UNIT 1

THE TRAVEL DISTRIBUTION FRAMEWORK

READING

Nowadays, travel agencies are just as notorious as any other retailer shop, such as banks, clothes shops,
building societies, etc. Their major role is to establish the link between providers of travel
services/products and the potential customers worldwide.

Prior to the 1950s, travel agencies were less known, rare and accessible only to people with high income.
The mid 1990s is the starting point for the development of the travel agency business, as their number
increases greatly. However, in the United Kingdom there were just fewer than 7000 travel agencies in the
1990s and the businesses that developed were more or less family businesses.

The questions that we are about to answer are: what is a travel agent, what does he do and what is his
position in the travel and tourism business framework. We will do so by placing the agent in the context of
travel and tourism industry.

The travel distribution framework, otherwise known as the "channel of distribution", is a marketing term
used for the means through the product reaches its intended customer.

The place of a travel agent within this distribution framework is best pointed out by comparing it with
other similar business industries. In the travel industry, as well as in the other industries, down the route
by which the product reaches the customer, there are both direct and indirect distribution channels along
which the producers sell their products. A direct channel is the one when the customer gets the
product/service directly from the supplier. For instance, a passenger buys an airline ticket directly from an
airline at the airport, or a passenger buys his train ticket at the railway station. Indirect channels, on the
other hand, involve the intervention of various intermediaries and represent an alternative to direct
channels. Such an example is when the traveller buys his flight ticket through a travel agency.

Distribution channels

Other industries Travel industry

Manufacturers
Principals(Transport/Accommodation)
Wholesalers Tour Operator

Retailers Travel Agents

Consumers Consumers

However, despite these similarities, some essential differences seperate the travel industry chain from the
other industries particularly regarding the way they conduct their business. These differences are best
pointed out by looking at the types of organization existing in this business:
the Principals,
the Tour Operators
the Travel Agents.

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Principals: manufacturers or suppliers of services?

Principals have a top position in the travel and tourism distribution framework. They are the unique
providers of the basic travel product, also known as "core product". The providers of such basic products
are called principlas. Such basic products comprise: transport, accommodation and amenities. The term
principal suggests the head position they hold and a position that is essential for the entire industry.
Given that they are first in rank, principals are an essential condition for the existence of the further chain
of distribution. Their head position is in relation with the other distribution levels, i.e. they are principals
to tour operators and travel agents.

Travel and tourism principals are different from manufacturers and the first and most important difference
is their product. In the case of principals, the product is immediately perishable; the customer can try it
only after buying it and theres no possibility of returning it if it proves to be unsatisfactory. The
principles product is more similar to a service type of product, thus principals are more like suppliers of
services.

Principals make use of various means to sell their product. These means are:
direct sell;
indirect selling by the intermediary of a travel agent;
selling through an inclusive package offered by tour operators.

In the case of direct sale, the product is sold directly to the client without any intermediaries, by
establishing a direct contact with the customer, just like the train operating companies sell tickets at the
railway station. This type of sale is similar to that of the retailers.

The travel agent is an important channel of distribution for the travel and tourism industry, given that
many principals choose to sell their product through such an intermediary. The travel agent receives a
commission for each sold product, and it is the principals and not the customers who bear the commission.
In fact, many principals fix the products price by bearing into account the commission expenses as well.
Another way of selling the product is to sell it to tour operators who, in turn, will include it in a package.
Therefore, tour operators represent another major indirect channel of distribution. The principals product
is combined and merged with other elements to form an inclusive package. It is worth mentioning that
several principals act as tour operators as well. One such example is British Airways who operate British
Airways Holidays, a tour operator.

GRAMMAR
The Noun
Definition: A noun is the name of anything that may be the subject of discourse.
There are four types of nouns:
Proper nouns: Ann, Richard, China, Paris, Mr. Moody
Common nouns: doll, plate, student, desk, flower
Abstract nouns: happiness, love, fear, beauty, friendship
Collective nouns: team, crowd, group, herd, staff
English nouns have the following grammatical categories: gender, number and case.

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Gender
Masculine Gender: boy, man, father, husband, king, cook;
Feminine Gender: girl, hen, cow, landlady, woman, aunt;
Common Gender: teacher, parent, doctor, mathematician, neighbor;
Neuter Gender: dog, baby, summer, pride, child.

