Personal Letter
Personal Letter
Apologies
Thank you's
Personal reference
Congratulations
Invitations
Condolences
They differ from formal types in that they can be used to express personal
feelings and depending on the relationship between the sender and receiver do not
require formal concise language.
1. The Heading: This includes the address, line by line, with the last line
being the date. Skip a line after the heading. The heading is indented to
the middle of the page. If using preaddressed stationery, add just the
date.
2. The Greeting: The greeting always ends with a comma. The greeting
may be formal, beginning with the word "dear" and using the person's
given name or relationship, or it may be informal if appropriate.
Occasionally very personal greetings may end with an exclamation point for
emphasis.
3. The body: Also known as the main text. This includes the message you
want to write. Normally in a friendly letter, the beginning of paragraphs is
indented. If not indented, be sure to skip a space between paragraphs.
Skip a line after the greeting and before the close.
4. The complimentary close: This short expression is always a few words
on a single line. It ends in a comma. It should be indented to the same
column as the heading. Skip one to three spaces (two is usual) for the
signature line.
5. The signature line: Type or print your name. The handwritten signature
goes above this line and below the close. The signature line and the
handwritten signature are indented to the same column as the close. The
signature should be written in blue or black ink. If the letter is quite
informal, you may omit the signature line as long as you sign the letter.
Postscript: If your letter contains a postscript, begin it with P.S. and end it with
your initials. Skip a line after the signature line to begin the postscript.
People write and send personal letters for only a small number of people to
read — usually one or two. Writers can send personal letters for lots of different
reasons: short memos for business strategies, love letters between long-
distance sweethearts or even pen pal messages to foreign exchange students.
Senders usually handwrite personal letters, which emphasizes the personal
nature of the note.
Love Letters: One of the most personal and intimate types of letter is a
love letter; senders write these letters to express their romantic feelings
for another person. Senders can write in happiness to a wife or boyfriend
living far away, but others might also write a letter in lament after a
breakup. Senders usually decorate these letters: Some add a perfume to
the paper and write with flair pens in fancy handwriting styles. Other
writers include pictures or draw hearts and lips onto the letter paper.
Some writers also date the letters as fond reminders for couples when
they get older. Love letters are also known for their over-the-top
descriptions of emotion and the recipient's beauty and kindness.
Pen Pal Letters: Pen pals can still write to each other outside of school
hours. Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other; schools
usually encourage pen pals so students can practice writing in another
language to another student abroad. Students usually write the letters in
class before giving them to the teacher to send to a linked school. There,
the students will reply to the letters personally and send them back
through their own teacher. The content of these letters serves to help
with the classes' learning and exams, so teachers encourage relevant
questions such as "How old are you?" and "Where do you live?".
"Dear John" Letters: "Dear John" is an expression and a name given to
letters sent by a woman to a man with whom she wants to break up.
American soldiers in the second world war often received "Dear John"
letters because they had been overseas and at war for too long. Their
wives and girlfriends usually gave the reason for their split as having met
a new man. The meaning behind the word "John" is not fully confirmed,
but experts have offered their own opinions. One theory holds that John
was a very common name for soldiers in the 1920s and '30s. Another
theory holds that the phrase stemmed from a pre-war radio show called
"Dear John" presented as a letter from a gossipy female character. To
reflect modern sexual equality, the letters men write to women with
whom they want to break up are called "Dear Jane" letters.
Personal Business Letters: Personal business letters can be sent from
one office employee to another or from a dissatisfied or upset customer.
Employees usually send interoffice letters as personal reminders for
upcoming meetings or to detail new business strategies. Customers
usually write personal letters in complaint, but they can also serve to
praise an employee. Contrary to other personal letters, senders usually
type business letters on a computer and print them out. However, some
customers will still send handwritten letters to show how personally
dissatisfied or pleased someone is.
Conventions
Addresses:
o Your Address:
You must always remember to include your own address on the top
right-hand side of the page. This will enable the person that you are
writing to, to be able to reply.
o The Address of the person you are writing to:
This address should be displayed beneath your address on the left-hand
side, remember to include the name of the person that you are writing
to.
The salutation should be followed by the surname only (not the first
name).
