oxford handbookofcommercialcorrespondence

lntroduction

pdqe 5

1

Letters,faxes,and
emails

2

Contentand style

2s

3

Enquiries

38

4

Replies
and quotations

47

5

Orders

6r

6

Payment '

76

7

Complaints
andadjustments

gs

8

Credit

n7

9

Banking

87

Agentsand agencies

168

10

7

11 Transportation
hnd shipping

18s

t2 Insurance

221

13

Miscellaneous
correspondence

241

L4

Memosand reports

2so

15

Personnelappointments

266

Answerkey

z8z

Glossary

288

Index

297

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Lililumeryomtdcnce,
whether it is by letter, fax, or
Lrurumtrntr|ls
abyaspect of the world of commerce
umniill
hmmmessIt refl ectson the competenceand
of the personwho has written
;gtchrotuumalism
druuffi' " - company he or sheworks for. Clear,
,rffiffiuurecorrespondence
is an important part
M'muummmog
an effcient business,and can
pmumwufte
gmdrelations. Unclear or confusing
ummpoumdence
can causemany problems,
llpedlo misunderstandings, delays,
rmrrnll
iluoudl
iluutr
humfurcss,
and poor relations between
uudlmilffiaals,
departments, and companies..
lUMe,writing
skills - whaf is written and
tumm
ff mqpressed- should be as much a part

rMiahrumlmess
education as accountancyor
ilMro[lnmm[xcs.
'ffi,rw
@ord Handbook of Commercial
'rlmrw4mldezceis intended for peoplewho
lmdifrmwrite commercial correspondencein
ltnrm$rllmh
as part of their work, and for students
unrhrouwless
and commercewho planto make a
itmmmrmthebusiness
world.It aims to provide
| .*dfjjiirnl
hslp inwriting commercial
itmmspondenceof all kinds, including letters,
iem@s,
ffi...........![ails,
reports, memos, social
fl@mqpordence,and application letters and
cwm,
Iffieglains how to write clearly and
tffimmely,and demonstrateshowit is possible
tltu"
hmpftite without seeming timid, direct yet
mmif
murdeconciserather than abrupt, and firm
futr'mumlfi
inflexible.
Ltrsms

of earlier editions of this book will
mthrse$,at,while it retains the coreelements
m"prewfimrs
editions,this third edition has been
,wsmnsed
and updated to reflect changesand
roumenolnrnents
in commercial correspondence,
m pmmhcular
the wider use of email in the
mmrmmessworld.
]trheirook dealswith the structure,
Mwtrlhtion, content, and style of all kinds of
mmespondence.Itcoversvarious types of
fimmmctioninduding enquiries,quotations,
nn'rdrftryi'$,
paJrynents,
credit, complaints, and
&drurorsfurxents,
and provides background
rdfnumilEtion
and examplesof commercial
immesErondence
from the main types of
umrmmmercial
organization,for example banks,
fllsru]m-d$rce
companies,agencies,and

companiesinvolved in transportation,

including shipping.
Forthe purposesofthis book,we have
chosenthe blockedstyleof correspondence
with no punctuation andhave used some
representativestyles of presentation and
layout.Youmayfind otherways of doing
things which are perfectly acceptable,and
individual companiesmay have their own
preferred style for correspondence.The most
important thing is to be clear and consistent in
whateveryou chooseto do.
Unit r introduces the three main kinds of
commercialcorrespondence
- Ietters,faxes,
and emails.The characteristicfeatures of each
are illustrated with examples,and guidance is
given on when eachkind shouldbe used.Unit z,
again fully illustrated with examples,deals
with the important areasof content and style.
Eachunit thereafterfollows the same pattern:
- An introduction to the topics coveredin the
unit, and an explanation of key terminology
and the functions of the organizationslikely
to be involved.
- An analysisof the objectivesto aimforwhen
you are writing, with, where appropriate,
Iists of alternativephrases,sentences,
or
paragraphswhich you can substitute in
different situations.

- Examplecorrespondence
and transactions,
togetherwith comprehensionquestions
focusingon content,vocabularystyle,and
the rolesofthe correspondents.
- At the end of the unit, a summary of key
information in'Points to remember'to
refresh your memory.
At the back of the book you wiII flnd:
- An answer key to the comprehension
questions.
- A new glossaryof usefulbusinessand
commercial vocabulary to help you
consolidateand build your knowledge.
- A revisedand extendedindex to help you
accessinformation throughout the book
quickly and easily.
The accompanying Workbook provides
supplementary practice material.

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The correspondenceand documents used
reflect authentic transactions and supply
information abolrt commercial practice in the
UK. The Handbook also helps you to gain a
better understanding of the sometimes
confusing roles of different commercial
organizations, e.g.merchant banks and
commercial banks, Lloyd's and other insurance
companies,The Baltic Exchangeand the
Shipping Conference.
TheOxford Handbook of Commercial
has been designedto provide
Correspondence
a comprehensiveguide and referenceto the
essentialwriting skills neededinthe
commercial world. Above all, we hope that this

bookwill enable youto improve yourwriting
skills so that you can approach any business
writing task with increasedconfidence.


