Topic 5 - Business Letter 4b7233

8/9/2010

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION MGT 269 TOPIC 5 BUSINESS LETTERS AND MEMO

Business Letters & Memoranda 1. Micro Skills of Business Correspondence

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Essential Qualities Format Principle Parts

2. Types of letters     

Letters Of Request Reply to Letters of Request Letters of Complaint Reply to Letters of Complaint Memorandum LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Essential Qualities 1. Writing accurately and correctly 

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Check spelling, punctuation, grammar Accurate facts & figures Create impression

2. Writing briefly /concisely 

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Short word, sentences, paragraphs but complete and courteous Instead of e.g. “I would like to tell you that I am interested to sell the Echo Signature Collection in my boutique when I read about it in your article in the NST.” Write, “ As soon as I saw your article in the NST, I know that “Echo Signature Collection” is the product that I want to sell. LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Essential Qualities 3. Writing Clearly Use easy words Well organized sentences & paragraphs

4. Writing courteously 

Build goodwill “please; thank you; appreciate, grateful etc.”

5. Write consistently   

Single idea No contradiction Avoid interchanging  

Shall and should Can and could LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Essential Qualities 6. Use “You-Attitude” Sentences 

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Audience-centered approach Writing in favor of readers wishes interest, hopes preferences Substitute I, me, mine with you, yours and ours E.g. instead of “you must correct all five copies before noon” Used “All five copies need to be corrected by noon” LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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You Attitude Is a style of writing that 

  

Look at things at the reader‟s point of view Respect the reader‟s intelligence Protects the reader‟s ego Emphasizes what the reader wants to know

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Examples Lacks You Attitude

You Attitude

I have negotiated an agreement with Ahmad Car Rental that gives you a discount on rental cars We are happy to extend you a credit line of RM5,000

As a student, you can now get a 20% discount when you rent a car from Ahmad Car Rental You can now charge up to RM5,000 on your credit card

Format & Principle Parts

1. Complete Block Format 2. Semi-Block Format

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Complete Block Format Commonly used today Every parts of the letters starts from the left margin, except for the letterhead Leave a line between each part of the letter, as well as in between the paragraph

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Complete Block Format Letterhead (street address) (Postcode,city, state,) Numbers  Your Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx Our Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

 Date  Addressee notation  Inside Address (name and title) Inside Address (company) Inside Address (street) Inside Address (Post-code, city, state)  Salutation:  Subject Line  Body (paragraph 1) xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

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Complete Block Format cont.. Body (paragraph 2) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Body (paragraph 3)xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Body (paragraph 4) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Complimentary Closure   Signature Block (name, title)  Reference Initials  Enclosure Notation  Copy Notation

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Principal Parts of Letter Letterhead  

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Full address of the company Name of the company must be written in BOLD, BLOCK LETTER Example; PERUNDING IKATAN Jalan PJS 12/10 Bandar Sunway 46200 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia Telephone : 603-55617834 LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Sender‟s Address (optional) – if write by individual The reference – for filling purposes Date – logical order Receiver‟s address (inside address) 

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Write the name of person, designation, company address Example : Haji Ellias Bin saidin Director Esrafa Enterprise No 2, Jalan Ayer Hitam 40000 Shah Alam Selangor LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Attention Line 

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Optional – to speed up the delivery process The name should be preceded by a courtesy title (Encik/Puan)  Example : 

Attention : En Kamal Bin Hussin

Salutation 

The greeting of the letter agrees with the inside address  Example :  

The Sales Manager – Dear sir Puan Rogayah Ahmad – Dear Madam @ Dear Puan Rogayah

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Subject Line 

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Indicates the subject matter of a letter It may be underlined

The Body 

Cover all the essential points

Complimentary closure, Signature, Name and Designation 

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Should match the salutation in formality Example:  Dear Sir/Madam – Yours faithfully  Dear Mr Ng /Pn Aini – Yours sincerely

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Full name and designation must be written in two separate lines below the signature LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Enclosures 

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When any documents are includes in the envelope with the letter, an enclosure notation is written below the designation The number of enclosures may be stated Example:  Enclosure or Encl (3)

Carbon Copy Notation 

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The CC is used when the letter is also sent to other recepients Example: CC En Ghazali daud CC En Taufik Ismail Sales Manager LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Semi Block Format The date, signature and address heading (if not on preprinted letterhead stationary) are at the right side of the page All other section are on the left margin

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Semi-Block Format Letterhead (street address) (Postcode,city, state) Numbers Date: Your Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

xxxxxxxx

Our Ref: xxx/xxx/xxxx

 Inside Address (name and title) Inside Address (company) Inside Address (street) Inside Address (Post-code, city, state)  Addressee notation  Salutation:  Subject Line  Body (paragraph 1) xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

