Preface In this age of electronic wonders business letters might seen to be out-of-date and unnecessary. In fact, what is the use of spending your time and effort on writing business letters if you might as well call your business partner or send him a fax message? Actually, the growing use of the telephone and telegraph is reducing correspondence in our age when, as never before, “time is money”. Another factor is the increasing personal contact in international trade.With any one part of the world only a few hours’ flying time away it is not surprising that many business people prefer to make personal visits to discuss important matters on the spot. Still, in many cases business letters are is important nowadays as they used to be twenty, thirty and even forty years ago. Letter-writing remains an essential part of business.
In spite of telephone, fax, e-mail and telegraphic communication the writing letters continues; in fact, most messages have to be confirmed in writing.Letters organize, inform and prompt in to actions.
Moreover, good business letters, letters that represent one’s organization to best advantage, promote a long and successful partnership.The advantages of business letters are as follows: - they save information that can be subsequently referred to - they allow to word you r thoughts carefully - they give an opportunity to run a complicated and time-consuming business - in case of need they may serve as evidence in legal proceedings. - they may be a means of sending confidential information.
Nowadays letters and other documents may be sent not only by post, but by fax as well. A fax machine is used for sending business correspondence through a telephone communication network.Offers, price lists, advertising materials, press releases, written inquiries, diagrams, photographs and other documents may be sent by fax. Original contracts, letters of credit, invoices and other important papers are not normally sent in this way. They are either sent by registered letters or carried by a messenger.
Sending business documents by fax has become common as a means of communication. A big advantage of sending a fax is the speed at which the transmission is performed. The disadvantage is that the quality of copies is worse than that of the original. Besides copies cannot be kept for a long time because they get discoloured.So, if the message is not urgent, it is better to send it by mail. The fastest, most reliable communication is provided by electronic mail (E-mail). It is the most popular Internet service . Most of the people who have access to the Internet use the network only for sending and receiving e-mail messages. You can mail virtually any type of data to anybody.
The Internet mail system is the backbone for the network itself. Every business letter is written to a purpose; each has its own special aim which is determined by the writer’s intention.According to this, letters can be classified into several types, each including different kinds.
I INESS CORRESPONDENCE A very large part of the business of the world is conducted by means of correspondence . Therefore it is extremely important to be able to write good business letters that represent one’s self and one’s organization to best advantage.Writing good business letters is a matter of detailed and often quite specialized technique. - You should be familiar with two kinds of letters: business letters and personal letters.
Business organizations usually use prented letter-head for their business letters.Private business letters are typed on plain paper. - You should answer all letters promptly – within ten days at the outside . If you can’t fully answer them within that period , the least you can do is acknowledge them and explain your delay. - Let everyone involved know what action has been taken on a letter. - You should always write a thank-you note to anyone who has given you a letter of introduction, reporting at the same time how well you were received or what result the introduction produced. - You should sign and send out only letters that are well typed, well spaced, faultlessly neat and inviting to the eye, i.e. letters that make a good first impression.
The letter you write, whether you realize it or not, is always a mirror which reflects your appearance, taste and character.Here are the essential qualities that go to make up an attractive business letter: •Use the best quality of paper you can for business correspondence. •Envelopes should match the letterhead in quality and weight.
Any printing or engraving that appears on the envelope should conform to that on the letter sheet. •Quality and dignity should be the distinguishing characteristics of your business stationery.Never use unconventional stationary for the general run of routine business letters. •All business correspondence should be typed, and at least one carbon copy made and kept on file. •Your business letter should be well-spaced and organized.
Whether long or short, your letter should present an even, well-balanced appearance. Bear in mind that margins¹ make your letter more readable and inviting. •Make an effort to keep your sentences and paragraphs short.Use a new paragraph for each new though or idea, and express that thought as simply and briefly as you can. •Your letters should not contain misspelled words, typographicerrors, or an incorrectly or poorly constructed sentences.
Poor grammar, misspelled words, lack of punctuation or the improper use of it may destroy the effectivness of your letter.Business letters may be written in •the first person singular: “I must apologize for the delay in fulfilling your order of November 20. I shall see that the spare parts are sent immediately”. •the first person plural: “We must apologize…” •the impersonal passive: “The delay in fulfilling your order is regretted. The spare parts will be sent immediately…” Note: The first person singular canbe used only by a person of authority as he is reporting his personal actions and opinions and yet they represent those of the firm and organization. ¹ 2,5-3 cm from the left-hand side of the sheet, 2 cm from the top and bottom, 1-1,5 cm from the right-hand side of the sheet.
