covers the literature review in the theory background moreover, this chapter represents relevant information for understanding the study mor

This study aims at improving writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiryletters in business correspondence for sale staffs of Poong Shin Vina Ltd Company.The writer try to analy

This study aims at improving writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiryletters in business correspondence for sale staffs of Poong Shin Vina Ltd Company.The writer try to analyze how English enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters to bewritten by sale staffs, to be more specific what are common mistakes are being made

by sale staffs at the company The result indicates that all staffs in Sale Departmentstill have trouble in writing English these letters There are still many errors in content,lexis and grammar when staffs writing The study arrives at a conclusion that salestaffs should be improve about writing English letters background by reading materials

in Internet and Academic book

First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all the lecturers atEnglish Department- Thuong Mai University for their valuable lessons which laid thefoundation for my thesis

I would like to show my deep gratitude to Mrs Vu Thi Thu Trang- the supervisorwho has been giving guidance, materials and invaluable suggestion for me to completethe study timely Thanks for her ever-enthusiasm, responsibility and devotion

On this occasion, I wish to express my very sincere thanks to all sale staffs inPoong Shin Vina Ltd Company for their co-operation and support my data collection,providing me with insights into writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiryletters

At last, I would like to extend my many thanks to my family and my friends fortheir constant assistance and encouragement during the time I carry out the study

Ha Noi, 22 April 2018

Tran Thi Ngoc

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Previous studies 2

1.3 Aims of the study 3

1.4 Research subjects 3

1.5 Scope of the study 4

1.6 Reseach methodology 4

1.7 Organization of the study 4

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6

2.1 Overview on writing 6

2.1.1 Definition of writing 6

2.1.2 Types of writing 6

2.1.3 Process writing 9

2.1.4 Common errors in writing 10

2.2 Overviewing on business correspondence 12

2.2.1 Definition 12

2.2.2 Importance of business correspondence 12

2.2.3 Parts of a business correspondence 13

2.2.4 Types of business correspondence 16

2.3 Enquiry letter 17

2.3.1 Definition 17

2.3.2 Types of enquiry letter 18

2.3.3 Functions of enquiry letter 18

2.3.4 Format of enquiry letter 19

2.4 Reply to enquiry letter 21

2.4.1 Definition 21

2.4.2 Functions of reply to enquiry letter 21

2.4.3 Format of a reply to enquiry letter 21

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDING 25

3.1 The frequency of making mistakes 25

3.2 Types of mistakes 25

3.2.1 Mistakes in content 26

CHAPTER 4 RECOMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 34

4.1 Some suggestions to all sale staffs for writing english enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters 34

4.1.1 Content of the letters 34

4.1.2 Lexical of the letters 34

4.1.3 Grammatical of the letters 34

4.2 Some recommendary sources 35

4.2.1 Internet 35

4.2.2 Acedemic books 35

CONCLUSION 37 REFERENCE

APPENDIX

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

C.I.F Cost, Insurance, Freight Tiền hàng, Bảo hiểm,

Cước phí

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

List of figures

Chart 3.1 The frequency of making mistakes 25

Chart 3.2 Types of mistakes 26

Chart 3.3 Types of mistakes in content 26

Chart 3.4 Types of lexical mistakes 30

Chart 3.5 Types of grammatical mistakes 31

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

The rapid development of the global economy leads more and more the large andsmall international trade cooperation and business negotiation happened As the result

of this, the economic with no barriers can not be avoided in all country After joiningthe World Trade Organization, Vietnam's economic status was enhanced With theacceleration of world economic integration and rapid development of internationaltrade, business correspondence is an important tool for trade transaction With theglobalization of the economy, the strengthening of international trade cooperation,business correspondence for individual companies is dispensable to pass along all thenecessary detailed information Business correspondence is a great solution for thedevelopment of supply and demand side of the drawbacks of asymmetric information,making all the information timely and effective delivery in every corner of the world,

in various countries and in numerous companies

Poongshin Vina Ltd is the foreign joint venture company, has co-operation withother foreign enterprises to exchange goods, so business correspondence is essentialand every employees must be have a business correspondence writing skill, especiallywriting enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters

But there is fact that not all employees in company are able to write an Englishletters successfully due to the limitation of knowlegde Write a good letter means thestaffs use a special language in appropriate format and clear content to persuade thereceivers and make a good impression to them

Writing a good English business letter is not really easy There are many types ofbusiness correspondence and almost staffs do not know how to write it correctly.People sometimes make mistake in their letters without being aware about it, whichbecomes a common problem to employees in Poong Shin Vina Ltd

Realizing the problem, I decided to carry out “the study on improving writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters in business correspondence for sale staffs of Poong Shin Vina Ltd Company” to help people deeply understand about

these types of letter with the hope that they can write an English business letter better

1.2 Previous studies

Nowaday, writing an English enquiry letters and rely to enquiry letters is soimportant for all company, especially companies have foreign partners, so reseachinghow to write these letter successfully is essential In fact, many people have studiedand written about this area, such as:

Kenneth Beare ( 1975) he wrote a study about “learn to write an enquiry response business letter” In the paper, he mentioned some aspects of the enquiry

response business letter: definition, important language to remember when you write arely to enquiry letter and he also gave example letter His study was updated inThoughtCo.- the world’s largest education resouse because all information was givenquite sufficient and exactly However, he didn’t mention about the function and parts

of the enquiry response business letter

In Business Correspondence ( 1956) of J Thomas, University of Michigan, he

wrote about the definition and the way to write an enquiry letter but did not mentionabout the reason why we write it, what’s the section of this letter and give the exampleabout it

“The importance of writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters”

(2004)- Khaled Alshare and Nihan Hindi explored the role of enquiry letters and reply

to enquiry letters for business staffs The results of the study showed that forty-fivepercent of informants indicated business staffs were required to writing Englishenquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters for working Staffs and instructors agreedthat critical objectives of writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiry lettersneed to be improved

So, in my study, I will carry out a study about both enquiry letter and reply toenquiry letter with the most complete information include definition, the function, thereason to write, the parts and example of these letters Moreover, I will give the things

to keep in mind when writing

1.3 Aims of the study

The aims of the study is to help all sale staffs in PoongShin Vina Ltd Companybecome more professional when writing English enquiry letters and reply to enquiryletters It includes the following objectives:

-Giving literature review of definition, writing process and functions of letters

-Providing the basic and essential knowledge about the format, style languageused in enquiry letter and reply to enquiry letter

-Finding out some common errors in writing English enquiry letter and reply toenquiry letter to help people in the company avoid making those mistakes and have agood skill in writing English letters

1.4 Research subjects

There are many types of business correspondence such as:

- Business Enquiry Letter

- Quotation Letter ( reply to enquiry)

by sale staffs in PoongShin Vina Ltd Company

A survey with twelve sale staffs in Sale Department has been conducted Theresearcher choose all sale staffs as participants because they often take responsible inwriting business letters and they always connect company with other importantpartners Besides, the reseacher would like to see what common mistakes when theywriting English enquiry letters and reply to enquiry letters and the difficulty that theyface

1.5 Scope of the study

This study will focus on writing English enquiry letter and reply to enquiry of allsale staff in Poong Shin Vina Ltd Company who are responsible for dealing withforeign partners

1.6 Reseach methodology

To finish this graduation paper, I search and collect primary data from differentreference books related to writing English enquiry and reply to enquiry and from thewebsites on the internet

Besides, questionaire and interviews have been used as the main sources for datacollection Firstly, by using questionaires the researcher can obtain data quantitively,which later on will assist the study with persuasive figures concerning the investigatedissues And by using interviews, the researcher could have more in-depth information.Before the interview, the researcher had prepared a set of questions Additionally,some possible follow-up questiones were also prepared ( for the interview questions,refer to appendices)

The steps of the study were as follows:

1 Piloting the questionaires for sale staffs

2 Delivering and gathering back the questionaires

3 Conducting interviews with the selected sale staffs

4 Analyzing the collected data and dicussing the findings

5 Giving suggestions

1.7 Organization of the study

Apart from acknowledgement, table of content,conclusion, reference andappendix, this study includes four main chapter: Overview of the study, Literaturereview, Reseach findings and Recommendations and suggestion:

-Chapter One: introduces the problem, gives an overview about the study anddescribes the needs of writing English enquiry letter and reply to enquiry letter inbusiness This chapter also discusses the rationale, previous studies, the aims of thestudy, research subjects, the scope of the study, research methodology andorganization of the study

-Chapter Two: covers the literature review in the theory background Moreover,this chapter represents relevant information for understanding the study more.

