UNIT – 4

BUSINESS LETTERS
Mr. Surjit Ram
AND
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Business Administration
MITE, Moodabidri

REPORTS
• Business Letters and Reports
• Media Management
• Group Communication
• Meeting Documentation
OUTLINE
• Introduction to business letters
• Types of Business Letters
• Writing routine and persuasive letters
• Positive and Negative messages Writing
Reports: Purpose, Kinds and Objectives of
reports Organization & Preparing reports
• short and long reports
• Writing Proposals: Structure & preparation
• Writing memos
INTRODUCTION

• Communication through exchange of

letters is known as CORRESPONDENCE.
• Correspondence can be ‘Personal’ or
‘Business Correspondence’.
• A business writes and receives letter
from the customers and suppliers in
normal course of business.
Definition:
• Business Letter may be defined as a media or
means through which views are expressed
and ideas or information is communicated in
the process of business activities.
MEANING:
• Business Letters refers to all kinds of
letters that are used in conducting
different types of business transactions
with the outside world.
 NEED FOR BUSINESS LETTERS
• Acts as representative
• Provides information
• Provides value
• For future reference
• Provides goodwill
• To propose ideas
• Provides enlargement to business
FUNCTIONS OF BUSINESS LETTERS
• Promotional / Sales functions

• Reference / Informational functions

• Legal functions

• Good will functions

STANDARD PARTS AND STRUCTURE OF BUSINESS LETTERS

1) LETTER HEAD

2) DATE

3) INSIDE NAME AND ADDRESS

4) SALUTATION
5) SUBJECT LINE
5) MESSAGE

6) COMPLIMENTARY CLOSURE

7) SIGNATURE AND
DESIGNATION

8) COPY NOTATION

9) POST SCRIPT
1. Heading/Letter Head
This includes organization’s Name, Full address,
telephone no., fax and E‐mail.

e.g.
HI. Tech Graphics
513, Circular Road
Bangalore – 560001.
“Serving your needs since‐1990”
Phone:‐ 080—2345963
E‐mail – [email protected]
2. Date
This includes date, month and the year, which
can be written as:‐

American format: ‐ June 3, 2009.

British Format: ‐ 3 June, 2009.

3. Inside Address
This part is to identify the receipient. (To whom letter is been
written). It includes Name of a person/post in an organization or
specific department, street address or post box no. city and state
name along with postal code.

e.g.
The General Manager
Lion Industries Limited
East Patel Nagar
Andheri‐ East.
Mumbai ‐ 400001
4. Salutation.

It you do not know specific name the salutations would be:‐

Dear sir/ Dear Madam.
Dear Colleagues,
To All Sales Reps.
To Whom It May Concern:
Dear students.

If you do not know gender, salutation would be as:‐

Dear B.M. Patel
Dear Sheetal Sharma.

If you know the First/Last Name, Salutations would be as:‐

Dear Mr. Gupta
Dear Ashok

It you are writing to a higher authority level, salutation will be as:

Respected sir/Madam
Respected Principle sir.
5. Subject Line
This element lets the recipient know at a glance,
what a letter deals about.
e.g.
Subject: ‐ Information regarding inspection.
6. Message

The Main part of business letter, which informs the

reader about the message.
The first part will have general introduction to the
subject. Second part deals with main matter and
last part will include closing.
7. Complimentary Close :‐

This element is a single word or phase as:‐

Yours Faithfully,
Yours sincerely
Warm / Kind Regards,
Respectfully
Yours obediently,
8.Copy Notation

This indicates who is receiving a courtesy copy

(CC) or complimentary copy. Some companies
indicates copies made on a photocopier (PC)
or may use recipients are listed in the order of
rank or alphabetical order.
CC: Charles Mathew
PC: Lena Madan
C: Rahul Bhatt
9.Post Script

Letters may also bear postscripts i.e. after thoughts

to the letter, to the message that require emphasis
or personal notes. Postscript is usually last item on
any letter and may be preceded by P.S or PS or
nothing at all. Second thought will be written as
P.S.S.
Try to avoid postscript as they convey an impression
of poor planning.
e.g.
PS :‐ please instruct you office to give prior
information in case of not supplying water on a
particular day.
 Steps:‐
• Identify your purpose
• Analyze your audience
• Collect data to support
• Organize your message.
 Business letters

• A Business letter should be written not in a

manner in which a writer should like to write,
but in a manner in which a reader would like to
read.
• A business letter is used as a means of
providing important information to the
recipient about any changes, updates or news
an organization has to share.
 Essentials of Effective Business Letter
• Keep readers interest in mind
• Tone should be correct
• Be sincere
• Be consistent (To the point)
• Use concrete words (Jargon, Cliché-(as a rule, in the
first place, last but not the least) Slang avoided)
• Persuasion
• Conciseness
• Positive and pleasant approach
 Form and Layout of Business Letters

• The Full- block Style

• The Semi-block style
• The Simplified style
 Writing Routine Letter
• Letters neither please nor displease but are
received with interest are known as ‘routine
letters’.

