B. Objective: Bargain for Agreement

2. Heath Robinson & Sons are supplying Smelting Pot pic. with an important piece of equipment for their manufacturing process, and the agreed implementation date is 1 March. The representatives of the two companies are now meeting to negotiate some of the details. The buyer is a representative of Smelting Pot plc., and the supplier is a representative of Heath Robinson & Sons. They are discussing the following points in the sales contract for the new equipment: payment terms, period of warranty and after-sales service contract.

 

Payment terms: The supplier is asking for an advance payment of 40%. Supplier’s warranty - standard terms - Covers manufacturer’s faults: not accidents or wear and tear. - Covers replacement of all faulty parts, free call-out and labor costs where repairs are carried out. - Period of warranty is one year. After-sales service contract - The manufacturer’s engineer can be called within normal working hours. - Manufacturer guarantees to answer the call within one working day. - 24-hour immediate call-out service costs an additional? 3, 000 per year.

Follow the Steps:

Step 1 - Preparation

Student A: Buyer (Smelting Pot plc) Bargaining points Payment terms: you want to settle for 30% or at most 35%. You would make a second payment of 30% on implementation and the final payment 3 months (90 days) later. (This delay in making the final payment means you can be sure that the machine is working satisfactorily before you settle.) You want a warranty period of three years. Accidental cover is to be included at no extra cost, or at a discount. As your production process continues throughout the night, you want an after-sales service contract with 24-hour immediate call-out service at no extra cost. (You could agree to a discount.)

Student B: Supplier (Heath Robinson & Sons) Bargaining points Payment terms: you might agree to an advance payment of 35% if you can get an agreement on other points. You would like i second payment of 40% on implementation and a final payment of 20% one month (30 days) later. In your country, it is normal for all payments to be settled within 30 days of completion of a contract. Your finance department would be unwilling to make an exception here. After-sales service contract: it is very expensive to provide 24-hour immediate cal out service. You could offer some discount on the rate, but not more than 20 per cent.

Step 2 - Negotiation

Negotiate the best deal you can with your partner. Discuss each point before making definite offers or trying to reach agreement. Find out where your partner may be ready to compromise.

1. Did you and your partner reach agreement? If not, why not?

2. On which points did you get what you wanted? Where did you compromise? (Compare your deal with other pairs.)

3. Did you find out as much as you could about your partner’s position?

4. Did you keep your options open?

Analyze your negotiations. Determine what type of negotiation did you hold (win-win, lose-lose or win-lose).

 

 

LECTURE VIII: BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE

TOPICAL WORDS

heading draft courteous letterhead addressee range to enclose up-to-date p.p. (Latin. per procurationem (by proxy) enc. (enclosure) advertisement to cancel to reduce concession letter of intent letterhead (sender’s) address recipient’s address reference salutation introductory paragraph main paragraph concluding paragraph complimentary ending signature position/title enclosure covering letter

заглавие черновик вежливый, учтивый печатный бланк (учреждения) адресат цепь, ряд вкладывать (в пакет), прилагать к письму современный по поручению   вкладка, дополнение объявление, реклама аннулировать, отменить уменьшать, снижать уступка письмо-обязательство бланк организации адрес отправителя адрес получателя ссылка приветствие вступительный параграф основной параграф заключительный параграф вежливая форма завершения подпись должность / звание приложение к письму сопроводительное письмо

PLAN:

1. General Rules of business writing

Organizing your writing

Parts of the Letter

4. Emails writing

Language styles

 

1. General Rules of business writing

 

Learning to write well in a foreign language is one of the most difficult challenges facing the language learner. Finding the right words, using an appropriate style, respecting conventional formats, and correct spelling are just a few of the areas to consider.

Effective writing plays an increasingly important role in today’s business world. A clear and concise style ensures that essential information is both understood and acted upon.

This lecture is aimed at helping business students and practicing professionals to become more familiar with the styles and techniques of business writing. It contains samples of the most common types of business document, such as letters, emails, memos, faxes, minutes and reports, all with full explanations of usage, language style and layout.

There is also advice on other areas, including abbreviations and text messages, punctuation and how to avoid common mistakes.

We hope that you’ll find this lecture useful and that it’ll help you to become more proficient in your business writing.

