1. Unit – IV

2. Over view Business Letter Principles Of Business Writing Memos E-mails
Agendas
Minutes
Sales Letter- Enquiries
Orders- Letters Of Complaint
Claims And Adjustments
Notice And Tenders
Circulars
Letters Of Application And Resume.

3. Introduction - Business correspondence
Business correspondence relates to the communication in writing between business houses on matters of trade, commerce and industries. Letters deals with matters relating to purchase and sales of goods, transportation, banking, insurance and other trade matters come under business correspondence.

4. Principles of Business Correspondence:4
Principles of Business Correspondence:
Business writing is clear. It uses simple words, short sentences and paragraphs that are easy to understand. Words used are direct to the point.
Business writing is formal. It is written in standard formal English. It refrains from using abbreviations.
Business writing is objective. It conveys its message in a detached, impartial point of view. You don’t express your personal feelings and opinions, you’re just presenting the intended message.
Business writing is factual and accurate. It gives only facts pertinent to the message of the letter.
Business writing is contemporary. It is in a conversational tone.

5. Business letter
Business letter is a formal written message, written in a conventional form for a specific audience for a specific needs.
“All the letters or message or their replies conveyed to another business person through a written note obviously known as business letters”

6. Types of Business Letters
Letter of Transmittal
Letter of Inquiry
Claim/Complaint Letter
Good News Letter
Bad News Letter
Letter of Application
Many others 6

7. 7

8. 1. Margins: the space around your letter.8
1. Margins: the space around your letter.

9. 9

10. 1010

11. Dear Ms. Smith (or whoever is the head of your organization)
1111
4. Salutation/Greeting
Dear Ms. Smith (or whoever is the head of your organization)
Use Ladies and Gentlemen when name is unknown
Double space.

12. 1212
5. Body: State your purpose for writing this letter. Be formal and polite; the organization is doing YOU a favor by sending you the information.

13. 1313
You may or may not have more than one paragraph. If you do, between each paragraph, be sure to double space.

14. 6. Closing: Yours Sincerely
1414
6. Closing: Yours Sincerely
Four spaces after the closing
Then your name. In between the closing and your name, that is where you would sign your name.

15. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
1515
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
I. CLEARNESS - immediate understanding of the letter’s message.
Ways to achieve clearness :
a.) think first then write – you must think beforehand and figure out why you are writing and to whom you are writing.
b.) use simple familiar expressions – since your aim is to inform your readers, you should use simple words like:
Instead of… Use…
feasible possible
procure get
utilize use
viable workable

16. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
1616
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
c.) omit wordiness – avoid using unnecessary words that do not contribute to the clearness of message.
Wordy Clear
according to the law legally
affixed his signature signed
a great length of time long
aimed at for
a large number of many
attached hereto attached
for the purpose of for

17. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
1717
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
d.) avoid jargon – use words that are understood by the average readers that will not confused them. Jargon is the technical vocabulary developed within a profession like amortization, litigation, injunction, etc.
e.) keep your sentences and paragraphs short
f.) use the active voice
The President ordered the NAPOCOR officials to end the long brownouts. (ACTIVE)
The NAPOCOR officials were ordered by the President to end the long brownouts. (PASSIVE)

18. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
1818
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
II. CONCISENESS – brief but complete in its idea. Ways to achieve conciseness:
a.) eliminate unnecessary words
(We wish to inform you that) we have already shipped your order for two (2) dozens of Soen blouses. We (wish to) apologize for the delay of your shipment.
b.) avoid repetition of words with the same idea
(Absolutely) Perfect
By (Means)
Big (In size)
at 7 p.m. (in the evening)

19. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
1919
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
III. CONCRETENESS – use definite words rather than general words.
Abstract & general:
We sell the best fabric.
His mother has a serious disease.
Concrete and specific:
We sell yard of Vonnel that are soft, warm and inexpensive.
His mother has brain cancer.

20. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
2020
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
IV. COURTESY – use positive expressions
Use… instead of…
can cannot
do do not
success failure
fortunately unfortunately
:::::::::::::::::: avoid ::::::::::::::::
impossible unfortunately
doubtful worried
failure wrong
Negative
Our office is closed after 4 p.m.
We are sorry to reject your application….
Positive
Our office is open until 4 p.m.
We appreciate your application…..

21. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
2121
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
V. CONSIDERATION – seeing every transaction of your reader’s point of view rather than your own point of view. You must have the “YOU ATTITUDE” which means you must think and write in terms of your readers and must be motivated by what your readers want and need.
CONSISTENCY – has unity of ideas and purpose.
COHERENCE – quality of words to stick together to present a single idea and to ensure a smooth flow of thought, organization of ideas, correct order
WRONG :
In answering the telephone, politeness should be observed.
While reading a novel, a visitor came.
RIGHT :
In answering the telephone, you should be polite.
While I was reading a novel, a visitor came.

22. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
2222
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
VIII. CHARACTER – refers to the personality of the writer as reflected in his writings. To achieve character in your letter, be original in your letter, in your style, use fresh, everyday expressions and use the personal pronouns.
stereotype Modern
Kindly advise.. Please let us know..
Your favor on June Your letter of June 12..
I have to honor to inform you… I am pleased to inform you…
This will acknowledge your recent letter.. Thank you for your recent letter…

23. 10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
2323
10 Cs of Effective Business Letters:
IX. COMPLETENESS – provide complete information to save time, money and effort.
a.) prepare all needed information
b.) know the purpose of writing the letter
c.) plan the letter to answer all questions of the reader
d.) check letter form important details
e.) aim for the desired response
X. CORRECTNESS – it should be presentable in appearance (neatness, correct margin, spacing, balanced typing and color).
– contents are free from typographical errors, errors in word selection, in dates and figures, capitalization, punctuation marks.
– it should stimulate your reader’s desire to read.

24. What is a memo?
A business memo is a formal written message, written in a conventional form for someone within the organization to meet a specific need. It is a form of dialogue, where the writer wants to say something and expects a response to the message.

25. Purposes of memos
Following are some of the purposes for which memos are prepared:
Describe problems;
To request for information or additional resources;
To convey and explain policy statements;
To invite the reader to business meetings/ conferences;
To give feedback, suggestions, or recommendation;
To seek explanations or clarifications;
To be just polite reminders;
To record/report an agreement.

26. Letters versus Memos
Unlike letters, which are used as a means to reach to people outside an organization, memos are used to send information inside' an organization.
A memo is written in a specific 'format, which is different from the letter format.
Memos are less formal than letters.
Memos are less structured than letters.
The tone of memo is more conversational than that of letter.
Memos contain Less background explanation a information than letters.

27. Characteristics of effective memos
Memos play an important role in the decision making process in an organization by facilitating the flow of information within its various parts and units.
Clarity
Conciseness
Unity of Theme
Informal tone

28. Parts of a memo
Heading
Opening
Body
Closing

29. Draft a Memo to an Employee Informing him of a cut in his Salary.
Vijay Bank Ltd.
North zone: Staff section
Ref: VIG: 16431: E- 13
To: Mr. K.R. Agarwal, Ghaziabad Branch
From: R.I'. Gupta, Superintendent
Sub: Your absence form to
Ref: Your telegram and letters dated to
We note that you sent a telegram for Aligarh on 16th August requesting medical leave from to and later submitted an application for leave from to producing a medical certificate for a doctor practicing at Aligarh. Please let us know either you had obtained prior permission to leave station.
In your application you have stated that you were suffering from cold and fever. But your medical certificate says you had urinary infection. Will you please explain the discrepancy?
If your reply does not reach us on or before September 13th, , your absence will be treated as one without leave and will incur loss of pay.
NAME

30. DEFINITION
Electronic mail ( ) is the medium of communication that sends and receives messages through specially designed computer networks

31. ADVANTAGES OF
Speed :Speed is the main advantage of using . Unlike regular mail, which may take days or even weeks to reach its destination, reaches its destination instantaneously.
Low Cost: Low cost is yet another advantage of using . As sending does not involve printing and copying, it is less expensive than any other channel of communication (that is, postal mail, telephone, fax etc.).
Quick: Distribution makes distribution quick and easy. Messages can be sent to more than one person at the same time

32. Flexibility: allows complete flexibility during composing and drafting. While using , the sender may edit, revise, modify, and redesign his/her message without printing and copying it.
Easy Attachments: It is easy to attach files; photographs, clippings, drawings, video clips, and sound recordings, and so on to an .

33. Easy Upward Communication: is less formal and structured than letters and memos. It is' normally in the form of a private dialogue, where the sender wants to say something and expects a response to the message.
Record: s can provide written records.

34. Disadvantages of e-mails
is not confidential.
does not communicate the sender's non- verbal messages. Voice intonations, facial expressions, body movements and such are not a part of the message.
may be ignored or delayed or does not receive a reply. The volume of often makes it difficult for some respondents to read and act on all of their message.

35. AGENDA
Agenda is a document that outlines the contents of a forthcoming meeting. It is usually sent along with the notice of the meeting. Sometimes the Agenda is prepared after the circulation of the notice in order to enable the members to get included in the agenda any item that they would like to be discussed at the meeting.

