WRITING BUSINESS LETTERS Useful phrases Dear Mr Brown Dear Ms White Dear Sir Dear Sirs Dear Madam

ar Madam Dear Sir or Madam Gentlemen We are writing to inform you that ... to confirm ... to request ... to enquire about ... I am contacting you for the following reason. I recently read/heard about . . . and would like to know . . . Having seen your advertisement in ... , I would like to ... I would be interested in (obtaining/receiving) ... I received your address from ... and would like to ... I am writing to tell you about ... Thank you for your letter of March 15 ... Thank you for contacting us. In reply to your request ... Thank you for your letter regarding ... With reference to our telephone conversation yesterday ... Further to our meeting last week ... It was a pleasure meeting you in London last month. I enjoyed having lunch with you last week in Tokyo. I would just like to confirm the main points we discussed on Tuesday . . . We would appreciate it if you would ... I would be grateful if you could... Could you please send me . . . Could you possibly tell us/let us have... In addition, I would like to receive ... It would be helpful if you could send us ... I am interested in (obtaining/receiving...) I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter. Please let me know what action you propose to take. We would be happy to ... Would you like us to ... We are quite willing to ... Our company would be pleased to ... We are pleased to announce that ... I am delighted to inform you that ... You will be pleased to learn that ... We regret to inform you that ... I'm afraid it would not be possible to ... Unfortunately we cannot/we are unable to ... After careful consideration we have decided (not) to ... I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with ... I am writing to complain about ... Please note that the goods we ordered on (date) have not yet arrived.

Salutation

Starting

Referring to previous contact

Making a request

Offering help

Giving good news

Giving bad news

Complaining

We regret to inform you that our order n--- is now considerably overdue. I would like to query the transport charges which seem unusually high. We are sorry for the delay in replying ... I regret any inconvenience caused I would like to apologize for (the delay/the inconvenience) ... Once again, I apologise for any inconvenience. Thank you for your quotation of ... We are pleased to place an order with your company for ... We would like to cancel our order n... Please confirm receipt of our order. I am pleased to acknowledge receipt of your order n... Your order will be processed as quickly as possible. It will take about (three) weeks to process your order. We can guarantee delivery before ... Unfortunately these articles are no longer available/are out of stock. Please send us your price list. You will find enclosed our most recent catalogue and price list. Please note that our prices are subject to change without notice. We have pleasure in enclosing a detailed quotation. We can make you a firm offer of ... Our terms of payment are as follows : Our records show that we have not yet received payment of ... According to our records ... Please send payment as soon as possible. You will receive a credit note for the sum of ... I am enclosing ... Please find enclosed ... You will find enclosed ... If we can be of any further assistance, please let us know If I can help in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me If you require more information ... For further details ... Thank you for taking this into consideration Thank you for your help. We hope you are happy with this arrangement. We hope you can settle this matter to our satisfaction. We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future We would be (very) pleased to do business with your company. I would be happy to have an opportunity to work with your firm. I look forward to seeing you next week Looking forward to hearing from you " " to receiving your comments I look forward to meeting you on the 15th I would appreciate a reply at your earliest convenience. An early reply would be appreciated.

Apologizing

Orders

Prices

Referring to payment

Enclosing documents

Closing remarks

Referring to future business

Referring to future contact

 Ending business letters

Sincerely, } Yours sincerely, } (for all customers/clients) Sincerely yours, } Regards, relationship.) (for those you already know and/or with whom you already have a working

Writing a Reference Letter (With Examples) by Ali Hale At some point in life, youre almost certainly going to have to write a reference letter for someone. It might be a former employee or student, or even a family friend. Heres what you need to know about the purpose of reference letters and how to write the most effective letter possible. Note: I will be using candidate to refer to the person who the reference letter is about, you to refer to the person writing the reference letter, and recipient to refer to the person receiving the letter. Ill emphasise here, though, that reference letters are not only for job or academic candidates, its just a handy term to use to keep this article straightforward! What is a reference letter and when are they used? A reference letter is usually written to testify to a person or (occasionally) a companys skills, character and/or achievements. Sometimes a reference letter is known as a recommendation letter. It is a formal document, and should be typed and written in a serious and business-like style. Reference letters are used in a wide variety of situations; there is no definitive list that covers all possible scenarios. The most common examples are:

