Introduction to Business Letters

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Introduction To Business Letters

A commercial business letter is a letterwritten in formal language, usually used

when writing from one business organization to another, or for correspondence

between such organizations and their customers, clients and other external parties.The overall style of letter will depend on the relationship between the parties

concerned. There are many reasons to write a business letter. It could be to request

direct information or action from another party, to order supplies from a supplier,

to identify a mistake that was committed, to reply directly to a request, to

apologize for a wrong or simply to convey goodwill. Even today, the business

letter is still very useful because it produces a permanent record, is confidential,

formal and delivers persuasive, well-considered messages.

Types of Business Letters

1. Sales LettersTypical sales letters start off with a very strong statement to capture the interest ofthe reader. Since the purpose is to get the reader to do something, these letters

include strong calls to action, detail the benefit to the reader of taking the actionand include information to help the reader to act, such as including a telephone

number or website link.

2. Order Letters

Order letters are sent by consumers or businesses to a manufacturer, retailer orwholesaler to order goods or services. These letters must contain specific

information such as model number, name of the product, the quantity desired andexpected price. Payment is sometimes included with the letter.

3. Complaint LettersThe words and tone you choose to use in a letter complaining to a business may bethe deciding factor on whether your complaint is satisfied. Be direct but tactful and

always use a professional tone if you want the company to listen to you.

4. Adjustment LettersAn adjustment letter is normally sent in response to a claim or complaint. If the

adjustment is in the customers favor, begin the letter with that news. If not, keepyour tone factual and let the customer know that you understand the complaint.
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5. Inquiry LettersInquiry letters ask a question or elicit information from the recipient. Whencomposing this type of letter, keep it clear and succinct and list exactly what

information you need. Be sure to include your contact information so that it is easy

for the reader to respond.

6. Follow-Up LetterFollow-up letters are usually sent after some type of initial communication. This

could be a sales department thanking a customer for an order, a businessman

reviewing the outcome of a meeting or a job seeker inquiring about the status of his

application. In many cases, these letters are a combination thank-you note andsales letter.

7. Letters of RecommendationProspective employers often ask job applicants for letters of recommendation

before they hire them. This type of letter is usually from a previous employer orprofessor, and it describes the senders relationship with and opinion of the jobseeker.

8. Acknowledgment LettersAcknowledgment letters act as simple receipts. Businesses send them to let othersknow that they have received a prior communication, but action may or may not

have taken place.

9. Cover Letter

Cover letters usually accompany a package, report or other merchandise. They areused to describe what is enclosed, why it is being sent and what the recipient

should do with it, if there is any action that needs to be taken. These types of lettersare generally very short and succinct.

10.Letters of ResignationWhen an employee plans to leave his job, a letter of resignation is usually sent tohis immediate manager giving him notice and letting him know when the last day

of employment will be. In many cases, the employee also will detail his reason forleaving the company.


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Difference Between Business & Personal Letters

Letters are important means of communicating both personal and businesssentiments. However, personal letters are vastly different from their business

counterparts. To show proper business etiquette during your company transactions,

you should recognize these differences and take pains not to mix letter styles. Thiswill help you look professional to employees, clients, shareholders and investors.

Format

Business letters and personal letters are formatted much differently. With some

minor variations, business letters usually have 1-inch margins. They also havesingle spacing, with double spacing only between paragraphs and introductory data

lines (e.g., date, subject). The letter is left justified with no paragraph indentation.Business letters also are always typed. By contrast, personal letters can have

virtually any format. It is up to the writer to decide how he wants the personal

letter to appear. A personal letter traditionally is handwritten, but with technology

advancing, many people type personal letters on their computers because it's fasterto type than write manually.

Content

In a business letter, content is always objective-oriented -- that is, the purpose of

the letter is transparent. With a personal letter, content can cover many differenttopics, and there is more of an emphasis on relating past events and emotions than

on problem solving. Personal letters can be much more meandering. Personalletters may touch on some business or finance issues, but business letters never

discuss personal issues unless those issues directly impact the business.