In English there are several ways of forming the masculine and the feminine gender:
Many nouns have different denotations for the masculine and the feminine form: boy-girl, cock-hen,
king-queen, son-daughter, nephew-niece, uncle-aunt, gentleman-lady, man-woman, bachelor-spinster,
husband-wife;
Most commonly the feminine is obtained from the masculine form trough suffixation: prince-princess,
host-hostess, actor-actress, waiter-waitress, master-mistress, hero-heroine, czar-czarina;
Gender can also be indicated by combining nouns without a gender with boy, girl, male, female,
man, woman: boyfriend-girlfriend, man dentist-woman dentist, male pilot-female pilot, policeman-
policewoman. Recently there appeared a tendency to eliminate these terminations in order to avoid
gender discrimination: salesman/saleswoman-salesperson, chairman/chairwoman-chairperson/chair,
steward/stewardess-flight attendant.

Number
Countable nouns have both, singular and plural forms. In the singular they are preceded by a(n) or
one.
Uncountable nouns usually have only a singular form. They can`t be preceded by a(n) or one.
Countable nouns:
Regular forms
- an -s is added: book-books, day-days, house-houses, handkerchief-handkerchiefs, safe-safes;
- nouns ending in o, ch, sh or x take es: potato-potatoes, bus-buses, box-boxes, kiss-kisses, brush-
brushes;
- nouns ending in a consonant plus y take ies: baby-babies, fly-flies, factory-factories.
Irregular forms
- some noun forms eliminate -f/-fe and take ves: wife-wives, thief-thieves, shelf-shelves, leaf-
leaves, life-lives, wolf-wolves;
- some nouns modify their vowels: foot-feet, tooth-teeth, woman-women, mouse-mice, man-men,
child-children;
- some nouns have the same form in both singular and plural: sheep-sheep, deer-deer, series-series,
species-species, means-means;
- some nouns have only a plural form: pants, stairs, pyjamas, scissors, savings, customs, valuables,
earnings, trousers, premises;
- some borrowed nouns keep their Latin, Italian or Greek plural forms: crisis-crises, datum-data,
axis-axes, thesis-theses, libretto-libretti, fungus-fungi, bacterium-bacteria, medium-media,
phenomenon-phenomena;
- family names can be used in the plural by adding an s: the Kennedys, the Simpsons;
- collective nouns are usually used in the singular: family, government, gang, crew, jury, navy, staff,
company, public, nobility, council.
Uncountable nouns
They belong to the following classes:
Concrete nouns: water, grass, gold, wood, glass, sand, milk, fire, coffee, food, paper, silver, butter,
salt;
Abstract nouns: love, experience, beauty, advice, hope, joy, relief, freedom, duty, time, education,
reality, intelligence, patience, design;

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 Verbal nouns, ending in ing: smoking, parking, shopping;
Nouns denoting languages: German, English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese;
Some illnesses, sciences and games which have a plural form, but are used in singular: measles,
mumps, news, politics, ethics, billiards, electronics, acoustics, statistics, mathematics.

Uncountable nouns have restrictive usage in the plural; here are some examples how to transform
uncountable nouns into countables:
Food and drink: a slice of bread, a piece of toast, a bowl of rice, a packet of butter, a lump of sugar, a
pinch of salt, a whiff of garlic;
Natural phenomena: a beam of light, a drop of rain, a breath of fresh air, a gust of wind, a spell of
warm weather;
Materials: a strip of land, a block of concrete, a pile of rubbish, a bar of soap, a stretch of road, an
ounce of silver, a stack of hay, a piece of luggage;
Abstract notions: a piece of news, a hint of trouble, a word of abuse, a state of emergency, an item of
business, a term of imprisonment, a wink of sleep.

Case
The prepositional genitive:
- it is often used to express possession; in this case the noun is preceded by of: door of the
car, frame of the picture, headquarters of the company, color of the wall, engine of the car.
The `s genitive:
- to form it we add an `s: Nancy`s, the teacher`s, my children`s;
- it expresses possession referring to persons and animals: Helen`s mother, the horse`s mane;
it is used:
- in time expressions: an hour`s delay, two week`s time, last Monday`s paper;
- with everybody, nobody, someone, anyone, no one: nobody`s fault, somebody else`s bag;
- with institutions, groups, geographical names: the government`s decision, the world`s lakes,
Boston`s schools;
- when it means store, shop, studio, office, restaurant, church, cathedral: the baker`s, St.
Patrick`s, McDonald`s;
- with of (called double genitive): a friend of Ann`s, a fan of Madonna`s.

