CHAPTER FIVE
MEDIA COMMUNICATION
Written communication is the process of conveying messages, ideas, or information through
written symbols, typically in the form of text. It can take many forms and is essential in both
personal and professional contexts. Here are some examples of written communication:
Emails Example: A business email to a colleague discussing project updates or
scheduling meetings.
Reports Example: A research report presenting findings from a study, complete
with charts and graphs.
Letters Example: A formal letter applying for a job or a cover letter
accompanying a resume.
Memos Example: An internal memo to staff regarding policy changes or
upcoming events.
Text Messages Example: Quick messages exchanged between friends or
colleagues about meeting times or casual conversations.
Social Media Posts Example: A tweet or Facebook post sharing news, updates, or
personal thoughts.
4.1 Business Reports
Business reports are structured documents that present information, analysis, and
recommendations to assist in decision-making within an organization. They serve various
purposes, such as informing stakeholders, analyzing performance, and proposing solutions to
problems.
Forms of Business Reports
Informational Reports: Provide data and facts without analysis or recommendations (e.g.,
sales reports, financial statements).
Analytical Reports: Analyze data and provide interpretations and recommendations (e.g.,
market analysis, feasibility studies).
Research Reports: Present findings from research projects or studies (e.g., academic
research, product research).
Progress Reports: Update stakeholders on the status of ongoing projects (e.g., project
status reports).
Financial Reports: Summarize the financial performance of a business (e.g., income
statements, balance sheets).
Technical Reports: Detail technical information or research findings (e.g., engineering
reports, product specifications).
Annual Reports: Comprehensive reports on a company's performance over the year, often
aimed at shareholders.
Parts of a Business Report
1. Title Page: Includes the report title, author(s), date, and any relevant logos.
2. Table of Contents: Lists sections and page numbers for easy navigation.
3. Executive Summary: A brief overview of the report's purpose, key findings, conclusions, and
recommendations.
4. Introduction: Sets the context for the report, outlines its purpose, and states the objectives.
5. Methodology: Describes how data was collected and analyzed (mainly in analytical and
research reports).
6. Findings/Results: Presents the data and information gathered, often using charts, graphs, and
tables for clarity.
7. Discussion/Analysis: Interprets the findings, discusses their implications, and compares them
with previous studies or benchmarks.
8. Conclusions: Summarizes the main points derived from the analysis.
9. Recommendations: Provides actionable suggestions based on the findings and conclusions.
10. References/Bibliography: Lists sources used in the report preparation.
Significance of Business Reports
Informed Decision-Making: Reports provide essential information and analysis that help
managers make informed decisions.
Performance Evaluation: They allow organizations to assess their performance against
goals and benchmarks.
Accountability: Reports hold individuals and departments accountable for their actions
and results.
Communication Tool: They facilitate communication among stakeholders by presenting
complex information in an organized manner.
Strategic Planning: Business reports contribute to strategic planning by identifying
trends, opportunities, and challenges.
Documentation: They serve as a formal record of business activities, decisions made, and
outcomes achieved.
Compliance and Governance: Many reports are required for regulatory compliance and
governance purposes, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Resource Allocation: Helps management allocate resources effectively by identifying
areas that require investment or improvement.
4.2 Business Letter
A business letter is a formal written communication used for professional purposes. It is
typically used to convey information, make requests, address concerns, or communicate
decisions within or between organizations. Business letters are characterized by their structured
format, clear and concise language, and professional tone.
Key features of a business letter include:
Format: Business letters follow a specific format that includes the sender's address, date,
recipient's address, salutation, body, closing, and signature.
Purpose: They serve various purposes such as inquiries, complaints, confirmations,
proposals, or thank-you notes.
Tone: The tone is usually formal and respectful, avoiding overly casual language or
slang.
Clarity: The content is straightforward and to the point, ensuring that the message is
easily understood.
Documentation: Business letters provide a written record of communication, which can
be important for legal or administrative reasons.
Elements of good letter
The most important element of writing a good letter is your ability to identify and write to your
audience. If you are addressing your letter to the department of human resources, avoid using
highly technical terms that only engineers would understand. Even if your letter is addressed to
an engineering company, chances are that the personnel in human resources do not have an
engineering background.
The next element is to make sure you present your objective in a clear and concise manner. Don't
be vague about your objective; most people will not have the patience to sit there and guess at
the meaning of your letter. Most dont have the time to read a long-winded letter either, so stick
to one page and just get to the point without going into unnecessary details.
Another important element to remember is to remain professional. Even if you are writing a
letter of complaint, remain polite and courteous. Simply state the problem(s) along with any
other relevant information and be sure to avoid threats and slander.
Remember to introduce yourself if your audience is unaware of whom you are. In most cases, the
business letter will be the first impression that you make on someone. Though business writing
has become less formal over time, you should still take great care that your letter's content is
clear and that you have proofread it carefully.
Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your document does not
turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep in mind also that "concise" does
not have to mean "blunt"you still need to think about your tone and the audience for whom you
are writing. Strive to be exact and specific, avoiding vagueness, ambiguity, and platitudes. If
there are industry- or field-specific concepts or terminology that is relevant to the task at hand,
use them in a manner that will convey your competence and experience. Avoid any language that
your audience may not understand. Your finished piece of writing should indicate how you meet
the requirements you've listed and answer any questions raised in the description or prompt.
