http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_communication
http://www.sussexenterprise.co.uk/viewPage.jsp?id=5541643

Emails – This is a quick and cheap way to communicate either with employees inside the business or with external consumers or clients. Email allows people to communicate on a global scale. It also means information can be exchange at any time and to multiply recipients and it doesn’t involve trying to set up a face to face meeting. Business documents can be attached to an email which means they don’t have to be printed out and sent physically to the person this means people receive these documents quicker and reduces the possibility that they are lost. The disadvantages of using email are that sometime the context of the email can be misinterpreted. There is also the possibility that people may receive information that is off now use to them.

Face To Face – Face to face communication allows the body language and facial expression to be read. This is an advantage as it means information won’t be misinterpreted. Face to face communication means people have to opportunity to ask questions and receive instant answers unlike with email. It is also a way of confirming who people are and also is a good way of developing business relationships and social skills. The disadvantage is that people in different countries or in places far away may find it difficult or expensive to meet up.

Telephone/ mobile phone calls – Using a telephone is a more personal way of communicating compared to email and text. By using a telephone people are able to hear the tone in someone’s voice which valuable as it reduces the risk of information being misinterpreted. Using a telephone call as a way of communicating means people are able to communicate other long distances where organising a face to face meeting may be impossible. One drawback of telephone and mobile phone calls are that they rely on having a good signal and also having battery power. Also if the mobile phone was a pay as you go phone it may be expensive. Also international calls are also expensive.

Web-based communication – Instant messaging software is done in real time as it means people don’t have to wait for recipients to reply. Instant messaging software also allows people to send documents and there is the opportunity to do video calls but they require hardware such as webcams. Web-based communications systems allow anyone with a internet access to communicate this can also be a disadvantage as some people do not have this. Also if technical problems arise it means that communication can be disrupted.