• Routine letters in the business sector are used

for many tasks, for example: to inform,
persuade, complete a determinate action or ask
for information and further.
• Routine letter is further classified into two
types,

1) Routine claim letter

2) Routine Orders letter
 1) Routine claim letter
• A claim is a demand or request for something
which one has a right to have.
• A claim letter is a persuasive letter sent by a
customer to a business or agency to identify a
problem with a product or service and can
also be referred to as a letter of complaint
• For example: Refund, Payment for damage
replacement, exchange and so on
 2) Routine orders letter
• Routine order letters are normally used to
place the order for good and services and here
the idea is written in the beginning and the
details are given later.
Persuasive Letters/ Persuasive Message

• Persuasion is used when we suspect the reader

will not be ordinarily interested in the message
and an action to be taken.

• In such cases, the writer uses the device of

starting from something unexpected or
unknown.
• Persuasive Letter is a letter written
to persuade an organization/s or individual/s
towards accepting the writer's (sender's)
issue, interest or perspective. 
 The persuasive pattern involves the
following sequence of ideas;

1. The opening sentence : persuasive letter

catches the readers attention by saying one of
these words,
 A statement of fact
 A remedial measure to a problem
 A special product or scheme or plan feature
Continued…
2) The middle section of the persuasive letter
gives detail of the product, scheme or
whatever is going to be promoted.
3)After arousing the reader’s interest in the
proposal request.
4)The last paragraph tells about the reminder to
reader about the specific benefit.
 WRITING MEMO
• Memos are frequently written to the people
within the organization / office to communicate
routine matters.
• A memorandum often referred as memo, is a form
used by a person known to the receiver personally.
• Therefore, it is less formal in tone and does not
have formal elements such as the salutation,
subscription, greetings or even signature at the
end.
 FORMAT OF MEMO
From………….. Subject…………
To………………. Date……………

Alternatively, it can have the following format:

To___________ Date__________
From_________
Subject________________________________
 HOW TO WRITE A MEMO
• A memo addresses the subject under the
discussion immediately.
• Its normally written in the friendly note.
for example:
“ every Saturday morning all supervisors in my
plant must meet and report on the clean – up
of their individual shop floors.
All reports must be submitted by afternoon.”
 Uses / Functions of Memo
• To provide information
• To issue an instruction
• To convey a policy decision
• To offer suggestions
• To record / report an activity, agreement
 THE ORIGINAL MEMO

TYC
May 12, 2008

To : Lab Personnel

From : Sushil Kumar

Subject: Final Report requirements

Beginning Monday, December 19, all our final report must indicate:

1.Test Results

2. Dimensions in metric terms

3. Photos in proper order

4. The distribution list

5. Complete formulas
 Reports
• Reports play a major role in the progress of
business.
• Reports are the backbone to the thinking
process of the establishment and they are
responsible, to a great extent, in evolving an
efficient or inefficient work environment
• After the letter and the memo, the report is
the most used form in business writing
 Reports
• A report is a document that presents
information in an organized format for a
specific audience and purpose.
• Oral and Written Reports
• Although summaries of reports may be
delivered orally, complete reports are almost
always in the form of written documents.
 Reports
• A report can be defined as a communication in
which the writer provides information to some
individual or organization because it is his /
her responsibility to do so.
• The common element in all report is the
element of responsibility and Accuracy
• It is an assigned communication for a purpose
and for a specific receiver
 Reports
• The writer is obliged to communicate what he
knows to those who need this information as part
of an assigned, clearly defined, time-bound task.