If you are familiar with the person that you are writing to then it may
be more appropriate to include their first name rather than using their
title. This is a decision that you will need to make based on your
relationship with the person in question.
Concluding:
o Yours sincerely,
You should conclude with the words: "Yours sincerely,".
Followed by:
o Your signature
Sign your name, then print it underneath the signature.
You may wish to conclude with something more friendly e.g. "All the
best", "Best regards," etc.
Content
Further Considerations
Avoid Email: Email has made it easy to jot down a few words, spell check and hit
send. When handwriting use conventional snail mail, obviously checking for
spelling and grammar. Know what you are going to say and how you’d like to write
it before you start, there is no delete button in real life.
Model
Ashley Kalinski
1754 Orange Street
FULLARTON SA 5063
12 January 2012
Hi Sophie,
I’m writing this from the cutest little café in New York! I feel like I’m
on Friends!
Mum’s been making sure we don’t miss one sight in the whole city, so
we’ve been walking practically all day. So far we’ve seen Times Square,
Broadway, Central Park and The Plaza. I caught a glimpse of the Statue
of Liberty but we’re going to go and see it properly tomorrow!
The streets are super busy here and everyone looks amazing in their
winter coats and hats. I had to buy mittens today! I miss being able to
feel my fingers! Hope you’re enjoying your holidays.
Miss you times a million, see you back in Adelaide on the 20th!
Love,
Ashley
Writing for a business audience is usually quite different than writing in the
humanities, social sciences, or other academic disciplines. Business writing strives
to be crisp and succinct rather than evocative or creative; it stresses specificity and
accuracy. This distinction does not make business writing superior or inferior to
other styles. Rather, it reflects the unique purpose and considerations involved
when writing in a business context.
When you write a business document, you must assume that your audience
has limited time in which to read it and is likely to skim. Your readers have an
interest in what you say insofar as it affects their working world. They want to know
the “bottom line”: the point you are making about a situation or problem and how
they should respond.
Business writing varies from the conversational style often found in email
messages to the more formal, legalistic style found in contracts. A style between
these two extremes is appropriate for the majority of memos, emails, and letters.
Writing that is too formal can alienate readers, and an attempt to be overly casual
may come across as insincere or unprofessional. In business writing, as in all
writing, you must know your audience.
In most cases, the business letter will be the first impression that you make
on someone. Though business writing has become less formal over time, you
should still take great care that your letter’s content is clear and that you have
proofread it carefully.
Personal pronouns (like I, we, and you) are important in letters and memos.
In such documents, it is perfectly appropriate to refer to yourself as I and to the
reader asyou. Be careful, however, when you use the pronoun we in a business
letter that is written on company stationery, since it commits your company to what
you have written. When stating your opinion, use I; when presenting company
policy, use we.
The best writers strive to achieve a style that is so clear that their messages
cannot be misunderstood. One way to achieve a clear style is to minimize your use
of the passive voice. Although the passive voice is sometimes necessary, often it
not only makes your writing dull but also can be ambiguous or overly impersonal.
Here’s an example of the same point stated in passive voice and in the active
voice:
Active: The Global Finance Team grossly overestimated the net benefits of
subsidiary divestiture.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. What if you are the head of
the Global Finance Team? You may want to get your message across without
calling excessive attention to the fact that the error was your team’s fault. The
passive voice allows you to gloss over an unflattering point—but you should use it
sparingly.
Business writing should be clear and concise. Take care, however, that your
document does not turn out as an endless series of short, choppy sentences. Keep
in mind also that “concise” does not have to mean “blunt”—you still need to think
about your tone and the audience for whom you are writing. Consider the following
examples:
Nobody liked your project idea, so we are not going to give you any funding.
Sales Letters: Typical sales letters start off with a very strong
statement to capture the interest of the 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 action and include
information to help the reader to act, such as including a telephone
number or website link.
Order Letters: Order letters are sent by consumers or businesses to
a manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler to order goods or services.
These letters must contain specific information such as model
number, name of the product, the quantity desired and expected
price. Payment is sometimes included with the letter.
Complaint Letters: The words and tone you choose to use in a letter
complaining to a business may be the 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.