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Semi-Block Format Body (paragraph 2) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Body (paragraph 3)xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Body (paragraph 4) xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx  Complimentary Closure   Signature Block (name, title)  Reference Initials  Enclosure Notation  Copy Notation

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Punctuation Styles 1. Open punctuation 

No punctuation marks used for letterhead, reference, date, receiver‟s address, salutation and complimentary closure

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E.g “. , ; :” from letterhead to

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inside address and complementary closure E.g : The Personnel Manager Alam Sekitar Sdn Bhd 20, Jalan Murni 42700 Petaling Jaya Selangor Dear Sir

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For assignment used open punctuationLETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Punctuation Styles 2. Closed punctuation 

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Punctuation mark are placed at the end of every line of the letterhead, inside address, the salutation and complementary closure E.g : The Personnel Manager, Alam Sekitar Sdn Bhd. 20, Jalan Murni, 42700 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Dear Sir, LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Types Of Letter Letter of request / enquiry Reply letter of request Order Letter Reply order letter   

Accepting the order Declining the order Counter offer

Letter of complaint Reply letter of complaint   

Letter granting the claim Letter rejecting the claim Letter offering a compromise LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Letters of Request 1. Purpose is to seek for General information Goods, price list, catalogues, Samples, concession, and etc.

2. Types 1.

Solicited request With reference to an ment To mention the reference

2.

Unsolicited request Writer takes initiative to ask for information without referring to any ads.

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Types of Letters Letters of Request State your request at the beginning. Explain and justify your request. Courteously request action. LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Possible Expression Used in Letters of Enquiry Introductory for Solicited 

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We have seen your ment in …….and would be glad if you could send us particular of…… Please send information about … which you have d in… We saw your product demonstrated at …earlier this year and would like to know whether….

Introductory for Unsolicited 

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We are distributors of… and are interested in adding to the range of products that we have We would appreciate a sample of… Could you please send us…

Possible Expression Used in Letters of Enquiry…cont

Main Section and Closing 

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When replying, please include delivery details Please also state whether you can supply the goods from stock as we need them urgently We hope to hear from you soon We look forward to hearing from you soon / within the next few days We hope that you will send us the catalogue as soon as possible Your prompt reply would be appreciated

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486 Jalan Ampang, 68000 Kuala Lumpur (03) 6998-7474

Fax: (03) 6998-7475

www.arrow.edu

Your Ref: AE 1223/06 Our Ref: AHC 2334/06

17 Aug 2008 Ahmad Electrical Sdn. Bhd. 44756 Megamall Jalan Syed Putra Kuala Lumpur Dear En. Ahmad, Small-Capacity Microwave Ovens We are interested in ordering approximately 200 small-capacity microwave ovens, which were d in the August issue of Collegiate Magazine. Please include the following information: -Electrical requirements -A copy of the warranty -Instructions for use -Complete description of size and price of units you offer -Shipping requirements -Turnaround time for orders If you have any questions or need additional information, please Mariam Putih at (03) 6998-7633. Yours sincerely,

Hayati Abdul Student Services

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Reply to Letter of Enquiry An inquiry must be acknowledged promptly to establish goodwill ( being courteous??) and that inquiry letters represent an opportunity to turn requests into orders. There are two (2) categories:  Replies granting requests.  Involves sending customers the information requested  Replies refusing requests.  These letters say “NO” but yet retain the goodwill of the reader

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Reply to Letter of Enquiry Main goal   

Respond immediately Encourage sale Convey good impression of you and your organization

Types of Replies Granting requests for information and action Granting claims and requests for adjustments Providing recommendations and references Announcing good news

Sending goodwill LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Reply To Letter of Enquiry Main idea

Explanation and relevant details

Courteous close LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Steps to Replying to Letter of Enquiry 1. Thank the customers for his letter / interest. 2. State whether the request can be fulfilled. If not, offer explanation 3. State whether information / materials requested for are enclosed or sent under separate post. 4. Offer additional information that is useful to reader or alternative sources of information if you are unable to help 5. Hope that everything is satisfactory and that you look forward to receiving an order.

