SARVAJANIK COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

AND TECHNOLOGY, SURAT- 395001

Technical Communication
SEM-1

Chapter-6
Technical Writing

Business Letters

Introduction:
In this post modern era, the concept of Business has tremendously changed. With
the development in the field of science, transports and communication, there is a
great change in the advancement of trade and commerce. The products
manufactured in local markets are sold in the foreign markets and vice versa. For
a successful business, the concept of Business Communication becomes essential
part of Business in this competitive time.

 Internal Communication:

It is the exchange of ideas internally by phone, e-mail, fax, inter-office memo

within the organization about the work. It helps the employees to work
methodically and to clear the vision of the goals of the company in which they
are working.

 External Communication:

It is the exchange of information out of the organization about the work.

Information is shared with customers, dealers, distributors, competitors, investors
and representatives. Effective communication helps to build a favorable image of
an organization and to encourage its performance.

In business communication, letter writing has played a

noteworthy role in the growth and development of trade and industry. Nowadays
most of the business communication of the world is running with the use of a
letter. To buy and sell goods, to register and solve the complaints and to clear the
misunderstandings, business organizations are using letters. There are other ways
ofcommunication for business activities but written communication
or letter creates permanent records. It is helpful for legal defenses when litigation
arises. In modern times, business letters works as an ambassador. As an
ambassador retains relationship among nations, in the same way business letters
establish relationship between two companies, traders or their relationship with
customers.

For any transactions, it is required to write an effective business letter. To write

an effective letter, we should consider the following points:

 The writing should be neat and clean. Legibility of words should be

retained throughout the drafting.

 The information should be written in a logical way. If there are several

ideas to communicate, it should be separated into paragraphs.

 A sentence should have a subject and in each paragraph there should be a

single topic.

 Words and sentence structures should be easy to understand by the reader.

 It should be brief and maintained by the use of four C's. (clarity,

conciseness, correctness, courtesy)

 Use accurate language, proper grammar and correct punctuation.

PARTS OF A BUSINESS LETTER

HEADING:
When we write a letter, the heading comes first at the top of the page. Usually, it
is at the right side of the page. In block format, it is written at the left side of the
page. But if companies have their own
letterheads, it is placed in the middle of the page. If the companies are not using
letterhead, the head address includes the sender's address. The letterhead includes
the name of the organization, full address and contact number.
DATE:
Date is generally typed three spaces below the last line of the head address and
above the inside address. Date figure out the day, the month name and the year.
There are two ways to indicate date:

 In American / cardinal method, the name of the month comes first, then date
&year.
E.g. June 21, 2015 (MM DD YY)

 In British/ordinal method, the date comes first, then month &year.

E.g. 21st June, 2015 (DD MM YY)

The date should not write as 21/06/15. It can create serious problems if the letter
is sent to a country like USA or UK.

INSIDE ADDRESS

The inside address contains the name of the receiver, designation, name of the
company and its address. It is written two spaces below the date and above the
salutation in the left side of the page. The alignment is also important When
Window envelop is used.

SALUTATION

Salutation isa greeting word which expresses the respect to the receiver. It is
written in the left margin below the inside address. The salutation depends on the
personal relationship between the letter writer and receiver and also on the form
inside address. Some commonly used salutations are as follows:

 Sir: Formally used by lower level employees while writing to their superiors.

 Dear sir/ Madam: Regularly used form while writing to individual officers.

 Sirs/ Dear Sirs: Used when the inside address is of a company and not ofan
individual.

 Respected Sir: while writing a letter personally to old school teachers or

college professors.
  May it please your Excellency: formal way of addressing presidents, prime
ministers, diplomats, the heads of states

The salutation attaches a personal and polite touch between the letter writer and
the receiver.

BODY OF THE LETTER

The body ofthe letter can be considered as the soul of the business letter. It is two
spaces below the subject line or salutation. There are paragraphs in it. It should
be separated into at least three paragraphs. In first paragraph, give a reference to
the previous correspondence; in middle paragraph, write the central message and
the closing
paragraphs consist of what are the expectations or intentions and the actions to
betaken. Don‟t give number or titles or sub-titles to the
paragraphs.

COMPLEMENTARY CLOSE

Complimentary close is two spaces below the body of the letter. The use of
complimentary close depends on salutation. We can use 'yours faithfully',
'yours truly, yours sincerely', ‘your's cordially', etc.

The first letter of each complimentary close should be capital and it is followed
by comma (,). It is one type of formal expression. it gives respect to the receiver.
It adds polite touch in the drafting.

SIGNATURE

Signature is placed two spaces below the complimentary close. The signature
includes
i) the hand written signature of the person sending the letter
ii) the full name of the person
iii) the name of the company in capital letters
iv) the official designation of the person e.g. the manager,
secretary, accountant, etc.

[Link] RAJESH AUTO PVT LTD.

Mr. [Link]
The Manager

The pre-pro signature is used if a general or specific power of authority is given

to the person for signing:

E.g. Yours faithfully,

Pre - pro RAVI TRADING COMPANY
([Link])
Regional Manager

ADDRESS NOTATION

It generally appears two spaces above the Inside Address in capital letters.
• PERSONAL
• CONFIDENTIAL
• PLEASE FORWARD

ATTENTION LINE

It is two spaces below the inside address. It can be used to put the attention of a
Particular person or department in an organization so that quick action to be
taken on the letter, This line can be written in the following way:
• Attention: [Link] Pathak
• Attention: Production Manager

SUBJECT LINE

It is below the salutation and above the body of the letter.

It has the fundamental idea of the letter in single line. It is one kind of short
heading. is indicating by using letters such as 'Ref‟ or „sub'.
E.g. sub: an inquiry for different models of cellular phone.
The subject line should include the central idea so that the reader can easily get
the idea about the contents of the body of the letter.

ENCLOSURE

enclosure is written one space below the signature in the left margin of the page
in all the types of form.
E.g. Encl: (i)Pass book
(ii) Transfer form
There is a distinction between the papers that are 'enclosed' and 'attached'. The
word means the papers put separately and 'attached' means the papers stapled or
pinned.

COPY NOTATION

It istwo spaces below the enclosure in the left margin. It shows the names of
persons who are going to receive a copy of the letter. Here, the recipients of the
letter are written in the following way:
E.g.C.C.: [Link]
Copy to [Link]

If the copies are sent to more than one person, the names and addresses should be
written. The purpose of copy notation is to inform the reader that the copy Of the
same letter has been sent to another person.

MAILING NOTATION

Mailing notation is written at the bottom of the letter after reference or above the
inside address on the left side of the page. It may be written on envelop. Mailing
notations like 'By registered post', 'By courier', 'By speed post', 'Quick mail',
air mail' , Which are written in capital letters.

POSTSCRIPT

It has no space in the business letter. The use of Postscript is only permitted
when information received at the last minute and has to be inserted in the letter.
There is no time to draft and type again a new letter. If postscript is used, it must
be initiated or signed again by the letter writer which identifies that the postscript
has not been added
by someone else. Sometimes, the postscript is intentionally used to create an
effect on the reader.
LAYOUTS OF BUSINESS

1) BLOCK LAYOUT

It is extremely well - known as it makes the letter attractive. The features of a

letter are given below:
 All the elements of letter, except the letterhead, are aligned to the left
margin.
 It includes open punctuation. It means punctuation marks are not used
anywhere except the salutation, complimentary close and body of the letter.
2) MODIFIED BLOCK LAYOUT

In modified block layout, head address, complimentary close and signature are
placed to the right margin and rests of the elements are placed to the left margin.
 3) SEMI-BLOCK LAYOUT

The semi - block layout is like modified block layout but each paragraph of the
body of the semi - block letter begins with a few spaces from the margin
 4) SIMPLI FIED LAYOUT

In simplified layout of the letter there is no use of salutation. The subject line is
written in capital letters. And it does not include complimentary close.
TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTER
Inquiry Letter:
A business deals with the number of buyers and sellers. The first step is an
inquiry. Inquiry letters are essential to collect information about the different
aspects like price list, the terms of discount, the mode of payment.

Complaint Letter:

Complaint letter is used to draw the attention of the mistakes ofspecific persons.
The drafts a complaint letter for the [Link] letters are used to inform
the mistakes late delivery, poor quality, wrong supply of materials, damaged or
defective goods etc. to the sellers.

Apology/ Regret Letter:

Apology/ Regret letter is drafted to show sympathy with the person who has got
a trouble, difficulties or a big loss.

Adjustment Letter:

Adjustment letter is drafted by the seller to respond to the complaint letter. In this
letter, the seller apologizes for his fault or mistakes. He assures to rectify his
mistakes through
adjustment letter.

Sales Letter:

Every now and then we receive emails or letters having any offers and discounts
from several companies. These types of letters are known as sales
correspondence. A letter from an organization to a supplier about the demand of
the supply is an example of a sales letter. Sales letter is a written document
between two parties with theintention of sales. It is a letter which tries to sell a
product. Sales letters are useful to communicate with customers. It is like a
salesman discussing the purpose but in the type of a letter.