Language and Punctuation

Business letters use more formal language than personal letters. Writers pay

special attention to word choice because word choice can make a huge differencein legal matters. Salutations and closings are polite and refer to proper titles (e.g.,

Chairman Edwards, Miss Neman). Colons are used more in business letters thanpersonal letters, particularly after the salutation and the introductory data line

labels (e.g. RE:, DATE:). Personal letters can use any language, including slang

and non-business abbreviations like ttyl (talk to you later) or btw (by the way). Theadvantage to this is that the personality of the writer truly comes across. Business

letters often lose the writer's true "voice." Personal letters use standard punctuation


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rules, but because they are so informal, writers often ignore some basicpunctuation and capitalization standards.

Why Differentiate?

The main reason why people separate personal letters from business letters isbecause a standard method of writing a business letter creates efficiency inbusiness operations. For example, business people know they quickly can ascertain

the purpose of the business letter from the subject line. Efficiency can translate into

revenue. Another reason for differentiation is that using a professional format

conveys that whatever is in the letter is of importance. Third, the use of businessletter format is expected by professionals. If you do not adhere to business formatwith your company, you may come across as less prepared or inexperienced.

Recruitment & Employment Correspondence

Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, selecting, and on

boarding a qualified person for a job. At the strategic level it may involve thedevelopment of an employer brand which includes an 'employee offering'.

The stages of the recruitment process include: job analysis and developing a personspecification; the sourcing of candidates by networking, advertising, or other

search methods; matching candidates to job requirements and screening individuals

using testing (skills or personality assessment); assessment of candidates'

motivations and their fit with organisational requirements by interviewing andother assessment techniques. The recruitment process also includes the making and

finalising of job offers and the induction and onboarding of new employees.

Job analysis

The starting point to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis and/or in

some cases a task analysis, to document the actual or intended requirements of the

job. From these the relevant information is captured in such documents as job

descriptions and job specifications. Often a company will already have job

descriptions that represent a historical collection of tasks performed. Where

already drawn up, these documents need to be reviewed or updated to reflect

present day requirements. Prior to initiating the recruitment stages a person

specification should be finalised to provide the recruiters commissioned with the

requirements and objectives of the project.
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Sourcing

Sourcing is the use of one or more strategies to attract or identify candidates to fill

job vacancies. It may involve internal and/or external advertising, using

appropriate media, such as local or national newspapers, specialist recruitment

media, professional publications, window advertisements, job centres, or in a

variety of ways via the internet. Alternatively, employers may use recruitment

consultancies to find otherwise scarce candidates who may be content in their

current positions and are not actively looking to move companies may be

proactively identified. This initial research for so-called passive candidates, also

called name generation, results in a contact information of potential candidates

who can then be contacted discreetly to be screened and approached.

Screening and selection

Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for

relevant skills, knowledge, aptitude, qualifications and educational or job related

experience. These can be determined via Resumes (also known as CVs); job

applications; interviews. More proactive identification methods

include psychological, aptitude, numeracy and literacy testing. the testimony of

references, Many recruiters and agencies use applicant tracking systems to perform

the filtering process, along with software tools forpsychometric testing. In many

countries, employers are legally mandated to ensure their screening and selection

processes meet equal opportunity and ethical standards.

In addition to the above selection assessment criteria, employers are likely to

recognise the value of candidates who also have the so-called 'soft skills', such as

interpersonal or team leadership and have the ability to reinforce the company

brand through their behavior in front of customers and suppliers. Multinational

organisations and those that recruit from a range of nationalities are also concerned

candidates will fit into the prevailing company 'culture'.

