Unit 3

Intra-corporate Documents (I)

 Tasks

 Notice
 Memo
 Tasks of Notice

1. Introduction
2. Categorization
3. Layout
4. Principles
5. Samples
6. Exercises
7. Case study
 Introduction

 A notice is a sheet of paper giving written or

printed information, usually put in a public place.

 It is usually written by the higher authority to the

subordinates to notify or announce some issues.

 When writing a notice, the time and place for the

meetings or activities should be clearly and
exactly stated.
 Categorization
1) According to the content
 brief notice

 detailed notice

 notifications and warnings

2) According to the form

 Notice in form of poster

 Notice in form of memo

 Notice in form of mail

 Notice in form of public signs

1) According to the content

a. brief notice
 includes the time, place and content of the meetings
and activities (such as speeches, games and
parties).
b. detailed notice
 about activities with background information about a
person or an organization, and the arrangement of
the activities.
C. notifications and warnings
 about certain formal events, written with precise
structure and concise words.
2) According to the form

a. notice in form of poster

 As notice is put into a poster, it should be eye-catching in layout,
clear in content, and brief in language.

b. notice in form of memo

 A memo notice contains more information and one should make
it eye-pleasing and reader-friendly.

c. notice in form of mail

 Notice in this form have a great popularity with people today. A
mail notice may be the most efficient way to provide information
to the public. It’s very quick, economical and easy to send.

d. notice in form of public signs

 The simplicity is most appreciated when the public signs act as
warning.
 Layout

(1) Heading
(2) Body
(3) Signature
(4) Date
 Layout
 Heading:
To attract the reader’s attention using the word
Notice or NOTICE

 Body:
To inform the public of certain events or
activities. The body includes the purpose for
issuing the notice; time, place, sponsor and
detailed information about the event; and the
rounding off remarks.

 Signature:
To inform the readers who the organizer is. It is
usually put below the body.
 Layout
 Date:
To inform the readers when the notice is
made. The date appears below the
signature, centered or in the bottom left-
hand corner. Some notices, especially
notifications and warnings may omit the
last part. Sometimes even the heading is
omitted.
 Principles

a. Make the heading impressive;

b. The notices should be written accurately and
appropriately;
c. Use simple and concise words all through the notice;
d. Make notices as brief and straightforward as possible;
e. Avoid redundant expressions;
f. Specify the background, details, explanations or
qualifications;
g. Use styles such as capitals, bold, italics or underlining
to emphasize important information.
 Sample – A notice in form of poster
NOTICE
All department managers are requested to
meet in the company conference room on
Friday, Mar.12, at 2:00 p.m. to discuss
international exchanges.

Administration Office
Mar. 10, 2013
 Sample – A notice in form of memo
To: All Staff
From: Human Resources Department
Date: June 6th, 2013
Subject: Appointment of a New Vice President
B&W is pleased to let you know that, effective from
June 10th, Mr. Bowel will be our new Vice President.
He will replace Mr. Deng Haiyu, who is retiring next
month after 30 years of invaluable contribution to our
company.
Mr. Bowel will be concurrently serving as Manager of
Finance Division. We hope that you will give Mr. Bowel
the same loyal support as you did to Mr. Deng during
his tenure ( 任期 ) of office. Your cooperation will be
much appreciated.
 Sample – A notice in form of mail

December 20th, 2013

Dear Sirs,
We are very pleased to inform you that our
company will move to New Century Building, Room
Number 303 at Ren Min Road, where we shall be in
operation from January 1st, 2014 and where we
shall be pleased to receive our friends. The
business hitherto carried on in the name of J.B. &
Co. will then be continued under the name of Jack
Black & Company, Limited.
Yours faithfully,
Li Jie
 Sample – A notice in form of public sign

Office Hour: 8:00a.m.— 6:00p.m.

