Business Correspondence UNIT I

1. BUSINESS
CORRESPONDENCE
Ms.Vanitha Balakrishnan
M.Com(CA).,M.Phil.,
Assistant Professor Department of
Commerce
E.M.G Yadava Women’s College

3. What is a business letter?
A form of communication used to convey a formal message
to one or more parties.
What are some examples of a business letter?
Bank’s communication to customers. Company’s
communication to stockholders. Superintendent’s
communication to parents.
Margins In general, adjust the margins so that the letter
has a uniform amount of white space at each margin and is
slightly oriented to the top or centered.Leave at least .5
inches below the letterhead.

4. Basic Components Letterhead Dateline Attention Line Inside
Address
Salutation
Subject Line
Message Complimentary Closing
Company Signature
Writer’s Signature
Block Reference
Initials Enclosure Notation
Copy Notation
Parts of Business Letters
Most business letters have seven standard parts. They are
letterhead, reference and date, inside address, salutation, body,
complimentary close, and signature. When appropriate, any of the
following optional items can be included. Attention line, subject
line, file or account number, enclosures, carbon copy notation,
mailing notation and postscript.

5. Letterhead:
Letterhead varies with business organizations and occupies the
top of the first page. They may be positioned at the center or
at the left margin the top of the page. A business letterhead,
usually printed, contains all or some of the following elements:
The Company’s name, address, postcode, telephone number, and
telex number, fax number, the name of the officer or the
director and even some picture or slogan for a symbol of the
company.
Reference and date:
Date is necessarily included in the heading. The date is
usually placed two lines below the last line of the letterhead
at left margin for full block style or ending with the right
margin for indented style. It is usual to show the date in the
order day/month/year (English Practice) or month /day /year
(American practice). Avoid giving a date in figures and
abbreviations.

6. Inside Address :
The inside address is typed directly below the date line at the left
hand margin. The inside address of a letter to an individual consists
of the person’s courtesy title, name, business or executive title (it
should be used immediately after the name) and address. When the
letter is to a group, the inside address includes the full group name
and the address. Care should be taken to address the recipient
exactly as on the envelope.
Salutation:
Salutation is placed at the left margin two lines below the inside
address and two lines above the body of the letter. Considered a
polite greeting with which a friendly business letter begins, the
personal salutation must be appropriate for the first line of the
inside address.

7. Salutation If the letter is addressed to an individual, It is usual to
use: Dear Mr. Smith, Dear Ms. John, Dear Prof. Hobart, Dear Dr.
Walter, The trend is towards Ms. As the courtesy title for all
women regardless of their marital status. When addressing a letter
to a firm, Dear Sirs, Ladies and gentlemen or Gentlemen (American
English) would be used.
Attention Line:
An attention line is considered a part of the inside addresses and it
leads the letter to a particular person or department when the
letter is addressed to a company. It is usually between the inside
address and the salutation or above the inside address, as shown in
examples: Attention: Import Dept. For the attention of Mr.
Donnan, Sales manager Attention of Mr. Standard, General
Manager.

8. Subject line:
Subject heading is regarded as a part of the body of a business
letter. Usually it is in the upper case or initial capitals/underline
and placed between the salutation and the body of a letter to call
attention to what content the letter is about.
Complimentary close:
The complimentary close is simply a polite way to end a letter. The
expression for the complimentary close should match the
salutation. It appears in the middle of the page and two lines below
the closing sentence for indented layout. While it starts at the
left-hand margin for fully blocked letters. Only the initial letter in
the first word of any complimentary close is capitalized.

9. Enclosure Enc. Or Enc’s:
These are typed two lines spaces after the signature of the
address when something is sent along with the letter. An enclosure
can be anything in the envelope in addition to the message itself.
Examples are as follows: Enc.: 1 Price List If the enclosed are more
than on, the number should be marked.
Postscript :
When you find something forgotten to be included in the letter
body before the envelope is to be sealed up. You may state it after
the signature in a postscript with a simple signature again. The
adding of a P.S. should, however, be avoided as far as possible.
examples: PS: the catalogue was sent to you on July 7th.

10. A GOOD BUSINESS LETTER

11. Format of a Business letter
Full block form and modified block form with indented paragraphs
are the two main patterns of layout in current use. The former is
now the most popular practice of displaying business letters. Its
remarkable feature is that all typing lines, including those for the
date, Inside name and address, salutation, subject heading, each
message paragraph and complimentary close, begin at the left-hand
margin.
Business letters with the full block form, along with open
punctuation or mixed punctuations, re paragraphed by equal line
spaces. For this letter-style the open punctuation pattern is used,
the end of the date line, the inside address lines, the salutation,
the complimentary close and the signature block lines are
unpunctuated,

12. but a comma is necessary between the day and year in the date line
and the full stop is retained after the abbreviation such as
company, Inc. and Ltd. While the mixed punctuation pattern, the
most welcomed style today, requires an absence of punctuation
marks from the date line, the inside address lines
signature block lines except a colon or comma after the salutation
and the complimentary close. Modified block form with indented
paragraphs indented style is the traditional British practice with
the heading usually in the middle and the date on the right-hand
side. The complimentary close may be in the center or commence at
the center point. The mixed punctuation is often used.

13. Writing Rules for Business Letters
Business correspondence is still a basic activity involved in trade,
and remain a very important form of communication even nowadays.
They deliver their companies’ images to the public. Business letters
are often an arrangement or regarded as evidence of a contract.
They are written for information exchange and bridge over the
desires between buyers and sellers.
The most effective letter should be easy to read and easy to
understand. They must be friendly and courteous. We should bear
in mind the point that business letters play an important role in the
development of goodwill and friendly trade relationships. Generally
speaking they are consideration, completeness, correctness,
concreteness, conciseness, clarity and courtesy.

