Linda Said:

please help me with my business research..whew..?

We Answered:

http://www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/l…

Letter Writing
Letters remain hugely important in our everyday lives. People still feel the need to have something confirmed in writing and a letter can add the all important personal touch. But there are pitfalls to letter writing. Below are our top tips for getting your letter right.

1. Define your purpose
Before you begin writing a business letter ask yourself:

Why am I writing this letter – what has led up to it?
What do I hope to get out of it (my maximum aims)?
What do you expect to get out of it (my realistic aims)?
What is the best way to achieve this?
What information do I need to provide? For example, dates of previous letters, dates you saw advertisement, dates of appointments, addresses of shops and people, names of people involved, reference or account numbers.
What arguments do I need to use?
2. The first paragraph
The first paragraph of the letter should introduce the subject matter and either state or imply your purpose in writing.

3. The body of the letter
The body of the letter should consist of one or more paragraphs. It should develop clearly and logically the argument and facts of the case. If there is more than one paragraph, each paragraph should focus on a separate aspect of the subject matter and there should be clear links between paragraphs.

4. The final paragraph
The final paragraph should leave the reader in no doubt about your attitude towards the subject of the letter. It may, for example, spell out what you would like to see happen. It should be positive and unambiguous.

5. Achieve the right tone
Although the reader of your letter may be unknown to you, it is important to achieve a suitable tone in your writing and not to be too casual or too formal. So, as far as possible:

Avoid Jargon whenever possible.
Use shorter sentences rather than longer ones.
Avoid using the passive. For example write, ‘We sent you that letter by mistake’, rather than the more pompous, ‘Our letter was sent in error’.
Don’t let your feelings get the better of you.
Don’t try to be too clever.
Be clear and to the point, but don’t be too blunt.
6. Adopt a clear layout
Adopt a letter layout that is clear and consistent. For example, if you put a comma after the person’s name in the greeting, include one after Yours faithfully/Yours sincerely; either indent the paragraphs or leave a space between them, without indentation.

7. Sincerely or Faithfully?
If you are writing to someone whose name and title you do not know, use the greeting Dear Sir or Madam, and the ending Yours faithfully, signing yourself with your initials and surname.

If you are writing to a named person, address them as Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms, and end Yours sincerely, followed by your first name and surname.

If you have met them or spoken to them by phone, or otherwise feel that you have some acquaintance with them, address them by their first name and sign yourself Yours sincerely, using your first name.

Gloria Said:

Why are business ethics important?

We Answered:

Business ethics are important to ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of a company. For example, right now BP is leaking millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Its business practices are being called into question because they are being investigated. Ethically, since they knew they were operating faulty equipment, they could be held financially responsible for the cleanup, not to mention being morally responsible for the deaths and possible extinction of sea creatures and wildlife. Because of this incredible disaster, confidence in the company has plummeted, the stock has fallen, and the company is scrambling to salvage its reputation.
It's the same thing with Tiger Woods, to give you a completely different example. Because of his marital infidelities, certain extremely lucractive endorsement deals went south. His golf has suffered, his reputation has suffered, and his wallet has suffered. Although he is an individual, he is also a business. Because of how he had portrayed himself in the past, his complete lack of personal ethics affected his business.
Hope that helps.

Larry Said:

classification of report?

We Answered:

Reporting is extremely important as you need to constantly measure performance and forecast trends. Reports come in all types of classifications: financial, quality, personnel, marketing etc.

Many reports tend to rely on multiple pages of numbers. Put those in the Appendix.

Start your report with a one page executive summary that says in words what the key numbers are (i.e. gross profit is up 7% in third quarter)

Another important element of a report is to identify time sensitive action items (and the people assigned to the task) that will produce the desired results. "Joe will renegotiate the contract to offset the 3% rise in fuel costs. Final documents complete by July 10."

Most reports focus too much on what was already done. Try to emphasise what you plan to do and use the historical data to back up your arguments.

Deborah Said:

what is effective writing skiils?

We Answered:

Effective writing skills means that...

1. you communicate your message clearly

2. you communicate your message in the shortest and simplest way possible

Katrina Said:

Why is communication of importance when working in a team?

We Answered:

well if you don't communicate, how are you supposed to know what each persons job is?

If the situation changes (like suddently soemone can't hit the deadline or someone needs help) communication is key to ensure the team plan can be adapted accordingly.

Different team-mates often have different areas of expertise or sometimes find out something that is of relevence to one of the other team-members. Communicating with each other about what you need to know and what it is that you know about allows you to pool expertise.

So, hope this starts you off, there are lots of other bits as well.