Exercises

1. Fill in the spaces with the correct plural form:

1. I prefer a man dentist to a
2. Myths always have a hero or a ..
3. The policeman was usually accompanied by a ..
4. My son wants to be an actor, while my ..wants to be an ......................
5. The heir received the mansions whereas the. was left with a collection of antique
jewelry.
6. Prof. Richard Emerson was the chairman of The History Department, Prof. Emily Richards was
the of the Modern Language Department. Today their title would
be..

2. Underline the nouns in the following text and decide which is countable and which is
uncountable:
Although it is a good idea to take a raincoat or an umbrella while holidaying in Britain, the weather
there is nowhere near as bad as people often make out. It's a question of luck, that's all! The weather is
of course very changeable, but no more so than in many regions of France.

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 The famous London smog, a mixture of smoke and fog, has disappeared, due to considerable efforts in
pollution control. In fact, certain areas of Britain even enjoy a micro-climate, palm trees can be found
in the Scilly Islands and on the Cornish Riviera. If it does start raining, don't despair- nine times out of
ten it's just a local shower. On the coast it means that the tide is turning.

3. Supply the blanks with suitable nouns from those in brackets. Use the plural forms:
1. He threw a stone at the rock and .. came back. (piano, volcano, echo)
2. The opera company was advertising for (octavo, soprano, cuckoo)
3. The delegates carried their (portfolio, photo, piano)
4. He was bitten by a and got malaria. (hero, soprano, mosquito)
5. There are hundreds of ..along the Mediterranean coast. (hero, casino)
6. The ships had as monkeys called baboons. (cargo, piano)

4. Fill in the correct plural form of the words in brackets:

1. Do other planets revolve their .. like the Earth? (axis)
2. . are rare in the desserts. (oasis)
3. A great deal of .. was collected by the scientist. (data)
4. There have been many international since the war. (crisis)
5. What are the of success? (criterion)
6. The. of theorists must conform the real world. (hypothesis)

5. Put into the possessive, carry out any necessary changes in the wording of the sentences:
1. I did this for the sake of my brother James.
2. He took the hat of somebody else.
3. John, the son of the plumber is my best friend.
4. The baby of Charles and Mary is lovely.
5. There was a great variety of books for children on display.
6. Alfred the Great has an assured place in history.

6. Fill in the blanks with feminine nouns:

1. Katherine Hepburn was a famous
2. Diana is the of haunting.
3. A woman famous for bravery is a ..
4. A woman engaged to be married is a .
5. Sapho was a lyric
6. A woman with the legal right to receive a property, when the owner dies, is an.

SPEAKING
Providing information
Communication skills. Product knowledge
Communication skills
Providing information on particular tourism products or issues rests mainly on a few skills,
which ensure a successful communication with the client and conduct to selling.
A good communicator is a person who knows well what to say in a particular context to
the person he/she
a) The is talking
message to. This
should be asmeans observing
informative the maxims of communication which
as possible,
are: b) It must be honest (reflect the communicator's beliefs),
c) It must be relevant and

