Business Writing: Overview, Features, and Importance

1. 商务英语应用文写作 BUSINESS ENGLISH WRITING By Feng xiaoping

2. CONTENTS Chapter 1 An Overview of Business Writing Chapter 2 Establishing Business Relations Chapter 3 Complaint Chapter 4 Graph Chapter 5 Report Chapter 6 Advertisement Chapter 7 Corporate Profile Chapter 8 Resume & CV Chapter 9 Memo Chapter10 Contract

3. Chapter1 Overview of Business Writing Objectives • Nature of business writing 25 mins • Features of business writing 30 mins • Changes with business writing 10 mins • Suggestion for achieving desired effects 30 mins

4. Nature of Business Writing 1.What’s the purpose of writing? 2.What can we do by undertaking business writing? 3.Business writing VS Academic writing

5. 1. What’s the purpose of writing? (Why do we write?) • To express (Addresser-centered) • To communicate (Addressee-centered) • Expressive writing is employed to encourage comprehension and reflection on the part of the writer. The very process of writing makes writer think, and gives him an opportunity to start to make sense of the world, to bring many facts, definitions, rules, theories, and perspective to life and to impose some order on them. • Communicative writing presupposes that the writer already has considerable knowledge and understanding of the topic, and is used to inform or to persuade a reader.

6. 2.Business writing is intended • To be understood as intended; (eg:……) • To secure a desired response; • To build and develop goodwill. 3.Business writing VS Academic writing( for discussion) The two types of writing differ in four aspects, namely: purpose, context, reader and standards of assessment.

7. Features of Business Writing 1.What are the features of business writing? 2. What are the standards of good business writing?

8. 1.What are the features of business writing? • (1). Purposeful to inform somebody of something ;to persuade somebody to do something ;to instruct somebody on how to do something ; to regulate somebody ; to offer someone a suggestion of doing or not doing sth.; to forma tie that creates legally enforceable obligations between two or more parties; to justify sth. to entertain sb. • (2). Transactional • (3). Reader-oriented • (4). Dynamic • (5). Timing • (6). Economical

9. 2. What are the standards of good business writing? Business writing can be assessed from the perspective of language itself and communicative effects. • In terms of language : range of vocabulary; variety of expression; grammar; coherence and cohesiveness. • In terms of communicative effects 1.Courtesy---------------礼貌 2.Correctness------------正确 3.Conciseness------------简洁 4.Clarity------------------清晰 5.Concreteness----------具体 6.Completeness----------完整

10. Please watch the following groups of sentences closely and identify the differences between themin communicative effects. (1). a. This letter is to inform you of an important change in our policy concerning insurance. b. Since you are our regular customer, we are writing to let you know about our important policy change in insurance. (2). a. You obviously made a mistake by sending me the wrong goods. b. Thank you for your prompt delivery. However , the goods reached us were not the ones we ordered. (3). a. We are pleased to grant you permission. b. We are pleased to offer you a favor by doing… courtesy

11. (1)、a. This equipment recognizes many cards in a second. b. This OMR equipment recognizes more than 2 cards in a second. (2)、a. Considerable money could be saved if we manufacture the window frames ourselves. b. We could save over $5,000 a year if we manufacture the window frames ourselves. concrete

12. (1).a interrogate (2).a subsequent to (3).a with regard to (4).a be kind enough concise and clear b. ask b. after b. about b. please

13. Here is an introduction to product, please evaluate it against the criteria. • Berta is a very economical photocopier with very low service requirements. We can safely say that it has the copying facilities of much larger machines. Yet it is compact, lightweight and extremely stylish. For example, it weighs only 22 kg and its overall dimensions are 74cm ×43cm ×21cm. There are no sheet handling problems with the machine because the paper is located in cassettes of 100 sheets. The time for the first copy is only 11.4 seconds. All in all, Berta is a reliable machine and good value for money.

14. Changes with Business Writing • There were times when the prevailing rule for business writing was that it should be written in the driest possible manner and in language so stilted and formal that the true personality of the writer was completely hidden. • However, at present, business writing has assumed more friendly, easy, and conventional style. you will also need to communicate certain effects.

15. Samples In compliance with yours dated We have before us Responding to yours of even date Yours of the 12th to hand Deem it advisable Attached hereto Wherein you state as per your letter Take the liberty Anticipating your favorable response, we are. Assuring you of our cooperation, we are.

