8. Fundamentals of Business Letter Writing

Letter--writing does not differ from any other form of creative writing. Good English is one of the important bases of good business letters. What you write should be free from grammatical blemishes, and also free from the slightest possibility of being misunderstood. There are certain essential qualities of business letters, which can be summed up in the Six C's. (l ) Clearness: (2 ) Conciseness; (3 ) Courtesy; (4)Consideration; (5) Correctness; (6) Completeness.
(1) The Letter-head The letter-head expresses a firm's personality. It helps to form one's impression of the writer's firm. Styles vary considerably, but they all give similar information and besides the name and address of the firm may include telephone numbers, telegraphic addresses, the telegraphic codes used, telex numbers, and the kind of business carried on.

• • • •
• •
劣势
• • 1. 无限责任 对每位个体经营者来说无限责任是最可怕的恶梦。责任在这里意 味着偿还债务的义务。按照法律，个体经营者的无限责任意味着，如 果此人破产了，偿还债务不仅有可能倾尽他全部的商业财产，还有可 能耗尽他的部分或者全部个人财产， 2. 有限的资金渠道 个体经营者可能也较容易从银行获得贷款，因为他有商业资产或 个人资产做抵押。可是同那些既能从银行获得贷款又能向股东融资的 大型企业相比，个体经营者获取资金的途径十分有限，因此很难保证 额外资金。 3. 有限的管理技能 许多的个体经营者或许是这行或那行的专家，但却很难有管理一 个现代企业所要求的方方面面的技能。这些技能至少涉及营销、融资 和人力资源管理方面。因此，个体经营者不得不做更大的努力来经营 好自己的企业，并在工作上花费更多的时间。
• •
公司和有限责任公司（LLC）
• 公司与传统意义上的公司在有限责任义务上相似，但前者 按合伙经营的方式付税而后者的纯利润直接由所有人/股 东分得。S 公司的最不利因素是对股东的人数（35人）和 对股东的类型（个体、有房产、有信托）有所限制。 • 有限责任公司（LLC）同样也享受责任有限的权利， 并按合伙经营的方式付税。但与S公司相比，有限责任公 司（LLC）对公司股东的要求限制更少、更灵活、并易于 经营，也不需要股东召开股东大会、记录会议或做决议， 而所有的这些义务都是以公司形式(Corporation)的经营中 必须执行的。因此，(LLC) 被看成是集公司、合伙经营和 个体经营优势为一体的混合体，这一形式在职业律师、职 业医生和职业工程师中广泛迅速地得到发展
劣势
• 但是作为特许加盟商也有很多不利之处。 第一，特许经营协议可以减少风险，但不 能保证成功。特许使用费也许过高，以至 于特许加盟商发现无利可图，甚至亏损。 第二，为了保障成功，特许加盟商不得不 牺牲部分独立性。特许经营权所有者在业 务运作的多数细节上都要遵从指示，比如 装修、标识类型、甚至雇员的服装和发型。

Sample 1: I’m so sorry, you are upset. You are upset may overshadow “I’m sorry” Sample 2: A. We are sorry that you misunderstood us. B. We are sorry that you didn’t make ourselves clear.
2. Considerateness 体谅


A considerate business letter shows understanding to each other, and helps smooth the communication and improves the relationship between the writer and the reader. Methods：you-attitude and Cultural Awareness
I am afraid we cannot deliver at the weekend. You can have your goods delivered any weekday.
Some methods：



I regret to inform you that we cannot refund your deposit unless you return the goods within a week. I am pleased to inform you that you will be able to receive a full refund of deposit if you return the goods within a week.

McGraw Hill/Irwin Irwin/McGraw Hill Foreign Language College
Copyright © 2003Copyright © 2007 by Xiaoping Zhang. All rights reserved by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
McGraw Hill/Irwin Irwin/McGraw Hill Foreign Language College
Copyright © 2003Copyright © 2007 by Xiaoping Zhang. All rights reserved by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
1- 8
Sole Proprietorship

Disadvantages Unlimited liability (the owner is personally responsible for all aspects of the business) Limited access to capital (lack of long period relation with banks and less security guarantee mean inability to raise large amounts of money Limited managerial expertise (one field expert does not mean expert in every aspect of business, i.e. marketing, finance, HR, operation etc) Life of the business is limited to the life of the proprietorship (the only way to transfer ownership of a sole proprietorship is to sell the entire business, otherwise, the life of the business ends when the sole proprietor dies)