Writing Business Letters and Memos

Business letters and memos are two of the most common formal communication documents which contain information. Such type of
documents are forms of information dissemination within and outside organizations. However, these said documents have similarities
and differences in terms of goal, types, format etc.

Business letters are formal paper communications between, to or from businesses • Business letters’ goal is typically to exchange
messages ranging from routine, informational matters to complex, and even controversial matters.• It has types raging from sales and
inquiry letters to adjustment and follow -up letters.

Memos or Memorandum is used to communicate something of immediate importance to people within a business or organization•
Like a business letter, a memo is a permanent record of your communication. It is used in both paper and electronic formats. • This
document is utilized to trade information within and beyond organization

As far as professionalism is concern, transactions within and outside the organization – formality should not be forsaken in choosing the
most appropriate form of written communication in every writing situation.

PRINCIPLES IN BUSINESS WRITING

• Observing the principles in writing business letters and memos are the key to help writers attain the objectives.

• These are important elements to be considered so as to convey messages or information effectively

WORD CHOICE ▰ The correct choice of words provides clear and effective letters and memos. ▰ Writers should be careful in choosing
words to be used when writing because insensitive usage of words can lead to unclear messages which would lead to frustration,
miscommunication, and other possible problems. ▰ Since writers purpose is to relay messages, the use of familiar or everyday words
helps your reader to comprehend your message. ▰ Writers should avoid wordiness, slang, clichés, and pretentious words ▰ The
formula in writing effective business letters and moms is to express complicated ideas with strings of words that readers can easily
understand.

EMPHASIS and DE-EMPHASIS TECHNIQUES ▰ The ability to use this techniques can make a difference between average and
exceptional letters and memos. ▰ Emphasis Techniques: ▻ Italicizing and boldfacing words, phrases, and sentences ▻ Placing material
you want to emphasize in “emphasis positions” in short sentences within short paragraphs (Emphasize positions are near the beginning
and end of sentences and paragraphs) ▻ Use of active voice ▰ De-emphasis Techniques are the opposite of the emphasis techniques

WRITING CONCISELY ▰ In today’s business place, employees who write concisely and clearly are valued, so be careful not to include
unnecessary details. ▰ Writing concisely means: ▻ Knowing the depth of detail your reader needs to know ▻ If short words can get the
message across, use it rather than using long words ▰ Well-written, concise messages promote clarity and save people time. However,
in your quest to write concise messages, be careful not to leave out details necessary for message clarity

Writing Research-based Argumentative Essay

ENGLISH AS AN ACADEMIC LANGUAGE “Academic writing in English” refers to a style of expression that researchers use to define
intellectual boundaries of their disciplines and their specific areas of expertise. Characteristics of academic writing include a formal
tone, use of the third person rather than first person perspective, A clear focus on the research problem under investigation, and precise
word choice (James, 2008). Hence, it requires formality in language and structure of writing. It strictly follows writing rules and
guidelines even including the requirement for the font style and fun size that you will use in presenting your idea. Academic English is
not the daily-kind of spoken or written in English because it may be used for a specific purpose like explaining the formal definition,
describing how something works or classifying items.

There might be varied accepted forms of academic writing depending on preferred style, purpose, context and the target audiences.
However, most academic writing papers demand particular considerations to the following elements: Organization Unlike other writing
styles, the general construct of academic writing demands formality and logic. Cohesion and logic bring together the various parts in an
organized manner to create a unified idea that is to be communicated. It is important to note that the transitions between sentences and
paragraphs must be very clear to guide the readers. be reminded that the function of the introduction of any academic writing is to show
flow of the whole paper.

The Tone any academic writing inherently has a stance or point of view that shapes. The kind of arguments or explanations presented.
balance and accuracy are expected in the presentation of these arguments. Thus you, the writer, having the authoritative point of view
in exposing the relevant insignificant details must “state the strengths of your arguments confidently, using language that is neutral, not
confrontational or dismissive.”

The Choice of Words words to be used in any academic writing make the difference. Since words can be interpreted in varied ways
because of cultural influence, your choice of words must show definiteness for you to express the intended purpose and meaning within
the context of your writing without confusing the readers.

The Language with the intention to convey an idea in a formal and structured manner, you must not be ambiguous with the language
used for your readers to follow your line of thoughts without being confused and lost. As a writer, you must inhibit from using general
terminologies, colloquial expressions, and irregular punctuations and abbreviations. The most appropriate and effective language that
you use should be to the point (conciseness), specific (preciseness), and proper (formality) to develop the intended meaning.

Punctuations Since language is very crucial in conveying the intended meaning of the academic writing, all necessary elements
associated with it like punctuations must be critically selected and used. Exclamation points, dashes, hyphens if not properly make use
of suggest informality of tone. be sure that you correctly use periods and semicolons so that your paper will not look like dramatic
poetry. If you are not confident with your use of punctuation in your sentences, all you need to do is revise your sentence to avoid
incomprehensible line of thoughts.