When a candidate applies for a job, they may need a reference to support their application. If an interviewee is given a job offer, they may need to supply a reference letter before the contract can be signed. A student applying for an academic course often requires a reference letter to support their application. A student applying for funding will often need to supply reference letters. Companies may use reference letters as testimonies to their trustworthiness and ability to carry out a job well. Prospective tenants may need to provide their landlord with a reference letter, testifying to their good financial status. (This could be from a prior landlord or from a current employer.)

Who should write a reference letter? If you are approached and asked to write a reference letter for a job candidate, a student or a company, consider whether you can legitimately do so. A reference letter is a formal document, and it is crucial that you do not lie or fudge the truth in it, or there could be legal repercussions. If someone wants a reference letter from you:

The candidate should be someone you know reasonably well. For example, you cannot provide any authoritative comment on the
academic ability of a student whos only been attending your lectures for a week. You should know the candidate in a capacity which gives you the ability to write a meaningful reference. For example, if you have worked with the person, it would be appropriate for you to write a reference letter to a prospective employer for them. You should be able to provide an honest and positive reference. If you truly feel that the candidate has no good qualities for you to emphasis, or if you have had a personality clash with them in the past, you should tell them to seek a reference letter from someone else.

What goes into a reference letter? The exact structure of a reference letter will differ slightly depending on the type of reference it is, but this is a good basic outline:

1. Start using the business letter format: put the recipients name and address, if known, and address them as Dear [name]. If the
recipient is currently unknown (this would be likely on an academic application, for instance), then use Dear Sir/Madam or To whom it may concern.

2. It is often helpful to introduce yourself in the first couple of lines of your letter. The recipient will not need your life history: just
give a brief sentence or two explaining your position and your relationship to the candidate.

3. Your next paragraph should confirm any facts which you know the candidate will be supplying along with your letter. For example,
if you are writing a reference for a job applicant, some or all of these details may be appropriate: The persons job title, and role within the company. The persons leaving salary when they were last employed by you (or your organisation). The dates which the person was employed from and until. If you are writing a reference letter for an academic course, you will need to confirm the persons academic grades.

4. In your third paragraph, you should provide your judgement upon the candidates skills and qualities. It is often appropriate to state 5. 6.
that you would gladly re-employ them, or that their contributions to your college class were highly valued. Single out any exceptional qualities that the candidate has perhaps their drive and enthusiasm, their attention to detail, or their ability to lead. Where possible, use your fourth paragraph to give a couple of concrete examples of times when the candidate excelled. (You may want to ask the candidate to tell you about any extra-curricular projects theyve been involved in, or invite them to highlight anything theyd particularly like you to include in the reference letter.) Close your letter on a positive note, and if you are willing to receive further correspondence about the candidates application, make

7.

this clear. Include your contact details too. As with any business letter, you should end appropriately; Yours sincerely when you are writing to a named recipient, and Yours faithfully when you do not know who will be receiving the letter.

SOLICITED AND UNSOLICITED OFFERS A SOLICITED OFFER is a response to an advertisement, suggestion, business contact, etc. LAYOUT 1) Reference to the advertisement, suggestion, etc. and thanks 2) Reference and details of services available 3) Action AN UNSOLICITED OFFER must generate interest, focus on the main selling point. LAYOUT 1) General statement of services available 2) How such services can benefit the recipient 3) Solicit order