Please Check and See if the Money is Right. We
are Not Responsible after You Leave the Store
Cameras Forbidden
Replace the Newspaper after Reading
Reduce Speed Now
Don’t Touch High-Tension Wire
Don’t Dump Rubbish Here
No Smoking, Offenders to Be Fined 5 Dollars
 Exercises

1. Fill in blanks
Complete the following notice about the time and date on which
people can get a certificate for donating blood. Some parts of it have
been done for you.
Notice
If__________________, please come to the
university hospital _____________on Thursday,
Oct. 16 _____2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The English Department

 Answer for Reference
Notice
If you donated blood last month, please
come to the university hospital to get your
certificate on Thursday, Oct. 16 between
2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The English Department

 Case Study
1. As the secretary of your department, write a
meeting notice to inform all of the teachers
in your department to have a meeting in the
college conference room, Tuesday, Dec. 8,
at 2:00p.m. to discuss the new direction in
adult education.
2. As the monitor of your class, write a notice
about the English corner. Make up the time
and place by yourself.
3. Write a lecture notice of your own. You can
make up the lecturer, the topic, the time, and
the place.
 Answer for Reference

Notice
All professors, associate professors and lecturers are
requested to meet in the college conference room,
Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 2:00p.m. to discuss the new direction
in adult education.

The English Department

Dec. 5, 2006
 Answer for Reference

NOTICE
English Evening
By
English Corner
Saturday, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
in Room 345 , Assembly Hall

Programs:
(1) Songs (2) Recitation (3) Story-telling (4) Plays (5) Dancing

Admission tickets may be obtained on application to Room 333

Office Building

Jan. 26, 2013

Answer for Reference
NOTICE
All Are Warmly Welcome
Under the Auspices of the English Department
A lecture will be given

On Rhetoric & Literary

Criticism
By Prof. Henry James

In Room 123, Teaching Building

On Friday, Dec. 15, 2005. At 2:30 p.m.

The English Department Office

Dec. 5 2006
 Tasks of Memo

1. Introduction
2. Categorization
3. Layout
4. Principles
5. Samples
6. Exercises
7. Case study
 Introduction

 Memorandum, memo for short, is a written

message sent by one person to another or a
group of people within the same organization,
and is often used to give instructions, make a
request, report on actions taken on a particular
situation or discuss company policies.
 Categorization

(1) Block style

(2) Modified block style
(1) Block style
 In block style, all paragraphs should begin flush with
left margin with a blank space between paragraphs.

(2) Modified block style

 Modified block style begins with an equal
indentation of the first line without blank space
between paragraphs.
 Layout
1. Heading
a. To
b. From
c. Date
d. Subject
2. Message
a. Opening
b. Body
c. Closing
 Heading

a. To
After “to” are the recipient’s name and his/her job
title. It is usually not necessary to use Mr., Mrs.,
Miss or Ms. unless the memo is very formal. If
others other than the recipient also need to read the
memo, “CC” followed by a list of names, is written
under the “To”.
b. From
After “from” are the writer’s name and his/her job
title.
 Heading

c. Date

 Write month in letters instead of Arabic numbers.

 
 Do not use the abbreviations of months. Use the
cardinal number instead of ordinal numbers. For
example, “Jan 3rd, 2013” should be replaced by
“January 3, 2013.”

 The format can be British style — date/month/year or American

style — month/date/year. But the format for date must remain
the same throughout the memo.
 Heading

d. Subject

 Select a phrase for the subject line that will be

specific enough to convey the main purpose of the
memo, e.g. “Mandatory Employee Benefits Meeting”
rather than “Meeting” (too general).

 Sometimes the memo is authorized or approved by

your supervisor. You may put your supervisor’s name
on the “Through” line.
 Message
a. Opening
 Never use salutation like “Dear Amily”.
 State the purpose of your memo in the first sentence.

b. Body
 The body supplies the main idea of the memo.
 Body should be in complete sentences and short paragraphs, and well-
written text.

c. Closing
 Closing is used to make summarization, give recommendation or set
forth request.
 Never use closing remarks like “Yours Sincerely”.
 Never use full signature at the end of a memo.
 Notification of attachments is included at the very end of the memo,
right above the bottom margin and against the left margin. 
 Principles

1) Make the memo clear, complete, concise and

correct. Be direct and avoid over-politeness. The
memo should be short, with no more than two or
three short paragraphs.