Order Letter:

If the seller is requested by a potential buyer to deliver goods in written form is

known as order letter. By writing inquiry letters, buyers can gather essential
information about the price, quality of goods and terms of sale. If the buyer finds
the quoted price, quality Of
goods and terms of sales suitable, he gives an order to supply goods. The seller
transports the goods as per the order of the buyer. Nowadays sellers supply
printed orders forms to the customers and customers place orders by filling up
those printed order blanks. In this
case, the printed order sheet or blank is considered as the order letter.

Recommendation Letter:

A recommendation letter is written by a previous employer, colleague, client,

teacher, or by anyone else who can recommend an individual's work or academic
performance. The objective of recommendation letter is to promise for the
abilities,
accomplishments, and capacity Of the person being recommended.

Acknowledgement Letter:

Acknowledgement Letter is a kind of letter written to recognize someone's

(individual, individuals or an organization) efforts towards objective. A written
or printed communication addressed to a person or company for
acknowledgment of another's authority, existence, right, validity that usually sent
by post in an envelope. In a way
acknowledgement letters are kind of informal thank you letters. When we
acknowledge someone's help or support, we are in fact showing our gratitude. A
letter of acknowledgement serves a dual purpose-one of a Receipt and second of
Public Relation.

Cover Letter:

In cover letter, we send our request in written form to submit our application.
Cover letter includes all the standard elements.
The purposes of the cover letter are
 To gain attention and develop an interest in the person about qualification.
 To carry the request with the help of past performance.
 To say why you are applying and which job you are applying for.

Cover letter is made up of three parts: introduction, main body and conclusion.
INQUIRY LETTER:

Example 1 (In Block Layout)

Krishna Investment, Parishray Complex, Rajkot, inquires for the quotation of

furniture items to paresh furniture, Gandhinagar, Ask for detailed information of
the price list, terms of discounts, transportation, etc.
Example-2 (In semi - block layout):

The branch manager of your company is going to arrive at the head quarter at
Ahmedabad to attend three days conference. Draft to the Manager, Platinum
Hotel, Ahmedabad asking for the details of rooms for accommodation and
conference.
Adjustment letter:

Example 1 (In semi block layout):

Sonata Watches Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata had received a complaint about the wrist
watches which are not matching to the quotation. Write a suitable letter to Ram
Collection, Ahmedabad.
Example 2 (In simplified layout):

Vishwas Glassware, Anand complex, Bal Tilak Road, Nadiad had complained
regarding the damaged glassware gift articles materials to Parijit Glassware Pvt.
Ltd., GIDC Estate, Anand. Write a suitable adjustment on behalf of Parijit
Glassware Pvt. Ltd.
E-MAILS

"The phenomenally rapid growth of the Internet and its widespread use in
business has changed the way in which organizations communicate. Chances are
good that the organization you work for will have Internet access, and you may
have a personal e-mail address. Many companies are promoting the use of e-mail
for
most—if not all—in-house correspondence, and a great deal of communicating
with outside organizations also relies on e-mail.

E-mail offers some tremendous advantages. It is fast—a message can be sent to

as many people as necessary instantaneously. It is inexpensive. The cost of
printing out and making copies of memosis eliminated. It is convenient. People
can check their e-mail without leaving their desks. No time is lost in waiting for
messages to reach them.

But e-mail is a completely different world in terms of writing. For one thing, it is
very informal. E-mail does not require strict attention to grammatical rules. Page
design does not exist. Even organization is kind of up for grabs.

The reason behind these differences is that, until a couple of years ago, a line of
e-mail could not be changed once it was typed. Revision was impossible, so
people learned to accept and even expect a certain level of error. Now, of course,
e-mail can be revised. But people have grown so fond of the informality of e-
mail that it has become a standard feature of the genre.

E-mail also has its own vocabulary of acronyms. Some of the most common ones
are listed in this chapter. E-mail combines most of the best—and a few of the
worst—characteristics of the more well-known methods of communicating,
including postal mail, telephone, and fax. You can do several things with e-mail
that are difficult or impossible with any other form of communication. While e-
mail is an efficient way to communicate, it is also subject to limitations. In
particular, you must recognize when e-mail is appropriate and when it is not. For
example, when writing about emotionally charged subjects (or when the person
you are writing to may become angry, defensive, or otherwise upset about a
subject), or when you are angry, a face-to-face conversation is generally more
appropriate than e-mail. Similarly, discussing confidential matters or very
complex issues is often better done in other ways than through e-mail.
Advantages and Limitations of E-mail

Advantages
 You can communicate quickly with anyone on the Internet. E-mail usually
reaches its destination in a span of minutes or seconds.
 It is easy to send your message to more than one person. You just type in
several e-mail addresses. You can also keep mailing lists on your computer,
which allows quick distribution to many people.
 You can use e-mail to access vast pools of information stored on the
Internet.
 You can easily save thousands of e-mail messages, and you can search
message files electronically.
 You can paste all or part of an e-mail into other computer documents.
 Some e-mail services allow you access to a printer-friendly version of e-
mail messages.
 Most e-mail systems have a reply button that enables you to include all or
part of the original message when you are writing a reply. This feature is a
small one, but it really speeds replying to messages. In composing a letter
or even when making a phone call, people spend a lot of time establishing
a context for their reply.
 You can attach drawings, sounds, video clips, and other computer files to
your e-mail.
 You can send letters, notes, files, data, or reports all using the same
techniques. Once you learn how to use your e-mail program, everything is
sent the same way.
 You do not have to worry about interrupting someone when you send e-
mail. The e-mail is Sent and delivered by one computer system
communicating with the Internet. Although it is put into someone's
mailbox, the recipient is not interrupted by the arrival of e-mail.
 You can deal with your e-mail at a convenient time. You do not have to be
interrupted when e-mail arrives, and you can read it or work with it when
you have the time. Also, you can send it at a convenient time. It does not
have to be written or sent at a time when you know the recipient will be
available. This is what we mean by the term asynchronous communication.
 You do not have to be shy about using e-mail to communicate with anyone.
E-mail is not. Anonymous—each message carries the return address of the
sender—but you can write to anyone with an Internet address. All the
messages appear the same to the person who gets the e-mail. The messages
are generally judged on the basis of what is in them, not where they are
from.
 The cost to you for e-mail has nothing to do with distance, and in many
cases, the cost does not depend on the size of the message. Most Internet
access charges are based on the number of hours per month you access the
Internet, or you pay a flat monthly fee.

Limitations

 E-mail is editable. Everyone who receives a message may intentionally or

unintentionally alter it before they send it out. You cannot be sure the e-
mail as you have received it is unaltered from its original form. As a result,
you often get incomplete or incorrect information.
 E-mail is anonymous. The identity of a message's author can be completely
masked or lost in just two generations of the message. You can never be
certain where an e-mail really came from. Without an identifiable source, a
claim cannot be validated.
 E-mail cannot be retracted. Once you hit the 'send' button, there's no
bringing it back.
 E-mail cannot be tracked. Despite what hundreds of hoaxes claim, the
technology to globally track an e-mail message does not exist. There is no
way for a third party to know to whom or how many times you forward a
message.
 E-mail is not necessarily private. Since messages are passed from one
system to another, and sometimes through several systems or networks,
there are many opportunities for someone to intercept or read e-mail. Many
types of computer systems have built-in protections to stop users from
reading others' e-mail, but it is still possible for a system administrator to
read the e-mail on a system or for someone to bypass the security of a
computer system.
 Some e-mail systems can send or receive text files only. Even though you
can send and receive images, programs, files produced by word processing
programs, or multimedia messages, some recipients may not be able to
properly view your message.
 It is possible to forge e-mail. This is not common, but it is possible to forge
the address of the sender. You may want to take steps to confirm the source
of some e-mail you receive.
 You can receive too much or unwanted e-mail. You can receive 'junk' e-
mail in the same way you receive other types of junk mail. On the Internet,
junk mail is called spam. You may have to take active steps to delete the e-
mail you receive and try to stop it from being sent to you in the first place.
You may not know about the person with whom you are communicating.
The communication is often all in text and it is possible for us to get an
 incorrect impression of the person sending us e-mail. Also, some people
misrepresent themselves.

A study in Sydney, Australia, conducted by Rogan International and

Croldhaber Research Associates (2001) found that employees spent more
time collating their e-mails than collaborating with colleagues.

Style, Structure, and Content

Not long after you start getting e-mail, you begin to wonder if people have gone
a little crazy with the punctuation keys. You start seeing unmatched parentheses,
oddball colons, and misplaced semicolons, and you start to wonder what you are
missing. What you often see is a kind of smiling (or frowning) face known as a
smiley. Smiley‟s come in an infinite number of flavours. Lots of more creative
plays on punctuation are out there whirling through cyberspace. If you have
access to the World Wide Web, you can download a long list of smileys from
Wind weaver, or you can use your search engine to comb through the Internet
with the keyword smiley or emoticon.

