Course: Business Communication

Internal Assignment Applicable for June 2022 Examination

1. You are the Team Leader with Amazon. A new group of interns has joined the
company. You have been given the responsibility of explaining them how to draft
business messages. You explain them about, ‘Adapting the message to Your
Audience.’ This canbe done by –
 Using the You Attitude;
 Maintaining Standard of Etiquette;
 Emphasizing the Positive and
 Using Bias Free Language.

Explain these giving appropriate examples of each. (10 Marks)

Answer:

One of the most daunting jobs in the workplace is writing and communicating to an
audience. In order for a message to be effective, it has to be impactful, clear and
relatable to an audience. The business of writing to your audience may have a lot to do
with in-born talent, intuition, and even mystery. But there are some controls you can
use to have a better chance to connect with your readers. The following “controls”
mostly have to do with making information more understandable for your specific
audience:

 Add information readers need to understand your document. Check to see

whether certain key information is missing—for example, a critical series of steps
from a set of instructions, important background that helps beginners
understand the main discussion, or definitions of key terms.
  Omit information your readers do not need. Unnecessary information can also
confuse and frustrate readers—after all, it’s there so they feel obligated to read
it. For example, you can probably chop theoretical discussion from basic
instructions.

The purpose of analyzing an audience is to ensure the successful delivery and reception
of a message.

Using the You Attitude

In professional emails, letters, and reports, emphasizing what readers want or need to

know is likely to generate goodwill and lead to positive results. In professional writing,
the "you attitude" means looking at a topic from the reader's point of view ("you")
instead of our own ("me"):
 Me Attitude: I have requested that your order is sent out today.
 You Attitude: You will receive your order by Wednesday.
 The "you attitude" is more than a matter of playing with pronouns or even of playing
nice. It's good business.

Guidelines for Writing with the "You Attitude"

 Establish a good, respectful relationship with your readers by addressing them
directly, writing in the active voice and using the second person (you,
your, and yours), not just the first (I, me, mine, we, us, and ours).
 Try to empathize with your readers. Ask yourself: what do they want, what do
they need to know, and what's in it for them?
 Rather than focus on your product, your service, or yourself, stress how
your readers will benefit from complying with your message.
 Earn the respect of your readers by being courteous, tactful, and gracious.
  And finally, if you're ever tempted to write "it should go without saying," stifle
the impulse

Maintaining Standard of Etiquette;

When communicating in writing, whether you’re penning a quick email to a colleague or

drafting a formal report to share at an upcoming meeting, pay special attention to tone.
Tone can be more challenging to pick up on—and convey—in writing, so be sure to
always reread your work and assess whether your tone is appropriate for the situation. 
Knowing the audience pulse before you are writing the document will give a lot of
support in deciding on the content and approach. In case you are not aware of the
audience, you can write keeping in mind the demographic, i.e. the target group for your
write-up, as online article writers or bloggers do. Before you begin to write, try to
understand always what your reason of writing is

Emphasizing the Positive

A positive tone helps to build a positive relationship between you and the audience, one
of the goals of both business and personal communication. In writing, people often
remember how something was said more than what was said!
You may not always be able to “eliminate the negative,” but you can certainly
“accentuate the positive” in business writing. Doing so gives your reader an overall more
positive impression of the message and you.
Positive emphasis is a way of looking at things. You can create positive emphasis with
words, information, organization, and the layout you choose.

In global business communication, bad news is unavoidable.  However, in this situation

the writer must take special care to avoid abusive and defamatory language that
personally attacks the subject’s honor and integrity.
These are a few techniques you can use to put positive emphasis into your
communication.
1.     Eliminate words that create an undesirable ambience or imply negativity.
2.     Tailor your message to what your audience can do instead of pointing out failures,
impossibilities and unreasonable responses.
3.     Place negative information in the middle of your presentation or paragraph, where
it won’t become a focal point.
4.     Draw little attention to negative information by presenting it neatly and efficiently;
then move on.

 Negative: Visitors without passes will not be allowed in.

 Positive: All visitors with passes will be allowed in.
Also, while threatening your readers may sound like an obvious no-no, threatening
language often appears in business communication. For example:
 Negative: Failure to comply with this new policy will result in termination.
 Positive: To ensure continued employment here, be sure to comply with this new
policy.

Using Bias Free Language

Writers who use unbiased language write in ways that are free from gender and group
stereotypes, including race, age, ethnicity, ability level, socioeconomic status, or sexual
orientation. By using unbiased language, writers can avoid using offensive language and
include all readers. This type of writing is appropriate for many situations, especially in
formal writing such as academic and journalistic. Writers must recognize where they are
most likely to encounter problems of biased language in their writing and learn to
remove these biases.
To have unbiased writing, you must work to remove your biases from the text.
  know your own biases - self-reflect to see what exclusive language is part of your
everyday speech; understand what prejudices you might have against certain
groups
 focus on what’s relevant - only include information and details about things like
race or age when necessary
 recognize and acknowledge differences - the purpose of bias-free language is not
to imply differences don’t exist, but to treat them professionally and respectfully
For Example:
 Avoid: Did the cleaning woman bring new trash bags?
 Try: Did the cleaner bring new trash bags?