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Possible Expression Used in Letters of Reply to Enquiry Introductory 

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Concluding/Close

Thank you for your letter of October 5, 2007 in which you enquire about our product We are pleased to learn from your letter of October 5, 2007 that you are interested in… Thank you for your enquiry dated…regarding… I was pleased to learn…that you are interested in our…

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We look forward to receiving your order We have the item in store and can deliver as soon as we receive your order We should be pleased to send you any further information Please let me know if you need any further details

Letter Refusing Request Provide sufficient detail to make reader accept the message Imply the reader is better off Explain company policy as being logical Offer no apology

Avoid personal assaults LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Unit 3, Bangsar Commercial Center, 59 100 Kuala Lumpur (03) 6998-7474

Fax: (03) 6998-7475

www.nht.w.edu

Your Ref: HM1223/08 Our Ref: NHT 2334/08

20 Jan 2008 Sri Hartamas Sdn. Bhd. A-5-2, Suite Condo Desa Sri Hartamas 54500 Kuala Lumpur Dear Sir, Instant Tea Thank you for your interest in our range of instant tea. For your information, the “Green” instant tea that you requested are no longer in production. It has been replaced by a new type of tea called “Natural Healing Tea”. “Natural Healing Tea” will create goodness in your daily life. It can be consumed anytime. Our product is available in all major retail outlets nationwide. Feel free to read our attached catalogue. Should you need further clarification, please do not hesitate to the undersigned. Thank you again. Yours faithfully,

Mohd Nizar Yunus Public Relation Department LETTERS & Enc. MEMORANDA

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Order Letters Also known as purchase order or PO The purpose : Give the vendor sufficient details on how to fulfilling an order Should give sufficient details so that the person receiving the letter will be able to send the right goods immediately

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Order Letter Refer to quotation received / ment Give details regarding delivery, payment

Courteous close LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Steps in Writing Order Letter Open with suitable introduction Place the order and include full details of goods such as quantity, brand, model, price and colour. Give full details regarding delivery – when, how and where Give details of payment – cash, cheque or credit End with appropriate closing

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Reply To Order Letter Three (3) categories

1. Letters accepting orders 

Give details of delivery and payment

2. Declining orders 

Give appropriate reasons

3. Suggest counter offer 

Suggest other substitute goods discount, rebate, replacement etc.

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Possible Expressions Reference 

In response to ment

Stating the order 

 We have seen

you ment in …and shall be glad if you could supply us..  We are interested in…as d in… 

In response to quotation

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We are interested in placing an order for the following items Please send us…..(quantity) of…….(items) Please supply the following items as quickly as possible and charge to our :

 We thank you for

your letter…

 Thank you for

your quotation..

 We have received

your quotation of…

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Possible Expressions…cont Giving delivery 

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Please dispatch the goods to us by…(when and where) Please send the goods to our warehouse at…(place) by railway express Please send the above order by parcel post to reach us before…(date)

Giving detail of payment 

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Our usual method of payment is…(cheque, cash) We will pay you cash on delivery We will arrange for settlement by banker‟s transfer

Possible Expressions…cont Closing 

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Prompt delivery would be appreciated as the goods are needed urgently Please acknowledge receipt of this order and confirm that you will be able to deliver by… We hope to receive your advice of deliver

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Declining the Order When an order has been accepted but is unable to accept the order due to certain circumstances. The letter should 

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Express regret at the inability to meet the buyer‟s need Should explain why the supplier is unable to fulfill the order May offer help by suggesting an alternative source Should hope for the opportunity to serve the customer in future.

Letters of Complaint 1. Written by unsatisfied 2. 3. 4.

customers Should result in improvement Assurance that it will not recur Types of complaint Regarding I. Goods II. Delivery III. Services IV. Financial matters LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Letters of Complaint Acknowledged goods received, order etc. Explain what went wrong

Hope for corrective action & courteous close LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Plan of a Letter of Complaint Acknowledge the goods received and refer to the order Regret that you have to complain Make the complaint   

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Explain what is wrong Ask the supplier to explain the fault Inform the supplier of the inconvenience it is causing you If necessary, make suggestions to put the matter right

Express hope for action

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Letters of Complaint 1. Be courteous 2. Be factual not emotional 3. Use ive voice 4. Avoid direct accusation 5. Don‟t refer to feeling of anger 6. Don‟t use the word complain 7. Don‟t announce that you are writing a letter of complaint LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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LETTER OF COMPLAINT



Gramercy consulting

4211 Tristam Boulevard, 50000 Jalan HS Lee, KL (03) 6715-0801 Fax: (03) 6715-0802 [email protected]

Your ref: CB/123/08 Our ref: GC/234/08

4 August 2008 Customer Service Data Life, Inc. 1993 Jalan Raja Muda 51000 Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur Dear Sir, Negotiator Pro On July 15, 2008, I purchased “Negotiator Pro” at Comp-Asia. My hardware includes a System 7 Macintosh with 3.7 GB, 8 Mb Ram, and a 300 MHz processor. Installation of “Negotiator Pro” went fine, but when I boot the system, “Negotiator Pro” gives me an error message that reads, “File Protected.” I am unable to open the program, even though I’ve tried several different ways. Because I was concerned that the problem might be a virus, I’ve deleted the program from my hard drive. I purchased the “Negotiator Pro” disk at Comp-Asia in Jalan Raja Muda As you know, that store refers problems with opened software back to the vendor. I’ve enclosed the disk and all paperwork, including a copy of my credit card receipt.