-Chapter Three: analysis of written by some information about subject, datacollection instruments and procedures

-Chapter Four: gives some suggestions to improve the writing English enquiryletter and reply to enquiry letter for sale staffs of Poong Shin Vina

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Overview on writing

2.1.1 Definition of writing

Writing has been with us for several thousand years and nowaday it becomes more important than ever It is a skill that people in all parts of life use every day A teacher, for example, has to write lectures, a chief accountant has to write reports to general director every month As a student, I have a pile of writing tasks: essays, assignments, internship report, graduation study, etc So, in order to give the answer tothe question “What is writing”, many people say that they know what writing is but they cannot find the right words to define it Meanwhile, there are a lot of authors giving the definitions of writing on their own viewpoints as follows:

- Writing is a set of visible or tactile signs used to represent units of language in asystematic way, with the purpose of recording messages which can be retrieved by everyone who knows the language in question and the rules by virtue of which its unitsare encoded in the writing system

(Daniels, Peter T & Bright, William, The world's writing systems, P.3 (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996)

- Writing is a system of more or less permanent marks used to represent an

utterance in such a way that it can be recovered more or less exactly without the

intervention of the utterer

(Daniels, Peter T & Bright, William, The world's writing systems, P.3 (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1996)

In short, different authors define the term writing in different ways It’s about discovering ideas, thinking about how to communicate and develop them into

statements and paragraphs that will be comprehendible to a reader Besides, writing has dual purpose- to express and impress Writers must select the most advantageous medium for their writing and each types has a different level of difficulty which

determined by its objectives

2.1.2 Types of writing

Whether the writer write essays, business materials, fiction, articles, letters, oreven just notes in their journal, their writing will be at its best if you stay focused on

their purpose While there are many reasons why the writer might be putting pen topaper or tapping away on the keyboard, there are really only “four main types ofwriting: expository, descriptive, persuasive, and narrative” (Catherine Traffis-Grammarly blog) Each of these four writing genres has a distinct aim, and they allrequire different types of writing skills.

Expository Writing

The word expository contains the word expose, so the reason expository is an apt

descriptor for this type of writing is that it exposes, or sets forth, facts It is probablythe most common writing genre the writer will come across throughout their day In anexpository piece, a topic will be introduced and laid out in a logical order withoutreference to the author’s personal opinions It begins with a sentence that gives a point

of view on a topic, lists the arguments giving reasons and evidence for them usesconvincing language eg ‘will damage’ instead of ‘may damage’

Example:

The municipal government of Happyville unanimously approved the construction

of sixty-two miles of bike trails in 2017 Made possible by a new tax levy, the bike trails are expected to help the city reach its sustainability and clean air goals while reducing traffic and congestion Eighteen trailheads with restrooms and picnic areas have been planned at a variety of access points The city expects construction to be complete in April 2021.

This paragraph is expository because it supplies the reader with facts and figuresabout its topic, the new bike trails, without offering the author’s opinion on it

Descriptive Writing

The aim of descriptive writing is to help the reader visualize, in detail, acharacter, event, place, or all of these things at once The author might describe thescene in terms of all five senses Descriptive writing allows the writer a great dealmore artistic freedom than expository writing does

Example:

The children pedaled leisurely down the Happyville Bike Trail, their giggles and whoops reverberating through the warm spring air Sweet-scented wildflowers

brought an array of color to the gently undulating landscape, tempting the children to dismount now and then so they could lay down in the springy, soft grass.

This passage paints a vivid picture of a scene on the new bike trail

Persuasive Writing

The aim of persuasive writing, or argumentation, is to influence the reader toassume the author’s point of view The author will express personal opinions in thepiece and arm him- or herself with evidence so that the reader will agree with him orher

Example:

The bike trail is the glittering gem of Happyville’s new infrastructure It winds through sixty-two miles of lush landscape, dotted by clean and convenient facilities If you haven’t experienced the Happyville Bike Trail yet, ditch your car and head outside! Could life in Happyville get any more idyllic?