• Two Types : 1) Those that contain bare

information and facts and do not contain any
opinion of the writer
• 2) those that are designed to persuade the
reader or which recommend some line of action
 Organization and Preparing Reports

• Drafting and Sending of Reports- imp role

• Reports perform two important functions:
• Information for the purpose of Planning and
information for the purpose of control
Reports need to by systematically presented in
the form of written reports with appropriate
recommendations
 Organization and Preparing Reports

• Financial Reports
• Staff Reports
• Reports to improve quality and production
• Cause of decline in sales, labour unrest,
transport and distribution problems
• Possibility of starting a new branch, industry or
adding a new line to sales
• State of market, prospects to improve business
 Collection of Data for reports
• Involves research and observation
• Report writer -- collect facts carefully and put
them together
• -- personal observation / visiting
• Reading journals, studying statistical data
• Writing letters and obtaining replies
• Interviewing people who knows
• Issuing questionnaires
• Statutory Reports : required to be written by Law

• Auditor’s Report

• Director’s report

• Reports by inspectors and committees appointed

to investigate the company affairs
• Non-statutory reports merely help the smooth
and efficient functioning of the business and
build goodwill.
• -- reports by directors to shareholders on
special proposals
• -- reports by finance committee, allotment
committee
• Individual Reports : written by single
individual, either form of a letter or an
impersonal statement with a covering letter

• Must be singular and first person.

• Must be signed by the individual writing it

• Committee Reports : reports written by
committees or sub-committees are impersonal in
tone and formal in phraseology
• Committee came to the conclusion or
committee was of the opinion
• Report signed by the chairman on behalf of the
committee or by the committee themselves if
there are not too many
• NOTE OF DISSENT
 What a Report Contains
• If short report –
• The Authority
• Terms of reference
• Procedure
• Findings and conclusions
• Recommendations, if any
 What a Report Contains
• If detailed (longer reports)
• A title page procedure / investiga
• Table of contents tion methods follow
• Acknowledgements findings/concl
• Table of contents recommendations
• Executive summary Appendix
• Introduction List of reference
• Discussion, description bibliography, index
 Report Writing.
•  Report writing is the creation of a structured
document that precisely describes, and
examines an event or occurrence.
• A report is a document that is short, sharp and
specially written for a particular audience and
purpose.
 Difference between Reports and other
Writings
• Essays -- Subjective in nature
• Reports generally draw on outside sources. They
present facts, conclusions and
recommendations based on investigation and
analysis of data obtained by observation of facts
• Each part of a report numbered and captioned
with headings and sub-headings
• Reports have a highly structured format
 Purpose of Reports
• Is not a descriptive statement of facts, events or
future possibilities
• The basic purpose of a Report is to identify the
reason underlying a specific situation
• The factors responsible for the problem, the
alternatives available, and to take the best
course of action
• To present a specific conclusion regarding the
problems’ existence and solution
 Kinds of Reports
• Formal (detailed and formally structured)
• Semi-formal
• Routine reports (made by filling in a printed format)
• Letter Reports
• Memo Reports
• Progress Report
• Periodic Reports ( reports for keeping records made
routinely at regular intervals)
• Lab Reports ( on the result of laboratory work)
• The language of a report is concise and
concrete
• Reports contain recommendations and
conclusions
• They make use of tables and graphs and visual
aids ( Tables, Charts, pictures )
• Reports are preceded by a summary
 Short Reports
• Usually written in the form of a letter or
memo
• Uses the title page or just the reports title as
heading
• Usually in direct order – beginning with
summary or statement summarizing the event
• Present findings,analysis,conclusions and
recommendations
 Long Formal Reports
• The Title page( heading, name and affiliation of the
author, department and date of issue)
• Acknowledgements (thank everyone associated)
• The dept and date of issue
• Cover letter (as a preface or foreword to a report)
• Letter of Transmittal (Dear Mr. Singh – here is a
report you requested regarding plot of land for
your proposed playschool)
• Table of contents : it identifies the topics and and
their page numbers in the report
• Abstract and Executive summary : should give the
context of the report, provide the most
important findings, conclusions and
recommendations
• Discussion and analysis and finding
• Glossary
• Appendix, Bibliography and references
 Media Management
• Press Release:
• A press release, news release, media release, press
statement or video release is an official statement
delivered to members of the news media for the purpose
of providing information, an official statement, or making
an announcement. 
• Any information deliberately sent to a reporter or media
source is considered a press release as it is information
released by the act of being sent to the media. Public
relations professionals often follow a standard
professional format for press releases. 
• Common structural elements include:
• LETTER HEAD or LOGO
• Media Contact Information – name, phone number, email address, mailing address,
or other contact information for the PR or other media relations contact person.
• HEADLINE – used to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the news.
• DEK – A sub-headline that describes the headline in more detail.
• Dateline contains the release date and usually the originating city of the press
release.
• Introduction first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic answers to
the questions of who, what, when, where and why.
• Body further explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant to the
news.
• close -- END / ****
• In the traditional distribution model, the business, political
campaign, or other entity releasing information to the media
hires a publicity agency to write and distribute written
information to the newswires The newswire then disseminates
the information as it is received or as investigated by
a journalist.
• An alternative is the self-published press release. In this
approach, press releases are either sent directly to
local newspapers or to free and paid distribution services. The
distribution service then provides the content, as-is, to their
media outlets for publication which sometimes also be online.
 Press Conference
• An interview given to journalists by a
prominent person in order to make an
announcement or answer questions.