16. Suggestions for Achieving Desired Effects • 1.Conversational Style • 2.Resisting Tendency to Be Formal • 3.Avoiding the Old Language of Business • 4.You-viewpoint • 5.Accent on Positive Language • 6.Singling Out Your Reader • 7.Avoiding Anger • 8.Select the Proper Pattern of Development

17. Resisting Tendency to Be Formal However the degree of formality and perspective of statement depends on the specific type of the writing and who the reader is . For instance, in the case of report, the third-person or impersonal perspective is preferred for formality and objectiveness this perspective brings. The third person is not usually a “person”. It can be an organization or company or group. First person: In the light of our findings, we recommend that Motorola L2000 should be purchased instead of Motorola AT222, and Nokia 333 should be replaced by Ericsson 444. Third person: The findings obtained from the research indicate that Motorola L2000 should be purchased instead of Motorola AT222, and Nokia 333 should be replaced by Ericssion 444.

18. You-viewpoint (for discussion) Please revise the following sentences and discuss the effects resulted. a: We will be pleased to deliver your order by the 15th. b: We have worked for 20 years to develop the best model of car for our customers. c: We can permit you to attend classes on company time only when the course is related to your own work. d: Items desired should be checked on the enclosed order form. e: We are happy to report approval of your application for membership. f: Our long experience in the book business has enabled us to provide the best customer service possible. g: We take pleasure in announcing that, effective today, the company will give a 20 percent discount on all purchases made b employees. h: Since we can sell at discount prices, we cannot permit returns of merchandise.

19. Accent on Positive Language(for discussion) Revise these sentences so that they are positive rather than negative and discuss the effects resulted. a: Unfortunately, your order cannot be sent until next week. b: You should have realized that waterbeds will freeze in unheated houses during winter months. Therefore, our guarantee does not cover the damage value and you must pay the $ 10 valve-replacement fee. c: Your misunderstanding of our January 8 letter caused you to make this mistake. d: Even though you were late in the bill, we did not disallow the discount. e: Your negligence in this matter caused the damage to the equipment. g: We regret to inform you that for the time being, we must deny your request for credit. j: Smoking is not permitted anywhere except in the lobby.

20. Patterns of Business Writing 1. Directness in Good-News and Routine Messages. 2. Indirectness in Bad –News Messages 3. Indirectness in Persuasion Note: the order of presentation is related to the reader.

21. Compare and tell which one is better and why. • Dear Mr. Hua: We are in receipt of and would like to thank you for your letter and catalogue of June 14, 1999. after close examination we have come to the conclusion that your products are of no interest to us but we wish you every success in your future endeavors. Sincerely yours, • Dear Mr. Hua: Thank you for your letter and catalogue sent on July 14, 1999. We appreciate your interest in our company though your products fall out of our line for the time being. We wish you every success in your future endeavors. Sincerely yours,

22. Dear Sir: We wish to acknowledge receipt of your credit application dated February 17 giving trade and bank references, and we thank you for the same. Please be advised that credit accommodations are herewith extended as per your request and your order has been shipped. Hoping you will give us the opportunity of serving you again in the near future, we remain. Very truly yours, • Dear Sirs: Thank you for sending so promptly the trade and bank references we have asked for. I am glad to say that your order has already been shipped on the terms you requested. We hope you will give us the chance to serve you again. Very truly yours,

23. Chapter 2 Establishing Business Relations Objectives ● Structure of business letter 10 mins; ● General knowledge of the letter 20 mins ; ● Essential components of the letter 20 mins ; ● Skills of writing inquiry and reply 30 mins.

24. Structure of Business Letter Business letters are usually composed of the following twelve elements： 1.Letterhead 16 Fuxing Street Haidian District Beijing Post Code: 100035 People’s Republic of China Tel: 63211234 Aug. 20, 2004

25. 2. Date ① Oct. 20, 2004 ② 10 May, 2004 ③ 3rd June, 2004 ④ Sept. 16th, 2004 3. Inside Address Ms. Joanna Kerry Peking University Haidian District,100871 Beijing China

26. 4. Attention Line 5. Salutation 6. Subject Line 7. Body 8. Complimentary Close 9. Signature 10. Reference Initials 11. Enclosure Enc: Resume Encls:Grade Certificate 12. Copy Notation

27. Sample • The Shinya Trading Co., Ltd • 235 Dun Hwa Rd. • Taibei (100) • September 25, 2001 • The American Trading Co., Inc. • 5-10 Manhattan, New York, NY 10058 • USA • Gentlemen: • Thank you for your letter of August 10, 2001. We have studied your catalog and price-list and have decided to place an order for 10 sets of your computer Model PC-825. • We would like to stress that this is a trial order and if we are satisfied with your goods, you can expect our regular orders.