Letters of application These should be addressed to a person, not "Dear Sir". Phone the company and ask who to send it to. It should cover: a) Where you heard about the vacancy or a statement that this is a speculative letter. b) Why you are writing- an expression of interest. c) Your most significant selling point. The one thing you have done that will most interest the employer. d) That your application is enclosed and you will be pleased to discuss it further at interview. LAYOUT OF A LETTER OF COMPLAINT Opening paragraph: state reason for letter Middle paragraph: state the precise nature of the complaint and explain the implications of the matter Closing paragraph: decide what action is needed to put the matter right

letters of enquiry The main stages of business correspondence are as follows: 1. Letter of enquiry or an unsolicited offer 2. Reply to enquiry/offer (including quotation) 3. Order 4. Confirmation and execution of order (Acknowledgement of order, Advice note, Delivery note) 5. Payment (Statement of account (every month a customer who has not yet paid is sent a statement which shows all the details (just like an invoice) and is at times simply a request for payment) 1. Letter of Enquiry A letter of enquiry or a request for a quotation/estimate is generally sent out by a potential buyer* will include the following information: INTRODUCTION - where you heard about the firm (catalogue, trade fair, advertisement, word of mouth, etc.) introduction of the buyer's firm explain why you need the information BODY (the actual request) - details of goods you are interested in (quality, availability1, suggesting if something is possible) - terms and means of delivery2 and delivery period3 - prices, discounts and terms of payment4 CLOSE (the import/purchasing dept. or purchasing manager of a company) 2. REPLIES TO ENQUIRIES AND QUOTATION The Export or Sales Department is in charge of making quotations, filing orders and following up trasactions up to the stage of payment (which is handled by the Accounts Department) Layout: A) Introduction - greeting acknowledgement of enquiry and thanks promotion of your company/goods b) Body:

- provide requested and supplementary information - confirm help or suggest alternative routes( refer to someone else) provide illustrative material (catalogue, brochure, leaflet/flyer (US), booklet, pamphlet), a sample/set of samples, pattern book give quotation or price

Price can be given in two ways: i) price list Terms net = no discount will be granted ii) making up a quotation This is a special price offered to a customer after evaluating the various aspects of the specific transaction. - A quotation may be lower of higher than the price quoted in the price list. - Reference may be made either the bare cost or INCOTERMS 1953 (i.e. including other costs such as insurance or transport) - The currency of quotation is specified - offer alternatives to terms stated (fixed/negotiable) - explain payment and delivery term C) Close offer services solicit order HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY Remember the main rules: What is/are the main point/s? Use your own words to report what has been said A summary contains only the main ideas and not much explanation or examples A summary is about 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the original text What are the results/conclusions?

How to Write a Report What is a business report? It is a way of presenting information about a company to assist in decision-making. Reports may be formal or informal, internal or external to an organization. They are used in all areas of administration and serve various purposes (e.g. routine reports, investigations, etc.) It is important to determine: a) the purpose/scope of the report b) the audience (client? Potential client? Government? Co-workers? How much do they know? Do they have to take action on the basis of the report?) - Make sure a report is not too lengthy or dense. Include extra material in an appendix.

Layout There is no set layout for reports. Length, format and content vary greatly (e.g. Annual report, progress report) However, information should always be presented schematically and divided into sections and subsections which are numbered systematically under headings and subheadings. These should be indented. The information is thus divided into segments that make it easy for a reader to understand. GENERAL RULES ON HOW TO WRITE A REPORT 1) Choose a purpose sentence or title indicating the subject of the report. This can be either a statement (e.g. Improving Sales Strategy) or a question (e.g. Is outsourcing the answer?) 2) Gather your information Information can be obtained by various means: research interviews, your personal knowledge about the topic, literature. 3) Manage your information i.e. determine a plan of presentation Decide whether you want to use statistics/visual presentations (graphs, pictures) to present information. This may allow you to present your information in a more economical manner (it saves time, space) and to focus attention on specific information. 4) Analyse your information Make sense of the information gathered. Compare and contrast facts and figures and try and find ideas. 5) Draw conclusions these should be based on quality information which is properly cited. Remember that a report must be objective (i.e. free from bias). This can be achieved by: - separating facts and opinions - reporting all pertinent information (both positive and negative aspects) - using language free from personal feelings (e.g. use: The problem was solved by the sales department. rather than The sales department

did a marvellous job in solving the problem.) - adopt an impersonal style (e.g. Not: I analyzed three types of programs but: Three types of programs were analyzed.) 6) Make recommendations and determine a solution

