40-48. Paul, R & Chung, L 2008, ‘Brave new cyberworld: the employer's legal guide to the interactive internet’, The Labor Lawyer, vol. 24, no. 1, 109-138. Read More