Commercial_Correspondence

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Dear Mr Gomez

Mr Luman has asked me to confirm the appointment you made to see him at our Head Office, 25 City Road, London W1 at 11.30 am. on Tuesday 2 August.

He looks forward to meeting you.

Best wishes

Pat Naisk

Pat Nash (Ms)

PA to Production Director

Dear Ms Nash

Unfortunately, Mr Gomez will not be able to keep his appointment with Mr Luman on Tuesday 2 August. An urgent matter has come up in our Lisbon office which needs his immediate attention.

He offers his sincere apologies for the inconvenience, and will contact you as soon as he returns to London.

Best wishes

Manta, Vet/a-aim

Maria Ventura

Assistant to Diego Gomez

Dear IVir Luman

Just a line to say that I was glad we were finally able to meet yesterday.

I am also pleased we were able to work out the main points of our contract so quickly and come to a mutually acceptable agreement.

I will call you in a few weeks to review progress.

With best wishes

Diego gowte,z,

Diego Gomez

Dear Mr Deksen

Thank you for your last consignment. You will receive our next order in a few weeks.

I am writing to ask if you could offer assistance to our Overseas Sales Manager, Mr Michael Hobbs, who will be visiting Oslo from 1 to 17 May?

You may remember that when you were here a few months ago I mentioned that we intended to expand our export sales. We are now looking at market potential in Scandinavia, and Michael Hobbs's trip is part of this research. It would help us a great deal if you could introduce him to wholesalers and retailers who may be able to advise him about the types of product that we would need to offer in your market. He would also be interested in finding out more about marketing methods and importing procedures.

I understand that you are very busy, but I would much appreciate any assistance you can offer and will, of course, reciprocate as and when the opportunity arises.

Yours sincerely

Frank Welftrat

Frank Welford

Managing Director

Dear Mr Deksen

Thank you very much for assisting Michael Hobbs while he was in Oslo.

I know he has already written to you expressing his gratitude, but I would like to add a word of appreciation myself. The introductions you made for him and information he gained will be extremely useful in our Scandinavian export programme.

If we can return the favour on some future occasion, please let me know.

Yours sincerely

Fraick, Weifred

Frank Welford

Managing Director

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Dear Mr Okada

I have pleasure in enclosing an invitation for our annual award ceremony, which will take place on 14 December. As one of our distinguished exstudents, we wondered if you would be willing to distribute the awards, and give a short address beforehand on a subject of your choice?

We would also like to invite you to a formal dinner after the ceremony. This will be held in the Principal's Lodgings, at 6.30 for 7.00 p.m.

We would be delighted if you are able to accept our invitation. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

David Hope/

David Hope

Principal

Enc.

Dear Mr Hope

Mr Okada has asked me to write saying he is honoured to accept your invitation to distribute the prizes and speak at your annual award ceremony on 14 December. He also has much pleasure in accepting your kind invitation to the formal dinner afterwards.

He has fond memories of the college and welcomes the chance to visit it again.

He suggests speaking on the topic 'Changing technology in the next decade'. He would appreciate it if you could let him know whether this would be an acceptable theme.

Yours sincerely

Yt/tkO lio

Yuko Ito

PA to Mr Okada

Dear Ms Lee

Mr van Ek would like to thank you very much for your kind invitation to attend the reception being held next month at your embassy.

Unfortunately he will be in the United States at that time. However, he sends his apologies, and hopes to be able to attend on another occasion.

Yours sincerely

Et Spruit

Els Spruit

PA to Mr van Ek

Dear Mr Conley

I would like to offer my congratulations on your election as Chairman of our Trade Association.

No one has done more to deserve the honour, or has worked harder to promote our interests. You can count on my full support, and that of my colleagues, during your term of office.

I wish you every success for the future.

Yours sincerely

M BMSOK/

Mike Benson

Chief Executive Officer

Dear Jack

I'd like to congratulate you on being appointed Department Manager.

I know you've worked very hard to achieve this well-deserved promotion. I wish you the very best in a job where I'm sure you will be successful.

.16utaint.

Sandra

Dear Rob

I am writing to congratulate you on your new appointment and to thank you for your contribution to making this department so successful.

Your future employers are very lucky to have you joining them, and I as sure you will carry your success here over to the challenges of your new position.

With very best wishes

Damien

SPECIAL

OCCASIONS

Notice that this correspondence is often

quite brief. When expressing wishes on special occasions, it is better to write simple, sincere messages, and avoid exaggeration. For personal messages, a letter or card is often more appropriate than an email.

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Congratulations are also best given directly, not by someone on your behalf.

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The tone you use will depend on how well you know the person. In this note, the people know each other quite well and are on first-name terms.

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come in the form of greetings cards and messages. Be aware that people in different countries or from different religious or cultural backgrounds may not share your festivals and holidays.

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Dear Yuko

We were very sorry to hear about your illness. Take care of yourself.

We all send our best wishes for a swift recovery, and look forward to seeing you back again soon.

With very best wishes from everyone in the Sales Department.

Sae.

Sue

Dear Jack

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your dedication and commitment to the work of the Production Department. It will be extremely difficult to replace you.

