This document provides information about business letters and reports. It begins by outlining the course objectives of covering business letters, their planning and layout, different types of business letters, and writing reports. It then discusses the need and functions of business letters in exchanging information, establishing relationships, creating markets, substituting personal visits, and more. The document explains how to plan a business letter by considering the audience, purpose, details needed, organization, and need for a response. It provides an example layout and discusses types of salutations and subscriptions. Finally, it outlines different types of business letters like inquiries, orders, complaints, and sales letters.
2. Course to be Covered
Business Letters & Reports: Need and functions
of business letters
– Planning & layout of business letter
– Kinds of business letters
– Essentials of effective correspondence,
Purpose, Kind and Objective of Reports,
Writing Reports.
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3. Business Letters
• The business letter is the basic means of
communication between two companies.
• A business letter is a letter from one company
to another, or between such organizations and
their customers, clients, or other external
parties for the purpose of exchanging their
views and of sending and receiving
information.
• The overall style of letter depends on the
relationship between the parties concerned.
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4. Purposes
-to inform
-to congratulate
-to enquire
-to order
-to request
to collect dues
-to complain
-to make an adjustment
-to sell a product, service or scheme
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5. Need and functions of business
letters
• Exchanging business information: Letters are the most
economical and convenient means of exchanging
information. With the help of letters, executives can
easily exchange information with customers, suppliers,
investors, government offices; regulatory authorities
etc.
• Establishing business relationship: Business letter
plays an important role in establishing and maintaining
relationship with various parties. Business letters
reduce the distance between a business and its
customers, suppliers, creditors and other public
groups.
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6. • Creation of markets: Circular letter a form of
business letter helps to create new markets for
goods and services. This letter contains
information about utility, features and usefulness
of the products and induces the customer to buy
the products.
• Substitute to personal visit: Introduction of
letters in business world relieves the business
executives’ form visiting their clients, suppliers,
creditors and other public groups by traveling a
long distance. For this reason, commercial letters
are called alternative technique to a personal
visit.
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7. • Saving cost and time: Business letters relieve
busy executives from visiting personally their
clients and other concerned parties. Therefore,
valuable time and costs can be saved.
• Maintaining secrecy: Business letters also help to
maintain secrecy of information. Non one other
than the sender and receiver can know the
message contained in the letter.
• Increasing goodwill: Business letters, like inquiry
letter, circular letter, order acknowledgment
letter, adjustment grant letter, etc help to
increase goodwill of a business with the
customers.
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8. • Formal agreement: Business letter acts as formal
agreement between buyer and seller. For
example, an order letter contains name of items,
price, and quantity, time of delivery and mode of
payment. All these are regarded as the conditions
of an agreement between buyer and seller.
• Settlement of transaction: Commercial letters
have paramount importance in setting business
transaction. For example, by writing a claim
letter, buyer can raise his claims to the seller by
writing collection letters; seller can collect dues
from the customers.
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9. • Use as reference: Information exchanged through
letters can be preserved permanently and used as
reference when need arise. Therefore, making
business decisions becomes easier.
• Legal acceptance: Business letter is an acceptable
document in the eye of law. It can be stored and
produced as documentary proof.
• Assistance in local and international trade:
Bothe local and foreign trade essentially requires
the help of various business letters. Through
letters, businessperson make inquiry about
products and prices place orders for goods collect
the dues make and settle claims etc.
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10. Planning a Business Letter
• A business letter is not a place for chit-chat.
Unlike business conversations where a certain
amount of small talk is used to break the ice, a
business letter should be clear and concise. By
taking time to plan your letter, you will save
time in the writing and proofreading stages.
During the planning stage, ask yourself a few
simple questions.
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11. Planning a Business Letter
• Who am I writing this letter to?
• Why am I writing this letter?
• Are there specific details I need to include?
• Do I require a response?
• How can I organize my points logically?
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12. Who am I writing this letter to?
• Identifying your audience always comes first.
Are you writing to more than one person, to
someone you don't know, or to someone you
have known for a long time? This will help you
determine how formal the letter needs to be.
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13. Why am I writing this letter?
• The main reason for the letter should be
understood from the subject line and first few
sentences. You may cover more than one
thing in one business letter, but there will
almost always be a general reason for the
letter.
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14. Are there specific details I need to
include?
• Gather any dates, addresses, names, prices,
times or other information that you may need
to include before you write your letter. Double
check details rather than relying on your
memory.
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15. How can I organize my points
logically?
• Think about how you would organize your
thoughts if you were speaking rather than
writing to the recipient. First you would
introduce yourself. Second you would state
your concern or reason for writing. After the
main content of your letter you would include
information on how you can be contacted. The
end of the letter is also a place to express
gratitude, wish good-luck, or offer sympathy.
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16. Do I require a response?
• If you do require a response, how should the
recipient contact you? Indicate this
information clearly as well. You may want to
provide more than one option, such as an
email address and a phone number.
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17. A business letter always contains a few
standard parts
• The date
• Information about its sender and recipient
• A salutation
• A body consisting of a few concise paragraphs
• A closing
• The sender’s signature
• The sender’s typed name, title, and contact
information
• A list of enclosures, if necessary
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18. • Your Contact Information
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
• Date
• Recipient's Contact Information
Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State Zip Code
• Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
• Body of Letter
The first paragraph of your business letter should provide an introduction to why you are writing.
• Then, in the following paragraphs provide more information and details about your request.
• The final paragraph should reiterate the reason you are writing and thank the reader for reviewing your
request.
• Closing:
Respectfully yours,
• Signature:
• Handwritten Signature (for a hard copy letter)
• Typed Signature
• Sender’s typed name and contact information:
• Terry Brown
Vice President of ABC, Inc.