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11

Ietters
l avour t
Sender'address
s
Date
l nsi deaddress
Attenti onl i ne
Sal utati on
Bodyofthe letter
Compl i mentary
cl ose

Si gnature

12

LA Y OU T 2

12
12
14
14
14
14
14
14
14

Letterhead
References
Perpro
Jobti tl e
E ncl osures
LA Y our3
P ri vateand confi denti al
Subj ectti tl e
Copi es

14

AD D R E S S IN C E N V E LOP E S

Faxes
t6 tN TR oD U cl oN
' 1 6 P repari ngfortransmi ssi on
t6 srY LE
-17
r8
19
20

IN TR OD U C TION

zo
20
20
20

Advantages
D i sadvantages
E mai land otherformsof correspondence
E mai l addresses
LA Y OU T

2 1 H eaderi nformati on
21 Messagetext
2 1 5i gnature
22

STY LE

22

23
24
25
z6
27

E mai l abbrevi ati ons

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Pointsto remembet
Letters
Faxes
E mai l s

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Letters
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T AY O U T1 >
The letter opposite is from a private individual
in Denmarkto a companyinthe UK.It shows
the basicfeaturesof a simplebusinessletter.

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Sender's
address
In correspondencethat doesnot have a
rErrERHEAD,thesender'saddressis placedin
the top right-hand cornerofthe page.It is also
acceptable,butlesscommon,to placeit inthe
top left-hand corner.Punctuation is rarely used
in addresses
thesedays.
The sLocrrp srylr is the most widely
used,i.e.eachline startsdirectlybelow the one

above.
In contrast with practice in some other
countries,in the UK it is not usual to write the
sender'sname before his or her address.

Date
The date is written directly below the sender's
address,separatedfrom it by a space.In the
caseof correspondencewith a Ietterhead
>seepagerz, it is usually written on the righthand sideofthe page.
The month in the date should not be written
in figures asthis can be confusing; for example
r.j.03 meansn March zoo3in British English,
where the sequenceis day-month-year, but
3 Novemberzoo3 in American English,where
the sequenceis month-day-year.
It is acceptableto write the date with or
without the abbreviations-th and -nd,e.g.
z4th Octoberor z4 October,andto transpose
the date and the month,e.g.Odoberz4or
z4October.These
arematters of personal
preference,but whatever you chooseyou
should be consistent throughout your
correspondence.

Insideaddress
Therwsrpn ADDREssis writtenbelowthe
sender'saddressand on the left-hand side of
the page.

Surnameknown
If you knowthe name of the person you
are writing to, write it asthe first line of the
address.Include eitherthe person'sinitial/s or
his or her first given name,e.g.Mr LE.Smith or
Mr lohn Smith,Nor Mr Smith.
Counrr sy rrrrE s usedin addresses
areas
follows:
- Mr (pronounced/rmrsta/) is the usual
courtesy title for a man. The unabbreviated
form Mister should not be used.
- Mrs (pronounced/rmrsrz/, no unabbreviated
form) is usedfor amarriedwoman.
mrs/,not an
- Miss(pronounced/l
abbreviation) is usedfor an unmarried
woman.
- Ms (pronounced/mrzl or /mas/, no
unabbreviated form) is used for both
married and unmarriedwomen.It is
advisableto use this form of addresswhen
you are unsure whetherthe woman you are
vwiting to is married or not, or do not know
which title she prefers.
- Messrs(pronouncedltmesaz/, abbreviation
for French'Messfeurs',
which is never used)is
used occasionallyfor two or more men, e.g.

MessrsP.lones and B.L Parker,but more
commonly forms part of the name of a
company,e.g.MessrsCollier,Clark & Co.ltis
rather old-fashioned.
Other courtesytitles indude aca'demicor
medical titles, e.g.Doctor (Dr ),Professor(Prof.);
military title s,e.g.Captain (Capt.),Major (Maj.),
(Gen); and aristocratic
Colonel(CoI.),General
titles,e.g.Sir,Dame,Lord,Lady.Sirmeansthat
the addresseeis a knight, and is always
followed by afirst name,e.g.SirlohnBrown,
never Sirl. Brown or SirBrown.It should not be
confusedwith the saruran roN Dear Sir.
Esq.,abbreviationfor Esquire,is seldom used
now. It can only be used instead of Mr, and is
placedafter the name.Do not useEsq.and Mr
at the sametlme,e.g.BruceHill Esq.,NorMr
BruceH\IIEsq.
All these courtesy titles, exceptEsq.,are also
usedin salutations>seepage10.


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@ Compuvisionltd
WarwickHouse
WarwickStreet
ForestHiIl
Iondon SE23
lIF
.UK

alEdrcss

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@ DearSirorMadam

lruirn
fffdthe

letter

,Uclose

Itrrue

@ FortheattentionoftheSalesManager

@ Pleasewould you sendme detailsof your DVDvideo systems.
I am particular$interestedin the Omegarange.
@ Yoursfaithfully

@ B. Ka"a,eW
(Ms)B.Kaasen

I


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Note that a full stop is often used at the end
ofthe abbreviation ifit takes the form ofthe
first few letters of the word , e.g.Prof. (Professor)
,
but is not necessaryif it takes the form ofthe
first and last letter of the word, e.g.Dr (Doctor).
However,somepeoplepreferto write, e.g.Mr.,
Mrs.,with a full stop.Again, whatever you
chooseto do,you shouldbe consistent
throughout your correspondence.
Jobtitle known
If you do not know the name of the person you
are writing to, but know their job title, you can
usethat, e.g.The Sales
Manager,TheFinance
Diredor, in the inside address.
Departmentknown
Alternatively, you can addressyour letter to a
particular department of the company,e.g.Ihe
SaIes Department, TheAccountsDepartment.
>seeletter on page43.
Companyknown
Finally,if youknow nothing aboutthe
company and do not knowwhich person or
department your letter should go to, you can
simply addressthe letter to the company itself,
e.g.CompuvisionLtd,MessrsCoIIier,Clark & Co.