Lateral hiring

"Lateral hiring" refers to a form of recruiting; the term is used with two different,almost opposite meanings. In one meaning, the hiring organization targets

employees of another, similar organization, possibly luring them with a bettersalary and the promise of better career opportunities. An example is the recruiting

of a partner of a law firmby another law firm. The new lateral hire then hasspecific applicable expertise and can make a running start in the new job. In some
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professional branches such lateral hiring was traditionally frowned upon, but the

practice has become increasingly more common. An employee's contract may havea non-compete clausepreventing such lateral hiring.

In another meaning, a lateral hire is a newly hired employee who has no prior

specific applicable expertise for the new job, and for whom this job move is aradical change of career. An example is the recruiting of a university professortobecome chairman of the board of a company.

Onboarding.

"Onboarding" is a term which describes the process of helping new employees

become productive members of an organization. A well-planned introduction helps

new employees become fully operational quickly and is often integrated with anew company and environment. Onboarding is included in the recruitment process

for retention purposes. Many companies have onboarding campaigns in hopes to

retain top talent that is new to the company; campaigns may last anywhere from 1week to 6 months.

Recruitment Approaches

There are a variety of recruitment approaches and most organisations will utilise acombination of two or more of these as part of a recruitment exercise or to deliver

their overall recruitment strategy. In summary five basic models more commonlyfound are:-

An in-house personnel or human resources function may in some case still

conduct all stages of the recruitment process. In the smallest organisationsrecruitment may be left to individual managers. More frequently whilst

managing the overall recruitment exercise and the decision-making at the finalstages of the selection process external service providers may undertake the

more specialised aspects of the recruitment process.

Outsourcing of recruitment to an external provider may be the solution for

some small businesses and at the other extreme very large organisations

Employment agencies are established as both publicly funded services and ascommercial private sector operations. Services may support permanent,temporary, or casual worker recruitment. They may be generic agencies that

deal with providing unskilled workers through to highly skilled managerial ortechnical staff or so-called niche agencies that specialize in a particular

industrial sector or professional group.
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Executive search firms for executive and professional positions. These firms

operate across a range of models such as contingency or retained approachesand also hybrid models where advertising is also used to ensure a flow of

candidates alongside relying on networking as their main source of candidates.

Internet recruitment services including recruitment websites and job searchengines used to gather as many candidates as possible by advertising a position

over a wide geographic area. In addition social network sourced recruitment has

emerged as a major method of sourcing candidates.

Employment Correspondence

A sequence of written communication is usually necessary during the job search

campaign. This vital exchange between applicant and employer is expected by

both. A positive response from an employer usually prompts a detailed series of

letters and other paperwork. Proper documentation leaves little room for surprise.

Although correspondence is a time-consuming, business etiquette demand it if

youre serious about making a favorable impression.

Ideally, you should write a letter after each telephone call or letter you receive

from an employer to confirm your understanding of the situation. To save time, it

is permissible to prepare a set of computer generated semi-form letters to refer towhen corresponding with potential employers. Of course, you will need to

personalize and modify the letters to fit specific circumstances.

The importance of proper written communication is essential for obtaining

employment. Your attention to details and good follow through can give you the

edge over other competitors. A well written letter will almost always create

interest even when rapidly reviewed in a few short seconds.

When a resume is mailed to an employer, a cover letter should be included.
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A. CORRESPONDENCE GUIDELINES

Write to a specific individual in a decision-making role rather than title.

1. Use a positive, enthusiastic, tone.2. Develop 3-5 paragraph letters with 3-5 short sentences in each.

3. Print all letters on a very fine quality typewriter, letter quality or laser

printer.

4. Avoid flowery words, phrases, extraneous words, and clichs.

5. Use white, light gray or beige high-quality bond stationery with matching

envelopes.

6. Employers are usually impressed with self-confidence; a signature with a

blue felt-tip pen seems to indicate this trait.

7.Always keep a copy of every letter sent for future reference.8. When initially mailing to a chief executive, mark private or

confidential on the envelope and omit your name and return address onthe envelope.

