6. Fill in the Present Perfect form of the following verbs (positive or negative).

be decide fall introduce rise see stay

The Channel Tunnel is an impressive example of modern technology, but it _______ so successful as a financial venture. Shareholders are unhappy about the latest report, which show that the number of cars using the tunnel __________ by 8 per cent in the last twelve months. The number of trucks and commercial vehicles ______ at the same level, but the company _______ an increase in its market share. Airline traffic between London and Paris ________ because of low cost airfares. Eurotunnel’s directors _________ not to review their pricing strategy. Instead, they ___________ a programme of cost-cutting in the hope of saving the company.

Unit 13 Memos and Other Form Messages

In business, a letter is used to communicate with someone outside the company. When you wish to write to someone within your own company, you will send a memorandum. Memos are used to communicate with other employees, regardless of where the employees may be located – whether in the same office, in the same building, or in a branch office many miles away.

Because the interoffice memorandum form was developed to save time, the formality of an inside address, salutation, and complimentary closing is omitted. In other respects, however, office memos and letters have a great deal in common, as you will see from the following discussion.

The Tone of Memorandums

In most companies and organizations, memorandums are written in the first person, just as business letters are. The trend is decidedly away from the stiff, formal writing style that characterized the business letters and memos of several years ago. The tone of the memo is influenced by the position held by the writer in relation to that held by the receiver. Also, the topic under consideration plays an important part in determining tone. Obviously a person writing to a company official to report the results of a financial audit will be more formal than a person writing a co-worker about the company bowling league.

An important factor is the personality of the individual receiving the memorandum. The president, for example, may insist on informality, whereas a peer might like a formal, impersonal tone. Therefore, the effective business writer must evaluate the position of the reader, the topic under consideration, and the personality of the reader when setting the tone of the memo.

Writing Memorandums

There are usually three main parts to a memorandum:

1. The heading

1. The subject and date

2. The message

Occasionally, when official approval or authority is required, the memorandum may be concluded with a line for the signature of the person originating the correspondence.

The Heading

The heading of a memorandum is usually printed. One example is shown at the bottom of the page.

In the To and From sections, the business title of each person is often included, particularly when the memorandum is being sent to a person whose office is in another city. In the To section, a courtesy title – Miss, Mrs., Ms., Mr., Dr. – is sometimes included. However, in the From section, the writer does not use a courtesy title. (This principle also applies when you introduce yourself to someone: “Good morning, Miss Bloom – I’m Roy Vecchione,” not “I’m Mr. Vecchione.”)

TO: Mr. Ramon Ortega, Accounting Supervisor

FROM: Theresa Nibi, Accounts Receivable Manager

The memo forms used in large companies may also include Department and Location sections to facilitate communication among co-workers in various branches of the firm. These sections need not be filled in if reader and writer work in the same location or department.

The Subject and Date

The subject, a brief statement telling what the memo is about, helps the reader to prepare for the contents and aids in filing the correspondence for future reference. The subject line is not a complete sentence but rather a concise phrase that includes some specific information. For example, the subject may read:

SUBJECT: Changes in Travel Advance Form

Complete dates are just as important on memos as they are on letters. Dates are necessary for future reference to prevent oversights and mis-communication.

ARNESS PETROLEUM CORPORATDN Interoffice Memorandum TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE:

On some interoffice memo forms, the company’s logo – as well as the standard heading – is printed.

The Message

The presentation of the message closely follows one of the three patterns presented for writing business letters. Like business letters, most memos follow a direct organizational plan. These messages present the main idea in the first paragraph and then follow with the necessary details to support the opening statements. Finally, the everyday memo concludes with suggestions for future action or requests guidance on future action.

Occasionally, however, you may find it necessary to write a persuasive or bad-news memorandum. Rather than take a direct approach, you are likely to be more successful if you present your details first and lead the reader on a step-by-step method to your request or bad news. In this way, the receiver is more likely to complete reading the memo and come to the conclusion of bad news along with the writer. By allowing the reader to see the reasoning that supports or leads to the idea you are conveying, you are better able to maintain goodwill.

Note the various memo parts in the everyday memorandum that is illustrated on the facing page.

When Are Memorandums Written?

Many business firms tell their employees to put in writing all important information that crosses their desks. Written records help to (1) determine responsibility, (2) clear up inconsistencies, and (3) record needed information. If you are sending important papers or documents to another person, for example, it is best to transmit them by memorandum so that if they become lost, there will be a record – your file copy – proving when they were actually sent, and recording exactly what they were.

TO: Francis Heffron FROM: Joyce Holtzclaw

SUBJECT: Home Burglar Alarm DATE: August 3, 1986

Effectiveness Report

The Home Burglar Alarm Effectiveness Report that you asked to see is attached.

I would appreciate it if you would return it to me within ten days. Incidentally, Ms. Dalton has requested that the report not be circulated outside the company until its reliability can be checked.

JH

The following is an example of a request correctly written in the form of a memorandum.

TO: Mr. Charles Werner FROM: Cynthia Lewis

SUBJECT: Request to Carry Over DATE: May 12, 1986

Vacation Time

I would like to request that I be given permission to carry over into next year the two weeks that remain of my vacation time for this year.