Adjustment Letters: An adjustment letter is normally sent in
response to a claim or complaint. If the adjustment is in the
customer’s favor, begin the letter with that news. If not, keep your
tone factual and let the customer know that you understand the
complaint.
Inquiry Letters: Inquiry letters ask a question or elicit information
from the recipient. When composing 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.
Follow-Up Letter: Follow-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 and
sales letter.
Letters of Recommendation: Prospective employers often ask job
applicants for letters of recommendation before they hire them. This
type of letter is usually from a previous employer or professor, and it
describes the sender’s relationship with and opinion of the job
seeker.
Acknowledgment Letters: Acknowledgment letters act as simple
receipts. Businesses send them to let others know that they have
received a prior communication, but action may or may not have
taken place.
Cover Letter: Cover letters usually accompany a package, report or
other merchandise. They are used 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 letters are generally
very short and succinct.
Letters of Resignation: When an employee plans to leave his job, a
letter of resignation is usually sent to his 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 for
leaving the company.
Model
5 Hill Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53700
Ah, business letter format-there are block formats, and indented formats, and modified
block formats . . . and who knows what others. To simplify matters, we're demonstrating the
block format on this page, one of the two most common formats. For authoritative advice
about all the variations, we highly recommend The Gregg Reference Manual, 9th ed. (New
York: McGraw-Hill, 2001), a great reference tool for workplace communications. There
seems to be no consensus about such fine points as whether to skip a line after your return
address and before the date: some guidelines suggest that you do; others do not. Let's
hope that your business letter succeeds no matter which choice you make!
When you use the block form to write a business letter, all the information is typed flush left,
with one-inch margins all around. First provide your own address, then skip a line and
provide the date, then skip one more line and provide the inside address of the party to
whom the letter is addressed. If you are using letterhead that already provides your
address, do not retype that information; just begin with the date. For formal letters, avoid
abbreviations where possible.
Skip another line before the salutation, which should be followed by a colon. Then write the
body of your letter as illustrated here, with no indentation at the beginnings of paragraphs.
Skip lines between paragraphs.
After writing the body of the letter, type the closing, followed by a comma, leave 3 blank
lines, then type your name and title (if applicable), all flush left. Sign the letter in the blank
space above your typed name. Now doesn't that look professional?
Sincerely,
John Doe
Administrative Assistant
5 Hill Street
Madison, Wisconsin 53700
15 March 2005
Sincerely,
John Doe
Company, Inc.
15 October 2012
I am writing you concerning a recent purchase of widgets. Approximately two weeks ago, on
October 1, I ordered a total of 50 widgets for Company, Inc. via the Widgets Galore client webpage.
I received an email notification two days later confirming the receipt of payment and the shipment of
the widgets. According to your website, shipments should reach their destination within 3-5
business days of being sent, but I have yet to receive the widgets. Do you have any information on
what may have happened to delay the shipment or where the shipment is currently?
I have worked with Widgets Galore, Inc. in the past and have the greatest confidence in your
products and customer service. We need the shipment of widgets soon, however, and I hoped you
might be able to provide me with an idea of when I can expect them. Thank you in advance for any
help you might be able to offer.
Sincerely,
Sam Brown
555-555-5555
[email protected]
WORD DIVISION
The purpose of the written word is to communicate, and written matter
should be easy to read. However, the splitting of words at the end of a line can
impede the flow.
The main rule in English word division is, that the pronunciation of the first
part of the word be recognisable before the eye reaches the second part in the
succeeding line. Thus, the word coincidence must be split co-inci-dence to ensure
that it is not confused with coin-age. All other considerations are secondary to this
rule.
In general, words are spilt into syllables, e.g. com-bine, walk-ing, vis-u-alis-
ation, etc. In compound words it is suitable to split the words, e.g. lifetime,
etc.
Etymology should also be taken into consideration, e.g. geri-atrics.
It is suitable to divide a word after a prefix, e.g. anti-bacterial, not
antibacterial, or before a suffix, e.g. count-able.
Pronunciation should also be considered, hence, photo-graph, but photogra-
pher, and not photo-grapher.
Never split an English word between two letters that form one sound, i.e. –
ea-, -th-, -sh-, etc. Hence read-able not re-adable, worth-less not worthless,
wash-ing, not was-hing.