28. Please let us have your order conformation by October 15 and ship the goods by the first available ship. • We are looking forward to your early reply. • Very truly yours, • The Shinya Trading Co., • Michael Cheng • Michael Cheng • Import Manager

29. Block Style • Letterhead • Date • Inside Address • ____________ • ____________ • ____________ • Salutation • Body • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Complimentary Close • Signature • _____________

30. Indented Style • Letterhead • Date • Inside Address • ____________ • ____________ • ____________ • Salutation • Body • _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Complimentary Close • Signature

31. General Knowledge of the Letter • Inquiry is usually made by the buyer without engagement to get information about the goods to be ordered, such as price, catalogue, delivery date and other terms. • An inquiry is aimed at 1) collecting information, 2) giving off information.

33. Traditional Sources of Information How can we obtain information of potential partner’s? • Listen to the following conversations and identify their sources of information. (E27) unit3 06:08 • Traditional Sources of Information 1. Banks 2. Chambers of Commerce in foreign countries 3. Trade Directory 4. Commercial Counselor’s Office 5. Advertisements 6. Business House of the same trade 7. Exhibition and Fair 8. Specialized trade publications eg. International Trade Centre Literature 9. Export promotion organization eg. China Council for the Promotion of International Trade 10. Market investigation

34. Essential Content in Such LetterInquiry • 1. Source of information; • 2. Intention of writing the letter; • 3. Lines of business handled in his company/ reference as to his company’s financial status and integrity; • 4. Specify the information and details needed; • 5. Hope for the other side’s prompt reply.

35. Sample A: • Gentleman: • Please send me the color brochure on your new 4-inch TV sets advertised in Merchandising Weekly. May I have six copies, one for me and one for each of our regional managers? • Thanks. • Very truly yours, • Mark Blumsky • Mark Blumsky

36. Sample B: Dear Sirs, Catalogue of Carpets We learn from one Indian company of the same trade that you are for export hand-made carpets of different sizes in wool and silk. We are interested in them, for there is a steady demand for carpets of good quality. But stocks of carpets are running low so that good prices are obtained. We will be appreciative if you send us a copy of your carpet catalogue, with details of your prices and terms of payment. I should find it most helpful if you could also supply some small pieces as samples of the various types.  In view of the demand for your products, an immediate reply is appreciated.

37. Sample C: Dear Sir or Madam: We have seen your advertisement in today’s China Daily and are interested in your tablecloths, especially Art. No.501 and 504. Please quote us the lowest prices CIFC3% Port Sudan and indicate the respective quantities of various sizes that you can supply for prompt shipment. In the mean time, please forward us representative samples. If your prices are workable and the quality is satisfactory, we shall place regular orders for fairly large numbers. For your information, we have dealt in tablecloths for more than twenty years and have a good connection in this country. We also have some associated firms in the neighbouring countries, where a ready market can be found for your products. Therefore, we would like to know if

38. you can appoint us your sole agent in Sudan, which, we think , would serve your interests to the best advantages. Your immediate attention to our enquiry and proposal would greatly oblige us. Yours faithfully, Mahanmad Dupont Mahanmad Dupont

39. 1. The two letters below are not well-written, please find the problems in them and revise them. A: Dear Sir or Madam: I am interested in your products after I visited your stand at the Paris Trade Exhibition last month. I would be grateful if you could send me your catalogue for the complete range of this kind of products and also your price list. Besides stainless steel cutlery, I also request a quotation for mild steel sheet C.I.F. let me know your terms of payment and the time required for delivery after you receive the order. If terms and delivery time are satisfactory, we place regular orders. Yours faithfully,

40. B: Dear Mrs. Tyson: We regret to inform you that the Silver streak mountain bicycle about which you inquired is temporarily out of stock until the end of January. This means that you will not be able to purchase this model by Christmas. However, you might be interested in one of the bicycles in the enclosed brochure which we can deliver immediately. If so, please feel free to contact us.