Clarity of thought, conciseness, correct grammar and sentence structure, and simple
language characterize effective business writing.

2. Lisa, a commerce graduate, has been working in the field of Finance for the last 3
years.She now decides to do her post-graduation in management from a reputed
college. As apart of her documents, Lisa requires a recommendation letter from her
former professor.Imagining yourself to be Lisa, write a letter to your former professor
requesting him towrite a recommendation letter for you. Take care to refresh the
professor’s memorybecause you had passed out three years ago. Creatively assume
any other details that youneed for writing the request letter. (10 Marks)

Answer:

A letter of recommendation (or reference letter) is a document in which you attest to

the qualifications, experience, and dedication of a colleague, student, or friend to help
them get the position they want.
There are various types of recommendation letters, but the three most common ones
are written for job applications, university applications, and character references.
Almost all universities and scholarship programs require at least two recommendation
letters as part of the application process. These reference letters should ideally be
written by previous teachers or professors who are familiar with your academic
achievements and abilities.
Admissions officers and scholarship organizations want to get a better understanding of
who students are as a person before making the decision to admit them or award
scholarships.
Recommendation letters offer an authoritative outside perspective and help to shed
light on qualities that are difficult to fully convey in a resume and personal essay.
What role do letters of recommendation play during the college admissions process?
They help round out your applicant profile, provide insights into what you are like as a
student and person, and put the rest of your application in context. Letters of
recommendation are particularly valuable to admissions officers because the
experiences that high school counselors and teachers describe can help them paint a
better overall picture of who you are and the impact you will have on campus.
Most selective colleges and universities require one to three recommendation letters
with your application, usually from your guidance counselor and at least one teacher.
It’s important to be strategic about who you choose to write your recommendation
letters. It’s better to have recommendations from people who know you very well and
can expand on your academic and extracurricular strengths.

The most effective recommendation will come from someone who knows you well and
can speak to your character on a personal level. Make a list of several people who you
could ask. You’ll probably only need three, but it’s always a good idea to have backups
in case something falls through.
If you’re applying to college, consider asking a teacher and your high school guidance
counselor. Choose teachers of classes where you performed well (and who you had
good rapport with). Teachers you had during your junior or senior year will have the
freshest memories of you (and are likely more accustomed to writing such letters). 
Many college applications require at least one letter from your guidance counselor. If
you don’t know this person well, don’t be afraid to make an appointment so they can
learn more about you. 
If you’re working on a grad school application, your letters will likely come from one or
more of your professors. Ideally, ask professors who are in the same field as the
program you’re applying to. If you’re a working professional currently applying to go
back to school, your options include bosses and mentors, colleagues, or former
professors with whom you had a good relationship. 

Letter to former professor requesting him to write a recommendation letter

Date: 20 March, 2022

To,
Mr. Willow Lee
Associate Professor
Oxolly University
852 Business Rd.
Alpha City, Noida-54268

Subject:Request for Recommendation Letter

Respected Professor Lee,

I hope this letter reaches you in good health. My name is Lisa Grey and I have graduated
from your Commerce batch 2016-2019. I was a volunteer in a paid thesis organized by
the University in the year 2018 for which you were appointed as my mentor. I have
greatly enjoyed and benefited from the thesis that I took with you over the past three
years.

I have been working in the field of Finance for the last 3 years and have now decided to
do my post-graduation in management from a reputed college, for which I require a
recommendation from my college professor. I was hoping that you might know me well
enough and have a high enough regard for my abilities to write a general
recommendation for my credentials file.

I have included a summary sheet to refresh your memory about some of my key papers
including my senior thesis. I have also attached my resume which will bring you up to
date about some of my accomplishments outside the classroom.

Please let me know if you are comfortable endorsing my recommendation letter for the
Management course that I am willing to apply for. I would be happy to answer any
questions and provide further information which will help you to write my
recommendation.

Thanks so much for all you have done for me and for taking the time to review this
request.

Sincerely,

Lisa Grey
8996855236
Email: lisa123@gmail.com

Enclosed:
 Resume
  Details required for admission

People familiar with your academic work and performance are excellent choices to ask
for recommendations as you begin your career. You may not have a lot of related work
experience in your chosen field, and your professors can speak about the knowledge
and skills you have demonstrated that will help you succeed in the industry you are
targeting.