9. Mail letters so they will reach the employer between Tuesday and

Thursday.

B. CORRESPONDENCE FORMATS

1. Letter of Application (for advertised job opening)

a) Open your letter with a strong positive statement about yourself

and your qualifications.b) Identify the position for which you are applying and how you

learned of the organization and the opening.

c) Indicate why you are interested in the position, the organizationand its services. Tell what you can do for the employer by

briefly matching your achievements and skills to the jobrequirements and the employers perceived needs.


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d) Describe your main qualifications. If you have been recently

trained, explain how your educational background makes youqualified for the position. Refer the employer to your enclosed

resume.

e) State that you will call on a certain day to arrange an interviewat the employers convenience. Indicate your desire to provide

additional information, if necessary.f) Thank the employer for considering you, and mention you are

looking forward to your meeting.

2. Letter of Application (when no current openings are known)

a)

Briefly introduce yourself with a strong positive statement.Name the person who referred you and why you are writing.b) Indicate that you are exploring employment opportunities in

your area of interest. State you are interested in obtainingadvice, information and suggestions. Be specific with your

reasons for wanting to meet with the employer. (You can

enclose your resume or take one to the meeting.)c) State that you will call on a certain day to arrange a meeting at

the employers convenience.

d) Thank the employer for considering you, and mention you are

looking forward to your meeting.

3. Letter of Job Offer Acknowledgement

a) Acknowledge your receipt of and express appreciation for the

job offer.b) State your understanding of the terms of the offer (e.g. job title,

salary, duties, work hours, benefits, etc.).

c) Indicate the date you will notify them of your decision.

4. Letter of Thanks for an Interview


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8. Letter Rejecting an Offer

a) Courteously decline the offer.

b) Express your appreciation for the offer and the employers

interest in you.

9. Letter Accepting an Offer

a) Accept the offer.

b) Outline the terms of employment (e.g. job title, salary, workhours, duties, benefits, etc.).

c) Indicate your target date for beginning employment.

d) Express your appreciation and your pleasure at joining theorganization.

10. Letter of resignation

a) Address the letter to your immediate supervisor.b) Indicate a general reason for resigning (e.g. acceptance of

another position).c) State your date of termination.

d) Express your interest in making as smooth a transition ofresponsibilities as possible.

e) Request a letter of reference for future use, if desired.f) State your appreciation for past opportunities, challenges, and

learning experiences.


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Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum vitae (CV) provide an overview of a person's experience and other

qualifications. In some countries, a CV is typically the first item that a

potential employerencounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to

screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment.

Difference between CV and Resume

CV

A CV (Curriculum Vit), which means course of life in Latin) is an in-depth

document that can be laid out over two or more pages and it contains a high level

of detail about your achievements, a great deal more than just a career biography.

The CV covers your education as well as any other accomplishments like

publications, awards, honors etc.

The document tends to be organized chronologically and should make it easy to get

an overview of an individuals full working career. A CV is static and doesnt

change for different positions, the difference would be in the cover letter.

Resume

A resume, or rsum, is a concise document typically not longer than one page asthe intended the reader will not dwell on your document for very long. The goal of

a resume is to make an individual stand out from the competition.

The job seeker should adapt the resume to every position they apply for. It is in the

applicants interest to change the resume from one job application to another and to

tailor it to the needs of the specific post. A resume doesnt have to be ordered

chronologically, doesnt have to cover your whole career like and is a highly

customizable document.

Differences

As stated, three major differences between CVs and resumes are the length, the

purpose and the layout. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience

over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two
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pages. The resume will be tailored to each position whereas the CV will stay put

and any changes will be in the cover letter.

A CV has a clear chronological order listing the whole career of the individual

whereas a resumes information can be shuffled around to best suit the applicant. Iwould say the main difference between a resume and a CV is that a CV is intended

to be a full record of your career history and a resume is a brief, targeted list of

skills and achievements.