Layout of a business letter
The essential parts of a business letter are as follows:
1. Heading -The heading of a business letter usually contains the name and postal address of
the business, E-mail address, Web-site address, Telephone Number, Fax Number, Trade Mark or
logo of the business (if any)
2. Date - The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after the heading as the day,
month and years. Some examples are 28thFeb, 2003 or Feb. 28, 2003.
3. Reference- It indicates letter number and the department from where the letter is being sent
and the year. It helps in future reference. This reference number is given on the left hand 4corner
after the heading. For example, we can write reference number as AB/FADept./2003/27.
4. Inside address - This includes the name and full address of the person or the firm to whom the
letter is to be sent. This is written on the left hand side of the sheet below the reference number.
Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g., the Secretary, the Principal, the
Chairman, the Manager etc. Example:
M/S Bharat Fans
Bharat Complex
Hyderabad Industrial Complex
Hyderabad
Andhra Pradesh - 500032
The Chief Manager,
State Bank of India
Utkal University Campus
Bhubaneswar,
Orissa- 751007
5. Subject - It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the letter [Link] attracts
the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to know quickly what the letter is about.
For example,
Subject: Your order No. C317/8 dated 12thMarch 2003.
Subject: Enquiry about Samsung television
Subject: Fire Insurance policy
6. Salutation - This is placed below the inside address. It is usually followed by a comma(,).
Various forms of salutation are:
Sir/Madam: For official and formal correspondence
Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual
Dear Sirs/Dear Madam: For addressing a firm or company.
7. Body of the letter- This comes after salutation. This is the main part of the letter and it
contains the actual message of the sender. It is divided into three parts.
(a) Opening part - It is the introductory part of the letter. In this part, attention of the reader
should be drawn to the previous correspondence, if any. For example-with reference to your
letter no. 326 dated. 12thMarch 2003, I would like to draw your attention towards the new brand
of television.
(b) Main part - This part usually contains the subject matter of the letter. It should be precise and
written in clear words.
(c) Concluding Part - It contains a statement of the senders intentions, hopes or expectations
concerning the next step to be taken. Further, the sender should always look forward to getting a
positive response. At the end, terms like Thanking you, With regards, With warm regards may be
used.
8. Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending a letter. It must be in accordance
with the salutation. For example:
Salutation. Complementary close6
i. Dear Sir/Dear Madam: Yours faithfully
ii. Dear Mr. Raj : Yours sincerely
iii. My Dear Akbar: Yours very sincerely (express very informal relations.)
9. Signature - It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close. As far as possible,
the signature should be legible. The name of the writer should be type immediately below the
signature. The designation is given below the typed name. Where no letterhead is in use, the
name of the company too could be included below the designation of the writer. For example:
Yours faithfully
For M/S Acron Electricals
(Signature)
SUNIL KUMAR
Partner
Type of Business Letters
Business letters are written for the fulfillment of several purposes. The purpose may be to
enquire about a product to know its price and quality, availability, etc. This purpose is served if
you write a letter of enquiry to the supplier. After receiving your letter the supplier may send you
details about the product as per your query. If satisfied, you may give order for supply of goods
as per your requirement. After receiving the items, if you find that the product is defective or
damaged, you may lodge a complaint. These are the few instances in which business
correspondence takes place. Let us learn the details about some important business letters.
Business Enquiry Letter
Sometimes prospective buyers want to know the details of the goods which they want to buy,
like quality, quantity, price, mode of delivery and payment, etc. They may also ask for a sample.
The letter written to sellers with one or more of the above purposes is known as enquiry letter.
Points to be kept in mind while writing letters of enquiry-
Letters of enquiry should clearly state the information required, which may be asking for a price
list or a sample. Write specifically about the design, size, quantity, quality, etc. about the
product or service in which the buyer is interested.
The period or the date, till which information is required, may also be mentioned.
Quotation Letter
After receiving the letter of enquiry from a prospective buyer, the sellers supply the relevant
information by writing a letter that is called quotation letter. These letters are written keeping in
view the information asked for like price list, mode of payment, discount to be allowed etc.
Businessman should reply to the inquiries carefully and promptly7
Order Letter
We have studied about letters of enquiry and reply to enquiry i.e., quotation letter. The
prospective buyer after receiving the reply to his enquiry letter may decide to place on order with
that business house which offers goods at minimum price and at favorable terms and conditions.
Letters written by a buyer to the seller giving the orderto purchase the goods is called order
letter.
Complaint Letter
A complaint letter is written when the purchaser does not find the goods up to his satisfaction.
It is normally written by the purchaser when he receives wrong, defective or damaged goods or
receives incorrect quantity of goods. It can also be written directly to the transit authority when
the goods are damaged in transit. Thus, we may define a letter of complaint as the letter that
draws the attention of the supplier or any other party on account of supply of defective or
damaged goods.
Points to be considered while writing a complaint letter-
Complaint letters should be written immediately after receiving the defective goods.
Mistakes as well as difficulty due to mistake should be mentioned clearly
Proposal to correct the mistakes should be made
Suggestions on how the complaint should be dealt with, i.e., mention of compensation,
replacement, discount, cancellation etc, should be made. Mention period in which the corrective
action should be taken Request to be careful in future.
Recovery Letter
The letter written by the seller for collection of money for the goods supplied to the buyer is
Called recovery letter. The aim of recovery letter is to collect money without annoying the
customers. The letter should include information regarding the amount of arrears argument for
payment, and last date for payment. The language of recovery letter should be polite, so that the
customer is not offended and future transactions with him are not adversely affected.