Orderof insideaddress
Afterthe name of the personand / or company
receiving the letter, the recommended order
and style of addressesin the UK is as follows:
- Name of houseor building
- Number of building and name of street,
road,avenue,etc.
- Name of torr'r-nor city and postcode
- Name of country
IndustrialHouse
34-4t CraigRoad
Bolton
at4 8rr
UK
In other Europeancountries,the number of the
building may be placed after the name of the
street.It is also common to substitute the name
of the country with an initial beforethe district
codenumber. Thesetwo examples are from
Italy and Germany ('Deufschland') respectively.

Facoltddi Medicina
ViaGentile$z
t-7otoo Bari
Lehrschulefilr Bodenkunde
Amalienstrasse
p-8oooo Mdnchen4o
It is simplest to follow the aboveorder and
style,though variations are possible:for
example the name of the county, e.g.

Lancashire,may,if known, be included onthe
line below the name of the town or city; the
postcodemay be written on a separateline; the
name of the tovun,as well asthe country,tnay
be in capitalletters >seealsopage14.

Attentionline
An alternative to including the recipient's
name or job title in the addressis to use an
ArrENTroN LrNx >seeletteronpage9.

Salutation
Dear Siropensa letter written to a man whose
name you do not know.
Dear Sirsis usedto addressa company.(In
American English a letter to a company usually
openswith Gentlemen.)
DearMadam is usedto addressa woman,
whether single or married, who;e name you do
notknow.
Dear Siror Madam (orDear Sir/ Madaml is
usedto addressa personwhen you do not
know their name or sex.Noticethat Ms Kaasen
in the letter on page9 usesthis form, i.e.she
doesnot assumethat the salesmanagerof
CompuvisionLtd is a man > seealsopage36.
Whenyou knowthe name of the personyou
are writingto,but do not knowthemwell, the
salutation takes the form of Dear followedby a
courtesytitle andthe person'ssurname.Initials

or first names are not used with courtesy titles,
e.g.DearMr Smith,xor DearMr I. Smith or
DearMr lohn Smith.Businessassociates
who
you knowwell can be addressedusing just
their first nam e,e.g.Dear lohn.


A comma afterthe salutation is optional, i.e.
DearMr Smith,or Dear Mr Smifh. (ln American
English a colon is usually used after the
salutation,e.g. DearMr Smith:,Gentlemen:).

Bodyof the letter
The blocked style is the one most often used for
the body ofthe letter. It is usual to leave a line
spacebetweenparagraphs.

Complimentary
close
If the letterbeginsDear Sir,DearSirs,
DearMadam,or Dear Siror Madam,lhe
coMplrME NTARycLo s E shouldbe Yours
faithfully.
If the letter begins with a personal name,
e.g.Dear Mr lames,DearMrs Robinson,or
Dear Ms Jasmin,it should b e Yourssincerely.
Aletterto someoneyouknowwell may
closewiththe more informalBest wishes.
Note that Americans tend to closeeven formal

letters with Yourstruly orTrulyyours,which
is unusual inthe UKin commercial
correspondence.
Avoid closing with old-fashioned phrases,
e.g.Weremain yoursfaithfully, Respectfully
yours.
A comma afterthe complimentary closeis
optional, i.e.Yoursfaithfully, or Yoursfaithfuny.
The complimentary closeis usuallyplaced
on the left, aligned under the rest of the letter.

5ignature

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Always type yolu narne and, if relevant,your
job title, below your handwritten signature.
Thisis known asthe srcwarunr srocx. Even
though you may think your handwriting is
easyto read,letterssuchas a,e,o,r, and v can
easilybeconfused.
It is,to some extent, a matter of choice
whether you sign with your initial/s,
e.g.D.Jenkins,or your full given name,
e.g.Davidlenkins,and whether you include
your courtesy title in your signature block as
in the letter on page 9. But if you include
neither your given name nor your title, your

correspondentwill not be able to identify your
sex and may give you the wrongtitle when he
or shereplies.

TITLE

STA TU S

C O M PIIM EN T AR Y

Mr

married or umarried male

Yourssincerelv

Mrs

married female

Yourssincerely

Miss

unmarriedfemale

Yourssincerely

Ms

married or unmarried female

Yourssincerely

Sir

male - name not known

Yoursfaithtully

Madam

female -name not knornm

Yoursfaithfully

Sir/Madam

when unsure whetheryou
are addressingmale orfemale

Yoursfaithfully

medical/academic/military
e.g.DrlProfessor/General

these titles do not changewhether
addressinga male or female

Yourssincerely

C LO SE

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L AY O U T 2 >
Opposite is the company's reply to the letter
from the prospective customer in Denmark.
It shows some more features of atypical
businessletter.

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Letterhead
The printed letterhead of a company gives a
great deal of information about it.
Typeof company
The abbreviationltd after a company's name
indicatesthat it has r,rrurrr p r,rasr rrry. This
means that the individuals who own the
company, or part of it, i.e.the shareholders,are
only responsible for their holding (i.e.the

capital they have contributed) if the company
goesbankrupt. In other words, it indicates to
people giving the company credit that in
bankruptrythey can only be paidback from
what the company owns, and not from the
personalfunds of its shareholders.
The abbreviationprc (nuat tc LIMrrED
cotte.a.Nv)is usedto showthat a company's
sharescan be bought and sold by the public,
unlike the sharesof private limitedliability
companies.In the USAthe term r.nrc.
(tNco ne onarro) is used.
CompuvisionLtd
SPWholesalersplc
Hartley-Mason Inc.
The abbreviationaar.a (*) co.indicates that
a company is a partnership between two or
more people. (And is usually vwitten as an
ampersand(&) in Englishcompany names.)If
the company is a family concern,Son/ s,Br os
(Brothers),orDaughter/s may be added.
Partnerships mayhave limited liability or
unlimited liability.
F.Lynch & Co.Ltd
R.Hughes&Son
Ifneitherltd nor & Co.appearafter a
company'sname,then it may be a sorr
TRADxR,i.e.a personwho owns and runs a
businesson their own.