A number of statements in this paragraph are opinion rather than fact: that thebike trail is a glittering gem, that the facilities are clean and convenient, and that life inHappyville is idyllic Clearly, the author’s aim here is to use these depictions topersuade readers to use the bike trail

Narrative Writing

The purpose of narrative writing is to tell a story, whether that story is real orimaginary Pieces in a narrative style will have characters, and through the narrative,the reader learns what happens to them Narrative writing can also include dialogue.Example:

As I cycled down the trail, I heard children giggling and whooping just around the bend I crested a small hill and coasted down the curving path until I found the source of the noise Three little girls sat in the grass by a big oak tree They were startled to see me, and I smiled kindly to put them at ease.

“Whatcha doing?” I asked.

“Nothing,” they chirped in unison.

In this passage, the author sets the scene on the bike trail from his or her own

point of view (which is referred to as narrating in the first person) Using both

description and dialogue, the story that takes place is laid out in chronological order

2.1.3 Process writing

Writing is one of the most common ways we communicate Base on lesson ofKatie Surbe ( chapter 11/ lesson 8), to be a successful writer, the writer should practicethe five steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, andpublication

Prewriting

The first step of the writing process is prewriting or our planning stage Duringprewriting, the writer are thinking about their topic, brainstorming, focusing, anddeveloping a working thesis

This step begins with the assignment, writer first spends time asking themselfquestions about the topic, such as: 'What do I want to write about?', 'What do I hope toachieve?', 'What personal views do I have?', or 'What do I want my audience to learn?'.The next step is to brainstorm some potential topics There are many differentways to brainstorm, but some the writer could use would be make a list, journal write,

or create a chart

Finally, the writer need to make sure that their topic is focused and write down aworking thesis, the central idea of their paper One great way to make sure a topic isfocused is to develop a rough outline This does not have to be formal but, rather, thewriter should write down the thesis and the main ideas that the essay will explore

'Are my ideas organized?'

'Am I sharing strong details?'

'Should I include more information or take some away?'

As the authors write, be sure to keep asking themself questions that will helpfurther develop and support their thesis

The writer should write more than one draft! Often times, they will write severalbefore they begin the next step of the writing process

Revising

With this step, the writer should read their writing and look at the content Theycan think of revising as looking at the big picture They should do not worry about themechanics of their paper, but focus on the content

Before starting the revising and editing stages, it is important to set the rightenvironment! Here are some tips:

The writer should try to take some time away from their paper Set it aside for afew hours or even days This way they are starting with fresh eyes

Print out their paper This way the writer can take notes as they revise and edit.The writer could even change the format of their paper! It could be a larger,bolder font, which may help they find the errors in their writing

Work somewhere without distractions Turn off the phone and TV Just focus ontheir writing!

Editing

The writer have overhauled their story It’s time to fine tune their manuscript line

by line Check for repetition, clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation Editing is anextremely detailed process and is really best done by a professional Nobody wants toread a book that is full of mistakes

Publishing

This stage involves sharing the writing with an intended audience and mayinvolve preparing a neatly handwritten or word processed copy of the final draft andthe addition of illustrations or other graphic elements Publication may extend to amultimedia presentation or lead to a public performance

2.1.4 Common errors in writing

 Error is the state or condition of being wrong in conduct or judgement

(en.oxforddictionaries.com)

 Error is something have done which is considered to be incorrect or wrong orwhich should not have been done

 Another definition was given by Penny Ur ( Lexis in the series market leader(1996)/43), lexis could be understood as all the words taught in the foreign language.Moreover, from his point of view, lexis “may be more than a single word”

 And in Oxford Dictionary, definition of lexis in English is “the total stocks ofwords in a language”

2.1.4.1.2 Lexical error classification:

 Wrong word form: refers to words mistakenly selected

 Misformation: refers to words that don’t exist in the target language, whicheither are the results influenced by the mother tongue or are coined by the learnersfrom the sources of the target language

 Distortion: refers to forms non-existent in the target language, which resultsfrom misapplication of one or more of the processing operations