Usage around the world

A resume is the preferred application document in the US and Canada. Americans

and Canadians would only use a CV when applying for a job abroad or if searching

for an academic or research oriented position.

In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, a CV is used in all contexts and resumes

arent used at all. In Australia, India and South Africa, the terms resume and CV

are used interchangeably. The term resume is used more for jobs in the private

sector and CV is more commonplace when applying for public service positions.

Types of CV

There are 3 types of CV, commonly used:

CHRONOLOGICAL CV

A chronological CV focusses on presenting the candidate's experience on anemployer by employer basis, with the posts being listed in reverse chronological

order. It also contains detail of education and qualifications, together with hobbies.Some chronological CVs also contain a brief personal statement at the front which

sets out the key skills and strengths of the candidate. This is the most common typeof CV.

How to structure a chronological CV

A chronological CV typically uses the following structure:

Personal details (i.e. name and contact details)

Personal profile or career objectives. This should not exceed 5 lines.


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skills or experience gained in voluntary or unpaid work. Here are examples of

functional headings that are commonly found.

Administration

Advertising

Communication

Consulting

Counselling

Customer service

Designing

Editing

Education

Electronics

Engineering

Human Resources

IT experience

Journalism

Law

Leadership

Management

Marketing

Organisation

Planning

Public Relations

Publishing

Research

Sales

Secretarial

Supervision

Training

Travel

Writing

Advantages

If you have changed jobs frequently, if your experience is a mish-mash of

seemingly unrelated posts or if you have several career gaps, a functionalCV will help place the emphasis on what you have to offer as a whole rather

than on the chronology.

If you are changing industry, a functional CV will help the recruiter focus onyour transferable skills.

If you are a more mature applicant, a functional CV will take the spotlightaway from your age.

Disadvantages

If you do not have much work experience, you may struggle to highlight

achievements in a separate section.

A functional CV will not enable you to highlight consistent careerprogression. If you wish to convey career progression, you should adopt a

chronological format.

To conclude the CV, you should then a list of employers and employment dates, as

well as a section on your qualification. The last section should focus on your

personal details and hobbies/interests.

COMBINED CV


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A combined CV follows both the chronological and functional format,

which makes the CV slightly longer than normal.

Advantages

Perfect format if you have a strong career progression with many

achievements.

Enables you to sell your strengths as well as your experience

Disadvantages

Lengthier than a functional or chronological CV

Failing to get the attention with the right profile at the start of the CV may

result in the whole CV remaining unread.

Not suitable for those with little experience or achievements.

Not suitable for those with employment gaps.

Offer Of Employment

A job offer is an invitation for a potential employee, whether he or she has applied

for a job, or not, to become an employee in your organization. The job offer

contains the details of youremployment offer.

The initial job offer may be extended verbally, but most employers follow up with

a written job offer that may take the form of a job offer letteror an employment

contract.A job offer typically contains the salary that you are offering for the job, your

standard employee benefits, the job title of the position you are offering, the name

of the supervisor of the position, and other terms and conditions of employment.

The job offer may be negotiable, depending on the position. Early career to mid

level job offers are usually not very negotiable because the employer has

established salary ranges and standard benefits. The employer is not willing to

negotiate outside of the parameters of a standard job offer for most positions. But,

a few thousand dollars in starting salary may be available to the candidate who

asks.

Factors such as the scarcity of the skill set, the difficulty in recruiting employees

for the particular position, and the impact of the unfilled position on the

organization, can have an impact on the employer's willingness to negotiate the job

offer.
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The prospective employee needs to review the terms stated in the job offer and

accept or decline. Usually, the employer has set a time limit on the potential

employee's deliberations. The employer expects the potential employee to sign the

job offer and return it to Human Resources to accept the job.

Steps To Make A Job Offer

When you consider making a job offer, its tempting to offer the job to the

candidate who is most like you. The candidate feels as comfortable as a well-worn

shoe. You wont get many surprises once you make the job offer, and your gut is

comfortable that your favorite candidate can do the job.