41. Exercises Situational writing. (1)询问函 • Madison College 的生物教授Harold m. Best先生在寻找一本细菌方面的教科书,以便秋季在该院的学生中使用。他听说纽约的Kenyon-Reed出版公司很快就会推出一本适合的新作，于是写信索要样书和其他的有关细菌学书籍的名单目录。请据此内容写一封询问函。 • （2）Suppose you are intended to buy 500-10,000 reams of A4 poster paper. Before you place an order , you would like to see some samples and know something about price, earliest delivery date and terms of payment.

42. Reply to Inquiry • The reply should be made prompt, courteous and helpful. • 1. To acknowledge the inquiry (mentioning the date of the inquiry and summarizing the main points of the inquiry) • 2. To answer the inquiry in details. • 3. To express the hope for a reply.

43. For replying to a routine request, the following guidelines are very helpful.1)Begin with the answer or state that you are complying with the request. 2)Show thanks and sincere interest in the request and the person. 3) Present the most important information in a positive way. 4) Focus on the reader’s benefits associated with the information. 5) Provide additional helpful information and tell the reader what actions you will take for him or her. 6) End the letter with confidence and courtesy.

44. Sample A: Dear Mr. Patricia Marks, Catalogue of Carpets We thank you very much for your enquiry of 24th August and happy to learn that you are interested in our carpets. I am sure you will receive a copy of our illustrated catalogue with samples of carpet in only a few days. Our carpets have long-standing history and are well-known in Asian market for their supreme quality. We manufactured carpets of various patterns in wool, silk, cotton and fabric, among which the hand-made woolen ones are particularly of great fame. They are made to be able to wear and tear.

45. We also manufacture a wide range of hand-made hanging-rug, traveling-rug, hearth-rug in which we think you may be interested. They are fully illustrated in the catalogue and are of the same high quality. All orders entrusted to us are given our careful and prompt attention. We sincerely desire to have the pleasure of receiving an order from you. Yours truly, S. Saito Sales manager

46. Sample B: • Dear Sirs, • We are in receipt of your letter of April 22. In compliance with your request, we are sending you here with our quotation sheet for cotton tablecloths: Art No.501 and 504. • The respective quantities are quoted on the basis of CIDC3% Port Sudan. This offer is subject to our final confirmation. As to the relative sample, we have dispatched them to you by separate cover. • The Chinese tablecloths are of good quality and have fine workmanship, they are moderately priced, which is known to all. You will certainly agree to that when you have examined our samples and quotation sheet. As our stocks are low and the demand is heavy, it is hoped that you will send us your orders as early as possible. If you need any further information about our products, please do not hesitate to let us know by return.

47. Our usual terms of payment are by letter of credit available by sight draft. Insurance is to be covered by the seller for 110% of the invoice value against ALL RISKS and War Risk. • What you mentioned in your letter in connection with the question of agency has had our attention. We shall revert to the matter later on. • Looking forward to your early reply. • Yours faithfully, • (signature) • Susan Campbell

48. Sample C: • Dear Mr. Russel: • Thank you for your inquiry of May 20. According to your request, we enclose our illustrated catalogue and price list giving details you ask for ( in the separate cover0. You can find a range of samples covering the full line of our curtains for your consideration. • These colors will be just what you need. Furthermore, the beautiful patterns and the excellent workmanship should attract the majority of buyers. • We would like to invite your attention to our other products, such as table cloths and table napkins, details of which will be found also in the catalogue. • We are pleased to serve you at any time. • Yours faithfully,

49. Exercises Write a positive reply to the following enquiry. Dear Sir or Madam: We have seen your advertisement in today’s China Daily and are interested in your tablecloths, especially Art. No.501 and 504. Please quote us the lowest pricesCIFC3% Port Sudan and indicate the respective quantities of various sizes that you can supply for prompt shipment. In the mean time, please forward us representative samples. If your prices are workable and the quality is satisfactory, we shall place regular orders for fairly large numbers.

50. For your information, we have dealt in tablecloths for more than twenty years and have a good connection in this country. We also have some associated firms in the neighbouring countries, where a ready market can be found for your products. Therefore, we would like to know if you can appoint us your sole agent in Sudan, which, we think, would serve your interests to the best advantages. Your immediate attention to our enquiry and proposal would greatly oblige us. Yours faithfully, Mahanmad Dupont