Never split a word so that the second part is unpronounceable, e.g. not
probab-le but prob-able.
A split which gives only two letters at the beginning of the second line is
never permissible, and one which gives only two letters at the end of the first
line is undesirable. (Exceptions are prefixes, such as re-, di-, etc.)
Never split a word such that the last line of a paragraph consists only of the
second part of the word.
Some words cannot be split, for example, sources. Sour-ces misleads the
reader into thinking the word has to do with sour. Other words simply cannot
be pronounced if split: brou-ght, thoug-ht etc.
Do Not Divide:
Mrs. Dominguez; 465 miles; 10:30 a.m.; Chapter 15; Adam Hagerty, Jr.
Divide:
Geographic Reach
The world's largest beverage company rings up nearly 58% of its sales
outside the US, in some 200 countries worldwide across Eurasia, Africa, Europe,
North America, and the Pacific Region. Important international markets include
Asia and Latin America.
Operations
It owns and market four of the world's top five nonalcoholic sparkling
beverage brands: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite.
In line with its Vision 2020 strategy, which seeks growth opportunities and
operational efficiencies, The Coca-Cola Company adopted a new global operating
structure in 2013. The company's business is divided into three operating
segments: Coca-Cola International, Coca-Cola Americas, and Bottling Investments
Group (BIG). The Coca-Cola International business consists of the company's
Europe, Pacific, and Eurasia & Africa groups, while Coca-Cola Americas includes
the company's North America and Latin America groups. BIG focuses on the
beverage company's owned bottling operations outside of North America.
Not only is Coca-Cola one of the world's most recognizable and valuable
brands, but The Coca-Cola Company supports the largest beverage distribution
system in the world, made up of company-owned or controlled bottling and
distribution operations, as well as independently owned bottling partners,
distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Beverages bearing trademarks owned by or
licensed to them account for 1.9 billion of the approximately 57 billion beverage
servings of all types consumed worldwide every day.
To keep its brand foremost in the mind of consumers, the company incurred
advertising expenses in excess of $3.26 billion in 2013, about the same as in 2012.
Financial Performance
After experiencing straight five years of revenue growth, in 2013 The Coca-
Cola Company's revenues declined by 2% due to the unfavorable impact of its
geographic mix (with growth in lower revenue per unit emerging and developing
markets exceeding growth in developed markets). The unfavorable impact of
foreign currency fluctuations also decreased consolidated net operating revenues
by 2%.
After experiencing net income growth in 2012 due to higher revenues and a
decline in other operating charges, in 2013 The Coca-Cola Company's net income
dropped by 5% due to a decrease in revenues and operating income.
Strategy
The popularity of soft drinks, especially in mature markets, has been on the
decline since about 2005 as negative publicity about obesity and other health risks
continues to threaten sales. As a result, The Coca-Cola Company and other top
soft drink makers are turning toward other parts of their noncarbonated product
portfolio for growth, such as fruit juices, sports and energy drinks, and bottled water
and tea beverages.
That year the company teamed up with Keurig Green Mountain, entering
into a 10-year global strategic agreement to collaborate on the development and
introduction of The Coca-Cola Company global brand portfolio for use in Keurig
Green Mountain's Keurig Kold at-home beverage system.
Diversifying its portfolio, in 2014 the company acquired a 16.7% equity stake
in Monster Beverage Corp., a leading maker of energy drinks. Under the terms of
the deal, The Coca-Cola Company will transfer ownership of its worldwide energy
business, including NOS, Full Throttle, Burn, Mother, Play and Power Play, and
Relentless, to Monster; and Monster will transfer its non-energy business, including
Hansen's Natural Sodas, Peace Tea, Hubert's Lemonade and Hansen's Juice
Products, to The Coca-Cola Company.
Alcance geográfico
Mayor compañía de bebidas del mundo con casi el 58% de sus ventas fuera
de los EE.UU., en unos 200 países de todo el mundo a través de Eurasia, África,
Europa, América del Norte y la región del Pacífico. Los mercados internacionales
más importantes son Asia y América Latina.
Operaciones
Ventas y Marketing
Desempeño Financiero
Fusiones y Adquisiciones