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 d) expressed in an orderly manner.
These qualities represent Grice's principles of communication and are used to increase both the
communicative and the informative value of an utterance. If observed, all these preconditions will ensure a
successful oral or written communication.
Clarity is the major aim of informative communication, particularly of technical writing or
scientific writing, whose primary function is to inform. Consequently, all information conveyed must be
clear and unambiguous.
However, a few characteristics have a great impact on the verbal interaction.
First, oral communication takes place against the background of a situation that sets out
the scene for the communication between the interactants. Consequently, much of what is being
said is visually related to the circumstances in which the dialogue or intercourse occurs, namely
the situation, the setting and other communication inherent characteristics. This enables the
participants to draw heavily on clues lying in the situational context for grasping the message.
This means that the speaker may not be so explicit as he should be in writing, as many references
are clear or made clear through inference from or through reference to the context. If, for
example, we refer to the thing over there we assume that this is sufficient for the listener, as he
will understand from the context what that thing is.
Second, the person we address is normally present, so there is direct contact between the speaker
and the hearer materialised in a permanent interaction and feedback. Even in the case of a telephone
conversation, where the two communicators are standing at the ends of the wire, there is direct contact and
the possibility of permanently feedbacking on request. In a normal conversation, the speaker and the
hearer are exchanging roles, so that at one time one is the speaker and at another time the other is the
speaker. This exchange of roles makes each participant very active and interested in monitoring each
others performance. If there is no feedback and control, there is no verbal interaction, and the normal
communication flow may easily break up.
The feedback one receives from a spoken intercourse is of two kinds: verbal and non-verbal. The
verbal response or feedback ranges from a simple murmur or grunt, to asking questions or making
comments on the spoken issue. Non-verbal feedback takes the form of facial movements or expression,
of eye contact, or a simple nod that confirms the receipt of the message and the comprehension thereof.
In addition to the already mentioned elements, during a verbal intercourse the communicators can
depend on and use other resources as well that facilitate their understanding of the message. Such
resources are the prosodic features, which include:
pitch of voice,
loudness,
speed,
rhythm
pauses.
Facial movements may accompany other verbal feedback elements, as they all support and give
consistency to the uttered words in an attempt to make the message clearer to the listener. Don Byrne
(1988) notes that most often we convey our meaning not so much through what we say- the linguistic
structures of our discourse- but through how we say it and what we do when we say it. This helps the
listener grasp at once what we say, and the attitude we show towards the discussed topic, which may
indicate irony, confidence, doubt etc and will further help the listener make his decision with regard to
adapting the role and attitude he adopts towards the on-going conversation.
Awareness of these aspects is extremely important, as they can help the communicator, in our case
the travel agent, build up a healthy communication and persuade the client to buy a product.

Product knowledge

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 Knowing the product helps the travel agent give useful and meaningful information to the client.
The travel agent must read all relevant information comprised in leaflets, brochures, or other
materials and take notes of the main issues. He must equally draw on other sources as media information
and information coming directly from tour operators. The travel agent must then sort out the information
and organize it according to various criteria, which may refer to:
types of holiday
destinations
attractions
travel arrangements
accommodation options etc.
The information will normally be conveyed during a verbal intercourse in which the three parts of
a conversation must be followed, i.e.:
a brief introduction, which should point out the subject matter or the issue,
the main part, which will describe or indicate in a logical and attractive manner the
highlights or advantages of the offer
the wrap up part, or end, which should summarize the points discussed and draw a
conclusion.
For example, the travel agent should know everything about the main types of tourism
destinations based on distance, accessibility via air transport etc, such as:
1) short-haul destinations the most popular destinations given their accessibility
2) long-haul destinations more popular in recent years, given the variety of different resorts
He should also know that another distinction is based on their products character and appearance; such a
criterion would help the agent differenciate between:
1) towns and cities
2) seaside resorts
3) purpose-built resorts
4) countryside areas
5) historical and cultural destinations.

Exercises

1. How many types of holiday are there? What holidays does you agency sell?
Make a list of holidays and outline of a brief talk on types of holiday.

2. Explain to a close friend the holiday packages that the agency you work for sells.

3. Describe the holiday packages to an imaginary client.

WRITING
Business Letters
Functions. Types of letters. Characteristics of good business letters.
Parts of a letter. Style. Useful language. Sample letter. Exercises.

Functions

Business letters represent an important part of business communication.

They are used for many purposes, including: providing information, 7
requesting information or material, answering customer queries,
maintaining public relations, promoting sales, complaining about a service etc. Apart from the
informative function they usually perform, business letters are sometimes regarded as a companys
permanent record, as future inventories and checkings can be made on the basis of the letters filed in
company records. Letters can also serve as written contracts between two parties and as such they are
fully recognized by courts as evidence. Then they can act as formal or informal public relations material,
building up good will, consolidating relationships, or encouraging business. From the moment the letter
written by you leaves your premises, it represents you and the company you work for. Therefore, the
writer must be aware of the role the letter plays in projecting the right image of the company, since a good
letter may encourage business, whilst the reverse may turn your business into a failure.

Types of letters

Different business circumstances call for different types of business letters.