36. Agenda Items Attendance - Names of all committee members in attendance
Minutes of the previous meeting
Matters arising from the minutes (e.g. tasks that should have been completed)
Reports
General business
Next meeting
Closure

37. Sample of an agenda SIMCO SALES CORPORATION CHENNAI AGENDA
The next quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors will take place on Monday, 18th September, 2009 at 5 p.m. in the conference room.
AGENDA
Minutes of the last meeting.
Matters arising from the minutes
Financial irregularities in Madurai branch
Reorganization of work in Bangalore branch.
Any other business
Date of next meeting

38. MINUTES
Minutes are the official record of the proceedings of a meeting. All organizations whether commercial or social, attach great importance to maintaining a proper record of the business transacted at their various meetings.

39. Contents of Minutes
The following items are generally given in the minutes:
The name of the organizational unit, e.g., Finance Committee, Board of Governors.
The date, time and place of the meeting.
The number of the meeting if it is in a series, e.g., Sixth Meeting of the Board of Directors.
Name of the chairman of the meeting.
Names of members present, of those who could not attend, and those who attended by special invitation.
Record of transactions.
Signature of the secretary and the Chairman.

40. Kinds of Minutes
Minutes of Resolutions: In the minutes of resolution, only decisions and resolution arrived at the meetings are recorded. They always start with the word 'Resolved' followed by the exact text of the resolution.
Minutes of Narration: Minutes of narration record the brief discussion and circumstances leading to the resolution in addition to the resolution passed.
Verbatim Minutes: These are used primarily in court reporting were everything needs to be recorded word by word.

41. Subject of the minutes Details of the minutes Date Secretary Director
Minutes of the Annual Ceneral Meeting Dhawan Fertilizer Limited S.C.O. 14, Sector 17E, Chandigarh
The minutes of the 10th Annual General meeting of the company held at the registered office SCO 14, Sector 17E, and Chandigarh on Saturday June 24, at 3.00 p.m.
Present
I) Mr. Ashok Dhawan
Mr. Rahul Dhawan
Mr. Rajan Chadha
Date Secretary Director
S.No
Subject of the minutes
Details of the minutes 1
Notice of the meeting
The secretary read the notice dated may……. 2
Chairman’s speech
Mr. X in his speech told about company’s progress and plans of the future. 3
Dividend
Unanimously resolved that 10%dividend on the paid up equality share capital be declared for the year ending march 2012 4
Appointment of auditor
It was resolved that Mr Y CA be appointed as auditor of the company 5
Vote of thanks
Mr Rohit proposed a vote of thanks to chairman 6
Termination of meeting
Chairman declared the meeting as terminated

42. Sales Letter
Sales letter sells a product or service, Publicity and advertising are an impersonal form of salesmanship, and a sales letter is just a part of publicity and advertisement.
The aim of the letter is to make people interested in it. Starting with assumption that the receiver may resist the offer, the sales letter has to be persuasive, or powerful enough to make the recipient act. They are unsolicited letters, mostly written by professional writers.

43. Sales letters must: Arouse interest, Sound convincing,
4343
Sales letters must:
Arouse interest,
Sound convincing,
Create a desire,
Encourage action.

44. Steps for Writing Sales Letter
Need for Preliminary Knowledge
Determination of Appeal
An Approach to the Subject

45. Enquiries
An important part of any trading activity consists of inquiries. Businessmen are constantly making and receiving inquiries. A trader must carefully follow the trend of the market through market reports, newspapers, price lists and salesmen's reports.
The letters written for the purpose of knowing about the quality, quantity and price of the goods and the condition of the business are known as enquiry.

46. Types of Enquiry
Solicited Enquiry: An enquiry made in response to the seller's advertisement and publicity.
Unsolicited Enquiry: An enquiry made at the buyer's own initiative.
Enquiry for Some Favor: An enquiry not about goods but about some other information may be about some special price or some favorable terms.
Routine Enquiry: An enquiry made by an old buyer in the usual course of business.
Credit Enquiry: An enquiry made in connection, with the purchase of a product on credit.

47. A sample enquiry letter
Nceru Ahuja, Buylincs Literatures.
25, Reserve Lint's Bangalore
September 12, 2000
With reference to your advertisement in yesterday's Times of India, could you please send me a copy of your latest catalogue. I would also like to know if it is possible to make purchases online.
Yours faithfully
(Signature)
Nikhil Bhatia
Administrative Director
Learners &. Company

48. ORDERS
Orders are placed by business organizations for purchases to be made by them. It may be for purchase of a commodity, rendering of service, installation and maintenance or any such activity. Orders are to be specific and clear.
An order letter is written by prospective buyer to a prospective seller for the purchase of certain goods according to specific terms and conditions which are mentioned therein.