Smileys are part of a bigger class of e-mail paraphernalia known as emoticons.

Because it is read from a monitor screen, e-mail tends to be a cold and
emotionless medium. It is also very easy to offend people without even knowing
you have. So if you have a dry sense of humour, people often do not get the joke.
Sarcasm, even meant in good heart, is usually misinterpreted. That is why
emoticons (smileys, etc.) were developed. They allow you to make it clear when
what you are saying is not meant to be taken seriously. Those with a dry sense of
humour, for example, can use which is a wink and a grin.

Emoticons are stylized conventions developed in e-mail and in forums, chat

rooms, and newsgroups. They try to bring subtlety of inflection and tone to
written communication and help bridge the gap and soften the harshness of less-
than- polished text.

Emoticons (emotional icons) are used to compensate for the inability to convey
voice inflections, facial expressions, and bodily gestures in written
communication. Some emoticons are better known as 'smileys'. Emoticons can be
very effective towards avoiding misinterpretation of the writer's intents. While
there are no standard definitions for the following emoticons, we have supplied
their most usual meanings. Most emoticons will look like a face (eyes, nose, and
mouth) when rotated 90 degrees clockwise. Some commonly used emoticons, e-
mail acronyms, and e-mail jargon are listed below:
Common Emoticons and Acronyms

Acronyms
E-mail Jargon

 spam: Unsolicited e-mail sent to many people simultaneously, usually menial,

but occasionally political.
 bounce: A message that was returned to the sender, either because the e-mail
address was incorrect or because there was a configuration problem on the
receiver's end. Can also be a verb: 'I tried sending e-mail to my Aunt Mary,
but it bounced. I guess she doesn't work there anymore.
 distribution list: A single e-mail address that resends to many others,
allowing a discussion to continue easily among a quasi-stable group of
participants. Also called e-mailing lists or list serves (from LIST SERVers).
 bot: A piece of software that acts on behalf of and in place of a remote human
(from roBOT).
 mailbot: A piece of software that automatically replies to e-mail.
 List bot: A piece of software that manages distribution lists. Also called a list
server or majordomo (after the name of a common list server).
 post: Send to a distribution list or Usenet newsgroup, i.e., to a quasi-stable
group of people.
 flame: An electronic message that is particularly hostile. Can also be a verb.
 lurk: To read messages anonymously (in either a mailing list or Usenet
newsgroup) without posting.
 ping: Test to see if the other person is there/ awake/ available. (This comes
from a Unix test to see if a machine (or its net connection) was active or not.)
'Lunch tomorrow? I may be busy with a client. Ping me at eleven thirty or so.'

E-mail Style
In general, e-mail messages are equivalent to brief informal memos used to
communicate information or to ask questions, In particular, e-mail messages
should be brief Ideally, keep your e-mail messages under 200 words. In some
circumstances, such as writing on e-mail report, longer messages will bc
required. However, in most cases, short messages are likely to get your point
across more clearly and are also more likely to get answered. Few people are
interested in reading messages much longer than what fits on their computer
screens. In fact, some people do not read lengthy messages or Stop reading after
the first few hundred words.

You should also exercise caution in terms of your tone. For example, a message
from a junior employee that addresses the president of a major company in a
familiar manner or a formal tone in an e-mail note to a colleague would be
inappropriate. In other words, you should just as carefully consider your audience
and purpose when writing e-mail as when writing formal reports.

Also, just because the medium is electronic, do not assume the messages you
send are short-lived. Many people archive their e-mail and system administrators
can retrieve long-deleted messages. An ill-conceived e-mail may come back to
haunt you in the future.

Similarly, poor spelling and grammar in e-mail messages could lead some
readers to question your competence. Although problems with spelling and
grammar are generally ignored in such forums as the various Internet
Newsgroups (indeed, commenting on these sorts of issues is generally considered
bad Internet manners), they are generally frowned on in school and industry.
Sending an e-mail memo filled with spelling errors to an instructor, client, or
supervisor is ill- advised. Always take the time to ask yourself who will be
reading your message and what effect its tone, style, grammar, and spelling may
have.

E-mail Etiquettes

"There are many etiquette guides and many different etiquette rules. Some rules
will differ according to the nature of your business and the corporate culture.
Here we list what we consider as the 24 most important e-mail etiquette rules that
apply to nearly all formal communication situations.

1. Answer swiftly.

People send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did
not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-
mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably within the same
working day. If the e-mail is complicated, just send an e-mail back saying that
you have received it and that you get back to them. This will put the reader's
mind at rest and usually they will then be very patient!

2. Do not overuse Reply to All.

Use Reply to All only if you really need your message to be seen by each person
who received the original message.
 3. Use templates for frequently used responses.

If you often tend to receive the same queries, such as directions to your office or
how to subscribe to your newsletter, save your replies as response templates and
paste these into your message when you need them. You can save your templates
in a Word document, or use pre-formatted e-mails. Even better is a tool such as
Reply Mate for Outlook (allows you to use 10 templates for free).

4. Use proper structure and layout.

Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the
Structure and layout is very important for e-mail messages. Use short paragraphs
and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points, number them or
mark each point as separate Co keep the overview.

5. Identify yourself and the topic.

Where possible, identify yourself on the From: line using your full name rather
than just your e-mail address, For example, use '%Amit Kumar Saxena" rather
than just aks@[Link]. Recipients are more likely to respond to you if they can
easily identify who you are. In addition, knowing whom a message is from helps
the recipient put the message in context.
At the end of your messages, include an alternative way to be contacted (Le.
phone number, FAX, postal address) along with your name. You can provide this
information in a signature field that can be turned off for more personal e-mails.
Providing contact information is especially important if you are asking for an
answer that is likely to be quite complex. Often less time is required to explain
something complex the phone or in person than to type out the message,
The information on your subject line should be meaningful to the recipient as
well as yourself. For instance, when you send an e-mail to a company' requesting
information about a product, it is better to mention the actual name of the
product,
e.g., 'Product A information', than to say just 'Product information' or the
company's name in the subject.
 6. Answer all questions, and Pre-empt further question.

An e-mail reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. If you
do not answer all the questions in the original e-mail, you will receive further e-
mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time
and your reader's time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you
are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your reader will be grateful and
impressed with your efficiency and thoughtfulness. Imagine for instance that an
off campus student sends you (assume that you are a professor of Electronics
Engineering) an e-mail asking some doubts on a lesson. Instead of just explaining
the answer to the student's problem, if you mention some other sources which
he/she can refer to for further understanding, the student will definitely
appreciate this extra information.

7. Be concise and to the point.

Do not make an e-mail longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an e-
mail is harder than reading printed communications and a long e-mail can be
very discouraging to read.

8. Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

As in all forms of written communication, this is not only important because

improper spelling, grammar, and punctuation give a bad impression of your
company, but also essential for conveying the message properly. For example,
using u, r, and ur for you, are, and your is inappropriate for formal messages—
mails With no fill] stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even
change the meaning of the text--and if your program has a spell checking option,
why not use it?

9. Do not write CAPITALS,

IF YOU WRI'I'E IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING.

This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response in the form
of a flame mail. Therefore, try not to send any e-mail text in capitals.

10. Avoid long sentences.

Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15—20 words. E-mail is meant to

be a quick medium and requires a kind of writing different from letters.
11. Use attire instead passive voice.

Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will
process your order today' sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'.
The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used
frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.

12. Keep your language gender-neutral.

It is important to be gender-sensitive. Avoid using discriminatory language such

as: 'The user should add a signature by configuring his e-mail program'. Apart
from using he/she, you can also use the neutral gender: 'The user should add a
signature by configuring the email program'.

13. Maintain coherence.

When you reply to an e-mail, you must include the original mail in your reply,
Click 'Reply', instead of 'New Mail'. Some people say that you must remove the
previous message since this has already been sent and is therefore unnecessary.
However, if you receive many e-mails, you obviously cannot remember each
individual e-mail. This means that a 'thread less e-mail' will not provide enough
information and you will have to spend a frustratingly long time to find out the
context of the e-mail in order to deal with it. Leaving the thread might take a
fraction longer in download time, but it will save the recipient much more time
and frustration in looking for the related e-mails in their inbox!

14. Do not overuse the high priority option.

We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority
option, it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a
message has high priority, it will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it
as 'high priority'.

15. Do not attach unnecessary files.

By sending large attachments, you can annoy readers and even bring down their
e-mail system. Wherever possible, try' to compress attachments and only send
attachments when they are productive. Moreover, you need to have a good virus
scanner in place since your readers will not be very happy if you send them
documents full of viruses!

16. Read the e-mail before you send it.

A lot of people do not bother to read an e-mail before they send it out, as can be
seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in e-mails. Apart
from this, reading your e-mail through the eyes of the recipient will help you
send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate
comments.

17. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons.

In business e-mails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and
LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the
abbreviations, and in business e-mails these are generally not appropriate. The
same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley. If you are not sure whether your
recipient knows what it means, it is better not to use it.