II Styles of Letters The arrangement style of a letter depends upon the horizontal placement of the varions letter parts.The order or sequence in which the parts are positioned is fixed in a logical pattern that is normally not altered to suit individual tastes.
The are many ways to lay out a business letter.The style that used to be popular not so long ago is the Indented Style. In the indented layout the first line of every new paragraph is usually indented 5 spaces in a typed manuscript or 1 inch in a longhand manuscript. In the Inside Address (àäðåñ ïîëó÷àòåëÿ) only the first line starts at the left-hand margin, every successive line starts 1-3 space characters away from it. The Block Style (áëî÷íûé ñòèëü) is a modern way of organizing business letters.
In this style of letter layout all paragraphs of the letter start at the left-hand margin and there are line spaces between them. This style is accepted everywhere, it is preferable because of its convenience: it saves time while typing or keying in. Another popular style is the Modified Block Style (ìîäèôèöèðîâàííûé áëî÷íûé ñòèëü). In this format the date line, reference line, complimentary close, author’s name and title begin at the centre of the page. The first line of each paragraph may begin at the left margin or may be indented 5 or 10 spaces.
All other lines begin at the left-hand margin. According to ISO (International Standards Organization – Ìåæäóíàðîäíàÿ îðãàíèçàöèÿ ïî ñòàíäàðòèçàöèè) the A-4 format is the standard size of a sheet of paper 210´297 mm. Its area is 1/16 m². Most companies use this size sheets even for writing short letters as it is more convenient and cheaper.
To use sheets of the same size. III. Punctuation Styles In business letter writing one can distinguish the Standard or Closed Punctuation Style (ïîëíàÿ/çàêðûòàÿ ïóíêòóàöèÿ) and the Open punctuation Style (ñâîáîäíàÿ/îòêðûòàÿ ïóíêòóàöèÿ). The Standard Punctuation Style assumes the use of punctuation marks not only in the body but also in the friming elements of the letter.Each line of the adress irrespective of the style of the letter (blocked or indented) is followed by a comma except the last one. A comma also follows the salutation and the complimentary close.
In the Open Punctuation Style no punctuation marks are used in the framing elements of the letter. Sentences in the letter body are punctuated normally. This style is most commonly used nowadays because it saves time while typing and makes a letter look neat and clear.IV. Letter Layout The following framing elements are an integral part of a business- letter: Letterhead (Øàïêà íà ôèðìåííîì áëàíêå), Reference Line (Óêàçàíèå íà ññûëêó), Date, Inside Address (Àäðåñ ïîëó÷àòåëÿ), Attention Line(Óêàçàíèå íà êîíêðåòíîå ëèöî), Salutation (Îáðàùåíèå), Subject Line (Óêàçàíèå íà îáùåå ñîäåðæàíèå ïèñüìà), Letterbody (Òåêñò ïèñüìà), Complimentary Close (Çàêëþ÷èòåëüíàÿ ôîðìóëà âåæëèâîñòè), Signature Block (Áëîê ïîäïèñè), Enclosure (Ïðèëîæåíèå), CC Notation (Óêàçàíèå íà ðàññûëêó êîïèé). Letterhead (Øàïêà íà ôèðìåííîì áëàíêå) As a rule a business letter is written on a headed notepaper (áëàíê äëÿ ïèñüìà ñî øòàìïîì îòïðàâèòåëÿ). The letterhead is tuped at the top of the letter.
It provides the reader of the letter with essential information about the organization sending it. Normally the letterhead includes: 1. Logo 2. Name and type of the company (Ltd, Plc Inc Co) the type of business it is engaged in. It is important to indicate the type of company because the addressee should know the type of ownership.
It’s important for people giving the company credit because of bankruptcy they want to know what they can get. 3. Board of Directors: the name of the Chairman (GB) or President (USA) or the names of Directors who decide the overall policy of the company, the nabe of the managing Director (GB) or Chief Executive (USA) who takes an activerole in the day-to-day running of the company. 4. Addresses: the address of the office from which the letter is being sent, the address of the head office or registered office if different and the addresses of any branches or other offices the company has. The writer’s address does not usually include the name, which is shown by the signature. 5. Telephone, fax numbers, telex, telegraphic and E-mail addresses, the Internet site. 6. Registered number (usually in small print, sometimes with the country or city in which the company was registered) 7. VAT ¹ (VAT number-Value Added Tax number-èíäåêñ íàëîãà íà äîáàâëåííóþ ñòîèìîñòü) may also be given.
Here are three examples of letterheads used by limited companies and this fact is indicated by the word ‘Limited’ (very often abriviated to ‘Ltd’) which is printed after the name. Since the name of the company in the first example does not show whats its line of business is, this is stated separately.