Business writing tips to get results. ARTICLE: Labossiere, Corinne. (2018). Business writing tips to get results. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/business-writing-tips-to-get-results/article14422915/
1.ARTICLE: Labossiere, Corinne. (2018). Business writing tips to get results. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/business-writing-tips-to-get-results/article14422915/
2. WEBSITE: Audience Analysis. University of Pittsburg – Department of Communication. Retrieved from https://www.comm.pitt.edu/oral-comm-lab/audience-analysis.
3. VIDEO: (07:13): Allocca, K. (2011). Why videos go viral. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_allocca_why_videos_go_viral/up-next
With this assignment, please write a one to two paragraph analysis (500 words each) of the information gleaned from each source. Please use 7th ed. APA format for in-text citations and references (if applicable).
Your last sentence or two should include a statement about whether the information was relevant to your professional journey.
This assignment will enable you to synthesize the important information in a logical manner.
Much has changed in the 20 years since Rahim Dhalla started at Investment Planning Counsel (IPC). When the recent university graduate launched his career with the wealth management company, it had fewer than 50 employees and about $3 billion in assets under administration.
A very different picture emerges when Dhalla, now director of portfolio management, cites some 2021 numbers: IPC has 400-plus employees and over $30 billion in assets under administration.
Despite that growth, one important thing hasn’t changed, Dhalla says, and that’s IPC’s culture. It’s still a close-knit organization where everyone works together to help one another succeed.
Dhalla recalls that when he travelled for business before the pandemic, his son, then a pre-schooler, would always ask where he was going. “I’d reply, ‘Daddy is going away with his work family.’”
According to president and CEO Blaine Shewchuk, that family mindset is no accident. “A culture isn’t something that just happens,” he says. “It’s an accumulation of all the big and small things that you do on purpose.”
Supporting others is a fundamental aspect of IPC, Shewchuk says. “Although we’re in an industry that’s driven by numbers, we’re a people business,” he says. “The people who thrive in our environment are those who enjoy interacting and collaborating with their teammates and clients.”
IPC’s clients include entrepreneurial independent advisors throughout Canada who are focused on providing financial solutions. The advisors are considered an extension of the team and IPC helps them build a better business by supporting them on portfolio management, technology, marketing and access to subject matter experts.
The company supports employee development through opportunities such as webinars, one-on-one mentoring, job shadowing and paid support for external professional development. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPC augmented its online offerings, says Georgina Whitehead, head of culture & talent.
More difficult to replicate in the digital realm are the unplanned interactions that can spark spontaneous idea sharing and help colleagues feel connected.
Even so, employee surveys show lots of positive feedback for the virtual socials, coffee chats and other internal channels for informal interactions, Whitehead says. “As well, more than 75 per cent of employees log in to the virtual town halls held every other Friday.”
Now, after a long period of adjusting to changing pandemic conditions, the big question for businesses like IPC is what comes next.
Dhalla, for one, says the pandemic accelerated trends. For instance, IPC expedited delivery of a new digital space for supporting its clients. “We demonstrated we could be productive and satisfy the needs of our clients in an evolving industry,” he says.
Pulse checks indicate employees are increasingly comfortable working from home and enjoying work-life balance.
In other words, it’s time for open dialogue, Shewchuk says. “Some people can’t wait to go back to the office, others never want to go back,” he adds.
Although plans haven’t been finalized, Shewchuk says he expects IPC will adopt a hybrid model in which people divide their time between working from home and being on site for in-person collaboration.
For Dhalla, right now that still means online calls over business trips, where his son now observes that instead of travelling to his work family, “Daddy’s talking to his work family.”