Boardof Directors
The name of the chairman (inthe USA,the
president),who runs the concern,may be given,
as well as the names of the directors,who
decide the overall policy of the company.
The managing director (inthe USA,and
increasingly in the UK,termed the chiel
executiveoficer or cto),who takes an active
role inthe day-to-day running of the company,
may be mentioned if he or she is not the same
personasthe chairman.In the UK,the
chairman runs the Board of Directors while the
Chief ExecutiveOfficer runs the company.
Address
In addition to the addressof the office from
which the letter is being sent,the letterhead
may also give the addressof the head office or
registeredoffice,if different, andthe addressesof
any branchesor other officesthe company ornms.
Telephoneand fax numbers will also be
included and, if relevant, email andwebsite
addresseg.
A cable(telegram)addressmay also
be included. It is important to remember that
although the majority of companies are
connected to the Internet, there are many
countries where fax and cable are still
important ways of transmitting information
or, where banks are concerned,money.
Registerednumber

This usually appears in small print, sometimes
with the country or city in which the company
is registered.
IntheUK,thevar (varur aooro rax)
number may alsobe given >see,for example,
the letter on page56.

References
Rrrrnrrvcrsareoftenquotedto
indicate
what the letter refers to (Yourref.) and the correspondenceto refer to when replying (Ourref.).
Referencesmay either appearin figures,e.g.
66t/t7,where 66t may ref.erto the number of
the letter and rTto the number of the
department,or in letters,e.g.oslu.n,as inthe
letter on page r3,where os standsfor Donald
Sampson,the writer, and rrar for his assistant,
MaryRalmor.


o Comp$visionLtd

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WarwickHouse
WarwickStreet
ForestHill
London
sE23lJF
Telephone

+44(o)zo8566r86r
Facsimile
+44(o)zo8566r385
EmaiI
www.comvis.co.u
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Yourref. 6 May 20Yourref. DS/MR
Date llMay2O!,

Ms B.Kaasen
Bredgade51
DK1260
CopenhagenK
DENMARK

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DearMsKaasen,
Thank you for your enquiry.
I encloseour catdogue and price-list for DVD video equipment . Youwill
findfull detailsof the Omegarangeonpages 31-35.
Pleasecontact us if you have any fudher questions or would like to place
an order.
We lookforward to hearing from you.
Yourssincerely,

M*/ Ra/rwr
0

p.p.Donald Sampson

@ SalesManager

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Enc.

Chairman JohnFranksoee.
lr.sc. N.lgnot R.LichensB.A
Dircctors 5.B.Allen

13

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Note that the Your Ref.in the letter on
page 13is a date,as Ms Kaasendid not give
any referencein her original letter.

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Perpro

6

Theabbreviationp.p.sometimesappearsin
signatureblocks.Itmeansnza eno,i.e.for
and
on behalfof, andis usedby administratorsor
personalassistants
when signingletterson

behalfof their managers.

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Job title
Whensendinga letteror emailon behalfof
your company,it is a goodideato includeyour
job title in the signatureblock,especiallyif
your recipienthasnot dealtwith you before.
Enclosures
If thereareany documentsenclosedwith a
letter,althoughthesemay bementionedin the
bodyof the letter,it is alsocommonto write
Enc.or EncI.belowthe signatureblock.If there
area numberof documents,
thesecanbe
listed,e.g.:
Enc.
B|IIof lading$ copies)
Insurancecertificate(t copy)
Certificateof origin A ropy)
B|IIof exchange(t copy)
LAYOUT3 >
Thefinal letterin this sectionshowssome
further featuresof a businessletter.
Private and confidential

5ubjee

t title
A suslrcr rrrr,r atthe beginningof aletter,
directly after the salutation,providesa further
reference,
savesintroducingthe subjectin the
first paragraph,immediately drawsattention
to the topicof the letter,and allowsthe writer
to referto it throughout.
It is not necessary
to beginthe subjecttitle
with Re.(with regard t o),e.g.Re.: Appli cationfo r
thepostof webdesigner.When
sendingemail
messages
this may evenbe confusingas.n.E
is
shortforreply>seepage48.

eopie:
When copiesare sent to people other than the
named recipient, c.c. (carao.rrrcoev) is added,
usually at the end of a letter, before the name/s
ofthe recipienti s ofthe copres.
Sometimes you will not want the named
recipient to know that other people have
receivedcopies.In thls case,B.c. c. (nt tNo
:ARBoN copv), and the name/s of the
recipient/s, are added on the copiesthemselves,
though not, of course,on the top copy.
Theseabbreviations are used in email, and

mean exactlythe same thing >seepage 21.
A D D R E S S IN G E N V E TOP E S
Envelopeaddressesare written in a similar
wayto inside addresses>seepages8-ro. But in
the caseof letters within or for the UK,the
name of the town and the country are written
in capital letters,and the postcodeis usually
written on a Iine by itself.
Mr G.Penter
49 MemorialRoad
OR P IN G?ON

Thisphrasemay bewritten at the headof a
Ietterand,moreimportant,on the envelope,
in
caseswherethe letteris intendedto be read
oniy by the addressee.
Therearemanyvariationsof this phrase,
e.g.Confidential,Strictlyconfi.dential,but
little
differencein meaning.