Beware, beware this practice. Why does your organization need another employee

just like you, a candidate who is as comfortable as a well-worn shoe? Is thiscandidate for your job offer really the best that you can do?

What factors must you consider when youre down to the wire and making the

actual hiring decision? Before you make a job offer, consider these issues.

But, first, lets backtrack for a moment. Youve gone through all of the expected

steps to prepare to make a job offer. Youve:

Reviewed job applications to select the most qualified candidates to interview.

Invited your best candidates in to interview with your interview team.

Held second and even third interviews, with your candidates who appear to be

the most qualified for your job.

Obtained interview debriefing information from all employees who participated

in your interview process.


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Performedbackground checksto validate each finalists credentials.

Internal Communication

Internal communications (IC) is the function responsible for

effective communication or trade among participants within an organization,

including states.

Modern understanding of internal communications is a field of its own and draws

on the theory and practice of related professions, not least journalism, knowledge

management, public relations (e.g., media relations), marketing and human

resources, as well as wider organizational studies, communication theory, social

psychology, sociology and political science.

In states poor internal communications can have adverse effects on catastrophe

relief, war outcome or establishing its authority in a certain sector, contributing in

these cases to a failed state status.

Internal Communication Strategy

There are two sides to strategy in internal communications. In the first instance

there is the organization's strategywhat it hopes to achieve and how it plans to

go about achieving it. That strategy will be supported and, to some extent,

delivered through effective internal communications.

In this context internal communication can help on several different levels:

Tell: simply informing people of the direction, non-negotiable Sell: anticipating some form of backlash, requiring some persuasion

Consult: seeking specific areas of input to the decision-making process

Involve: seeking varying degrees of involvement and co-creation
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Secondly, and more importantly, internal communications needs a strategy of its

own. It should be positioned more than a simple plan of tactical interventions in

support of business activities. The strategy should consider the following:

Market: What does the organization know about its audiences' needs? Howshould its audiences be segmented?

Message: What is it the organization's message is trying to achieve? In what

tone should it be conveyed?

Media: Which channels work best for the different audience segments? How

will it maximize reach and cut-through? Are there clear editorial guidelines for

each?

Measurement: Are there clearly defined success criteria? What are the leading

and lagging measures? As well as informing all of the other three M's, it should

be used to demonstrate value and measures of performance (ROI, messagepenetration, hit rates, quality of feedback, etc.)

The strategy will inform the best way to organize effective communications.

Cross Cultural Communication

Cross-cultural communication (also frequently referred to as intercultural

communication, which is also used in a different sense, though) is a field of study

that looks at how people from differing culturalbackgrounds communicate, in

similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavorto communicate across cultures.

Aspects of Cross Cultural Communication

There are several parameters that may be perceived differently by people of

different cultures. These may include:

High and Low Context Cultures: Context is the most important cultural

dimension and also immensely difficult to define. The idea of context in culture

was an idea put forth by an anthropologist by the name of Edward T Hall. Hall

breaks up culture into two main groups: High and Low context cultures. He

refers to context as the stimuli, environment or ambiance surrounding the

environment. Depending on how a culture relies on the three points to

communicate their meaning, will place them in either High or Low context

cultures. For example, Hall goes on to explain that low-context cultures assume

that the individuals know very little about what they are being told, and
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therefore must be given a lot of background information. High-Context cultures

assume the individual is knowledgeable about the subject and has to be given

very little background information.

Non Verbal, Oral and Written: The main goal behind improving interculturalaudiences is to pay special attention to specific areas of communication to

enhance the effectiveness of the intercultural messages. These specific areas are

broken down into three sub categories; Non-Verbal, Oral and Written

messages. Non-Verbal contact involves everything from something as obvious

as eye contact and facial expressions to more discrete forms of expression such

as the use of space. Experts have label the term Kinesics to mean

communicating through body movement. Huseman, author of Business

Communication, explains that the two most prominent ways of communication

through Kinesics is eye contact and facial expressions. Eye contact, Husemangoes on to explain, is the key factor in setting the tone between two individuals

and greatly differs in meaning between cultures. In the Americas and Western

Europe eye contact is interpreted the same way, conveying interest and honesty.