REPORTS (Dodd's) BCCI 200/300 words

three elements, 60/70 words each: past present future (=recommendations)

subdivide into paragraph, es.: 1.1 Past 1.2 1990 - 2000 1.3 2001 - 2005 2.1 Present 2.2 etc. etc. Esempio: SALES PROJECTION 2012-2015 1. Contents 2. Introduction 3. 2009 2010 4. 2011 2012 5. 2013 2014 6. Conclusion

Introduction: 1. Mandate: This report is the result of a mandate given to this ad-hoc [= specific task, vs. full committee, permanent] committee by [eg. the Board of Directors] that met on 4th December, 2011 (see Minute, item 4 comma 3). // Following the request of [eg. the CEO] to this ad-hoc committee in the letter of 2. Committee: The ad-hoc committee is made up of (Chairperson), (Secretary [=> the one who takes minutes]) in accordance with the above-mentioned mandate. 3. Date of meeting(s): This committee met on [eg. three] occasions: , , and [dates]. 4. Structure etc. It was decided that the aim was... The report was divided in... The analysis of these three periods has led the committee to make recommendations that can be find... How to Write a Mission Statement A mission statement is a key tool that can be as important as your business plan. It captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of your business's goals and the philosophies underlying them. Equally important, the mission statement signals what your business is all about to your customers, employees, suppliers and the community. The mission statement reflects every facet of your business: the range and nature of the products you offer, pricing, quality, service, marketplace position, growth potential, use of technology, and your relationships with your customers, employees, suppliers, competitors and the community. "Mission statement help clarify what business you are in, your goals and your objectives," says Rhonda Abrams, author of The Successful Business Plan: Secrets and Strategies. Answering the following questions will help you to create a verbal picture of your business's mission: Why are you in business? What do you want for yourself, your family and your customers? Think about the spark that ignited your decision to start a business. What will keep it burning? Who are your customers? What can you do for them that will enrich their lives and contribute to their success--now and in the future? What image of your business do you want to convey? Customers, suppliers, employees and the public will all have perceptions of your company. How will you create the desired picture?

 What is the nature of your products and services? What factors determine pricing and quality? Consider how these relate to the reasons for your business's existence. How will all this change over time? What level of service do you provide? Most companies believe they offer "the best service available," but do your customers agree? Don't be vague; define what makes your service so extraordinary. What roles do you and your employees play? Wise captains develop a leadership style that organizes, challenges and recognizes employees. What kind of relationships will you maintain with suppliers? Every business is in partnership with its suppliers. When you succeed, so do they. How do you differ from your competitors? Many entrepreneurs forget they are pursuing the same dollars as their competitors. What do you do better, cheaper or faster than other competitors? How can you use competitors' weaknesses to your advantage? How will you use technology, capital, processes, products and services to reach your goals? A description of your strategy will keep your energies focused on your goals. What underlying philosophies or values guided your responses to the previous questions? Some businesses choose to list these separately. Writing them down clarifies the "why" behind your mission. In other words A MISSION STATEMENT SHOULD potentially cover a number of aspects depending what is relevant to the company's position at the time. Beliefs or Values, Moral and Ethical stance Who are the customers What are the major markets/products/services Major Competitive advantages Growth, Survival and Profitability expectations What are the major products/services Geographic Spread How to write a Press Release A news release, also called a press release, can turn out to be an extremely valuable advertising investment. The purpose of a release is to notify the media about your new operation. Step 1: TITLE Create a title for your news release that would capture the attention of your target audience. The headline should include information about your product, service, new innovation or a newsworthy development related to your new company. For instance, "New Company Releases Device That Saves Reduces Electricity Usage by 20%." The more interesting your news release headline, the higher the chance that people will click and read the content. Keep the release title to less than 20 words. Step 2: SUMMARY Write a strong two- or three-sentence summary that goes into more detail about the headline. For instance, you can type in the name of the device that saves on electricity as well as more features of the device, such as "low cost" or "made with recycled products." You could also add a short quote from the owner or developer of the new technology. Step 3: DATE AND PLACE Type in a date and location line--online press release submission services generate this automatically. List the city, state, month, day and year of the release. Step 4: PURPOSE STATEMENT Start off the release by condensing the entire main purpose of the release within one paragraph of up to three or four sentences. Identify the "five Ws"--who, what, where, when, and why--here. The when and where is covered by your date and location line, so just discuss the other threewho (you and your company), what (purpose of why you're writing this release) and why (why this information is important to the public). Step 5: QUOTE Provide a more complete statement from someone at your company who is an authority on the matter. The statement can describe more technical details about the product or service. If you're telling the story behind the business opening, you (the owner) can make a statement about what inspired you to start this company. Step 6: REITERATE Reiterate why the information about your new business is important to the public. You could provide statistics or interesting facts. For instance, in the case of the electricity-saving device you could enter statistics about the average household's electricity costs each year. Make sure you provide references to any information you quote from other sources. Step 7: ACTION Close the news release with a call to action. Tell the reader--usually a media professional--where he can learn more about your new business or give you a call. Minutes of a Meeting For all meetings, adequate notice must be given to those who are to participate, notice which may simply be oral if the meeting is informal, but which must be in writing well in advance (receipt at least 10 days prior) for formal meetings. Indeed, public announcements or advertisements in the daily newspapers are also used for large very formal meetings like general assemblies or annual meetings of shareholders. The convening notice must be dated and mention the date, time and venue of the meeting. It normally contains the agenda for the meeting or at least mentions the main points for discussion. The notice should be sent to all persons entitled to attend and it is common practice for people unable to attend to send an apology, so that the organisers know that everyone has received the notice.