14

Kent
an6 9ua
MessrsWBrownlow
& Co.
6oo GrandStreet
LON D ON

w tN guz
UK


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Ltd
Comp*rvis{wm

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WarWick
House
WarwickStreet
ForestHill
London
sE231JF

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Telephone
+44(o)zo8566r86r
Facsimile
+44(o)zo8566r385
k

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www.comvis.co.u

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!,

Yourref.
Yourref. DS/MR
Date 21September20Ms B.Kaasen
Bredgade51
DK1260
CopenhagenK
DENMARK
l! Privateand
confidential

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DearMsKaasen

@ Subjecttitle
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Non-palrment of inv oice 322| L7
It appearsfrom our recordsthat, despite severalreminders,the above
invoice remains unpaid. Unlessthe account is clearedwithin 14daysfrom
the date of this letter,we shalltake legal action.
Yourssincerely
tt

00lUld, JAJ4,W)ru

Donald Sampson
SalesManager

@ Copies

@ c.c.MessrsPoole& JacksonLtd,Solicitors

C hai r m an
Directots

J ohn F r ank soer
S B Allen M-sc- N.lgnot R.LichensB.A

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I N T R OD U C T IO N

Preparin

g for transmission

Theword/ax comesfromlfacsimile,which
meansan exactcopyor reproduction.Iike
email,thewordfax canbeusedas a noun,
e.g.IsentaJaxor asa verb,e.g.Wewillfax
you when we have the inJormation.
A fax messageis usefui when speedis
important and the recipientdoesnot have
email.It is especiallyusefulfordocuments
containing diagramsor drawings.Likeemail,
a fax can be sent quickly to many different
recipientsat the sametime. However,again
like email,fax is an open system,i.e.
correspondence
can easilybe accessed
by
outsiders,so it shouldnot be usedfor
confidential information.
When sendinghandwritten fax messages,
use a dark colourand make your writing large
and clear.
As faxesare copiesof documents,they
cannot be usedwhen the originals are
required.Forexample,an originalrrrr or
LADTNG
givesrrrlr to goods(i.e.you would
own the goodsif you had the bill in your
possession),
and would not be valid if it were a

faxed copy.
Faxeshavebeen'courttested',and they tend
to be acceptedin legal cases,along with letters,
as evidencein certain areasof international
trade.However,an email containing similar
information might not be consideredvalid
under certain circumstances.
Difierent fax machines offer a wide range
of facilities,including repeatdialling if the
receiver'sfax machine is engaged;a
transmissionreport which givesdetailsof the
time, date,sender,receiver,number of pages,
duration, and result; a verification mark at the
foot ofthe pageto confirm the fax was sent;
and a number memory for frequently used
numbers.Checkthe manual of your fax
machine to find out what functions it can
perform.
It is alsopossibleto senda fax from a
computer.

Checkthat you have the correct fax number.
Checkthat the paperon which your messageis
printed or written is suitable.If it is too big,too
small,or in poor condition,photocopythe
messageon paperthat can be acceptedby the
fax machine.Beforeusing the machine,check
that you know how to dial, cancel,cleara paper
jam, and send.
When you senda fax it is a goodidea to use a

fax transmissioncoverform. This will help to
ensurethat the fax reachesits i.ntended
recipient safely.Most companiesusetheir own
headedfax transmissionform, but you can
easilycreateone for yourself,e.g.:
BRrrrsHcnvsrtt Ltd.
GlazierHouse
GreenLane
Derby
D E 1 7R T
FA X ME S S A GE

To:
From:
Fax no.:
Subject:
Date:
Page/s:
S TY TE
Generally,faxesare similar to lettersin style,
Ievelof formality, andthe use of conventions.
However,a fax may be shorterand the
Ianguagemore direct,likean email,asthere
is a time element in the costof sendingthem.
As with email messages,
bewareof using too
informal a tone with customersor suppliers
you do not know well.

F. Lynch & Eo. Ltd

HeadOffce
NessonHouse
NewellStreet
Birmingham
833EL
Telephone:+44 @lzt 46 657r
Fax:+44(o)21458592
Email:
k
www.lynch.com

Adviceof damaged
consignment

F
o
5

Thisfax isfrom Lynch
f
x
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a
& Cqwho received
_9
damaged
coHsrcNMENT !,
=

andweretoldbytheir
o
o
5atex5.p.A.,
to
supplier,
3
t,
page
returnit >see
ro6.
=
I

Fnx messuqe
To

D.Causio,SatexS.p.A.

From

L.Crane
tn

x

Faxno. (06)481,5473
Subject Replacementof damagedorder no.7UI8
Date

19October20-

Pagels 1

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This is an urgent request for a consignment to replacethe aboveorder,
which was damaged during delivery. We informed you about this in our
letter of 15September.
Pleaseairfreight the following items:
Cat.No.
R30
R20
N26

O_uantrty
50
70
100

The damaged consignment will be retumed when we receivethe
replacement.

?eh/ Aa*t"o
PeterCrane
ChiefBuyer

17


J4
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frrponr to
lmportr/r cnqulry

!

Thisisafaxfrom
BritishCrystalto their
rc errs,5.A.lmporters,
in SaudiArabia
>see
correspondence
on
pagesrT4-176.
Thisfax isquite
formalin styleasthe
companies
havejust
startedtheirbusiness
relationship.