Letters are roughly divided into four classes:

a) private;

b) business;

c) official;

d) public letters

a) Private letters are those that relate to personal matters betwe­en the writer and the addressee. These may again be subdivided into four classes:

1. Narrative letters deal with the narration of events.

2. Descriptive letters describe pla­ces, historic relics, monuments,

3. Domestic letters are primarily concerned with the exchange of news among friends and relati­ves.

4. Letters of invitation extend invi­tations to attend a dinner, a party, any celebration.

b) Business letters deal with trade and commercial transactions and are written while ordering goods, seeking information or acknowledging receipt of articles and also relating to the appropriate nature of business and commer­cial interest concerned.

a) Official letters are those written to and by officials of Governmen­tal organizations, and also com­municating and seeking for in­formation.

b) Public letters are generally those that have some overlapping with the above two classes (b) and (c).

Private letters are best writ­ten in simple, familiar words with the ease and flow of conversational expressions. The use of slang should be avoided. The style itself should be adapted to the addressee.

Business letters are formal, brief and to the point. They should be clearly written. The main topic is introduced at the beginning of a letter. Do not add any unnecessary details.

Official letters are marked by po­liteness and restraint. There is no place in them for the expression of any personal opinion of the writer.

Public letters are forwarded to the newspapers, publishing houses, Т. V. companies, muni­cipal offices and other public organizations. Their style is similar to that of the above-said one un­der (b) and (c).

But in our Lecture we are mainly focused on Business and Official letters. When writing Business letters, plea­se bear in mind:

1. The first impression you give must be a good one; so, use good paper and write very neatly; re­vise your letter before dispatch.

2. Avoid, as far as possible, using the first person.

3. Every letter is an advertisement of your business.

4. Avoid repetitions.

5. Write very simple language.

6. Remember that your foreign counterparts are very prompt in attending to correspondence. Reply must go by the return mail!

7. If your signature is not legible, have your name typed beneath it.

Official letters are sometimes marked by the letter «О» (offi­cial) and also «D.O». (semiofficial).

1. all official, semiofficial commu­nications, circulars, memos., or­ders, etc., from any departments will invariably bear a reference number and date;

2. in letters sent out from an office the name and designation of the writer should be given;

3. the subject matter should be sta­ted at the beginning of the letter;

4. all enclosures accompanying a letter should be clearly listed on the left hand side below the wri­ter’s signature;

5. Remember: If you have any time to spare, don’t waste the time of one who hasn’t.

It is necessary to start with the General Rules of business writing. Before writing you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Who am I writing to? This will help you to determine the tone and degree of formality. When writing to superiors or customers, the tone is more formal than with colleagues. However, business communication should never be too informal and should always be polite and courteous.

• Why am I writing? It is a good idea to note down your main message / messages before starting. This will help you to stay focused and also to determine which means of communication is most suitable for your purpose, e.g. fax, letter, email.

• What does my correspondent know? Never assume the other person has all the background information necessary to understand your message. Think about what details you need to put into your communication to help them understand and act upon it.

Whether you are writing a full, formal report or a memo to your colleagues, it is generally agreed that the following points should be respected:

• Be brief, clear and concise. Use simple words and phrases and keep sentences short. In other words, use ‘plain English’. Don’t write: If there are any points on which you require explanation or further particulars, we shall he glad to furnish such additional details as may be required by telephone. Write: If you have any questions, please ring. Don’t be over-technical or use slang or jargon. Your reader may not understand. Don’t write: I’m on a roll here. Write: The trip has been successful so far. Don’t overuse people’s first names. It is better to use them only in the opening. Don’t write: Dear John,... so you see, John,... I’m sure you understand, John,... etc.

Always read your business communication before you send it. It is a good idea to read it aloud to see if it is communicative and easy to read.

Ask yourself: Could the person reading this understand and act upon it from a single reading?

Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Do not rely on spell-check software, as it will not correct mistakes like s in advice or practice when used as nouns - which use.

Organizing your writing

You should start by thinking about the message that you want to communicate. If you have a clear idea of this, it will help to make your writing coherent.

Make notes of all of your ideas and then organize these into topic areas. Each topic area should consist of one of your main ideas and may also include a number of secondary points that you can develop.

Draw up a plan for each topic area and start to think of the order in which you want to present them. The order will depend on how the topic areas relate to each other and on how you wish to develop your message.

Each topic area and any related secondary points will usually form a paragraph. Moving on to a new paragraph shows your readers that you are focusing on a new topic area.

The paragraphs themselves can be organized in different ways: you may want to present the information chronologically or you may prefer to present points in order of importance. Alternatively, you may wish to balance negative and positive points or compare and contrast different ideas.