Letters of request are written to ask for permission, help, information, advice, appointments, payments,
merchandise, favours etc. They may also provide information, explain a situation, make suggestions,
present arguments in support of an opinion etc.
A request letter must be:
complete, that is give all the facts needed;
accurate, as it is supposed to provide correct data, amounts, dates, quantities etc,
reasonable in order to make sure that the reader can fulfill the request,
specific, i.e. to answer specifically the request,
concise, i.e. it should comprise only essential data conveyed in a clear, straightforward
manner, and, last but not least, it should be courteous.
These letters must contain:

- an introductory paragraph, which identifies the sender and states the reason for writing the
letter. This is the first paragraph so its tone will have a decisive impact on the reader.
Consequently it may either build good will and establish a healthy business relationship, or it may
completely damage the companys image.
- message paragraphs, which enumerate the request(s), explain details of the request, and give
reasons for it.
- an ending paragraph, which kindly asks for appropriate action to be taken, and is followed by
the senders signature.

Letters of request are usually answered promptly. The reply is written to acknowledge an order,
appointment, to answer various queries about the company, products, services etc. Both the request letter
and the reply must exude a courteous and helpful attitude. They must reinforce and consolidate a good
business relationship, therefore, their tone should be friendly and, in many ways, similar to the tone of
public relations letters.

Letters of inquiry may seek information regarding products, references, credit etc; they may ask for
favours for documentation or services. On the other hand, such letters may seek sales opportunities, and
may develop public relations by showing interest in a companys products.
Like any other kind of letter, this letter should be brief, straightforward and polite.

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The letter outline should draw on :

- an introduction consisting of a short paragraph indicating the purpose of the letter;

- message paragraph(s) posing the question(s) in a clear, concise manner;
- a closing paragraph ending the letter in a pleasant and helpful tone.

No matter whether the answer is positive or negative, all letters must be answered promptly. If the reply is
negative, the writer must tactfully express that along with his willingness to be of further assistance to the
customer.

Order letters are usually sent in order to purchase various products or services. They must necessarily
display the characteristics of all business writing, including: clarity, accuracy, completeness, conciseness,
and should give specific details regarding quantity, quality, price, destination, method of shipment,
delivery date, method of payment etc.
As compared to sales letters, which have an overt sales-oriented character, these letters are simple and
straightforward in tone, as their aim is mainly to focus attention on specific details.
These letters call for three types of answers:
- letters which acknowledge the order;
- letters requesting additional details;
- letters refusing an order.

Sales letters seek to sell a product, a service, an idea, etc. They are written to attract the readers attention,
to persuade him to buy the product or service. Therefore, these letters are advertising or sales - oriented
letters. As such they must stimulate the readers interest by emphasizing the qualities and the advantages
offered by the product, convince him of the overall value of the product, and, finally, move him to action.
Consequently, planning the letter is not easy. The sender has to deal with a number of issues before writing
the letter. So for example:
first he has to establish the target audience,
then find out the customers requirements,
identify the customers special interests,
formulate the specific aim of the letter,
highlight strong points and qualities of the product, special selling points if any (price,
quality),
list elements which may support the selling point etc.
In order to be more persuasive, senders add incentives to sales letters, such as: a return card, a sample
product, or a discount coupon.

The general tone and the style in which these letters are written is promotional, as they are advertising
texts. The letters may:
begin with a rhetorical question of the type: Why kill yourself working, when ..., How much of
your business depends on....?; these questions are intended to gear the readers attention to the
desired element or product;
attract the reader with a wishful thinking (To have a chalet in the Alps...);
promise a bargain (Add 20% to your business profits!), or simply
make use of an unusual phrase (THE MONTCAR 22 DOES NOT RUN! It races!...)
In addition, this sales-oriented character can be achieved only by using an adequate language. Therefore,
sales letters abound in words with sales appeal, which are: nouns, adjectives, verbs etc and use an
imaginative colourful language.
The extract below will illustrate both the structure and the appealing language used in sales letters:

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 Dear Mr. Taylor:

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experts in the investment business will advise you on specific money placements.

Every issue of our magazine, THE FINANCIAL DIGEST, is full of reports, and features that will keep you
intelligently informed about the rapidly changing world of business.

An investment in THE FINANCIAL DIGEST offers no risks. If you are not completely satisfied the
ublication, you can cancel and will receive a fuill refund on all undelivered issues.