People who avoid eye contact when speaking are viewed in a negative light,

withholding information and lacking in general confidence. However, in the

Middle East, Africa, and especially Asia eye contact is seen as disrespectful and

even challenging of ones authority. People who make eye contact, but only

briefly, are seen as respectful and courteous. Facial expressions are their own

language by comparison, and universal throughout all cultures. Dale Leathers,

for example, states that facial expression can communicate ten basic classes of

meaning. The final part to Non-Verbal communication lies in our gestures, and

can be broken down into five subcategories; Emblems, Illustrators, Regulators,

Affect Displays, and Adaptors. Emblems and Illustrators are the easiest to

communicate since Emblems refer to sign language (such as the Thumbs Up

which is one of the most recognized symbols in the world).

Techniques for Effective Cross Cultural Communication

Slow Down

Even when English is the common language in a cross cultural situation, this does

not mean you should speak at normal speed. Slow down, speak clearly and ensure

your pronunciation is intelligible.


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Separate Questions

Try not to ask double questions such as, "Do you want to carry on or shall we stop

here?" In a cross cultural situation only the first or second question may have beencomprehended. Let your listener answer one question at a time.

Avoid Negative Questions

Many cross cultural communication misunderstandings have been caused by the

use of negative questions and answers. In English we answer 'yes' if the answer is

affirmative and 'no' if it is negative. In other cultures a 'yes' or 'no' may only be

indicating whether the questioner is right or wrong. For example, the response to

"Are you not coming?" may be 'yes', meaning 'Yes, I am not coming.'

Write it Down

If you are unsure whether something has been understood write it down and check.

This can be useful when using large figures. For example, a billion in the USA is

1,000,000,000 while in the UK it is 1,000,000,000,000.

Be Supportive

Effective cross cultural communication is in essence about being comfortable.

Giving encouragement to those with weak English gives them confidence, support

and a trust in you.

Check Meanings

When communicating across cultures never assume the other party has understood.

Be an active listener. Summarise what has been said in order to verify it. This is a

very effective way of ensuring accurate cross cultural communication has taken

place.

Questionnaire


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A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series ofquestions and

other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents.

Although they are often designed forstatistical analysis of the responses, this is not

always the case. The questionnaire was invented by Sir Francis Galton.

Types of questionnaire1. Structured questionnaire

a) Have definite and concrete questions.

b) Is prepared well in advance.

c) Initiates a formal inquiry.

d) Supplements and checks the data, previously accumulated.

e) Used in studies of the economics and the social problems, studies of the

administrative policies and changes etc.

2. Unstructured questionnaire

a) Used at the time of the interview.

b) Acts as the guide for the interviewer.

c) Is very flexible in working.

d) Used in studies related to the group of families or those relating to the

personal experiences, beliefs etc.

A questionnaire can also be divided as the follows depending on the nature of

the questions therein

1. Open ended questionnaire

a) Respondent is free to express his views and the ideas.b) Used in making intensive studies of the limited number of the cases.

c) Merely an issue is raised by such a questionnaire.

d) Do not provide any structure for the respondents reply.

e) The questions and their orders are predetermined in the nature.

2. Close ended questionnaire

a) Responses are limited to the stated alternatives.

b) One of the alternatives is simply YES or NO.

c) Respondent cannot express his own judgment.

3. Mixed questionnaire

a) Questions are both close and open ended.

b) Used in field of social research.