Notice
how Mr Oliver'sells'
the producttothe
importers.rSeealso
BdtishCrystal'sfaxed
enquirytoUniversal
Airwaysandthe letter
replyonpagesD4-r95.

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C T AZ IER H O U SE.GR EEN

tAN E .D ER BY D El l R T

TET E P H o N +4
E : 4 @ ) 1 3 3 z4 5 7 9 0 . F A c s r M r L E+4
: 4 (o)r3325r977
Email:oliverh@crysta
l.com. www.britishcrystal.com

FAX MESSAGE
To

S.A.Importers

From

H.Oliver,MarketingManajer

Faxno. (966)1 34981

Subject FrenchEmpire designs

Date

Page/s 5,includingthisone

16August 2G-

Thank you for your enquiry about our FrenchEmpire range of drinking
glasses.There is a revival ofinterest in this period, so we are not surprised
that these products have becomepopular with your customers.
I am sendingwiththisfaxpp.l-4
of our cataloguewith CIFRiyadhprices,
as you saidyouwould lilappreciateyour comments on the designswith regard to yow market.
I look forward to hearing from you.

H. Olin?l
H.Oliver(Mr)
Marketing Manager

r8


Faxaccompanying
an order

Fax

&&$Ewm&mrru
ffixpXm**ffi&Awx3

ffimxvnpffiryruW

BlockD.5urulerelndustrialRoad
Ogb a. lk eja. Lagos

Telephone(+44) t 4836o829/4/ 5
Facsimile(44) t 4837oot

I

With this fax,an
importeris sending
an officialorderand
for the
specifications
d r i l l sh e r e q u i r e s.
He
s a y s t h a t a c o N Fr R M ED
L E T T EoRF c n eo r r w i l l
be openedoncehe has
t h e s u p p l i e r 's
C OM M ER C IAL

To JohnMalcovitch,ChiefEngineer
From TosinOmosade,United Drilling Inc.Managing Director
Fax 273-890-0740
Topic Drilling Heads
No.ofpages1-5

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Noticethat the fax is
copiedto his company's
accountant,and alsothe
chiefengineer.

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c.c. KwameAdeole(Accountant)

Vidal Lamont (ChiefEngineer)

,

Pages2-4 ofthis fax are specificationsfor the exploration drilling heads
that we discussedon your visit herein October.Couldyou pleasesupply
theseheadsas soonaspossible?
I am alsosendingour official OrderNo NI f2O-1046.Ishall make
arrangementsto open a confirmed letter of credit with the Nigerian
International Bank as soon asyou have sent me your invoice and details of
shipment.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Tosin0runsa"dp
TosinOmosade(Mr)
Managing Director

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Emails
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IN T R OD U C T IO N
Email (shortf.oreleetronicmcil) is a means of
sendingmessagesbetween computers.
To send and receiveemail you need accessto
the Internet. An Internet ServiceProvider (rs n)
will provide you with connection software,
which is often free. This will give you Internet
access,storagefor incoming mail, and the
capqbilityto read your messages.Finally,you
need email software, generally already
installed in modern computers,so that you can
write, send,receive,and readmessages.
Ad v a n ta g e r
Thereare numerous advantagesto email.It is
personaland easyto use.It can be usedboth
within and between companies,and is an
effective wayto communicate quickly and
easily with people all over the world. It is
especiallyuseful for short messagesand for
everydaycorrespondence,

e.g.setting up a
meeting, passing on information, and making
or replying to a request.
Youcan pick upyour email messages,
even when you are travelling, via a laptop or
palmtop. With compatiblesystems,youcan
accesstext and graphicdocuments,and
spreadsheets.
And whatever you sendor
receivecan be quickly and easily filed.
D i s a d v a n ta g e s
The disadvantagesof email include technical
problemswhich may result inthe unexpected
non-deliveryof messages,or attachments
arriving in unreadable form. A non-technical
disadvantageis that, paradoxically,the ease
with which messagescan be sent resultsin
Iarge amounts of 'junk' and unnecessary
communication, which waste time.
As with faxes,a major drawback is the lack
of privacy and security. Do not use email to
communicate confidential information. It is
sometimessaidthat an email messageis like
a postcard - anyone can read what you have
written. However, digital signing and
encryption (coding data, so that it can only be

read by authorizedusers),which both work
along similar lines,make email more secure.
E mai l and other formr of

correrpondence
Thereare severalareasofbusiness
communication where more traditional forms
of correspondenceare still the most suitable.
For example,personaland sensitive
correspondencesuch as messagesof
congratulation, condolence,or complaint are
usually best done by letter. Confirmation of
contracts,memos which are confldential and
must be signedto acknowledgereceipt,and
which may be neededfor
any correspondence
purposes
should not
legal or insurance
normally be sent by email. You might find a job
on the Internet,but most companieswould
still expectyour applicationto consistof a
completed form with a covering letter.
E mai l addreres
Typical email addressesIook like this:


The first part of the email addressis usuallythe
surname and initial of the person you are
contacting, or the name if itjs a department, or
a shortenedversion ofit. The secondpart,
which appearsimmediately after the @(at),is
the name of the rsn or organization,or again
an abbreviation of it. Usually,the last part of

the addressincludesthe domain name suffixes
referring to the type of organization(e.g.'.co'
for'company','.ac'('academic')for a university)
and to the country from which the message
was sent (e.g.'.no'forNorway,'.uk'for the
UnitedKingdom).
Other examples of domain name suffixes
referring to types of organizationinclude:
.biz business
.gov governmentofice
.org non-profit-makingorganization
(e.9.a charity)
.pro profession(e.g.medicine,Iaw)


If the name of a country in its main language
differssignificantlyfrom its name in English,
this is reflectedin its domain name suffx, e.g:
.de
.es
.za

Deutschland(Germany)
Espafia(Spain)
ZuidAfrika (SouthAfrica)

Attachments
Iconsof anyarrAcHMENrs will appearhere.
The amount of header information, and the
orderin which it appears,will vary according

to the software being used,so do not worry if
the messagesyou sendand receivedo not look
exactlylike the one in the example.