You have nothing to lose and much to gain. Sign and mail the enclosed coupon today. Your signature will
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(From Lafrance-Bourdon M, Business English, 1989, Annexes)

Public relations letters are written to develop favourable public opinion, to influence public attitudes,
reinforce the companys image, keep present customers, make new business partners, secure future
cooperation, promote good will etc.
To begin with, they must value the customer, then they must display a strong sales-oriented character
conveyed in a warm, friendly tone. They should generally build confidence, encourage a healthy business
relationship, or consolidate the existing business relationship.
The category of public relations letters includes several types of letters: letters of acknowledgment,
letters of appreciation, letters of promotion, letters of general thank you, letters of apology, letters of
greetings, letters of welcome etc.
They all should express a clear, sincere message in a warm, personal tone, and convey an honest and
friendly attitude. The writers should personalize the letter and its message showing their full consideration
towards the reader, whilst appealing to his honesty and loyalty.

Claim letters voice dissatisfaction and seek for redress, while adjustment letters try to settle the matters
that caused the complaint. The reasons for writing letters of complaint include: faulty merchandise, delay
in delivery, failure to deliver the merchandise, inadequate attitude on behalf of the employees, customers
etc.
These letters should express a firm attitude in a courteous, reasonable manner, describing the claim, giving
details of the reason for discontent, presenting the inconvenience suffered, and assuming that a fair
treatment will be further expected.

Adjustment letters are replies to claim letters in which the sender grants the claim, promises action,
refuses or rejects the claim.
The basic reason for writing such letters are: to grant reasonable adjustment and preserve good customer
relations.
These letters require a thorough examination of the complaint and of the circumstances which caused the
complaint. Consequently, no step should be undertaken without acquiring a comprehensive picture of the
situation and deciding on the action that should be taken in order to rectify the damage or the
inconvenience. However, in order to do so the writer must promise to the angered and, perhaps, enraged
customer that the complaint will receive full consideration and should state what action will be taken.

Credit letters grant or refuse credit to individuals or to companies. They are mainly addressed to credit
agencies, trade associations, commercial banks, bureaus etc. These letters cover three subcategories:
- Letters investigating credit, which request information; they also provide reasons for the inquiry, and
should grant confidentiality;
- Letters granting credit generally comprise:

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 o a welcome address to the customer,
o an encouragement of further business relations,
o accurate credit terms and details;
- Letters refusing credit should express in a tactful, polite, frank way the refusal; they should show
great understanding for the customers position and suggest future collaboration opportunities.

Collection letters are written to protect the companys financial interests, retain good will and preserve
friendly cooperative relationships. They are written at regular intervals: 2 to 3 weeks and include:
1. the simple reminder intended to call the readers attention upon the immediate action which
needs to be taken;
2. the inquiry expressing surprise and investigating the reasons which caused the
inconvenience;
3. the appeal, a firmer letter which appeals to the value of good reputation;
4. the demand, again a firm letter which appeals to conscience and fairness;
5. the threat, a letter severe in tone, which threats with legal action.

Characteristics of good business letters

Accuracy. All information provided in a business letter must be accurate. Therefore the writer has to make
sure that the names, addresses, dates, figures and facts are correct.
Clarity. The ideas expressed in the letter must be clear, logically sequenced and should reflect a clear
thinking.
Conciseness saves the reader time and also indicates a good command of writing skills.
Courtesy regards the overall tone of the letter and shows a polite and respectful attitude towards the
person addressed. As you may choose from a relatively wide range of tones (formal, informal, positive,
negative, persuasive, humorous, argumentative, ironical etc), your choice is of utmost importance. The
tone used will be adapted to the needs and level of expertise of the reader.
Completeness. The writer needs to cover all the points he wishes to present, without leaving out relevant
information.
Coherence. The ideas and the parts of the letter must be logically and clearly linked to form a coherent
whole.

Parts of a letter

Letterhead or heading. The heading is the written part which identifies the sender.
Dateline or date. All business letters should have the correct date representing the writing day.
Inside address. It is typed under the dateline and gives the name and address of the recipient.
Salutation. The salutation is typed two lines down from the inside address or reference line.
Body. The body is written two lines down from the salutation. It can be typed in full block style with no
indentation, or semiblock style in which the paragraphs are indented. Paragraphs are typed single-space or
with double spaces between them. Paragraph one (introductory paragraph) is meant to attract the readers
attention and state clearly the reason for writing, thus providing the background information for the letter.
The main body develops the subject and deals with possible additional issues. It should present a logical,
organized discussion of facts. The conclusion summarizes the content of the letter and explains why the
follow-up action is necessary.
Complimentary close. This part is typed one double space after the body of the letter and is a
conventional, polite formula.
Stenographic reference or reference initials stand for the person who is sending the letter and/or the
typist.