 Confusion of sense relations : a word being used in contexts where a similarword should be used

 Errors in slang, idioms, collocation and colloquial

2.1.4.2 Grammatical errors

2.1.4.2.1 Definition of grammar

 Grammar is the set of structural rules that governs the composition of clauses,phrases and words in any given natural language The term refers also to the study ofsuch rules and this field includes morphology, syntax, and phonology, oftencomplemented by phonetics, semantics and pragmatics

( David Crystal, “In Word and Deed” (2004)/13)

 Grammar is the whole system and structure of a language or of languages ingeneral, usually taken as consisting of syntax and morphology (including inflections)and sometimes also phonology and semantics

( John Dryden, “ Art of Grammar” (1964)/254)

2.1.4.2.2 Grammatical error classification

Here are some main grammatical errors in writing that writers make:

 Subject- verb agreement

2.2.2 Importance of business correspondence

Nowaday business operations are not restricted to any locality, state or nation.Today production takes place in one area but consumption takes place everywhere.Since the businessmen as well as customers live in far off places they don’t havesufficient time to contact each other personally Thus, there arises the need for writingletters In the past the situation was not so Business letters were not essential in oldendays But now the importance of letters has increased because of vast expansion ofbusiness, increase in demand as well as supply of goods

There are many viewpoints about importance of business correspondence.According to Claire Whitmell( Business Writing Essential/ 167), here are roles ofbusiness correspondence:

- Help in maintaining proper relationship: Nowaday business activities are notconfined to any one area or locality The businessmen as well as customers arescattered throughout the country Thus, there is a need to maintain proper relationshipamong them by using appropriate means of communication The customers can writeletters to the businessman seeking information about products and businessmen alsosupply various information to customers This helps them to carry on business onnational and international basis

- Create and maintain goodwill : Sometimes business letters are written to createand enhance goodwill Businessmen at times send letters to enquire about complaintsand suggestions of their customers They also send letters to inform the customersabout the availability of a new product, clearance sale etc All this results in cordialrelations with the customers, which enhances the goodwill of the business

- Help in expansion of business: Business requires information regardingcompeting products, prevailing prices, promotion, market activities, etc If the traderhas to run from place to place to get information, he will end up doing nothing It willsimply result in loss of time But through business letters, he can make all enquiriesabout the products and the markets He can also receive orders from different countriesand, thus enhance sales

2.2.3 Parts of a business correspondence

The essential parts of a business letter should be included as BusinessCorrespondence Book/English Department- Thuong Mai University/7):

1 Heading: usually contains the name and postal address of the business, E-mailaddress, Web-site address, Telephone Number, Fax Number, Trade Mark or logo ofthe business (if any)

2 Date: The date is normally written on the right hand side corner after theheading as the day, month and years

3 Reference: It indicates letter number and the department from where the letter

is being sent and the year It helps in future reference This reference number is given

on the left hand corner after the heading

4 Inside address: This includes the name and full address of the person or thefirm to whom the letter is to be sent This is written on the left hand side of the sheetbelow the reference number Letters should be addressed to the responsible head e.g.,the Secretary, the Principal, the Chairman, the Manager etc

5 Subject: It is a statement in brief, that indicates the matter to which the letterrelates It attracts the attention of the receiver immediately and helps him to knowquickly what the letter is about

6 Salutation: This is placed below the inside address It is usually followed by acomma (,) Various forms of salutation are:

Sir/Madam: For official and formal correspondence

Dear Sir/Madam: For addressing an individual

Dear Sirs/Dear Madam: For addressing a firm or company

7 Body of the letter: This is the main part of the letter and it contains the actualmessage of the sender It is divided into three parts:

1 Opening part: It is the introductory part of the letter In this part, attention ofthe reader should be drawn to the previous correspondence(if any)

2 Main part: This part usually contains the subject matter of the letter It should

be precise and written in clear words

3 Concluding Part: It contains a statement the of sender’s intentions, hopes orexpectations concerning the next step to be taken Further, the sender should alwayslook forward to getting a positive response At the end, terms like Thanking you, Withregards, With warm regards may be used

8 Complimentary close - It is merely a polite way of ending a letter It must be

in accordance with the salutation For example:

Salutation

Complementary close

Dear Sir/Dear Madam Yours faithfully

Dear Mr Raj Yours sincerely

My Dear Akbar Yours very sincerely (express very

informal relations)

9 Signature: It is written in ink, immediately below the complimentary close Asfar as possible, the signature should be legible The name of the writer should be typedimmediately below the signature The designation is given below the typed name Where no letterhead is in use, the name of the company too could be included below the designation of the writer

10 Enclosures: This is required when some documents like cheque, draft, bills,receipts, lists, invoices etc are attached with the letter These enclosures are listed one

by one in serial numbers

11 Copy circulation: This is required when copies of the letter are also sent to persons apart of the addressee It is denoted as C.C

12 Post script: This is required when the writer wants to add something, which

is not included in the body of the letter It is expressed as P.S

Example letter:

Tel 3241053 M/s Acron Electricals E-mail: elc@acr.vsnl.net.in

Fax 3244155 22/c, Main Road Website: http://www.acronelc.com New Delhi Darya Ganj -2

Ref PR/F/2002/32 Dated: August 22,2002

Many thanks for your prompt reply to our enquiry letter of July 27, 2002 As we find your prices and terms quite reasonable, we wish to place a trial order as per the list enclosed

As pointed out in our enquiry letter, quality is important Should the goods meet our expectations, substantial orders will follow

Payment will be made within the time limit prescribed in your quotation letter

Encl: Order List

(English Department- Thuong Mai University/ Business Correspondence

Book/165)

2.2.4 Types of business correspondence

a, Business Enquiry Letter

Sometimes prospective buyers want to know the details of the goods which theywant to buy, like quality, quantity, price, mode of delivery and payment, etc Theymay also ask for a sample The letter written to sellers with one or more of the abovepurposes is known as enquiry letter

b, Quotation Letter ( reply to enquiry)

After receiving the letter of enquiry from a prospective buyer, the sellers supplythe relevant information by writing a letter that is called quotation letter These lettersare written keeping in view the information asked for like price list, mode of payment,discount to be allowed etc Businessman should reply to the inquiries carefully andpromptly

c, Order Letter

The prospective buyer after receiving the reply to his enquiry letter may decide toplace on order with that business house which offers goods at minimum price and atfavorable terms and conditions Letters written by a buyer to the seller giving the order

to purchase the goods is called order letter

e, Recovery Letter

The letter written by the seller for collection of money for the goods supplied tothe buyer is called recovery letter The aim of recovery letter is to collect moneywithout annoying the customers The letter should include information regarding theamount of arrears argument for payment, and last date for payment The language ofrecovery letter should be polite, so that the customer is not offended and futuretransactions with him are not adversely affected

2.3 Enquiry letter

2.3.1 Definition

A letter of enquiry “is a letter written to request information and/or ascertain itsauthenticity A letter of inquiry deals with various matters like job vacancies, funding,grants, scholarships, projects, sales, pre-proposals and others” ( Anderson/ study.com)

A letter of enquiry serves to facilitate business operations and satisfaction of thesender Enquiry letters remove any misunderstanding and are time savers, especiallywhen two parties want to reach an understanding The communication towards thiseffect resolves the issue without any delay

A letter of enquiry may be used in a variety of cases, including when:

A job or internship is posted, and the writer would like to express interest andenquire about the availability of the same or similar opportunity at a future time (nextsemester, summer, etc.) that better fits their schedule

A networking contact has recommended an organization, and the writer wouldlike to inquire about possibilities for an internship with the organization (include his orher name as a reference)

2.3.2 Types of enquiry letter

According to Scribd ( Professional writing letter/ 3), there are 2 kinds of enquiryletter depending on the main purpose:

a, Personal status enquiry letter

This kind of letter is written by employers in order to know more about thepersonal details of an applicant in the job search This kind of letter is used by theemployer in order to get to know more about the skills, abilities and relevantinformation about the person as a worker in order to find out if the applicant meetswith the necessities of the job After this first enquiry letter, applicants tend to send aresponse with all information required by the employer plus a little detail aboutthemselves

b, Business status enquiry letter

This kind of letter is written when a company or enterprise wants to know moreabout another enterprise or company This is especially used to ask for informationabout a customer or a plan or work However, it can also be used for the purpose ofasking for financial capabilities, assurance, honesty, responsibility and the way ofdoing business from one company to another in order to find out if a businessrelationship is necessary or can be fruitful

2.3.3 Functions of enquiry letter

Enquiry letter plays an important role in modern business Enquiry letter being arepresentative to many types of other letters requires an impressive opening Thefollowing are the major functions of writing this letter:

Probable quantity required and the time-frame for the supply of the product /service

Obtaining information about financial capability of prospective customers

The seller’s terms on credit, discounts, transit, packaging etc., should be enquired into.