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Belowis a typical email message.
i1'.,tLlIt

I lr)llll

lllIll

Theheadergivesessentialinformation about

the message.Inaddition to the basicdetails
shown in the sampie,it may include:
c.c.
This standsfor carboncopies,which means
much the sameas it doeson a letter
r.seepage14.Hereyou insert the email
addressesof anyoneyou want to sendcopies
of the messageto.
b.c.c.
This standsfor blind carboncopies,which, as
in a letter,you shoulduseif you do not want
the main recipientto know who has received
copres>seePage14.

\1 ' ' ,' rr' ,' 1,1' t
Thepresentationof the text in an email is
usually lessformal than in a letter.In this
exampleMs Kaasenhas usedthe formal
DearSir/ Madam,but shecould simplyhave
headedher m essageForthe attention of the
SalesManager.Ratherthan ending with
Yoursfaithfully,sheusesthe lessformal
I lookforwardto hearingJromyou.
\,'r r - r t11i ,

This is like the signatureblock in a letter,
although it usually includesmore details,e.g.
the sender'scompanyor private address,and
telephoneand fax numbers.Youcan program
your email softwareto add your signature

automaticaliyto the end of outgoing
messages.

I H e a derinf or m at ion

Subject:

', I Messagetext

f) D e a rSi r/ M a d a m
Pleasewouldyou sendme detailsof yourquadsoundsystems,advertisedin the
Aprileditionof 'SoundMonthly'?
I am particularly
interestedin the Omegarange.
I look fonvardto hearingfrom you.

r I Si g nat urbloc
e
k

O BeatrixKaasen(Ms)
Bredgade51
D K 12 6 0
CopenhagenK
Tel/ Fax:(+45)741583
Email:,dk


14
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Errr.ri | .rbbrcvr.rti orrr

Email is a relatively recent development, and
becauseit is perceived as a quick and informal
means of communication, people are often
unclear about the style and conventions they
should use in businesssituations.
As a general rule, although email
correspondencemay tend towards informality,
it shouldfollowthe sameprinciples as any
other form of businesscorrespondence.
Here are somebasictips about style:
- In general,email messagesfollow the style
and conventionsusedin letters or faxes.For
example,youcanuse salutationssuch as
DearMr Pintoor DearTom,and
complimentary closessuch as Yourssincerely
or Bestwishes.
However,if you knowthe
recipient well, or if you are exchanging a
seriesof messageswith one person,you may
dispensewith the salutation and
complimentary close.
- Do not confusepersonalmessageswith
businessmessages.Ina businessmessage,
the same rules of writing apply as for a
Ietter: write clearly,carefuIly,and

courteously;consideraudience,purpose,
and tone.
clarity,consistency,conciseness,
- Usecorrectgrammar,spelling,
capitalization, and punctuation, as you
would in any other form of correspondence.
- Do not write words in capital letters in an
email message.This can be seenasthe
equivalent ofshouting andtherefore have a
negative effect.If you want to stressa word,
put asteriskson eachside of 1t,e.g.*urgent*.
- Keepyour email messagesshort and to the
point. Peopleoften receive a Iot of emails at
work, so concisenessis especiallyimportant.
- In general,limit yourself to one topic per
message.This helps to keepthe message
brief and makesit easierfor the recipient
to answer,f,le, and retrieve it later.
- Checkyour email messagefor mistakes
beforeyou sendit, just as you would check
a letter or a fax message.

TLAs(three-letteracronyms)
In orderto keep email messagesshort,people
sometimesuse abbreviationsfor common
just asthey do in text messaging.
expressions,
Theseare known asTLAs (three-letter
acronyms),although someof them are more
than three letters long.Here is a list of some

of the most commonlyused TLAs:

E

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tr
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5

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AFAIK
BFN
Brw
coB
FYr
row
NRN
oroH

asfaraslknow
byefornow
bytheway

closeofbusiness
for your information
inotherwords
no reply necessary
ontheotherhand

UseTLAs with great care,and onlywhen
you have estabiished a friendly, informal
relationshipwith your correspondent.They
should not be be usedin letters and faxes.
Emoticons
Emoticons(a combination of the words
emotion andicon),alsoknow as smileys,are
often usedin informal email correspondence.
They expressemotions which may not be
evident from the words alone,e.g.:
a smile
-)
afrown
-(
;) aw i nk
On the whole. it is better not to usethem in
businessmessages,asthey may be considered
unprofessional, especially ifyou do not know
the recipient weII or are not sure that he or she
will understandthem.


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A s k in gf o r a n
estimate

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I PeterLane
-I

Refitof HaltonRoad store

Planof oremises

list

Architect'sdrawinos

r,Vith

this morning,I wouldlikeone of your
referenceto our phoneconversation
representatives
to visitour storeat 443 HaltonRoad,London,SE4 3TN,to givean estimate
for a completerefit.Pleasecouldyou contactme to arrangean appointment?

Hereis an exampleof
a n e m a i la s k i n g f o r an
EsrtMATEto refit a
store.There
arethree
attachments.Notice
that the email is q u ite
short.lt is acceptable,
as here,to omit the
salutationand the
complimentaryclose
w h e n t h e s e n d e ra n d
recipienthavebeenin
touch with eachother
previously.

