eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

This study examines a managerial problem and it was carried out as a case study. The managerial problem focused on the intra-organizational communication in warranty handling. The company being examined is ABB Oy, Drives and the operation investigated the LVAC Drives warranty process. The study examines the process from a communication point of view and observes its related complications. The actors in the center of the study are ABB Oy, Drives and the local ABB units.

The literature review concentrated on the internal communication of companies, with weight on the strengths and weaknesses of different communication methods. A framework was build based on the literature review and it was used to review the selected warranty cases for the empirical research. Two methods were utilized in the data collection: a limited survey and an in-depth study into individual warranty cases. The material consisted of email correspondence acquired from the warranty handling customer service team. In addition, information was obtained from the company's enterprise resource planning system. The author of this study is employed in the case company and has a relatively long experience in the LVAC Drives warranty process. This subjective information has also been used in this study.

As the findings, three key problem and remedy areas were identified related to the communication in the warranty process: selecting the correct communication medium, avoiding perception gaps and improving rapport. Conclusions included the notion that a critical time stricken process such as the warranty process requires distinct attention on the communication and that a medium such as email is generally not sufficient for the process in question. As a managerial implication, the study suggests the formation of a specific communication strategy for the employees involved in the warranty process.