3. Write a complaint letter to the Director of Consumer Grievance Redressal Cell based
onthe facts given below:You are JassJavvy. You bought a Kitchen Aid stand mixer from
Flipkart on 1 January2022 for an amount of Rs.40,000. This included delivery and 40-
day money-back offer.As the stand mixer did not perform satisfactorily you decide to
return it to Flipkart andsend it back on 5th January. You call the company every week
and the representativeinform you over phone that the transportation and handling
charges as well as moneyequivalent to the price of the mixer, would be credited to
your account. On 15thMarchyou receive a statement for your credit card and to your
dismay you find that no credithas been applied to your account for the mixer, its
transportation and handling charges.You are dissatisfied and decide to write a
complaint letter.

a. What is the appropriate ‘tone’ of a letter of claim? How will the tone affect the
mannerin which the reader responds? Explain (5 Marks)

Answer:

“Tone” is the feeling and reactions of a subject of content, portrayed through language
and intonation of language. Tone can build a connection between reader and writer (or
reader and brand) by eliciting an emotional response from the reader.
Tone must be persuasive. Using tone in communication will directly influence your
reader’s reaction. If you write in an angry tone about your competitors’ unethical
sourcing, you’ll persuade your readers to be angry as well. If you write about their
unethical sourcing in a factual, informational way, that may not elicit the same sort of
angry response that would drive your customers to instead purchase from you.
To strike the right tone, writers should be mindful of the purpose and audience for their
work when making decisions about word choice, sentence structure, and specificity of
information.
The tone of complaint letters should not be negative; remember that the purpose of this
type of letter is not simply to complain, but to receive compensation in some form. As
such, the tone should be, at worst, neutral.
The objective of a complaint letter is to prompt an action that resolves a conflict. You
should avoid threats and accusations when providing the details of your complaint. Stick
to the facts and your reader will comprehend what went wrong and what action you
expect them to take.
Tell the person why you’re disappointed using specific and unemotional language. Be
direct and objective and list all of the reasons you’re dissatisfied, but avoid berating
them with a list of wrongdoings. Use calm, professional language to convey your
feelings and avoid raising your voice or using profanities.

Customer service agents may get as many as tens of thousands of letters daily, and that
means you have to quickly reach the stage, so that they know just what they’re dealing
with when they start reading. If your correspondence is overly long or detailed, the
reader is going to have a tendency to chalk its contents and get an uncertain idea of the
specific issue or wanted resolution.
Writers should consider the audience and purpose of each assignment and be cognizant
of the tone and voice they use to communicate with their readers. Sensitivity to the
audience’s stance on a particular topic will affect their perception of the writer as the
 argument unfolds; a respectful tone is more likely to reach the audience than one that is
condescending.
A writer builds goodwill for him or herself by using a tone that is polite and sincere. It is
important to strive for sincerity in tone because without sincerity, politeness can sound
condescending.
If you are respectful and honest, readers will be more willing to accept your message,
even if it is negative.

Compose in a respectful tone and also prevent making threatening, mad, or humorous
remarks no matter what. Bear in mind that the individual reading your letter wasn’t
directly responsible for anything happened. They’ll be more responsive and ready to
delight a gracious, considerate client than an angry, accusatory one.

b. Assume yourself to be Jass Javvy and write a complaint letter to Flipkart. (5 Marks)

Answer:

In business where selling and providing service occupy an important role, there will be
scope for complaints. Complaints arise not only because of the poor quality of goods
and service but also when an order is vague, there are errors in billing or mistakes in
dispatch and abnormal delay in fulfilling an order. A complaint letter should not be
written in an angry mood of complaining and fault finding.
The purpose of a complaint letter in business is to get rectification and replacement and
not finding fault with the seller.
It is the seller who has to give the guarantee and he should be willing to attend to
genuine complaints with an open mind.

Complaint Letter
Date: 19 March 2022
To,
Director of Consumer Grievance Redressal Cell
Flipkart

Subject: Writing a Complaint Letter for faultyproduct and inefficient after sale service

This is the letter to notify you concerning the purchased producti.e.Kitchen Aid stand
mixerby me on 1st January from your Flipkart website.
I was sure that the products will be good upon arrival, as I have heard many great
reviews about the product. Instead, I was delivered the faulty product that is not
working properly.

Further, I called the customer service executivefor this issue and he informed me that
the amount of Rs. 40000/- + transportation charges will be credited to me within few
working days. But on 15th March, my credit card statement is not showing the amount
credited as informed by your executive.
I have been following up since many days now as they haven’t taken the matter
seriously, which has made me bring this issue to your notice.
Kindly have a look into this matter. I request you to please solve the above issue as soon
as possible. Hoping to hear from your soon on a positive note.

Yours Sincerely,
Name: JassJavvy

The best method is not to react immediately either orally or in writing. The letter should
be written calmly in a matter-of-fact manner. Unnecessary generalities should not be
made. The fault / mistake should be clearly identified. A positive action on the complaint
should be demanded assertively. The complaint should not be correlated with any
previous complaint.