2) Use simple language and neutral tone. As far as

formality is concerned, a memo is something
between a business letter and a note. The tone of
memos should depend on the status of the sender
and the recipient in the organization.
 Principles

3) Don’t include salutations or complimentary

close such as “Dear Mr. Smith”, “Sincerely
Yours” or “Best regards”.

4) Identify your audience and proofread your

work. Don’t use the memo for official
communications.
 Sample – A memo in block format
Memorandum
To : Ms. Iris Anderson, Trust Officer Heading
From : Sam Jones, Payroll Accounting
Through: Tony Mayer, Payroll Accounting
Date : 23 October 2013
Subject : Request for Update on Stock Option Participation
Opening
We need an update on those employees in your
department who are participating in the company stock
option plan.
Body
Please list the names of those who are currently
participating and their years of service. Also list anyone
who will be eligible for participation next year.
Closing
Be sure to turn in this information to me by 28 October.
 Sample – A memo in modified block format
MEMO
To: All Department Managers
From: Simon Hoffman, Human Resources Manager
Date: 30 March 2013
Subject: In-service English Training
An English class will take place in the Training Center.
Please encourage your own staffs to attend the course.
Please send me the names of all interested staffs by 10a.m.
on 3 April. Please be sure to have the forms filled in and
returned to the Administration Office by 12 June 2013.
Attachment: Form R-1
 Exercises
1. Fill in the blanks
headings and _________
(1) Use _________ bullets as necessary
to make key points stand out.  

(2) Long sentences with complex construction do

to-the-point
not belong in memos.  Keep memos _________
and _______.
short  

salutation or complementary
(3) Never use a __________
closing with a memo.
 Case study

2. Rewrite the following memo

 The Board has asked me to submit a report on your

experiences by the end of this week. I talked to some
of you informally about this last month. During my brief
visit I noticed a junior member of staff playing some
kind of computer game in the lunch hour, and a senior
manager told me that he used his for writing letters.
 Case Study

 I need to compile a full report, so I would like

everyone of you to let me know what you personally
use the PC for, what software you use and how
long per day you spend actually using it. It would
also be useful to find out how their PC has not come
up to expectations, and any unanticipated uses you
have found for your PC, so that others can benefit
from your experience.
 Answer for Reference
MEMORANDUM
To ： All member of staff ， Northern Branch
From ： K.L.J.
Date ： 5 December 2010 　　
Subject ： PERSONAL COMPUTERS

The board urgently requires feedback on our experience with PCs in

Northern Branch. I need to know, for my report ：
1. What you personally use your PC for and your reasons for
doing this. If you are doing work that was formally done by
other staff, please justify this.
2. What software you use. Please name the programs.
3. How many hours per day you spend actually using it.
 Answer for Reference
4. How your PC has not come up to your expectations.
5. What unanticipated uses you have found for your PC,
that others may want to share.

Please FAX this information directly to me by 5p.m

on WEDNESDAY 7 December.

If you have any queries, please contact my assistant, Jane

Simmonds, who will be visiting you on Tuesday, 6
December. Thank you for your help.
 Key to exercises of Unit 3 (Textbook)

I. Writing practice 1:
NOTICE
A welcoming ceremony for our new CFO, Mr.Wooden, will
be held in California Grand Hotel, Room 4088, at 6 p.m.
on Saturday, May 26th. Everyone is welcome!

Administration Office
Mar. 10, 2014
 Key to exercises of Unit 3 (Textbook)
II. Writing practice 2:

Memorandum
From: Section “B” Leader
To: The Maintenance Department
Date: 6th January 2001
Subject: Maintenance in our new office

As you know, our department moved into our new office on

Thursday. Unfortunately, the previously agreed maintenance has
not been completed. The following problems are outstanding:
Word processors require wiring to printers.
Metal bookshelf requires to be built.
The fire door is sticking.
Repair to filing cabinet drawer is needed.

I would be grateful to know when you will be able to complete the work.