Academic Conventions Scholarly writing demands the acknowledging of sources of information in the forms of footnote, and note or a
reference page. This act of citation simply expresses the respect and recognition of the authors of the borrowed ideas and language. If
it is not done, then you will be charged with plagiarism which means cheating. Citing sources as a must in academic writing allows the
reader to verify the truthfulness of the idea, concepts or research findings and conclusions used in proving claims or arguments. Aside
from citing sources, you should also consider standards in writing in terms of format, pronoun reference, poetic expression's in slang
terms. Unless needed to emphasize a crucial point of argument, then use them with caution.

Evidence-based Arguments Academic writing values opinions that are reflective of actual body of knowledge and credible sources. In
explaining a personal claim, you need to substantiate it with evidence from reliable sources to establish the strength of claim. The data
of proof of claim must be expressed in a well-documented, logical, coherent style in order to convince the readers of the soundness of
opinions. This is relevant when you want to establish that your idea is valid.
Thesis-driven When you argue, there is always a claim to prove. It is thesis-driven because the presentation of supporting ideas and
evidence is caused by a particular claim to be established as sound and legitimate. Similarly, there is the intention to contribute to
creating possible solutions to solve a problem or simply understand the new body of knowledge.

Complexity and Higher-order Thinking Higher-order thinking skills are required to deal with the issues that are posited in academic
writing. Evaluating, creating, judging, reflecting, and synthesizing are few of the higher-order thinking skills that facilitate the process of
logically organizing and summarizing the contentions of an argumentative essay or a research problem. These are also cognitive
processes that explain a set of complex information that lead to understanding the idea or concept presented.

ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence;
and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.

“ Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative
assignments may also require empirical research where the student collects data through interviews, surveys, observations, or
experiments. Detailed research allows the student to learn about the topic and to understand different points of view regarding the topic
so that she/he may choose a position and support it with the evidence collected during research. Regardless of the amount or type of
research involved, argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.

The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following:

A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. This first part should explain why the topic
is important or why readers should care about the issue. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the
guidelines set forth in writing. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or
essay.

Body paragraphs that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will
allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is
important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the
opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also
important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis

A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided. This is the portion of the essay
that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce
any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is
important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should
be completed in light of your work.

Statement-Explanation-Example-Why Structure

This structure aids the writer in effectively developing an idea in a paragraph. It should not, in any way, hinder the writer to elaborate
and thoroughly expound relevant points.

STATEMENT Establishes the main idea or the argument that the writer wishes to pursue (Example: Dogs are generally regarded as
man’s best friend)

EXPLANATION Explains/ Elaborates/Clarifies the idea or argument (They are intelligent and faithful, as well as being easily trained to
obey, unlike other pets)

EXAMPLE Provides evidence/facts/proofs/details that support the idea or argument (Guide dogs, sheep dogs, show dogs, or just
ordinary mutts)

WHY Delineates the relevance or significance of the idea or simply the articulation of why one thinks this idea is important (They will be
your friends or life and repay over the attention you give them)

WRITING RESEARCH-BASED JOURNAL ARTICLE What is Research-Based Journal Article?

• Type of research report • Report that describes the research completely (i.e What, How, When, Where, Why the research was done
including the results/findings and conclusion of the research) • typically follow a particular format, and include specific elements that
show how the research was designed, how the data was gathered, how it was analyzed, and what the conclusions are.

IMRaD Introduction, method, results, discussion

INTRODUCTION This includes the kind of problem you are trying to study and offer a solution that serves its purpose.

METHODS TYPES OF RESEARCH Quantitative Survey is a type of survey used to gain information about frequency, likelihood,
ratings, pricing, and more. They often include Likert scales and other survey question types to engage respondents throughout the
questionnaire. Qualitative Survey is a type of survey that aim to gather data that is not easily quantified such as attitudes, habits, and
challenges. They are often used in an interview-style setting to observe behavioral cues that may help direct the questions.

EXAMPLES OF METHODS USED • Survey – is a method for collecting information from a pool of respondents by asking multiple
survey questions. • Interview – is a method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data. • Focus-group discussion – is a
method in which a small group of participants gather to discuss a specified topic or an issue to generate data. • Experiment – is a useful
form of analysis that professionals use in a variety of industries. • Observation – is a way to gather data by watching people, events, or
noting physical characteristics in their natural setting. Observations can be overt (subjects know they are being observed) or covert (do
not know they are being watched).

RESULTS Results are where the findings and outcomes of the research go. When talking about this data, we can think of the results as
having two parts: report and comment. The reporting function always appears in the results section while the comment function can go
in the discussion section.

DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSION Summarizes the main findings of the study

ABSTRACT Can vary in length from one paragraph to several pages, but they follow the IMRaD format and typically spend. • 25% of
their space on importance of research (Introduction) • 25% of their space on what you did (Methods) • 35% of their space on what you
found: this is the most important part of the abstract (Results) • 15% of their space on the implications of the research (Discussion)