49. Terms that contain in the order letter
Order request
Description
Rate
Packaging specifications
Delivery schedule
Mode of payment
Validity
Other terms and conditions

50. A sample order letter Dear Mr. Pradhan
5050
A sample order letter
Mr. Pradhan,
Director
Used Books Online
Mumbai
Dear Mr. Pradhan
Would you please send me the following used books? According to your Web site, orders need to include the title, author, and publisher.
Title: "Driving Home" Author: Peter Lawford Publisher: .Jackson and Co.
Title: "Landscaping for Fun" Author: Janet Patterson
Thank you very much, .
S.S.Mathew, Professor,

51. COMPLAINT LETTER key elements in a complaint letter
A complaint letter is letter written to express dissatisfaction of something that went wrong, that is, a defective product, bad service, misbehavior, mistaken billing, guarantee/ warrantee problems, and so on.
key elements in a complaint letter
mentioning the purpose of the letter,
explaining what happened,
convincing the reader that your complaint is genuine, and
motivating the reader to act.

52. 3 parts
Opening
Body
Closing

53. A sample complaint letter
August 14,2009
The General Manager
Cuddalore Telecom District
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd
Pondicherry.
Dear Sir,
Sincerely,
T,S. Parthasarathy,
14, Inner Circular Road Pondichcry

54. Claims and adjustment letter
Delayed shipment damages to goods, misunderstandings, errors in filling orders, and other problems occur between the well- run companies. When such problem arises you will need to make a claim against another firm.
At adjustment letter is an attempt to satisfy an aggrieved customer, who has the potential to damage the goodwill of the company in the market.

55. Points to be included in the claim letter
All pertinent dates
A description of the problem
Explain the implication of the problem
State what adjustment you would like?

56. NOTICE AND TENDERS- What is a notice?
Notice, generally supposed to be pinned on a wall notice- board, and is a popular and effective way of reaching Out to the general staff for whom it is meant.

57. MODERN ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES LTD Sardar Road, New Delhi NOTICE
Would all members of staff would like to attend the farewell dinner meeting on Monday , 27, October for Mr.X, Please give their names to their respective departmental superintendents and also indicate the number of guests they wish to bring for the dinner.

58. What is a tender?
"Tender" means an invitation to offer for an item/items or work; offered in return for a specific payment, subject to well laid down terms and conditions

59. Types of tenders
Limited Tendering: This involves issuing Tender to few selected tenderers only.
Open Tendering: This means that the Tender is open to any supplier who can quote for the materials as per requirements.
Single Tendering: Single Tendering means sending the Tender to one particular party.
Verbal Tendering: Where there is hardly any time to wait for the supplier to quote Verbal Tendering becomes necessary.

60. CIRCULARS
Notice seeking the opinions of the staff is often circulated in order that each person has one and can fill it and give his or her own comments on a specific matter. As a secretary, one is quite likely to be asked at some time to draw up questionnaire asking staff for their opinions/ comments on tips already given or to give suggestions of their own.

61. Circulars can be used for the following purposes.
To emphasize certain aspects of office conduct;
To intimate changes in the working hours of the office, canteen, library, etc;
To invite applications from employees for promotions
tests, etc.
To inform the employees about changes in medical rules, L.l.C rules, reimbursement of conveyance expenses, etc.

62. Sample Circular
Draft a circular informing the staff that a certain employee has been relieved of his duties.
Circular No. Persfl9/15
Date: August 10, 2009
Re : Mr. J.R Vohra, Internal Auditor
The Bank has relieved Mr. J.P. Vohra of his services as the Internal Auditor from 2nd August, All Branch Managers are therefore to note that no books of accounts shall be made available to Mr. Vohra or his office staff for any audit work.
P.R. Narayanan Deputy General Manager