18. Be careful with formatting

Remember that when you use formatting in your e-mails, the sender might not be
able to view formatting, or might see different fonts than you had intended, when
using colours, use a colour that is easy to read on the background.

19. Take care with ich text and HTML messages.

Be aware that when you send an e-mail in rich text or HTML format, the sender
might only be able to receive plain text e-mails. If this is the case, the recipient
will receive your message as a .txt attachment. Most e-mail clients, however,
including Microsoft Outlook, are able to receive HTML and rich text messages.

20. Do not use e-mail to discuss confidential messages.

Sending an e-mail is like sending a postcard. If you do not want your e-mail to be
displayed on a bulletin board, do not send it.
Moreover, newer make any libellous or discriminating comments in e-mails,
even if they are meant to be jokes.
21. Avoid URGENT and IMPORTANT

Even more so than the high-priority option, you must at all time try to avoid
these types of words in an e-mail or subject line. Only use this if it is a really,
really urgent or important message.

22. Use the Bcc: field or do a mail merge.

When sending an e-mail, some people place all the e-mail addresses in the To:
field. There are two drawbacks to this practice: (l) the recipient knows that you
have sent the same message to a large number of recipients, and (2) you are
publicizing someone else's e-mail address without their permission. One way to
get round this is to place all addresses in the Bcc: field. However, the recipient
will only see the address from the To: field in their e-mail, so if this was empty,
the To: field will be blank and this might look like spamming. You could include
the mailing list e-mail address in the To: field, or even better, if you have
Microsoft Outlook and Word, you can do a mail merge and create one message
for each recipient. A mail merge also allows you to use fields in the message so
that you can for instance address each recipient personally. For more information
on how to do a Word mail merge, consult the Help in Word.

23. Use Cc: field sparingly.

Try not to use the Cc: field unless the recipient in the Cc: field knows why they
are receiving a copy of the message. Using the Cc: field can be confusing since
the recipients might not know who is supposed to act on the message. Also, when
responding to a Cc: message, should you include the other recipient in the cc:
field as well? This will depend on the situation. In general, do not include the
person in the Cc: field unless you have a particular reason for wanting this person
to see your response. Again, make sure that this person will know why they are
receiving a copy.

24. Do not reply to spam.

By replying to spam or by unsubscribing, you are confirming that your e-mail

address is 'live'. Confirming this will only generate even more spam. Therefore,
just hit the delete button or use e-mail software to remove spam automatically.
Sample E-mail Messages

Though you may be familiar with sending and receiving e-mail messages, we
have provided some sample e-mail messages in the pages that follow. You can
initially see the e-mail template (Figure 13. l) followed by some sample mails in
13.21-13.26.
Effectiveness and Security

Because messages are electronically it is possible get a response in a matter of

minutes or we are communicating, trading comments separated ! only a few
seconds, e-mail is similar to spoken communication. IL tends to get informal and
personal, and that is probably just the way we want to during quick exchanges
with another person. On the other hand, when we are communicating using e-
mail, the written word, we cannot show our facial expressions or gestures or
express intonation the same way we would when speaking.
E-mail is, of course, a of written communication but it is a different medium
from traditional written communication. E-mail is not bound by the physical
limitations of a page of paper, it can be transmitted and received very quickly,
and a single message can sent 'o a group of thousands Of easily as it can be sent
to one or two people. Since e-mail is written communication and it is not done on
paper, we have to what we can to make it easy to read and easy to comprehend.

There is no substitute for a well-thought-out and well-expressed message. There

is also no excuse for misspellings or grammatical errors in professional or
business communications. To make the e-mail most effective, you need to write
clearly, take into account that people will likely be reading your message on a
computer screen, and take full advantage of the medium itself.

E-mail Security

Beware of the ease with which e-mail messages can be sent to unintended readers
and of the possibility that old e-mail messages will come back to haunt the
sender.

 Ensure that personal messages are sent to the correct individual and not to a
mailing list. Many e-mail users have been embarrassed by accidentally
sending personal or confidential messages to an entire mail list or
organization. Before you send an e-mail message, one of the last things you
should do is check that you are sending it only to the intended recipient(s).
 Do not send confidential or personal material via e-mail unless you encrypt it
because most e-mail systems are insecure. We suggest that you should treat
any e-mail messages you send as a public document simply because e-mail
servers 5Qically maintain copies of e-mail and many people archive the e-mail
they receive. An e-mail message sent several years ago could potentially turn
up when you least expect it.

Some final tips for e-mail effectiveness:

1. Write a meaningful subject line.

2. Keep the message focused and readable.
3. Use attachments sparingly.
4. Identify yourself clearly.
5. Be kind. Do not flame.
6. Proofread.
7. Do not assume privacy.
8. Distinguish between formal and informal situations.
9. Respond Promptly.
[Link] Respect and Restraint.

Now that you know the three forms of communication, namely letters, memos
and e-mails, let us conclude the discussion with tabulating the differences among
these very important forms of communication:

===============================
 Reports Writing
Introduction to Reports:

Etymology: The word Report, comes from the Latin word "Reportare" which
means to carry back. It means description of an event where you are not present.
Report is a formal communication written for a specific purpose it includes a
description of procedure followed by collection and analysis of data,
significance, conclusion then recommendation if required.

Definition"A report is like a bathing suit, It covers everything that has to be cm;
but nothing more".

Report is a well structured document that includes information written in

organized layout meant for definite readers and targets a specific objective.
Reports can be presented in both forms Oral and Written the written reports can
be cherished as a document for future reference. In a professional's work life the
importance of writing and receiving reports cannot be underrated. Report writing
is meant for the jobs that are accountable. In an organization, the subordinates are
required to reports to their superiors. They too can be solicited or unsolicited. In
are port, specific information and data are presented, studied and
recommendations are made to a particular problem or issue. Here, the
information is offered in a specific format using headings and subheadings
wherever require presenting the information in a coherent way.

While you are designated to write a report, you will be offered the issue to be
studied and be asked to put forward some suggestions based on the evidences
you haw collected and analysis made thereby. However the structure of writing
report is more or less specific and some technicalities are to be followed while
writing them.

For example, if there is a fall in the sales of the goods, the administrators may
ask manager to find out the causes for the decline and to produce some
recommendations. The recommendations are the guidelines for the further
actions be taken to increase the sales. Thus reports are the outcome of the made
by those designated and may provide some useful to do action for the future for
the futuristic expected results.

Essentials of a good report:

There are a couple of reasons for considering reports as the written form of
communication.
  To retain the evidence of the discussion made and recommendations given
from the designated professional.

A well presented report should have the analyses and facts related to the
problems and issues well presented. The problem is to be investigated step-by-
step and presented to derive thorough understanding. An Academic Report
should follow the specific format and should have all the sources and references
from where the information and data has been derived acknowledged in a desired
format. The language should be formal and information should be in brief.

An effective formal report will express your ability to:

 Reflect the objective of the report while following its specifications;

 Collect, organize and analyze the required information;

 Present data in a rational and coherent manner;

 Writing the report in a present your report in a reliable manner according to

the expectations of the reader;

 Provide thoughtfU1 and practical recommendations based on analysis and

findings;

Types of Reports:

There are basically two forms of reports:

1. Oral
2. Written

Oral reporting though is easy; it is not much reliable in formal situations so

written bears more weightage as they are more accurate and permanent and they
can be referred back. Formal written reports can be further divided into;

1. Informational
2. Interpretive
3. Routine

Informational reports are based on the data gathered and the observations of facts
made. They present the account of the situation and event in a factual way not
leading to propose any recommendation. For e.g. A press report that describes an
event or a happening. This means to sequentially present the fact without a
judgment. On the other hand, interpretive reports are analytical by nature. The
facts are evaluated, interpreted and presented logically with an adequate
conclusion and recommendation for future whereas, in case of interpretive or
analytical report, the facts are presented with evaluation, data interpretation, the
reporter's conclusions and recommendations for future measures. For e.g.
Research, academic or business/project report. The routine reports are generally
written in prescribed formats as obligation to be fulfilled. The reporter has to
simply put ticks and crosses to rate something in progress. For e.g. Performance
Appraisal Reports, Periodic and Progress Reports, Inspection Reports, etc., fall
under this category.

The structure of a report

The primary features of a report are described below to provide general

guidelines. These should be used with the specifications prescribed by one's
department.

Title Page

This should concisely though clearly depict the purpose of the report (if this is
not obvious from the title of the work). Other details one may include could be
one's name, the date and for whom the report is written. It contains detailed
information like full title -subtitle, name and address of author, particulars of
authority,
Contract/project no.

The Trends of Immigration from the Region of Gujarat

Kinjal Rathod
15 July 2014

Terms of Reference

This includes whom the report is meant for, what are the objectives and what
methodology is to be followed, It can be in the form of a subtitle or a brief
paragraph.
A report submitted in the partial fulfillment of the degree of Master
in Philosophy, Department of Humanities, Gujarat Technological
University.

