Writing Business Documents
Overview
 Writing what you have to communicate is encoding
the message in words that you want the receiver to
interpret and clearly understand.
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Message may be delivered to the receiver in a variety of written
channels: memo, letter, formal report, email, etc.
 Message interpretation requires the receiver to decode
the message.
 Feedback = means for assessing whether this has been
accomplished
A. Business Letters
 Business letter is external communication used most
often for corresponding with others outside the
organization
 Positive letters – says “yes” and presents good news;
main purpose is to transmit info that pleases the receiver
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Orders for good or services
Letter granting refund or adjustment
Response to inquiry for information
Goodwill message = expresses sympathy, thanks or congrats!
A. Business Letters (cont’d)
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Direct approach or deductive approach – used in writing
positive letters; main idea presented immediately
 Opening paragraph – general statement
 Body paragraph – necessary details here
 Closing paragraph – general positive statement
 Routine or Neutral Letters
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Exchange day-to-day information
 Request for information
 Response to information request
Direct/deductive approach also applied here
A. Business Letters (cont’d)
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Negative letters
 Use the indirect approach – inductive approach
 Unfavorable letter
 Types are:
Refusal to send info
 Refusal to give assistance
 Problem with order for goods and/or services
 Refusal to grant particular action
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Writing approach:
Buffer paragraph – sets the stage in the beginning
 Rationale for refusal
 Bad news
 Closing paragraph
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A. Business Letters (cont’d)
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Combination letters – says “yes” to the reader for part of what
is requested with a “no” response clearly stated
 Types are:
Partial order being filled
 Partial response to information request
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Persuasive Letters – presents positive information to the
reader, but the nature of the info is more complex
 Types are:
Special requests for assistance (fundraising efforts)
 Special requests for information (research related)
 Marketing goods, services or ideas
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A. Business Letters (cont’d)
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Writing approach used is:
 Attention
 Interest
 Desire
 Action
 A – I – D – A approach!
Opening paragraph must get the reader’s attention!
 Body paragraphs emphasize reasons why the reader should
respond positively!
 Closing paragraph should explain to the reader what action
should be taken
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A. Business Letters (cont’d)
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Merged Letters
 Word processing mail-merge feature
 Variable information
 Mail merge fields
 Main document is the form letter
 Database contains the variables to be inserted into the form
letter
B. Memoranda and Short Reports
 Memoranda = common medium for correspondence
within the organization
 Favorable – request for info or assistance; response to
same
 Unfavorable – performance evaluation; uses the indirect
approach
 Persuasive (use A I D A approach)
 Informal or Short Reports = used to transmit
meaningful information to others within the
organization (informal and short – no more than 4 - 7
pages)
B. Memoranda and Short Reports
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Types are:
 Proposal = plan that includes info such as what it is, why it is
important, how it will be used, and how much will it cost
 Feasibility Study = analysis of business systems and procedures
 Progress report = outlines steps already completed in a project
c. Electronic Mail (email)
 Advantages:
 Focused, short, and to the point
 Transmitted immediately
 Cost of communicating decreases
 Fundamental of writing e-mail messages:
 Concentrate on the four “Cs”
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Conciseness – short, simple sentences
Correctness – facts MUST be accurate; spelling & grammar!
Completeness – check carefully before hitting “SEND”
Courtesy – use the “you” approach; don’t be CURT!
D. Business Reports
 Primary purpose = transmit meaningful data to one or
more persons who need the info for decision-making
purposes
 Business report may be oral or written
 Types of reports = classified according to type of text or
data material, time interval, information flow, context,
function and message style
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Textual material (primarily text)
 Narrative reports
 Statistical reports = primarily numerical data
Time interval
 Scheduled reports – weekly, monthly or quarterly
 Special reports – generated “on demand”
Information flow
 Vertical report – prepared for higher level w/in organization
 Horizontal report – communication at same level w/in org
 External report – disseminated outside the organization
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Context
 Nontechnical reports – convey info to people who do not have
backgrounds in a given subject area
 Technical reports – designed to convey info to professionals
within the field who will understand it
Function = informational or analytical
 Informational report – facts presented in organized, structured
manner
 Analytical report – presents primary data and provides analysis
and interpretation
Message style
 Chronological – sequence of events
 Logical – patterns of reasoning
 Psychological – according to receiver’s needs
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
 Planning, Designing, and Conducting Research
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Research involves study of a problem, a trend or an issue
 Problem – result is a preferred solution
 Trend – examines a topic over a specific period
 Issue – has no resolution as yet
 Result – the report is the RESULT of the research!
 Definition of problem, trend or issue
 Collecting data – accumulation of data or facts from primary
and secondary sources to analyze the problem thoroughly
 Secondary research – an investigation to gather info that
others have written and prepared (company publications,
general reference books, gov’t documents, databases, etc.)
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Primary sources = gathering the original information to use as
current data in a report, you are conducting primary research
 Three types: experimental, observational and survey research
 Survey can be administered in written form (questionnaire) or
oral form (interview)
Data collection procedures must be planned and carefully
monitored:
 Questionnaire = written form that includes all questions to be
answered, space allowed for answers
 OMR = optical mark recognition response forms
 May be administered through USPS, web sites or email
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
Personal interview – another technique used to obtain
responses to open-ended questions
 Individual responses need to be recorded in writing or taped
 Telephone interview – should be designed so little time is
needed to administer; still not as effective as the personal
interview!
Question format = closed, open or scaled
 Closed – provides the respondent with a choice of answers
 Open – requires the respondent to provide an answer
 Scaled – rating scales allow the respondent to rank a list of
items
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D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Analyzing data – data is nothing until this phase is
accomplished; this step gives meaning to the data
 Data coding – a number is assigned to each response
classification
 Data tabulation – responses will need to be counted
 Statistical analysis – percentages, measures of central tendency
and measures of dispersion
 Percentages – ratios
 Measures of central tendency – measure the center value
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Mean
Median
mode
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
Measures of dispersion
 Range
 Standard deviation
Data evaluation and interpretation
 Result of data evaluation and interpretation is the
development of findings (facts) and conclusions
 Findings – summarized following the presentation of the data
 Conclusions – generalizations about the population or sample
that are drawn as a result of the data analysis
 Recommendations
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D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Organizing the report
 Inductive – specific to general (most prominent form used for
formal reports)
 Deductive – begins with presentation of general info, followed by
more specific information
Writing the report
 Final step in the research process
 Preliminary parts
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Letter or memo of transmittal
Title page
Authorization form
Table of contents
Table of figures
Abstract
Executive summary
D. Business Reports (cont’d)
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Body of the Report
 Introduction
 Data analysis and findings
 Conclusions and recommendations
Supplementary parts
 Bibliography – alphabetical list of all information sources used
 Works cited (references list)
 Glossary – alphabetical list of terms
 Appendix or appendices – supplementary research material
(questionnaires, etc.)
 Index – names and subjects