First draft If you have prepared your plans well, the writing process should be relatively straightforward. You can now give your full attention to the language that you are going to use. Prepare a first draft of the complete document and then read through it to see which sections need to be improved or rewritten.

Final draft Before you present the final draft of your text, you should read it through several times, eliminating repetitions and changing ambiguous phrasing. You can also make long sentences shorter or connect short sentences together. When you are happy with the wording of your final document, you should do a final check for any spelling and punctuation mistakes that you may have overlooked.

Compare the first and final drafts opposite. Notice how in the final draft, sentences and wordings have been changed and linking expressions and paragraphs have been used.

Samples of drafts:

First draft

Our Environmental Action Plan was launched two years ago to respond to changes in our industry. More and more customers wanted information about our products’ environmental impact. The investment community needed more information and tighter regulation and controls (eco labels) were being introduced in markets. The plan was in three phases: the evaluation of our products and processes, recommendations for changes and implementation. These are now complete for products, where we have improved sustainability by eliminating some production materials. For processes, our goal to introduce guidelines and procedures for the group’s activities worldwide has not yet been achieved. But we have introduced standard supplier and logistics management processes and made substantial savings. We are proud of what we have achieved and hope to complete the plan next year. This will enhance our reputation as a business which can meet environmental challenges.

Final draft

Only two years ago we took the important decision to launch our Environmental Action Plan in order to respond to important changes within our industry. Both our customers and the investment community were requesting more information about the environmental impact of our products. Furthermore, governments and regulators in our different markets were imposing ‘eco labels’ - new standards of environmental conformity. The plan was in three distinct phases: first, an audit of our products and processes, then recommendations for change and finally implementation in our business operations. On the product side, this is now complete and we have reduced the number of production materials, thus making our products more sustainable. However, for business processes, we have not yet completed the introduction of group-wide policies although we have successfully implemented standard supplier and logistics management processes and made substantial savings. We are extremely proud of what we have achieved in such a short time and we plan to continue implementation of our Environmental Action Plan, thereby enhancing our reputation as a business that is prepared to meet the environmental challenges of the future.

Formal business correspondence is usually done by letter as this leaves a written record which can be kept for reference. Business letters can be of different types with different purposes: to apply for a job, to inform people of developments, to request action, to make an enquiry, to complain, etc. To write a successful business letter you need to use the right tone and to communicate your message to the reader using straightforward language. The way a letter is written reveals a lot about the person who is writing it and it also sends a message about the organization that he or she is working for. It is, therefore, very important to make sure that the information, layout, style and spelling are all correct before you send it.

Parts of the Letter

When writing a business letter, you should follow the standard format. The letter opposite shows where the following different components should appear on the page: 1) letterhead / address (but not name) of writer; 2) name and address of recipient; 3)references; 4) date; 5) opening; 6) subject heading; 7) body of the letter; 8) closing; 9) signature; 10) name and job title; 11) enclosures. The letter structure and its parts must be carefully studied so as not to experience any problems in your further communications.

Below you will find the specimen letter with its parts marked:

 

Sample letter

 

letterhead	Brownlee & Co Ltd
(sender’s) address	5 High Street, Blackheath, London SF3B 5HY tel: 01-852-6872
recipient’s address	Mr. C. Chamberlain Managing Director Evans Universal Ltd. Lord Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1A 7WW
reference	Our ref: MS/WID/15/88
date salutation	26th October 2001 Dear Mr. Chamberlain,
introductory	Thank you for your letter of 22nd October enquiring about our paragraph range of office equipment.
main paragraph	I enclose an up-to-date price list and our latest catalogue
	which I hope includes something of interest to you. You will notice that we offer very favorable terms of payment.
concluding paragraph	I look forward to hearing from you again.
complimentary	Yours sincerely, ending
signature	SThomas
(typed) signature	Simon Thomas
position/title	Production Manager
enclosures enc.

 

Business letters are usually quite formal in style. A conversational style is therefore not appropriate and you should avoid contractions, for example. Try to use verbs in the active and not in the passive form as this will make your letter more dynamic. You should also avoid writing sentences that are too long and that include complicated or unnecessary language. A straightforward letter will get your message across more effectively than a long wordy one. There are certain conventions concerning the correct way to address people and to close your letter.

How to Address Firms

It is essential to know when en­gaged in business correspondence the proper way of addressing firms and individuals.

