Tugas Bahasa Inggris Bisnis 1
I. Arranging a Business Meeting
- A formal letter confirming an invitation
- Opening and closing phrases for different kinds of letters
The opening and closing phrases are important as they establish the tone of your letter.
3. A Memo
Inter-office memos differ from ordinary letters. They are written to people within one company. They follow the basic principles of letter-writing. They are usually more direct, concise and less formal than letters. The opening and closing phrases are omitted.
4. Telexes
Telex is one of the most efficient forms of business communication. It provides a written record, it is immediate, economical and can be sent even when the receiving office is shut. Rates are calculated according to the time taken to transmit the message.
II. Making a General Business Enquiry
- A letter asking for information
- Exercise on the active and passive voice
Misunderstanding, confusion and irritation can be caused by careless use of the passive voice. “The goods will be insured from warehouse to warehouse”
If you receive a letter containing this sentence, who do you think will insure the goods? It is possible the goods will not be insured by anyone, each assuming the other will do it. Re-write the sentence above to make the meaning clear- You are buyer. The seller with insure the goods.
3. Acknowledging an enquiry
4. Letter of refusal
Observe these 4 stages in each letter:
- Acknowledge
- Express regret (be tactful)
- Give a reason for your refusal
- Offer a counter-proposal
III. Orders (Confirmation, Delay, Apology, Insurance)
- Confirmation of an order, specifying details.
- Letter of excuse or apology
Apologise without delay
- We are sorry to tell that ……
- We very much regret that ……
- Please accept our sincere apologies.
Offer a constructive comment
- We shall do everything possible to minimize ……
- Leave the matter in our hands. We will contact you when we ……
Close by repeating your apology and offer reassurance
- Once again, we apologise for ……
- We hope that the inconvenience has not been too serius.
- We are doing all we can to ……
3. An insurance claim
IV. Letters of Congratulation, bad debts, pressing for payment, asking for extended credit
- Offering congratulations
a. Your appointment gave me great pleasure.
- I was very glad to hear about ……
b. I offer you my sincere congratulations.
- Congratulations
c. I am delighted that your talent and hard work have been rewarded.
- I know now hard you have worked and you certainly deserve it
d. I had hoped that I might be able to congratulate you in person.
- It is a great pity that we can’t get together soon.
e. When I return in September will contact you.
- I’ll give you a ring when I get back
f. In the meantime, I wish you every success.
- Meanwhile, all the very best for the future
2. Credit control memo
3. A confidential credit rating report
V. Invitations
- Letters of invitation-formal
Invitations vary from the very formal, gilt-edged card which must be answered in writing to the informal telephone call which requires no written reply.
2. A semi-formal acceptance
3. Declining an invitation and suggesting alternative arrangements
4. A press release
The National Press would like information about the survey. They want to know facts.
VI. Writing Reports
- Note taking: omission of certain parts of speech in a report
Here are some brief notes made by a: tore detective, one of whose duties is to protect the store from shoplifters.
A report
A report may only be a brief paragraph or many pages long. It may be formal or informal. Here are some tracts taken from a formal report written by a family counselor about the parents of the young man who was charged with shoplifting. A counselor is a person who advises someone who is in trouble. For example, at some schools and universities teachers and lecturers also act as counselors, advising on non-educational matters. Do not confuse ‘counsellor’ with ‘counsel’ (a barrister) or ‘councillor’ (a member of a council).
2. A formal memo requesting mitigation
Formal and informal language
Note the formality of ‘I fully appreciate your concern’ and the more informal ‘I understand how you feel’.
a. Anthony informed me of your decision (formal)
Anthony told me that you had made up your minds (informal)
b. This is a direct result of his poor academic and attendance records (formal)
Because his work in poor and he has missed lectures (informal)
3. Talking about statistics
According to the graph below it is evident that shoplifting offences have almost doubled in the past ten years.
VII. Letters of Complaint, Ultimatum, Apology, Settlement
- A letters of complaint
If you wish to modify your complaint avoid words which have strong negative associations. A positive or tactful word compared with a negative one might help to create good will.
Positive: incorrect, misunderstanding, imperfect, ineffective
Negative: wrong, mistake, faulty, useless
Ex. We received your criticisms. (negative)
Thanks you for your comments. (positive)
2. A reply to a letter of complaint
Apologising and excusing
- We are sorry to hear ……
- We were distressed to learn/hear about ……
- I would like to explain the situation
Making concessions
- In the normal way we would have been obliged to ……
- However, in view of the circumstances ……
- Under the circumstances we are prepared to/can ……
Disclaiming responsibility
- We regret that in no way can we be held responsible to ……
- Now that you know the full facts perhaps you ……
- If you check, you will find that the guarantee states ……
3. A strongly worded complaint
Here are some other ways she could have expressed her anger in a formal way.
I am / I was + somewhat/very/most/extremely + disappointed/concerned/surprised
And some extreme words
I am/was + disgusted/furious/outraged ……
And if she wished to be more moderate about her feelings she might have written
I am/was + hurt/upset/sad/confused/surprised ……
4. Letters of apology and settlement
When the relationship between two parties becomes severely strained, as in this case, only a most polite and conciliatory and conciliatory letter can restore good will.
Letter of reconciliation
Having received the apology, decides to end this matter with a short letter of reconciliation, reckoning that in business an ally is always useful.
VIII. Letters of Application, for a job, curriculum vitae and job
- Advertisement for a grant
- A curriculum vitae (C.V.)
- Writing a reference
Always ask someone before you give their name as reference. When employees leave a company, they may ask for a testimonial or open letter of reference to make with them.
Language for writing a reference
a. Notice how to give praise:
She has been a most + valuable employee/loyal/hardworking/co-operative
Ex. She has a logical mind and is sensitive
b. Note how this can be said in another way:
She + created/initiated/inspired/encouraged/built up + strong personal relationships
Ex. Sandi was shortlisted