4. Pictorial questionnaire

a) Used very rarely.

b) Pictures are used to promote the interest in answering the questions.
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Questionnaire Design

There are nine steps involved in the designing of a questionnaire:

1. Decide the information required.

2. Define the target respondents.

3. Choose the method(s) of reaching your target respondents.4. Decide on question content.

5. Develop the question wording.6. Put questions into a meaningful order and format.

7. Check the length of the questionnaire.

8. Pre-test the questionnaire.9. Develop the final survey form.

Report Writing

Report is a self-explanatory statement of facts relating to a specific subject and

serves the purpose of providing information for decision making and follow up

actions. It is a systematic presentations of ascertained facts about a specific event /

subject. Report is a summary of findings and recommendations about a particular

matter / problem. Report is for the guidance of higher authorities including

company executives and directors. Reports facilitates timely decisions and follow

up measures.

What are Features or Characteristics of Report ?

Complete and Compact Document : Report is a complete and compact written

document giving updated information about a specific problem.

Systematic Presentation of Facts : Report is a systematic presentation of facts,figures, conclusions and recommendations. Report writers closely study the

problem under investigation and prepare a report after analyzing all relevant

information regarding the problem. Report is supported by facts and evidence.

There is no scope for imagination in a report which is basically a factual document.


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Prepared in Writing : Reports are usually in writing. Writing reports are useful

for reference purpose. It serves as complete, compact and self-explanatory

document over a long period. Oral reporting is possible in the case of secret and

confidential matters.

Provides Information and Guidance : Report is a valuable document which gives

information and guidance to the management while framing future policies. It

facilitates planning and decision making. Reports are also useful for solving

problems faced by a business enterprise.

Self-explanatory Document : Report is a comprehensive document and covers all

aspects of the subject matter of study. It is a self-explanatory and complete

document by itself.

Acts as a Tool of Internal Communication : Report is an effective tool of

communication between top executives and subordinate staff working in an

organization. It provides feedback to employees and to executives for decision

making. Reports are generally submitted to higher authorities. It is an example of

upward communication. Similarly, reports are also sent by company executives to

the lower levels of management. This is treated as downward communication. In

addition, reports are also sent to shareholders and others connected with thecompany. It may be pointed out that report writing / preparation acts as a backbone

of any system of communication.

Acts as Permanent Record : A report serves as a permanent record relating to

certain business matter. It is useful for future reference and guidance.

Time Consuming and Costly Activity : Report writing is a time consuming,

lengthy and costly activity as it involves collection of facts, drawing conclusion

and making recommendations.

Press Release

A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a

written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the

purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy. Typically, they are


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mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to assignment editors at newspapers, magazines, radio

stations, television stations, or television networks.

Elements of Press Release

Technically, anything deliberately sent to a reporter or media source is considered

a press release: it is information released by the act of being sent to the media.

However, public relations professionals often follow a standard format that they

believe is efficient and increases their odds of getting the publicity they desire. The

format is supposed to help journalists separate press releases from other PR

communication methods, such as pitch letters or media advisories. Generally, a PR

body consists of 4 to 5 paragraphs with word limit ranging to 400 to 500.

Some of these common structural elements include:

Headlineused to grab the attention of journalists and briefly summarize the

news.

Dateline contains the release date and usually the originating city of the

press release. If the date listed is after the date that the information was actually

sent to the media, then the sender is requesting a news embargo, which

journalists are under no obligation to honor.

Introduction first paragraph in a press release, that generally gives basic

answers to the questions of who, what, when, where and why.

Bodyfurther explanation, statistics, background, or other details relevant tothe news.

Boilerplate generally a short "about" section, providing independent

background on the issuing company, organization, or individual.

Close in North America, traditionally the symbol "-30-" appears after the

boilerplate or body and before the media contact information, indicating to

media that the release has ended. A more modern equivalent has been the "###"

symbol. In other countries, other means of indicating the end of the release may

be used, such as the text "ends". Media contact information name, phone number, email address, mailing

address, or other contact information for the PR or other media relations contact

person.
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