May I offer you my best wishes for a long and happy retirement.

Maittim. .5- toPt.

Martin Shannon

Dear Mr Watanabe

I was saddened to hear about the death of your partner, Mr Hiroshi Tanaka, and would like to offer my condolences. He was a fine person and a wellliked man who will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Please pass my sincerest sympathies to his family.

Yours sincerely

Sanaa Felt

Bernard Fell

Dear Mr Peters

May I offer my very best wishes for the New Year to you and your staff? I hope you enjoy the holiday and look forward to working with you again next year.

Ravim

Paul Davies

Points to remember

1 The conventions of social correspondence are much the same as those for business correspondence. You should consider the relationship between the writer and receiver and choose not only the most appropriate language but also the most suitable medium, e.g. letter, card, or email.

2 Letters of invitation should state clearly where and when the event will take place, and give some indication of its formality so that guests can dress appropriately.

3 When cancelling an appointment, you should say why you are unable to keep it and offer an alternative day / time if possible.

4 Letters of condolence or congratulation should never be written on someone else's behalf.

5 Personal correspondence on special occasions should be short, simple, and sincere.

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MEMOS

Memos are written internal communications which advise or inform staff of company policies and procedures. They are usually quite formal and impersonal in style. Memorandum is the full term, but the abbreviated form is

usually used.

Memos may be put on a noticeboard for everyone to see, or circulated in internal mail. In the latter case the receiver/s may be asked to sign the memo to acknowledge that they have

read it.

Memos may also be posted on internal email (the Intranet). However, as email is an open access system, this method is not suitable for confidential communications. In addition, some employees, e.g. non-administrative staff, might not be able to access email regularly and might not see the memo.

Memos can address many different subjects, from informing staff of a retirement to announcing important administrative or structural changes in the company.

Layout

Companies often use headed paper for memos. This gives less information about the company than the letterhead for external correspondence, but indicates which department has issued the memo.

A memo should state who it is to, who it is from, the subject, and the date. It may also be

signed.

Important points or long lists of points are usually best presented using bullets (•) or numbers.

Cade to contents

A guide to the contents of three example memos, (1), (2), and (3), is given below. They could be sent by email, but it might be advisable to put (i) on a noticeboard too, so that it reaches staff who do not have access to email.

Memos should have an appropriate title, not only to indicate their topic, but also for filing purposes.

(i)Introduction of shiftwork

(2)Annual audit

(3)Pension scheme

Introduce the subject in the opening paragraph.

(i)A shiftwork system is to be introduced next month.

(2)The annual audit will begin on I March 20-.

(3)A contributory pension scheme is to be introduced as from i July 20—.

Explain to staff how they will be affected.

(i)The shiftwork system will affect all employees in this branch of Halliwell &

Fischer and will be introduced on a twoshift basis: o6.00 to 14.00 hours, and 14.00 to 20.00 hours. Your department manager will inform you ...

(2)The auditors will require offices, which means that some members of staff will be temporarily transferred to other offices in

the building ...

(3)Members of staff who join the pension scheme will contribute 6% of their gross monthly salary. The contributions will go towards a retirement benefit plan which at 6o will offer a pension of 70% of gross

salary...

Employees should be told when changes will take place, or a policy will become effective.

(i)The scheme will take effect from

1February 2o—.

(2)The annual audit will begin on I March and should take about three weeks ...

(3)Deduction of contributions to the scheme will start in the month ending 28 July

20-.

State which staff will be affected.

(i)All production staff supervisors, and factory managers will be involved ...

(2)The audit will affect all branches of the company. Staff will be expected to explain the loss of any equipment or damage to ...

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Memos and reports

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(3)The pension scheme will only affect those members of staff who were employed on or before i January 2o—. Employees who

joined after that date will be included in the scheme as soon as they have completed six months'full-time employment.

Once you have mentioned how and when staff will be affected by an event or change, where it will operate, and who will be involved, you must explain what should be done.

(1)Please see your supervisor or department manager to find out which shift you will be working on for the first month.

Another memo will be circulated next week, explaining a bonus scheme which will be introduced as part of the new arrangement.

(2)Please see either your supervisor or department managerforfurther information on what materials the auditors will want to see.

(3)Everyone included in the scheme will receive a booklet, PP3oi, giving details of how the pension plan will work and what benefits they / their beneficiaries will receive. Two copies of a contract will also be enclosed. You should sign both copies, and return one to your department manager before 21 June 20-. Please keep the other for your own records.

Finally, if you think the memo might not be understood, advise staff where they can go for an explanation and how to communicate their comments or complaints.

(i)If you have any problems with your shift allocation please contact your supervisor or department manager.

(2)If there are any problems you would like to discuss before the auditors arrive, please contact your department manager.

(3)The booklet should explain the scheme clearly, but if there is anything you do not understand, or if you are already in a pension scheme that might be affected by this plan, please inform your department manager as soon as possible.

Length

Memos can be short or long. They can deal with a number of different points but these should be connected to the same topic. For example, a single memo which tried to deal with canteen facilities, punctuality, and a new accounting system might confuse its readers. It would be better to write a separate memo for each topic.

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