IBM Italia Spa AGM Notice is hereby given that the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Shareholders will be held in the IBM Conference Hall, via Ponticchio 10, Milan on the 19th Day of January, 2002 at 11 a.m. with the purpose of considering the following points to be included in the agenda: Directors Report and Statement of Accounts for Year ended 31st December 2001; 2003;

Election of Directors and Appointment of Auditors for the Years 2002a.o.b..

A member entitled to attend and vote may appoint a proxy. Signed and dated this 27th Day of December 2001, by order of the Board, xxxxxx Company Secretary The Agenda is simply the formal list of items to be discussed during a meeting. It may or may not be prepared in advance, according to the Company Rules. It is normally the appointed secretary who draws up the agenda, although it may be the chairperson who does it in very small committee meetings. The agenda establishes the items and the order in which these items are discussed. Many of the items you will see on the agenda are standard company procedure, whereas the various individual motions vary from company to company. The most formal meetings require that the motions be written into the agenda as well as the names of the moving proposer and seconder. In less formal meetings, the proposal may be moved orally and a seconder found from among the participants of the meeting. Agenda Election of Chairperson and Secretary (if necessary) Reading of Convening Notice and Declaration of Quorum Reading of Minutes of previous meeting Points arising from minutes and approval of previous minutes Correspondence Chairpersons opening remarks Business adjourned from last meeting (if any) Election of officers First motion: that the company adopt a policy of flexitime to avoid traffic congestion and overloading public transport between 8.30-9.30 a.m. and between 4.30 5.30 p.m. (Smith & Jones) a.o.b. Vote of thanks to Chairperson Meeting declared closed Minutes of the Meeting are first and foremost a record of the decisions taken and, once approved by the subsequent meeting and signed by the chairperson and secretary, are legally binding and may not be altered. Essentially, the minutes should consist of date and place of meeting, the names of those present with voting rights, the proxies, the apologies and (if any) those present without voting rights referred to as those in attendance. Then, of course, the minutes will cover the items of business transacted, following the order of the agenda (unless the chair varied the order with the meetings approval). The length varies from actual verbatim reports (committees at the European Parliament) to simply a list of the motions carried, known as resolutions. It is important to find a happy balance between these two extremes.Certainly, recording every single thing that is said is an exaggeration, just

as is a simple list of resolutions without any background discussion at all. But at all times they must be clear (no ambiguities!), accurate and concise: MINUTES OF MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr Jack Murphy (Chair), Ms. G. Poncini, Ms. Julia Present: Giulio Bruni, Ms. Apologies: Sir Harry Putnam, Mr Chris Stevens. Roberts, Mr Frank Tyler, Mr Caterina Rossi, Mr Roberto Gubizza (secretary)