Example of terms of reference

Summary /Abstract:

The summary can be described as the brief content of the report. It consists of the
objectives of the report, its finding, and recommendations. It should also cover
the result following the recommendations. It should not cover the detailed
discussion but just the outlines of the main points. Summary or the Abstract
would be the first component of your report the reader is going to read. For that
purpose, try to give a clear idea of the content of your report.

Soft skills is a widely used a term these days referring to indicate transversal
competencies such as social aptitude, language and communication capability,
ability to work in a team and does also constitute other personality traits that
characterize relationship between people. The strategic use of soft skills into
different profession has been a vital force leading to success. Soft skills is not
a complementary skills to the technical/hardcore skills but it plays a
substantial role in accomplishing the tasks with 360 degree satisfaction of the
self, organization, society and community. The
Profession of teaching and training strives to play a key role in the life and
career of a Student or a trainee. These teachers and trainers are the catalysts
for the students or trainees. The soft skills like teamwork, leadership,
communication abilities and time
management are thus crucially required to be used by the teachers/ trainers
during their professional journey. Soft skills training thereby should become
an integral part of all pre-service and
in-service educational programs to strengthen and sustain soft skills of the
teachers directly and their accountability indirectly. This research presents an
analysis of the studies conducted on the issues of the soft skill set requisite of
teaching/training professionals so far and would focus on the that help develop
soft skills in teachers/ trainers.
Example of a summary (abstract)

Contents (Table of Contents)

The contents page lists out the chapters and headings together with the page
numbers in the report. The contents page should be presented in a way that the
reader can quickly scan the list of headings and can locate the specific topic in
the report. The numbers to the headings and subheadings can be given with the
page numbers. The numbering system used should be clear and consistent
throughout.

Introduction

The introduction is the essence of the main body of the report. It includes the
objectives and purpose for which the report is written. It would also estimate any
problems or limitations along with the scope the report has to offer further. In the
introduction the research methodology used, the constraint of the research and
background history of the topic or issue to be discussed in the report is focused'

In reports of the field of science and technology, separate headings for Methods
and Results are used before one starts writing under the head of Discussion or
main body. This heading consists: a list of equipments used during the research,
discussion of the process to be followed, detailed information on the apparatus
and material used with their specifications, including material and reference of
the material used, it would also cover the details of necessary preparation along
with the reference to the problems that are likely to occur that may differ the
methodology.

Literature Review:

This is an important component of a research report as whenever you are into

research you would have to feel the need of the same. While reading the
available material and data you may feel something is missing that could provide
you with a question on which your research is based. While reading the
background information one gets hint on something missing and the research is
instigated thus to create an idea.

Results

This section should include a summary of the results of the investigation or

experiment accompanied by diagrams, graphs or tables to explain the findings in
better way. It should be presented in a coherent manner without providing any
suggestion or comment.

Discussion

"The main body of the report is where you discuss the real happening. The facts
and evidences are collected and analyzed with a focus on specific issue.
Discussion section tends to get lengthy, so it is advisable that you divide it into
section headings. Here you have to provide step wise detail of how the
experiment was conducted or the event/research. This component of your report
requires strong presentation skills. Use bullet points to present a series of points
in an easy-to-follow list. As with the whole report, all sources used should be
acknowledged and correctly referenced.

Conclusion

In the conclusion you should show the overall significance of what has been
covered. You may want to remind the reader of the most important points that
have been in the report or highlight what you consider to be the most central
issues or findings. However, no new material should be introduced in the
conclusion.

Appendices

Under this heading you should include all the supporting information you have
used that is not published. This might include tables, graphs, questionnaires,
surveys or transcripts. Refer to the appendices in the body of your report.

In order to assess the push and pull factors of migration, a questionnaire

(Appendix 2) was distributed to 100 immigrant households. The results
(Appendix 3) suggests the chief causes of immigration given by the
participants.

Example of use of appendices

Bibliography

Bibliography is the record written in alphabetical order by the author about all
published sources referred into his/her report. There are various styles of using
references and bibliographies. One has to refer to the guidelines provided by
one's department for adopting a specific referencing style. In the case where the
direct reference is not taken from the text but one has consulted the same while
writing the report could be listed under the heading as ' 'Background Reading".
However' the same format used for referencing in Bibliography should be used.

Acknowledgements

Under this head, one can acknowledge the assistance, information or advice
organizations, individuals have offered. This is a formal way of thanks giving.

Glossary of Technical Terms

It is advisable to supply the list of Technical terms used with their clear
descriptions in the report preferably in alphabetical order. In this list one can
accommodate the explanations of the abbreviations or acronyms used
throughout.

Thus, the standard elements, quoted above should be included in the report
(especially in academic/project report). The order may vary on the basis of the
area/field. It may be influenced by the guidelines or instructions provided by
one's department.

Stages of writing the report:

The basic characteristic of a report is it is clear, brief and written in a specific

format. To achieve this writer needs to plan and prepare in an effective way.
Without planning writing a report will be a mess. There are certain stages of
writing a report. Before one plans, one has to consider each stage-how long each
stage will take to get finished or how is it to be planned to meet the deadline.
Moreover, final proof reading and assessing the content should also be
accommodated in the planning.
Below given is the list of stages:

1. Knowing and analyzing the task:

This is the most important stage. The objective with which this task has been
designated is to be understood and justified. Keep in mind your audience.
Communicate with your superior and Sort out your queries related to the task
before thinking over the issue. This will help you out to think in a single
direction without any distractions.
 2. Collection of data and information:

After getting clear about the purpose, you may start collecting relevant
information. There might be different sources that offer you information on the
issue out of which you will have to select the most appropriate and authentic
information based on required detail. Once you are clear about the purpose Of
your report, you need to begin to gather relevant information. You may make
review of the literature available to extend your understanding on the topic or
issue. You may also seek resort to the authentic surveys made to collect the
required data. As you read and gather information you need to assess its
relevance to your report and select accordingly. Keep your task in your mind
throughout to keep yourself on track.

3. Organizing material:

The data received would be more detailed and chaotic. From whatever you have
collected extract the information that defines the issue that you are focusing on
and decide what you need to include to write in a lucid manner. Give it a
sequence. Begin by categorizing the material. The relevant points are to be out
together. This will help to create sections or chapters. Put the data together by
excluding the information not directly related to the topic in discussion. In short,
the data is to be presented in a coherent manner.

4. Analyze:

Before initiating to write a report, make notes on the points you wish to make
based on the material and evidence you have collected. What is the essence of the
material you have collected? Whether does it pose any limitation? Can they be
kept aligned? Are they advocating the same idea? I t is not sufficient to present
the information as you have received, but it should be related to the topic or issue
in concern.

5. Writing the report:

Once you have organized your material section wise/ heading wise, you may
start writing your report. It is always easy to present the idea in a summarized
way and to write the content page if you know beforehand what is going to be
included. Choose a style of writing generally accepted for the type of report you
are opting.
Chapters, sections and even individual paragraphs should be written with a clear
structure. The specific structure that is generally accepted is given below:

 Introduce the main idea of the chapter/section/paragraph

 Explain and expand the idea, defining any key terms.

 Present relevant evidence to support your point(s).

 Comment on each piece of evidence showing how it relates to your

point(s).

 Conclude your chapter/section/paragraph by either showing its significance

to the report as a whole or making a link to the next
chapter/section/paragraph.

6. Reviewing and redrafting

Reviewing the first draft will help you to get aligned with the topic you are
focusing on and will help to rewrite or reform the content in a way that your
audience expect or understand. It is always desirable to leave time or take a break
prior to review your first draft. Be prepared to rearrange or rewrite sections in the
light of your review. At the time of review keep your audience in your mind.
Review whether the structure of the report is adequate? Are sufficient points
included to stand by your arguments? If you have enough amount of time, it is
advisable that you write the first draft by hand, write each different section on a
separate piece of paper. This will help you to redraft in an easy way. If you write
your first draft by hand, try writing each section on a separate piece of paper to
make redrafting easier.

7. Present:

After reviewing and redrafting, you may pay attention to the presentation. As
report writing is in the form of formal written communication, you have to pay
attention towards the sentences you have formed and the words used. Always be
careful in writing the titles of the sections/ chapters. If you have been provided
with a specific format, check whether you were able to stick to that or not. Check
for consistency in numbering of chapters, sections and appendices. Make sure
that all your sources are acknowledged and correctly referenced. Proofread your
final draft for errors of spellings or grammar. You may also give your final draft
to be proofread by your supervisor or any expert. Errors in presentation or
expression create a poor impression and can make the report difficult to read.

Feedback

Incorporate the comments you have received from your supervisor or expert to
create a checklist of key points to consider before you submit the report. Identify
preferred areas of attention and develop your action plan on the same.
Communicate with your supervisor or an expert in technical writing for the
further self development.

Business Reports:

In the modem business houses much importance is given to communication. A

business executive receives information from various persons representing
different departments. The reports received helps businessmen to take certain
decisions. The value of report depends on the accuracy and the dependability of
the information provided.