For example:

a) «Minolta Camera Co., Ltd., » Osaka, Japan.

In this case do NOT add «Messrs» before the name of the firm, since it has an impersonal title.

b) But, «Bethlehem Steel» export corporation,

25, Broadway, New York, N. Y., 10004, USA.

has the personal title and, therefore, when addressing this corporation it is advised to write Messrs. Bethlehem Steel.

In business correspondence, it is important to put a job title after the name of the person you are writing to. If you do not know the person’s name, you can use their title to signal who you wish to contact, addressing them as sir or madam after that.

Common job titles:

• Chairman (of the board) or President - the person at the top of the hierarchy

• Vice Chairman or Vice President - second in the hierarchy

• Managing Director or CEO (Chief Executive Officer) - in charge of the day-to-day running of the business

• Finance Director or CFO (Chief Financial Officer) - responsible for all matters concerning finance

• Accountant- oversees the book-keeping

• Marketing Manager/Director - coordinates all commercial activities

• Sales Manager/Director - in charge of the Sales Team

• Communications Manager/Director or CCO (Chief Communications Officer)- in charge of internal and external communications

• Product Manager/Director - manages one of the products in the product portfolio

• Legal Affairs Manager/Director - deals with legal matters

 

Opening Letters It is conventional to begin the business letters with:

1. Dear Sirs, (be careful when translating this into Russian)

2. Gentlemen,

Remember, that when addressing such company as, for example, «1990 Amity Leather Products Company, Inc., West Bend, W153095»,

You should write

Dear Sirs,

but if you address the Manager, You write: Dear Sir,

In the official letters the salutation «Sir» is mainly used in this class of letters.

The message or the Body of the letter refers to the subject- matter of the letter, begin the first sentence a little to the right and about half an inch below the salutation; think out what you want to say and make a logical conclusion to the body of the letter. Avoid «postscripts» at the end; divide the body of the letter into paragraphs; use simple and direct language; write legibly; punctuate properly.

Remember! Your letter will al­ways be clearly understood by the addressee if you bear in mind the above hints.

Closing Letters are usually closed in standard ways. At the end of your letter you should include a short sentence like I look forward to hearing from you. or Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further information. Below that, you should put a closing phrase: Yours sincerely, (formal, for letters beginning Dear + name); Yours faithfully, (formal, for letters beginning Dear Sir /Madam); Yours truly, Best regards, Best wishes, (less formal). The Close immediately follows the body of the letter and is writ­ten on the right-hand side and varies with the degree of inti­macy, acquaintance or official position:

to strangers and firms: Yours truly (Truly yours),

Yours faithfully,

to superiors:

Yours respectfully (respectfully Yours),

The Signature should come be­low the Close, a little to the right:

Yours truly,

Mr. E. Smith

Yours respectfully,

Mr. Edward Brown

There are some useful phrases and notations that can be used while letter writing:

Following our recent telephone conversation...

I am writing to you to confirm...

Thank you for taking the time to...

Regarding the question of...

I think you will agree that...

We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

I am enclosing full contact details.

Enc. (shows that something is enclosed)

CC (copy sent to another person)

PS (for additional sentence(s) included after the signature)

 

Sample of Business letter

 

 

1. Emails writing

 

Email is one of the most commonly-used forms of communication in the international business world. It is used extensively within companies to circulate information, requests, results, instructions, recommendations, minutes of meetings, etc. Email is an effective, rapid and relatively cheap means of communicating with customers and suppliers, both nationally and internationally. Because of the brevity, rapidity and relative informality of emails, it is important to check that all information has been given and that the tone is appropriate.

Layout The emails opposite show where the following different components appear (though a-g may be in a different order depending on the system being used):

a) name of the person sending the email

b) name of the person / people the email is

addressed to

c) person / people who will also receive

the mail though it is not addressed

directly to them

d) person / people who will receive a copy

without other people knowing

e) date (and time)

f) information about the content of the email

g) files, documents, etc. sent separately rather than included in the actual

message or body of the email

h) opening

i) body of the email

j) closing

k) name and job title

Language styles

Emails are usually shorter than other forms of communication and the language is simple and concise.

The tone for emails to superiors or people outside the company should be formal. But ‘in-house’ emails between colleagues can be semi-formal.

When replying to mails, it is important not to reply simply ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to questions without referring back to the question and not to use pronouns out of context. However, if returning the sender’s email with your reply, by using ‘Reply’, the sender will have their original to refer to.

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