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Could you please (1)

test and repair or replace the software, or

(2)

refund RM79.95 to my Visa credit card number 4493 2283 3678 3369, expiration date 09/09. Please provide me with any special instructions I may need.

Your software has helped me build my consulting business, and I look forward to ordering from you in the future. Yours faithfully,

Izziani IZZANI MUSTAFFA Solution Consultant

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Reply to the Letter of Complaint Three (3) categories

1. Letters granting claim 

Apologized and spell out corrective action

2. Rejecting claims 

Not granting after full consideration

3. Offering compromise  

Both are at fault Giving allowance like discount, rebate, replacement etc. LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Sample Reply to the Letter of Complaint

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17883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com Your ref: Our ref: Zeno 123/06

10 August 2008 En. Muhammad Mursyid Sazali 334 Jalan Lapangan Terbang 23000 Dungun Terengganu Dear En. Muhammad Mursyid “Knights of Balthazar” Game Thank you for ing us about your “Knights of Balthazar” game. So that we can send you the proper replacement CD, please send us 1. 2. 3. 4.

The CD and original game box A copy of your receipt Information about the Macintosh operating system you are currently running Information about the amount of available memory in your computer

Once we receive these items, we'll send you a replacement that Will work on your system. So that you get it just as soon as LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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17883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com

possible, we'll send it via courier. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or concerns, call me at (09) 848-7766. Here’s our latest catalog of interactive CD games. You can call us 24 hours a day, and you can find us on the web, at www.zeno.com.my. Here at Zeno, entertainment is the name of the game. We guarantee our products and service, and we look forward to entertaining you in the future. Yours sincerely,

AHMAD Ahmad Muhsin Zainuddin Manager Enclosure LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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The Memorandum 1. Memorandum or memo (pluralmemoranda)

2. A type of inter-office written communication

3. Written by one individual to another

4. One department to another 5. By one individual to a large

body of staff at different levels in the organization. LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Memo Format Following are the basic parts 1. Heading 

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Title “Memorandum” or “Memo” is centered at the top of the page The organization name may appear above the word memo

2. „To‟    

Identifies the recipient Name and designation Department may be included Can be addressed to a group of people e.g. All Heads of Department

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Memo Format 3. „From‟ Identifies the writer Includes same information as „To‟ line

4. „Date‟ Written in two ways as in a letter

5. „Subject‟ Gives title to the contents Be brief and clear LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Memo Format 6. The Body Section Divided into three (3) paragraphs Para 1-briefly introduces the subject matters Para 2-gives detail information about the subject Para 3-clearly states what the receiver of the Memo has to do and by when he has to do it.

7. Signature Do not sign May be initial besides the writer‟s name No salutation and complimentary closure LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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7883 Jalan Sura Tengah 23000 Dungun Terengganu Darul Iman 09 848 3333 (o), 019 843789 H/P www.zcg.com

Memorandum To : From: Date: Subject:

All Heads of Department Salim Omar, Personnel Manager 9 August 2008 A Talk On Work Ethics

In conjunction with our “Staff Efficiency Week,” there will be a talk for all staff by a visiting Japanese Legal Advisor. Detail of the talk are as follows: Date: Venue: Speaker: Topic:

30 August 2008 Suite 7 Mr. Hoshi Yamamoto Work Ethics LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Memorandum Please inform all your staff about this talk. I would like to have a list of names from your department who are interested to attend the talk by 25 August 2008. Please submit the list to Pn. Rozilawati S. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

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Business Letters

Common Mistakes

1.

Letterhead – not centered – Did not capitalized or bold – no numbers

2.

“your ref & our ref” are missing

3.

Use of punctuation from letterhead to salutation (e.g. .,: ;)-Avoid using them.

4.

Did not synchronized with the rules – Dear Sir – Faithfully yours – Dear Mr. Lim – Sincerely yours

5.

Did not include Subject or Re:

6.

Did not use “audience-approach or youattitude” sentences

7.

Grammatical and sentence construction error LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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Business Letters 8. Did not itemized request –

E.g. We are glad if you could send us more information on the following items;  Prices  Discounts  Brochures/catalogues  Samples  of payments  Availability of stocks  Etc.

9. Use of “I“ instead of “We, our, us,” to represent on behalf of your company 10. Use the word “complain” when sending a letter of complaint –

E.g. I would like to file a complaint………

11. Did not use the complete block format LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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The End You May Go Now

LETTERS & MEMORANDA

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