According to Raymond Lesikar "a business report is an orderly and objective

communication of factual information which serves some business purpose.

Such reports help the businessmen to take certain decisions. The findings may
help in sorting out a problem bothering a business or expanding the business.

Example of a Business Report (written by Company Secretary)

The Savour Food Products Ltd. intends to establish somewhere in Gujarat a

factory for preparing fruit juices jams and pickles. the ask the secretary to
consider the project in all its aspects and suggest suitable place for factory. Draft
the report of the secretary.
SAVOUR FOOD PRODUCTS LIMITED

REGD. OFFICE: 1 8, SUN CHAMBERS,

GRANT ROAD. MUMBAI.

Date:

THE CHAIRMAN,

The Savour Food Products Ltd.,

18, Sun Chambers

Grant Road

Mumbai.

Dear Sir,

Report on starting a factory for preparing fruit juices jams and pickles at
Vapi

In accordance with the instructions given to and powers wasted in me by a

resolution number 16/2 of the board‟s meeting held on 25th June 2019, I visited
Vapi in order to examine the possibilities of starting a factory for preparing fruit
juices jams and Pickles. After taking into consideration all the aspects concerning
the project I have prepared the following report:

1. Geographical situation: Vapi is considered to be the industrial

area of South Gujarat. It is centre of trade and industry. It is on the main railway
line connecting Mumbai and [Link] is also connected with Mumbai and
other important places by roads.

2. Raw material: the fertile land of Vapi and the other places nearby is suitable
mango, Sapodilla and other kinds of fruits. The leading businessman in this
line and the farmers show their pleasure at the idea of starting a factory for
 purpose: As such there will not be any difficulty in getting the fruits proposed
factory.

3. Transport: Vapi is connected by rail and road with important cities that will
be any difficulty in sending goods to other places.

4. Land: I made the authorities of the Vapi municipality and came to know there
will not be any problem regarding land.

5. Water: As the river Daman Ganga is full of water throughout the year there
will not be any problems for getting water.

6. Electricity: As the new thermal power station has been recently setup near
Vapi there will not be any difficulty in getting the required current for the
proposed factory.

7. Labor: Laborers from the surrounding villages will be very easily available
the rate of wages is reasonable.

8. Technicians: as there are many technical institutions in Surat, Bharuch,

Valsad Vadodara Ahmadabad and in other places of
Gujarat, I don't think there will be any difficulty in getting the services of the
technicians. The highly qualified and experienced technicians can be attracted by
offering high salaries and other facilities.

9. Finance: the appendix enclosed together with the report gives idea of the
capital required for the proposed factory the figures mentioned in the said
appendix have been prepared after consulting the engineers the technicians and
the chartered accountant. I further believe that as our company has established a
reputation there will not be any problem in raising capital by issuing new shares.

10. Market: as the demand of juice jams and pickles has been increasing day by
day there will not be any problem for getting the market.

Analysis and Findings: The details of the reports given here will convince you
that I have tried to include all aspects pertaining to starting a new factory. These
details go in favor of starting a factory and hence I believe that a factory for
preparing juice, jams and pickles would prove a great success.

Signed on behalf of the committee,

Company Secretary,
Example of a report written by a committee

A committee has been constituted by the management of a company to enquire

into the causes responsible for the gradual decline in the sales of products of the
company in a particular region. Draft the Committee report that identifies the
causes responsible for the decline and also offering a few constructive
suggestions to improve sales in that region.

Date:

Report of the committee appointed by the management of Rotofab Pvt. Ltd. to

find out the causes of the decline in the sales and to suggest suitable steps to
arrest this decline.

A committee was appointed by the management of Rotofab Private Limited to

find out the causes of decline in the sales and suggest suitable steps to arrest this
decline. The committee visited important towns and cities of Gujarat in the first
week of the month of May. The committee discussed these problems with local
traders and stockiest. This committee also held detailed discussion with the
salesman and
Regional Manager of the company in Gujarat the committee submit the following
report the committee has come to the conclusion that the following causes are
mainly responsible for the decline in the sales of the shaving blades.

1. Price: the committee is of the view that the price of our shaving blade is
really exorbitant in the area. The price level of other blades is lower than
our prize. Most of the middle income people have switched over to other
blades.

2. Quality: the committee came across many complaints with regard to

quality of the blades. Many traders and stockiest showed the sub
standardblades to the members of the committee. This is also one of the
reasons for the, decline ofthe sales.

3. Sharpness: the committee believes that the sharpness plays a very

important part in the popularity of a blade the committee hard money
complaints with regard to the sharpness of plates the sharpness of the other
place is better according to many traders.
 4. Publicity: The committee during that tour also observed that the entire
publicity of the blades is very poor in many towns. People don't know about
our blades. The newspaper published is of poor quality. There are no
hoardings in important towns in Gujarat. This is also one of the reasons for
decline in the sales.

5. Salesmen: The committee regrets to know that there are only six Salesman
in Gujarat this salesman cannot cover the state in satisfactory manner.

The committee discussed all these points in detail with salesman, the Regional
Manager and other officers of the company. The committee gives the following
recommendations:

1. The committee suggests that the company should seriously consider the
question of reduction in prices of the blades. The committee also suggests that
the price of the plate should be reduced at least by 15%.

2. A committee with all with all emphasis at its command to maintain

a quality control the committee also recommends that a special quality control
department should be created by the company.

3. The committee recommends that the company should use better steel for
sharpness. The committee would also like to suggest that an attractive
packaging should be introduced by the company.

4. The company recommends that there should be a special publicity campaign

in Gujarat the company also recommends that the newspaper publicity should
be improved and special Headings should be erected in all the important cities
of Gujarat. If necessary, special gift scheme also should be introduced by the
company.

5. The committee recommends that two more salesmen should be appointed for
Gujarat area so that our blades can be sold in all the parts or Gujarat.

Signed on behalf of the committee,

Chairman
Secretary

=========================================
 Statement of Purpose
What is a statement of purpose?
 A statement of purpose (SOP), sometimes referred to as a personal
statement, is a critical piece of a graduate school application that tells
admissions committees who you are, what your academic and professional
interests are, and how you‟ll add value to the graduate program you‟re
applying to.
 A strong statement of purpose can be the deciding factor in a graduate
student‟s admission.
 “Your statement of purpose is where you tell your story about who you are
and why you deserve to be a part of the [university‟s] community. It gives
the admissions committee the chance to get to know you and understand
how you‟ll add value to the classroom,”
How long is a statement of purpose?

 “A statement of purpose should be between 500 and 1,000 words.

 It should typically not exceed a single page.
 Use a traditional font at a readable size (11- or 12-pt) and leave enough
whitespace in the margins to make the statement easy-to-read.
 Make sure to double-space the statement if the university has requested it.
How to Write a Statement of Purpose:
1. Brainstorm your ideas.
 Try to reframe the task at hand and get excited for the opportunity to write
your statement of purpose.
 When writing your statement of purpose, he suggests asking yourself these
key questions:

 [Link] do I want this degree?

 2. What are my expectations for this degree?

 3. What courses or program features excite me the most?
 4. Where do I want this degree to take me, professionally and personally?
 5. How will my unique professional and personal experiences add value to
the program?
 Jot these responses down to get your initial thoughts on paper. This will act
as your starting point that you‟ll use to create an outline and your first draft.
Develop an outline
Next, you‟ll want to take the ideas that you‟ve identified during the
brainstorming process and plug them into an outline that will guide your
writing.
INTRODUCTION
1. An attention-grabbing hook
2. A brief introduction of yourself and your background as it relates to
your motivation behind applying to graduate school.

BODY
1. Your relevant experience and accomplishments that relate to the field
1. Example 1
2. Example 2
3. Example 3
2. Your professional goals as they relate to the program you‟re applying
to
3. Why you‟re interested in the specific school and what you can bring
to the table
CONCLUSION
A brief summary of the information presented in the body that emphasizes
your qualifications and compatibility with the school
 An outline like the one above will give you a roadmap to follow so that
your statement of purpose is well-organized and concise.
Write the first draft.
 Your statement of purpose should communicate who you are and why you
are interested in a particular program, but it also needs to be positioned in a
way that differentiates you from other applicants.
 Admissions professionals already have your transcripts, resumé, and test
scores; the statement of purpose is your chance to tell your story in your
own words.
When you begin drafting content, make sure to:
 Provide insight into what drives you, whether that‟s professional
advancement, personal growth, or both.
 Demonstrate your interest in the school by addressing the unique features
of the program that interest you most. For Northeastern, he says, maybe it‟s
experiential learning; you‟re excited to tackle real-world projects in your
desired industry. Or perhaps it‟s learning from faculty who are experts in
your field of study.
 Be yourself. It helps to keep your audience in mind while writing, but don‟t
forget to let your personality shine through. It‟s important to be authentic
when writing your statement to show the admissions committee who you
are and why your unique perspective will add value to the program.
Edit and refine your work.
 Before you submit your statement of purpose:
 Make sure you‟ve followed all directions thoroughly, including
requirements about margins, spacing, and font size.
 Proofread carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
 Remember that a statement of purpose should be between 500 and 1,000
words. If you‟ve written far more than this, read through your statement
again and edit for clarity and conciseness. Less is often more; articulate
your main points strongly and get rid of any “clutter.”
 Walk away and come back later with a fresh set of eyes. Sometimes your
best ideas come when you‟re not sitting and staring at your computer.
 Ask someone you trust to read your statement before you submit it.
Making a Lasting Impression
 Your statement of purpose can leave a lasting impression if done well.
  It provides you with the opportunity to highlight your unique background
and skills so that admissions professionals understand why you‟re the ideal
candidate for the program that you‟re applying to.
 If nothing else, stay focused on what you uniquely bring to the classroom,
the program, and the campus community.
 If you do that, you‟ll excel.