15. Consideration:
Try to put yourself in his or her place to give consideration to his
or her wishes, demands, interests and difficulties. Find the best
way to express your better understanding and present the
message. That enables a request to be refused without killing all
hope of business or allows a refusal to do favour to be made
without harming friendship.
Correctness:
Correctness means not only proper expressions with correct
grammar, punctuation and spelling, but also appropriate tone which
is a help to achieve the purpose. It is likely to convey the real
message in a way that will not cause offence even if it is a
complaint or an answer to such a letter. Business letters must be
factual information accurate figures and exact terms in particular,
for they involve the right, the duties and the interest of both sides
often as the base of all kinds of documents.

16. Therefore we should not understate nor overstate as
understatement might lead to less confidence and hold up the
trade development. While overstatement throws you into an
awkward position.
Completeness:
As you work hard for completeness, keep the following guidelines
in mind: Why do you write the letter, what are the facts supporting
the reasons, whether you have answered all the questions asked or
not and what the reader is expected to do.
Conciseness:
Conciseness means complete message but briefest expression with
no sacrificing clarity or courtesy. A good business letter should be
precise and to the point. Single words are more efficient than
phrases. Wordy languages and redundancy require more time and
money to type and to read. They are not what modern business
people want.

17. Clarity:
Clarity Keep constantly in mind what you want to say in your letter.
It is welcomed if you express yourself clearly and directly in the
simplest language. Plain, simple words are more easily understood. A
properly paragraphed message is required for the purpose of
clarity. For instance ,we use semi-monthly instead of bimonthly for
two times a month., because bimonthly may mean both two times a
month and once every two month.
Courtesy:
Courtesy means to show tactfully in your letters the honest
friendship, thoughtful appreciation, sincere politeness, considerate
understanding and heartfelt respect. Answer letters in good time
and write to explain why if you fail to do it promptly. Even if you
don’t think the recipient is right, you should still respond tactfully
and politely. Sometimes it is a help to use you-attitude instead of
I-attitude.

19. Types of application letter:
Solicited letter-an application letter that is sent to a
company that advertises its vacancies through the media
Unsolicited letter-an application letter that is sent to a
company although you do not know whether there is a
vacancy or not in that company.
3 GUIDELINES FOR JOB APPLICATION LETTER:
1ST paragraph- Why you are writing
2nd paragraph- What you have to offer
3rd paragraph- How you will follow up

20. STRUCTURE OF AN APPLICATION LETTER
 Date of Letter
 Applicant’s Complete
 Address Employer’s
 Complete Name
 Title and Address
 Salutation: Dear Mr./Ms.
 Letter Content/Body Closing (Use: Sincerely or
Sincerely yours; Respectfully or Respectfully
yours)
 Enclosure: (If a resume or other enclosures are
used, note in your letter)

21. Opening Paragraph:
State why you are writing, name the position or name of
work for which you are applying and mention how you heard
of the opening or the organization.
Sample Opening Paragraph:
I am writing to express my keen interest in obtaining a
Flight Attendant position with the Jeremy Airways.I am
interested in the Flight Attendant position advertised in
the Philippine Daily Inquirer last August 25, 2013.I am
applying for the Flight Attendant position with the
Jeremy Airways.

22. Second Paragraph(s):
Explain why you are interested in working for the
employer.Specify your reasons for desiring such type of
work.If you have had relevant work experience or related
education, be sure to point it out, but do not reiterate
your entire resume.
Second Paragraph(s):
Emphasize skills or abilities you have that relate to the
job for which you are applying. Be sure to do this in a
confident manner and remember that the reader will view
your letter of application as an example of your writing
skills. Simply put,
WHY ARE YOU THE BEST CANDIDATE? Remember, you
are interpreting your resume, not repeating it.

23. Sample Second Paragraph
I believe I meet all the requirements listed in your
advertisement. As an X graduate, I have great knowledge
regarding all aspects of…I have good command of all the
required software programs, including Word, Excel, and
accounting softwares. I am proficient in …
Sample Second Paragraph
My major experience and achievements to date include… I
believe my experience in the ... qualify me for
consideration. If you would like, I can provide you with
current samples of my work.

24. Final Paragraph (Call to Action):
Indicate your desire for a personal interview. You may suggest
alternative dates/times or advise of your flexibility as to
time/place, and would like to set up an interview or say you are
willing to accommodate the company’s schedule and request.
Sample Final Paragraph
My resume is enclosed for your review. I would be pleased to have
a meeting with you to discuss the requirements of your flight
attendant position and my skills in detail. I will call you within a
week to follow-up. In the interim, I can be reached at [contact
#].Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to
meet you soon in order to explore this opportunity further.

25. Referring to the enclosures
I am enclosing ...Please find my enclosed ...Enclosed you will find
...As you can see from my enclosed resume ...I have enclosed a copy
of my resume for your review. The attached resume lists more
specific information concerning these experiences and my
qualification. As you can see from my enclosed resume, my
experience and qualifications match this position's requirements.
Use complete title and address; don't abbreviate.
Important Notes: Begin your application letter by placing your
address first, followed by the address of the company you are
writing to. Use complete title and address; don't abbreviate.
Always make an effort to write directly to the person in charge of
hiring. Always sign letters.

27. Job Application Do’s / Don’ts
• Make sure you read all
instructions before you
begin.
• Print all information and
sign your name
• Use a blue or black
ballpoint pen
• Answer all questions
honestly
• Leave any questions
unanswered. If a
question does not apply
to you, write NA (not
applicable) in the space
provided
• Misspell words
• Cross anything out
• Don't use abbreviations