Determining the risk of credit sales

Deciding whether to enter into credit transactions

Opening sentences to indicate the reasons for the enquiry

Getting information about honesty, goodwill and business morality of the probable buyer

Knowing about the relationship of the prospective bum with other business community and associations

Enhancing sales with various parties by evaluate their financial and business viability

2.3.4 Format of enquiry letter

1 HEADER:

Organization letter head

Your name

Your address ( should be positioned to the right)

Date ( should be positioned to the right)

Recipient’s name ( specific official or person)

Recipient’s address( can be positioned only to the left)

2 BODY

Reference or subject ( as require)

Dear recipient ( salutation)

First paragraph ( aligned left)- details of the enquiry

Second paragraph ( aligned left)- brief history, suggestion, statistical data etc

Third paragraph ( aligned left)- offer assistance towards communication and assistance

3 CLOSING

Subscription – Thanking you, yours sincerely etc

Your Signature

Your Typed First Name Last Name

 Your Designation (as required)

ENCL (optional) stands for ‘Enclosure’

(Closing should be positioned to the right)

Example letter:

Tel 23241053 M/s Acron Electricals E-mail: elc@acr.vsnl.net.in

Fax.: 23244155 22/c, Main Road website: http://www.acronelc.comFax

Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2

Ref PR/F/2002/27 Dated: July 27,2002

– Letters of enquiry should clearly state the information required, which may be asking for a price list or a sample.

– Write specifically about the design, size, quantity, quality, etc about the product or service in which the buyer is interested

– The period or the date, till which information is required, may also be

inquiry This letter provides the reader or inquirer with the information relating to persons, products and enterprises The reply letter may contain favorable news

(positive information) or unfavorable news (negative information)

The reply to a letter of enquiry should be timely Delay in response may reduce the utility of information However, if reply cannot be provided immediately, a letter

of acknowledgement can be sent mentioning the expected response date

2.4.2 Functions of reply to enquiry letter

A response letter provides the answers or information requested in a letter of enquiry The objective is to satisfy the reader with an action that fulfills their request

“It is very important to make a good impression when responding to inquiries from potential customers Of course, the best impression will be made by providing the materials or information that the prospective client has asked for, this positive

impression will be improved by a well-written response.” ( K Jamathan/56)

2.4.3 Format of a reply to enquiry letter

Basically, reply to inquiry has the same format as the letter, but here are some diferent things you need to remember:

Thank you for your letter of inquiring (asking for information) about We would like to thank you for your letter of inquiring (asking for information) about

-Providing Requested Materials:

We are pleased to enclose

Enclosed you will find We enclose

-Providing Additional Information:

We would also like to inform you

Regarding your question about In answer to your question (inquiry) about

-Closing a Letter Hoping for Future Business:

We look forward to hearing from you / receiving your order / welcoming you

as our client (customer)

-Signature:

Yours sincerely (remember use 'Yours faithfully' when you don't know the name

of the person you are writing and 'Yours sincerely' when you do)

Example letter:

Tel 508632-35 M/s Bharat Fans E-mail: bh@fan.vsnl.net.in Fax 508600 Bharat Complex Website: http://www.bhfan.com Hyderabad Industrial Estate

Hyderabad – 500032

Ref.-SL/F/2002/12 Dated: August 10,2002

M/s Acron Electricals

22/c, Main Road

Darya Ganj, New Delhi-2

Subject: Your letter No PR/F/2002/27 dated July 27, 2002

Business Studies 164

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your letter of enquiry We would be glad to meet your

requirements of selling our fan in your retail showroom

Our quotations are given in the price list enclosed We offer 10% discount on