Technical Proposal

Introduction:

A proposal is an offer by one party to provide a product or service to another

party in exchange for money. Proposal is prepared before a specific event or
incident. In other words, Proposals are written offers to solve a technical problem
or to undertake a project of practical or theoretical nature. Thus, consultants
submit their proposal to
companies stating that how they can solve their problem. For example: in public
works department, different constructing
companies send their proposals about construction estimate in government
department.

Purpose

The main purposes of technical proposals are as under:

 To solve the problem.

 To find out the answers to the questions.

 To offer an advice and training.

 To conduct research or topic.

 To provide the service or product.

 To plan and construct things like buildings, highways, bridges etc.

  To improve the situation of a particular organization.

 To provide recommendations, suggestions, advice to an organization.

Characteristics of a good proposal:

Technical proposal, whether they are sales proposal or research proposal have
several characteristics which make the proposal effective and impressive. In this
way, technical proposal should:

 Be neat, clean and attractive.

 Include summary, background, objectives, and description of the problem,

methods and cost estimate.

 Anticipate any possible reasons for rejection and provide suggestions for
overcoming them.

 Follow the requirement of the solicitor.

 Contain all elements of structure according to the purpose, usefulness and

requirements.

 Use plain, direct and unambiguous language.

 Have evidence that supports the arguments.

 Provide the factual information.

Style and appearance of the proposal:

In the matter of style and appearance, we find much similarity in technical report
and
proposal. Both use similar style and appearance. One should keep in mind that
style
and outlook of the proposal makes it effective, accessible and interesting. The
reader of the proposal considers the structure, outlook, style etc. while reading it.
Therefore
a proposal write should keep following things in mind while preparing a
proposal.
  A proposal should be neat, clean and well managed.

 Its binding should be strong and attractive.

 Illustrations like pictures, graphs, charts and tables, etc. used according to
the structure of the proposal.

 The cover page should be attractive and suggestive.

 A proposal must have structure: prefatory part, main text and

supplementary part.

 Font size, color, brightness of words, pictures and pages should be

appropriate.

Structure / elements of the proposal

The structure of the proposal is made up of three parts: prefatory part, main
text and supplementary part. These parts contain elements of the proposal.
Prefatory parts:

 Title page

The title page of the proposal is similar to report. It includes the title, the name of
the person or company to whom the proposal issubmitted, the name of the person
who submits the proposal and the date.

 Letter of transmittal:

This letter includes a brief introductory paragraph, a middle paragraph and a

concluding paragraph. The topic and purpose are mentioned in the introductory
paragraph. The middle part highlights the proposal
and the concluding part motivates the receiver to give positive response towards
the proposal.

 Draft contract:

It is a rough draft contract prepared by the proposal writer. When the proposal is
accepted, the rough draft may change in terms of finance, time duration of
project, etc.

 Table of content:

A brief proposal does not require a table of contents. In table contents, points are
mentioned with their page number in sequence.

 List of tables or figures:

This section mentions the location of different illustrations like pictures, graphs,
tables, maps, charts etc. in the proposal.

 Summary:

In this section the subject of the proposal is summarize and briefly explained.
This Summary helps in attracting and providing the basic information to the
reader.

Body of the proposal:

 Problem and need

The problem statement clearly specifies what it intends to investigate. It should

describe the existing facilities. It should explain why the problem exists and what
benefits will come from the proposal.
 Background:

The following information is included in the background:

 Previous work already completed on related projects.

 Literature reviews on the subject.

 Statements showing how the proposal will build on completed projects.

  Purpose:

The purpose or objective of the proposal should be stated briefly and clearly.

 Scope:

This part defines the boundaries of the project. For example: the proposal on a
research study should clearly specify Whether it will study one or more
company, departments or a particular problem.

 Limitations:

This part describes the limitations over which the writer has no control.

 Procedures:

It is a brief discussion on how the technical requirements of the reader will be

metthat should be given in this part. This discussion includes the various aspects
like methods and sources; plan of attack, sequence of activities, equipment,
facilities and products; etc.

 Cost estimate:

The cost-estimate is mandatory for all proposals. It should include such items
like materials and suppliers; salaries, travel, etc.

 Conclusion:

This last section of the body of the proposal provides a final opportunity to the
reader; and persuades the receiver that he has all the information regarding the
project. No new ideas should be added and this section should be very brief.

Supplementary part:

 Appendices:

Appendices are optional in proposals. An appendix includes the additional

information which has not been mentioned in the proposal. Generally appendices
contains materials such as sample documents, detailed calculations, experimental
result, data tables, graphs, specimen, sample of form etc.
  References:

It gives the list of sources which are used for making the proposal. References
are an alphabetical list of books, magazines, newspapers, websites, personal
interviews that has helped in preparing a proposal.

Types of proposal:

There are basically two types of proposals:

 Sales Proposals
 Research Proposals

Sales Proposal:

Sales proposals are known as business proposals. They are sent outside the
company to potential clients or customers. When company prepares a sales
proposal, it needs to convince the reader that it understands the receiver's
problem and that it is qualified to solve the problem successfully. Sales proposals
are rarely duplicate of one another in either structure or style. In fact, they often
take quite different and creative directions like successful advertisements.

Research Proposal:

Research proposals are usually academic in nature. Here proposal are prepared to
obtain a grant for any kind of research. Through research proposal academic
institution decides whether the proposal writer is suitable for the research
[Link] proposal are also important to gain information about the
potential research

Thus, these are two important types of proposal which are widely used in their
respective fields.

Example of a Technical Proposal

As a General Secretary of the students' Union ofyour institution, prepare a
proposal of setting up a canteen on the campus. proposal is to be written in the
form of letter and submitted to the VP of Students' Union,
ARIHANT Engineering College

S. G. Highway, Ahmedabad.

23rd March, 2019

To,
The vice president
Students' Union
ARIHANT Engineering College
S. G. Highway, Ahmedabad.
Sub: proposal for setting up a canteen at the college campus.

Dear Sir,

We are happy to submit a proposal for setting up a canteen in the campus to

Provide high quality and low priced canteen facility to the students. The canteen
will be set up through the students recent initiative to 'earn while we learn'
drive.

Purpose:

The purpose of this letter is to submit a proposal to setting up a canteen through

students-Institute partnership to provide better canteen facility to all.

Problem:

The lack of proper canteen facility is a major drawback of our campus. The
absence of Fast Food centers in the nearby areas of the college campus students
to travel to the long and spend more rupees. The proposed canteen will provide
high quality and low price canteen facility.

The proposed plan

Investment

Institute's share Students' share

30%70%

Returns
40%60%

The proposed Menu Card

Item Price in Rupees

Mini meal 30
Mega meal50
Tea5

Please receive this proposal consider it and react to it soon for the benefit of the
institute and the students.

Yours faithfully

Xyz

General Secretary

===============================================

Notice

What is a Notice ?
 Notice writing is a formal means of communication.
 The purpose of notice writing is to bring to notice a certain piece of
information to a group of people.
 They are generally pinned in any common area where the concerned
people can read it.
 It is one of the common methods of communication.
 It gives important information about something that is about to take place
or has taken place.
 It is usually meant for a wider audience and is put up in a public place for
easy accessibility.
Format of a Notice

 Name of the Organisation - It refers to the name of the institution of which

the person writing a notice is a part of. It is written on the top of the page, it
helps the readers identify who issued the notice.
 Title - „Notice‟- This title says” notice‟, It lets the readers know that they
are going to read the notice.
 Date - The date is written on the left corner of the notice after leaving a
tile. As the notices are the formal communication, date of issuing a notice
is very important. The date should be written in a proper format, which is
clear and easily understandable.
 Heading - Heading explains what is the notice about in brief. Heading
should reflect the content of the meeting. It is just like a „subject‟ of an
email, which gives a synopsis or purpose of the communication
 Body - Body of the notice includes the main content for which the notice
was issued. The body should contain all the necessary information required
in the notice like time of an event, venue of the event and a date and it
should be written in a passive voice without the use of first-person.