• A press conference or news conference is a

media event in which newsmakers invite
journalists to hear them speak and, most
often, ask questions. 
 Press Conference
• Press conferences bring reporters together for a
story.

• A press conference is a staged public relations

event in which an organization or individual
presents information to members of the mass
media.
 Press Conference
• A press conference serves to
communicate important news (e.g. launch the
campaign) connected with an organization or
company and involves the participation of
journalists and representatives of the
company/organization.
• The event offers journalists an interactive
forum to find out about your organization and
campaign.
 Press Conference
• Free Press: The Cornerstone of Democracy. ...
• A free press plays a
vital role in democratic societies, enabling the
open exchange of information and opinions
among ordinary citizens, businesses, citizen
associations, political parties, and governments.
 Press Conference
• If you have more than one speaker, brief each
one to make three to five points, over no
more than about three to five minutes.

• The whole press conference should last no

more than 45 minutes, including questions.
 Media Interviews
• A media interviewA discussion involving
questions and answers for the purpose of
broadcast or publication.
• is a discussion involving questions and
answers for the purpose of broadcast. It is
distinct from an informational interview
 Media Interviews
• It's to inspire members of the audience to take
a next step. A well-delivered media
interview might persuade people to visit your
website, call your phone number, buy your
book, attend your lecture, sign a petition, or
protest a piece of legislation.
 Media Interviews
• A media interview is a positive opportunity,
whether it is planned in advance or catches you
off guard in public.

• You are the focus of the interview, and many

people believe that if you are on television,
that you have something to say, that you have
special insight, or that you are different from
the viewing audience.
• That can give you an edge of credibility that
can serve your business or company as you
share your knowledge and experience.
 Group Communication
• MEETINGS: is a coming together of a number of
persons at a certain time and place for discussion.
• It’s a gathering together of two or more persons
in order to discuss matters of common concern, in
order to arrive at a decision or promulgate a
policy
• Meetings are formal affairs with
chairperson,resolutions,agendas and minutes and
are very structured
Organizational / Business Meetings
• Purpose of exchanging information, making
decisions, negotiating, co-ordinating
processes, and seeking advice with respect to
the activities of a business organization
• Planning the meeting: have 3 requirements:
1) they should be called by an authorized
person by giving a proper notice
Organizational / Business Meetings
• 2) there should be a quorum, a chairperson
and a person to take down the notes
• 3) should be conducted properly, according to
the rules or bye-laws of the organization
Meeting are held because they help to pool
knowledge
 Preparing for the Meeting
• Understand The Purpose Of The Meeting.
• Develop An Agenda For The Meeting.
• Prepare For The Meeting.
• Know The Participants.
• Send An Invite And Select An Appropriate
Venue.
• Gather And Send Relevant Information.
Organizational / Business Meetings
• Meetings are conducted:
• To inform members about decisions already
taken
• To persuade members about a course of
action and obtain their approval
• To obtain different point of view in solving a
problem
• To find out facts and enquire about difficulties
 Objectives
• They foster team spirit
• They help to solve problems by using the skills
of the members in terms of analysis,
imagination and judgment
• Encourage a healthy exchange of ideas and
views in dealing with difficult situations,
clients and customers
• To Build Team Morale, Building Relationships
 DO IT YOURSELF
Assume that you are Mr. Sanjay, Managing
Director of “ Connect Telecom” ( a cellular
company), write a letter “persuasive letter” to
your customer about introduction of your new
tariff plans.
 DO IT YOURSELF
1. Imagine that you are the sales manager of a
shoe manufacturing firm that supplies shoes to
various department stores. A regular customer
of yours enquires about a particular model of
shoe which is not in stock.
write a persuasive letter offering an alternative
model as your objective is not to loose the
customer.
 DO IT YOURSELF
2. Issue a memo to your employee, Mr. Arun of
your organization, Technosoft solutions,
regarding his late reporting to work inspite of
several repeated oral warnings.
You are Mr. Das MD of ABC Ltd.