223-555-1212
t.brown@abc-inc.com
• Enclosures (if applicable):
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20. LAYOUT
1. BLOCK
Eachline of every part beginsat the left margin.
At least one line spacebetween eachpart.
Timesavingmethod andbeautiful to look at, alsoknownasAmerican style.
2. INDENT
Newparagraphsbegin about 1.5centimeters to the right of the left margin.
Thisstyle isalsoknown asHangingstyle.
Thismethod consumesalot of time, looksshabby, therefore out of
practice.
3. SEMI BLOCK/MODIFIED BLOCK
Someparts are typed in block method and otherparts are indented.
Return address, date, closing and signaturestart just to the right of the
center of the pageor maybeflush with the right margin.
Most widely followedmethod in our country specially in govt.offices.
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25. OPENING
Mention the Best news or summarise the mainidea.
MIDDLE
Explanations, details, reader benefits,background.
END
Usegoodwill ending.
Positive friendly, clear statement of actiondesired, motivation
to action, willingness to help further, appreciation.
GOOD /NEUTRAL NEWSLETTERS
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26. Examples of Good/ Neutral news letters:
ApprovingCredit
Acknowledgements
Acceptance letters
Letters of Appreciation, Congratulations,Condolence
Confirmations, Granting favors and other requests.
Summaries
Adjustments
Transmittals
Announcements
Goodwill messages
Thank your notes
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27. BAD /NEGATIVE NEWSLETTERS
OPENING
1. Buffer
2. Begin with reader interestinformation.
3. Agreement,Appreciation, Assurance, Compliment, Cooperation.
4. Give good news (if you cangrant any)
MIDDLE
1. Present negative element aspositively aspossible.
2. Explanation and analysis of thecircumstances.
3. Decision, implied or expressedwithresale and or helpful
suggestions.
END
1. Positive, courteous, friendly, firm and forward lookingending.
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28. Examples of Bad/ Negative News letters
Refusing Credit.
Refusing adjustments on Claimsand Complaints.
Answering Non-Salesrelated inquiries.
Declining invitations and requests for favours.
Announcing abad news about prices or services.
Rejection Letters.
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29. Acknowledgment Letters: This type of letters
is otherwise known as Letter of Receipt and
do not mean anything more than just a
confirmation. They are usually written for and
are a sign of legal evidence, and do not
necessarily mean that the action in question
has been started, but the recipient has
“acknowledged” that they have an
understanding of the situation.
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30. Apology Letters: Letters of apology are
written to simply say sorry for what has
happened in the past, what measures are
being taken to solve that issue or what
the writer plans on about the
inconvenience occurred. Substantially,
these letters say something negative, but
with a positive tone.
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31. Appreciation Letters: These letters are written by
someone of the top management to the lower
level to motivate or to express gratefulness. These
are also called Thank-You Letters or Letter of
Thanks.
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32. Complaint Letters: These letters are seen as
actual problems and are addressed
immediately to rectify the mistakes. These
shouldn’t sound like the writer is nagging, but
also shouldn’t lose its importance and
professionalism if the writer wants to be taken
seriously.
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33. Cover Letters: They are used to describe what
comes with them, why, what should be done
with it and so on. These types of letters are
generally very short. It might be attached with
a resume explaining the applicant’s
credentials and how it relates to the vacancy
in the company.
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34. Follow-Up Letters: Follow-up letters are usually
sent after some an initial communication has
been made with the writer. This could be the
thanking letter for an order requested by a
customer, a review of the decisions taken in a
meeting or an applicant inquiring about the
status of his application.
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35. • Inquiry Letter: This type of letters asks direct and
detailed questions usually bullet-listed to
derive/request information from the recipient.
So, they are brief but powerful. They should be
answered with accuracy.
• Order Letters: A business can write to another
business requesting for an order or placing
routine or modified buy. An individual can also
request a firm and place an order. The model
number, name, amount, size, date, location and
other specifications are cleared out in the utmost
detail in this letter.
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36. • Payment Letters: These are collection letters
or letters requesting for payment. These act as
a reminder to the customer whose payment
date is approaching or is due.
• Recommendation Letters: This is one of the
requirements of the employer who ask for
such kind of letters before hiring an employee.
They contain the relationship between the
applicant and the person whose
recommendation is given.
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37. • Resignation Letters: This letter is written when
an employer plans to leave his job, explaining
why and when the employee is leaving. It is
usually given to the immediate senior of a worker.
• Sales Letters: These letters start with an
interesting topic sentence to attract potential
customers. These include the benefit that the
customer will have from the sale, and often
induce direct action by including a mode of
communication with the seller, like a telephone
number, email address or website link.
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39. 1st September, 2020
The Director
Institute of Professional Excellence & Management Studies (IPEM)
Ghaziabad.
Subject: Application for a leave of three days.
Respected Sir,
I wish to attend an important marriage in the family. Kindly grant me a leave of three days from 18th September to 20th
September, 2020. I shall be highly obliged.
Thanking you,
Yours obediently,
Nimith Sadh
PGDM Batch 2020-22
Section-B
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41. Vedik Kumar
Area Chair - PPSP
Institute of Professional Excellence & Management Studies (IPEM),
Ghaziabad.
1st September, 2020
The Principal
Shaheed Bhagat Singh College
New Delhi.
Subject: Invitation for participation in the mega quiz event.
Respected Sir,
We are organizing a mega quiz event on 15th September, 2020 in which more than 100 schools and colleges will be
participating. May we request you to send some students of your esteemed institution to participate in the event which
is a great opportunity as there are fabulous cash prizes and other awards to be won?
Looking forward to an encouraging response,
Yours faithfully,
Vedik Kimar
Enclosure: Schedule and details of the event.
Parul Garg