Example of Notice Writing

 Tips on Notice Writing
 A Well-Written Notice Must Inform The Readers About Five Questions
What is Going to Happen
 The notice should explicitly state the event or information about which the
notice is written.
Where It Will Take Place
 If it is an event then a place should be mentioned with complete address
and landmarks, so that the reader can locate the venue without any hassle.
When It Will Take Place
 The time should be written along with the place, make sure the time is a
very important part and should be rechecked before issuing the notice.
Who Can Apply or is Eligible For It
 The notice should state who it concerns and an unwanted crown can gather.
It should be mentioned who all are eligible for that particular event on
which the notice is issued.
Whom to Contact or Apply to
 The issuing authority of notice should leave a piece of contact information
for people to reach out to them.
No Extra Details
 Any kind of extra details is not required in notice writing, as it will only
deviate people from the main topic. Notice has to be not more than 50
words.
Follow the Structure
 Following the notice writing format is highly recommended as it is
uniformly accepted and could be noticed at once.
Appropriate Heading
 Heading should be appropriate and should have content about the main
purpose of the notice. If the heading is ambiguous people might get
confused and leave the notice unread.
Clarity
 Even if the message is short, it has to be very clear to the minds of the
reader. Sometimes in cutting short the message we lose the clarity. Notice
has to be precise and accurate.

Agenda
An agenda is the list of topics or subjects to be discussed in meeting.
It is circulated with the notice well in advance so that the participants of the
meeting prepare themselves for the discussion and concerns at hand.
A well prepared agenda helps the chair person in directing the business so
that the decisions are taken efficiently.
The agenda is sent as a part of notice but sometimes it is also attached
separately.
Essential elements of Agenda
1. It contains the name of organization when you date and time as well as the
nature or type of the meeting.
2. It lists all items for discussion serially.
3. If necessary, it may be accompanied by necessary papers notes data etc.
various topics supporting the items.
Format of an Agenda:
 One needs to be very careful while preparing an agenda for a meeting.
Basically there are two parts:
1. Header
2. Body-list of items
 The header is essentially important if the participants of the meeting are
from different departments or organizations. The header contains the
following items:
1. Name of the organization
2. Date
3. Location
4. Group Meeting Agenda
5. Schedule of meeting along with the starting and ending time

The body of the agenda that contains the actual discussion that is to take
place during the meeting.
The action words like adopt, develop, conceptualize, review , announce,
discuss, approve, etcetera can be used so that the participants would come
to know what is expected of them.
The agenda is originally written in sequence based on the issues to be
discussed in to the meeting.
The secretary of the company draft the agenda in consultation with the
chairman president of managing director with great care and clear thinking.
Apart from this agenda can also be prepared by whosoever is calling for the
meeting.
Minutes
Introduction:
Communication means conveying messages by a sender to the receiver.
In an organization, communication takes place with outside world it and
also internally with its members.
Group communication is a major type of internal communication.
A group is made up of two or more persons in social interaction with
common interests and goals.
This group must possess a stable structure, some individual members may
join on leave, but it must have a definite identity and the members must
recognize each other as belonging to a group.
Formal group are created to carry out specific tasks to help the organization
achieve its goals.
There are mainly three types of committees commonly used by the
organization:
 Boards
 Standing committees
 Commissions
Boards are made up of members who are appointed for elected to manage a
public or private organization.
For example : Board of directors in a company is selected to oversee e and
manage the affairs of a company.
Standing committees like finance committee are formed to meet continuing
organizational needs.
They are not like projects teams.
Project teams are dissolved when a specific task like setting up a new
branch is over.
Vice commissions are usually appointed to carry out administrative
legislative and regulatory duties.
Procedure of Meeting:
The members of different groups interact with each other by holding
meetings.
The need to take decisions requires meetings of group members.
First the work in hand or a problem is placed before the members, a
discussion with different views of a different members follow and then the
decision or solution is taken which is supported by the majority of
members.
Meetings can be formal or informal.
A meeting between boss and subordinates is highly formal where
instructions and directives are given and suggestions or active participation
are not expected, while a meeting of an association is more informal where
participations are free to express their views.
Meetings are thus a group decision making forum.
And it would be effective only when the purpose of the meeting is
accomplished.
A meeting is made up of two parts.
One part is documentation part notice, agenda, minutes and resolutions.
The other part is actual conduct or procedure of the meeting.
Companies, counsels and voluntary bodies have the rules of meetings laid
down by the Companies Act, Memorandum and Articles of Association for
companies etc. and written constitution for voluntary organizations.
For any meeting to function properly, the supporting documents like notice-
agenda-minutes must be prepared carefully.
Usually these are prepared by the secretary after consulting the chairman or
chairperson.
The notice and agenda, accompanied by the minutes of the previous
meeting are sent to members well before the time of the meetings.
Board of directors meetings
There are various types of meetings for a business organization for social
associations.
 Different types of meetings for different types of work or business in hind
are arranged.
The meeting of the Board of Directors of every company must be held at
least once in every three months and four such meetings every year.
It is desirable that board meeting should be held months and four such
meetings every year.
It is desirable that board meeting should be held on a working day and
during working or business hours.
Quorum is necessary for such a meeting.
The Word Quorum means the minimum number of members whose
presence is necessary to transact the business and make it legal.
Every meeting of a board or committee must have a chairperson to preside
over its proceedings.
The first board meetings, routine board meeting, meeting prior to annual
meeting are examples of Board of Directors meetings.
Statutory Meeting
Statutory means in acted by statute that is by fundamental rule or law.
It means by the law of the Companies act passed by the legislature of our
country.
The statue theory meeting is held only once in the lifetime of the company.
It must be held at the earliest one month after the incorporation and not
later than six months after that date.
It is a general body Meeting and CEO shareholders are present.
The statutory report is sent to members in advance so it is only and
informing meeting to approve the report.
The objective of this meeting is to inform members about company‟s
career, financial position, issued capital, property acquired by the company,
etc.
Annual General Meeting:
The Companies act has many laws and regulations for such a meeting.
It is held once in a year. The notice is sent at least 21 days in advance.
Original accounts, balance sheet of the company and directors report are also sent
along with the notice.
All the shareholders Board members, Legal Advisors remain present.
It is important because of the declaration of dividend and appointment of the
directors.
Generally the following item are considered at the annual general Meeting
of a limited company?
1. Conveying the notice convening the meeting.
2. To consider the audited accounts, balance sheet and the reports of the
directors and auditors.
3. To declare dividend.
4. The election of directors in the place of those retiring.
5. The appointment of the auditors.
6. Vote of thanks.
Extra Ordinary General Meetings:
This is a red meeting convened for special purpose like merger with another
company of change in the name.
It is also a General body Meeting with members of board, shareholders and
office bearers.
Resolutions are limited to the special business in hand.
Meetings of Social Organizations:
Social organizations like associations, clubs coopertaive societies also have
private and public meetings.
Governing bodies arrange meetings in private while public meetings are
arranged when all the members can participate.
The executive committee or council decides about managing a club in general
while Entertainment Committee plans and decides certain functions during the
year.
The public meetings are general like Annual General Meeting or General
Election Meeting.
Meetings of a Department:
Meetings of a working section of department of an organization can also be
arranged to carry about different business in hand.
Memorandum and office-notices are a part of such internal working.
Minutes of Meetings

Introduction
Minutes are written either by the secretary or by the person who is assigned
to do the task.
All the meetings whether a board meeting or a committee meeting or a
social organization has to maintain a record of their working.
Minutes represent all the record of the proceedings at the meeting.
During the course of meeting the topics listed in the agenda are discussed
serially one by one.
All the participants Express their views and arrive at surgeon conclusions
auditions which are known as resolutions.
Minutes represent the official record of the work done at the meeting of
members and so it must be clear, precise and formal.
The APAC code of matches already decided upon so resolutions are a major
part of the minutes.
They are meant for future reference and available to all members on request,
as a background for future discussion.
Generally the minutes are read out at the next meeting and approve by the
members before the chairman signs them.
They are always written in reported speech form.
They are written either in the point format or with topical heading.
Essentials of Minutes:
There is no fix format but usually the following features are a part of minutes
with resolutions:
1. The minutes begin with the letter head or name of the company.
2. Name of the organization and nature of the meeting.
3. Day, date, time, and place of the meeting.
4. Name of the chairman and members present at the meeting. A list is
attached if many members are our present. Only the number is mentioned.
5. Name of persons “in attendance” like the secretary, the auditor, the
solicitor.
6. The record of confirmation of the previous minutes. Reading and approval
of the minutes of the previous meeting.
7. Appointments if any “be and is hereby appointed”.
8. A summary of discussion if necessary.
9. The last resolution is normally the formal vote of thanks to the chairman.
10. At the end it should be space for the date and requirements signature.
This date is the date on which the minutes are confirmed and signed.
Minutes of Social Organizations:
Social organizations also perform the task by convening different types of
meetings of the different committees and councils.
Their proceedings are also recorded in the same form as that of minutes of
company meetings.
There is an executive or managing committee in place of board of directors,
and there are different committees like Entertainment for Election committees.
THE END