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As I mentionedon the phone,it is essentialthatwork is completedbeforethe end of
February20-, and this would be statedin the contract.
I attachthe plansand specifications.
JeanLandmpn(Ms)
Assistantto K. Bellon,ManagingDirector
SuperbuysLtd,SuperbuyHouse
WolvertonRoad,LondonSW167DN
Tel.:020 8327 1651
Fax: 020 8327 1935

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tulakf,ng
arrangements
for
an estimate

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PeterLanerepliesto
Jea nLa nd mancop
, yi ng
the messageto the
surveyor,John
Pelham.
Noticethat this message
fulf ls the requirements
for correspondence
dealin gwith an e nq uir y ,
i.e.the replyis sentas
soonas possibleand
coversthe points
me ntio ne din th e
enquiry.Thestyleis
quite info rmalb ut still
politea nd b usine sslik e.
The lettersRE:appear
beforethe subjecttitle
in th e h ea de r
information.This
indicatesthat PeterLane
hasselectedthe'reply'

opt io n.Theo rigin al
messageappearsbelow
his reply.

Refitof HaltonRoad store

Dear Ms Landman
Our surveyor,
John Pelham,is availableto inspectthe premisesand discussyourexact
requirements.
Couldyou pleasecontactJohnon ,
or on his mobile
(7129289541),to arrangea convenienttime for him to visitthe store?
Fromyourattachedspecifications,
I estimatethe work couldbe completedwithinthe time
you give,and we wouldbe willingto sign a contractto this effect.
Peter Lane
Director,WembleyShopfittersLtd
WycombeRoad,Wembley,MiddlesexHAg 6DA
Teleohone:
020 8903 2323
Fax:020 8903 2349
Email:
- OriginalmessageFrom: Jean Landman
To:
PeterLane
Subject: Refitof HaltonRoad store
Dr :a l L 4 t N-ir
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V\i ih r e le r e n ce [u c) L np l rorre conve;tserti otrtfns rr]i )r rri !t, l w rrrri r.l l i he one oi t,o,rr

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Askingfor
informatIon
A c o m p a n yh a se m a i l e d
oF

t h e i r l o c a l c H A M B ER
c o M M ER c Et o a s kf o r
someinformationabout
their prospective
D rs r R rB U T o R s , S ato
In c.
In this reply,theanswers
g i v e nb y t h e c h a m b e r o f
commercehavebeen
insertedat the relevant
p o i n t si n t h e o r i g i n a l
are
message.They
precededby the'>'
symbol.

rArial

RE: Sato lnc

DearMr Rubain
> Pleasefind answersto your queriesbelow.
How longhasthe companybeenin business?
> The companyhas tradedfor 24yearsunderits currentname.
How manyshowroomsdoes it have?
> lt has a chainof 30 showroomsthroughoutthe country.

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What is its turnovereveryyear?
> lts registered
turnoverthisyearwas $410million.

Will its productscompetewith mine?
> lt specializes
in foreigncars- yourswillbe uniqueto yourcountry.
How is it regardedin Japan?
> lt has an excellentreputation.
I hooethisinformation
is useful.
KyokoMamura(Ms)
Assistantto TradelnformationOfficer
SakuragiBldg,MinamiAoyama,Minato-ku,
Tokyo109
(+61;
Tel:
3 45076851
Fax:(+31;3 45078890
Email:

25


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Mr Cliffo f Home m ak er s
is a furnitu re
ma nu facturear nd
sup plie sMr Hug hes ' s
shopwith a wide range
of g oo ds.In th is
examp le,Mr Hug hes
wantstwo new products

Actions Hetp

ON A P P R OV A T .

Cat. Nos KT3 and KT14on approval

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DearMr Cliff

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A lot of customershavebeenaskingaboutyourbookcaseand coffeetableassemblykits
(abovecat. nos).We would liketo test the marketand have6 sets of each kit on approval
beforeplacinga firm order.I can supplytrade referencesif necessary.
I attacha provisional
order(No.81463)in anticipation
of youragreement.Thereis no hurry,
so you can sendthesewithyournextdeliveryto Swansea.
Manythanks
RobertHughes
R. Hughes& Son Ltd
Tel:0179258441
Fax:0179259472

E m a i l r.h
: u g h e s @ h uson.com

Wh y d oe sMr Hughes
want the goodson
approval?

z6

What doesMr
Hughest hink m ight
be requiredto get
goodson approval?

Wh a t s o r t o f o r d e r
hasbeensent,and
how hasit beensent?

, r l s t h i sa n u r g e n t
request?


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Replyto request
for goodson
approval

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DearMr Hughes
m

Thankyou for yourenquiryaboutour assemblykits.We'dbe pleasedto sendyou 6 of each
on approval.They shouldbe with you by noon on Monday.
There'sno needto supplyreferences.
The provisional
order(81463)you sentis sufficient,
but pleasereturnany unsoldkits in two months.

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Let us knowif we can be of anyfurtherhelp.
RichardCliff
Director,HomemakersLtd
54-59 Riverside.
CardiffCF1 1JW
Directline:+44 (0)2920 49723

Fax'.+44 (0)29 20 49937
Email:

1 DoesMrCliffagree
to sendthe goodson
approval?

2 Whatsortof
are
references
required?

3 W h atshoul dMr
H u g hes
dow i thany
unsoldkits?

4 What phrasedoes
Mr Cliff useto offer
more helo?

rO
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27