In attendance: Mr Paul Crockett (external auditor) Reading of Notice and Declaration of Quorum The Secretary reads the Convening Notice, notes the number of members present, the proxy Sir Henry Putnam has given to Mr G. Bruni and, given that the number exceeds the minimum required, declares the meeting quorate and therefore in order to proceed. The Chair opens the meeting at 11.05 a.m. 2. Reading of Minutes of previous meeting The Secretary reads the minutes of the previous meeting held on the ....... at ......... p.m. in ........ Milan. 3. Points arising from minutes and approval of previous minutes There being no points arising from the minutes, Ms. Poncini moves that the minutes be approved, Mr Bruni seconds, and the motion is carried unanimously. 4. Correspondence The Chair reads the following correspondence directly addressed to the Board: letter dated 21/11/2001, ref. n AO/592/01, inviting members to Town Hall Christmas reception on 15th December 2001; letter from The Times dated 22/11/200, ref. n AO/622/01 requesting statement regarding Companys development plans in the rural area of Little Walston in Berkshire; letter of thanks dated 29/11/01, ref. n AO/ 634/2001, from Mr Paul Taylor for his retirement gift presented to him at his farewell party at the end of October. 5. Chairpersons opening remarks: The Chair welcomes the members present and reminds them that the meeting will have to move quickly as there is a Press Conference at 5 p.m. and warmly invites members to be present to put on a show of solidarity. 6. Election of officers The Chair informs the meeting that the election for staff representative on the Board of Directors has been held. There were three candidates, Mr James Halford (Sales), Ms Beatrice Cusumano (Human Resources) and Ms. Caterina Rossi (Public Relations & Outgoing representative). Staff turn-out was 67%, the candidates obtained the following votes: Halford 22, Cusumano 40, Rossi 72. The Chairperson, on behalf of all members, thanked all three candidates for their participation, congratulates Ms Rossi and welcomes her back to the Board. 7. First motion: that the company adopt a policy of flexitime to avoid traffic congestion and overloading public transport between 8.309.30 a.m. and between 4.30 5.30 p.m., that staff may arrive at anytime in the morning between 7.30-9.30 and may leave in the evening at any time between 4.30 6.30 maintaining a total number of working hours of not less than 7 per day proposed by Ms Rossi and seconded by Mr Bruni led to further discussion as to whether or not consideration should be made of congestion at lunch time and whether or not to introduce a flexi-lunch hour. Ms Poncini proposes and Ms Roberts seconds an amendment to the motion that the words may take lunch at any time between 12.30-2.30 pm to be inserted between the words 9.30 ....and. The motion for amendment is carried unanimously. The substantive motion that the company adopt a policy of flexitime to avoid traffic congestion and overloading public transport between 8.30-9.30 a.m. and between 4.30 5.30 p.m., that staff may arrive at anytime in the morning between 7.30-9.30, may take lunch at any time between 12.302.30 pm and may leave in the evening at any time between 4.30 6.30, while maintaining a total number of working hours of not less than 7 per day is carried by 6 votes for, 0 votes against, 1 abstention. 8. a.o.b. There being no further business from the Chair, the item is opened to the floor. Ms Poncini apologizes for not being able to be present at the Press Conference due to a prior engagement and asks to put in the minutes her request that members be informed of such events in the Convening Notice. Jack Murphy replies that it is not possible to include events in the Notice if they are arranged subsquently. Furthermore, there is no obligation to attend, simply an invitation. He does however assure Ms. Poncini that in future he will do his best to see that members are formally invited in good time. There was no further business brought up from the floor. 9. Vote of thanks to Chairperson Mr Giulio Bruni (Vice-President) moves a motion of thanks to the Chair and mentions members particular appreciation for the speed and efficiency of the meeting. Mr Tyler seconds. The motion is carried. 10. Meeting declared closed The Chairperson thanks the members for their attention and for making his job so easy. Having covered all the items on the agenda and there being no further business, he declares the meeting closed.