63. Features of a Circular Letters
Information: A circular letter is essentially an information giving letter. It has to be carefully planned. In order to be effective, it should convey the information as clearly as possible.
Simplicity and Precision: The style of the letter will depend upon the kind of information that is to be given. Simplicity and precision, accurate tabulation and enumeration are the characteristics of a circular letter announcing new prices.
Persuasive: It must, however, be noted that a circular letter is an unsolicited letter, and the receiver is quite likely to ignore it. The writer, therefore, has to be persuasive in his approach. For the purpose of sales promotion or announcing increase in prices, the style of presentation has to be tactful. The arguments given in favor of price increase or a new product' should be convincing. Only then will the reader like to act.
Attractive: An attractive, attention-getting or exciting opening is an important feature of a circular letter. In this respect it is very similar to a sales letter. It is important to catch the reader's interest in the very beginning.
Impersonal Expressions: 'You-attitude' is the predominant note of an effective circular letter. From the very beginning the second person 'you' should be used in preference to impersonal expressions like 'our customers', 'our users', 'everyone', etc. On the other hand the sender of the letter should convey an impression of genuine interest in the customer and gratitude for continued co-operation/patronage.
Mass Produced: Circular letters are mass produced, i.e., written to be sent to a large number of customers. They should, therefore, be appealing and presentable. In other words, they should have mass appeal.

64. Letter of Application
A letter of application is a sales letter, and one of the most important ones, which sells, not goods, but the services Of the writer. An application letter functions as a cover letter in the transmittal of the resume. A job- seeker must first come to know to whom to write an application letter, so that he may get an interview for a job.

65. Purpose of Application Letter
Attention: Gain favorable attention and express your interest in the position.
Interest: Market your qualifications; identify special strengths and attributes.
Desire: Describe selected accomplishments that show how you can benefit the company.
Action: Request an interview or propose a future meeting; make contact easy to schedule.

66. Types of Application Letters
There are two types of application letters.
Solicited application letters are written in response to an advertisement.
ii) Unsolicited application letters are written at the writer's initiative.

67. Structure of Application Letter
Address of the Applicant and the Date: These are written at the top of the letter flush with the right margin. Two spaces are left between the address and date:
AP Sen Road Lucknow th June, 2008
2. Employer's Name and Address: The name and address of the employer is usually given two spaces below the level of the date and aligned with the left margin. If the address is a post box or a newspaper box number, it is written as follows:
The Advertiser
GPO Box No. 342
Mumbai

68. 3. Salutation: In applications addressed to business organizations usually Dear Sir or Dear Sirs is used. If however, you are applying for a government job and addressing' your application to an officer in the government, the use of Sir is preferable.
4. Body: The main body of the letter should be two to three paragraphs at the most. Here is where you tell them what you have to offer and why they should read your CV. This is a good time to read the job advertisement again. In one paragraph (two at the most) you need to summarize your experience and skills, at the same time, you need to respond to the position requirements as per the advertisement.
5. Complimentary Close: Yours faithfully goes with all types of salutations namely Sir, Dear Sir and Dear Sirs. If, you wish to make your subscription more formal and respectful, you may use yours respectfully. Some applicants prefer to use Yours truly instead of Yours faithfully.
6. Signature: It should be distinct and the name of the applicant should be typed below it.
7. Enclosures: The documents you are sending with the application should be specified. If the list is long, prepare a list of enclosures and in the letter write: 'Enc!. See list attached.'

69. Yours truly, D. N. Desai. Encl: Bio data Dinesh Desai,
Jain Housing Society, Phiroz Shah Street, Mumbai
15th January, 2008.
Mis Dalal, Desai & Kumana, Chartered Accountants,
23 P.M. Road,
Mumbai
Dear Sir,
In reply to your advertisement in "The Times of India," dated January 12th, 2008, for the post of an articled clerk, I wish to apply for the same.
I have passed B.Com. and L.L.B. examinations from the University of Mumbai, and as is evident from my bio- data, which is given separately, I have had an experience of three years in the job. I hope I shall be granted an interview when I would be able to give more information about myself.
Yours truly, D. N. Desai.
Encl: Bio data

70. Resume
After the covering letter, we come to the C.V. (curriculum vitae), or resume as it is called in American English. The latin words curriculum vitae (CV) means "course of life". A C.V is a summary of the candidate's qualification and experience. Almost all job advertisement asked for resume or C.V. or bio data of the applicants. 'Particulars', 'Personal Details', 'Data Sheet', 'Vitae Sheet' are some other terms used for this important enclosure going along with the covering letter.

71. Whatever the type of C.V./Resume, the following details are common to all:
i) Personal particulars.
ii) Academic qualifications
iii) Additional qualifications
iv) Experience that may be stated in the following order:
Functional: Emphasizing the skills and talent of the applicant;
Chronological: Emphasizing work experience listing job descriptions;
Additional information that may include anything worth mentioning, languages known, etc.
vi) Reference. The physical layout of the C.V. is very important because there are so many things to be presented on paper. Whether the applicant can and should be considered for appointment depends entirely on the C.V./Resume.