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Optional parts

Mailing notations show whether the letter was intended to be personal, or confidential, sent by regular
mail or airmail etc.
Attention line. This line routes the letter to a particular person or department within a company.
Subject line. This line serves as a topic for the letter or as a title to the content.

Style

Although, on the whole, business letters are part of business communication issues, and share many
similarities, some distinctive features must be, however, pointed out. First, in writing a business letter, the
sender makes use of a more personal tone, and generally speaking, a you attitude, thus personalizing
the message. Then he prefers the active voice rather than the passive or passive constructions, which as a
rule are a distinctive feature of the business style. This choice or preference is due to the fact that the
recipient of the letter is usually known, so the entire situation is based on a previously established, well-
consolidated relationship.
The style of a letter is dictated by who it is addressed to. A letter written to an unknown person requires a
formal style, one addressed to a known person but not an intimate one requires a semi-formal style,
while a letter sent to a friend requires an informal style.

Formal letters contain formal greetings and endings, formal language i.e. complex sentences, non-
colloquial English, frequent use of the passive, and advanced vocabulary. Writers of such letters should
avoid the use of contracted and abbreviated forms.

Informal letters comprise informal greetings and endings, informal vocabulary and style i.e. idioms and
phrasal verbs, colloquial English, omission of pronouns and abbreviated forms.

Semi-formal letters make use of formal greetings but of informal endings (Best wishes/Yours + full name).
A respectful tone must be preserved all through the letter, depending on the relationship with the recipient,
whilst pronouns are normally not omitted and idioms are carefully used.

Layout

There are 3 commonly used types of layout:

Full block(ed) which means that all parts of the letter begin at the left margin.
Block(ed). This style places date, complimentary close, and signature in the centre and all the other parts
at the left margin.
Semiblock(ed). The semiblock(ed) format follows the blocked style; in addition, the paragraphs are
indented five or ten spaces.

Punctuation styles.

We distinguish three types of punctuation, that is:

- open (no punctuation after any part of the letter except in the body of the letter),
- mixed (the salutation is followed by a colon, the complimentary close by a comma),
- closed (each line outside the body of the letter ends with a comma).

Useful language

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Language represents the basic ingredient in achieving the right style and the right tone for the intended
message. Although there is no prescribed language and vocabulary for business letters, in order to be
effective they must be clear and concise. This can be achieved by using a simple, formal and effective
language or vocabulary. Simplicity also reduces the chances for the text to be misunderstood or
misinterpreted. Elaborate sentences or technical terms should be generally be avoided, unless the
circumstances call for the use of such terms. Nevertheless, this does not mean oversimplifying the
language used and bringing it closer to the everyday, conversational language, which is rather vague and
imprecise.

On the other hand, although formal, this language should, however, be flexible enough to adjust to various
letter types. So for example, order letters or request letters will necessarily employ a simple, concise,
clear, maybe technical or commercial vocabulary, while a sales letter or a public relations letter should be
more vivid and descriptive, making use of more active verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs in order to
appeal to the reader and eventually move him to action.
Although, generally speaking, the active voice or active verb forms are preferred in letters to add
vividness and dynamism, there are cases when the writer needs to soften the statements made or to be
more impersonal.

Up to a certain extent each letter is unique. Nonetheless, there are many formulas which are frequently
used in letter writing, as suggested by Evans V.(1998):

- To begin letters

- Letters of request
I am writing to request your assistance concerning...
I would be grateful if you could possibly inform me...
I would greatly appreciate it if you could...
I am writing to enquire if/whether / to ask permission...

- Letters giving information

I am writing to inform you that/ to advise you of/ let you know that...
I regret/am delighted/would like/feel obliged to inform you..
I am writing in response to/in reply to/with regard to/in connection with...
I am writing on behalf of/in my capacity as

- Letters giving an opinion

I am writing in response/reply to your letter requesting advice on/about...
I hope the following advice/suggestions will be of help to you...

- Letters of complaint
I am writing to complain about/ express my disappointment/ dissatisfaction
with/anger at/protest about...
I regret to express my annoyance/extreme dissatisfaction...

- To end letters

- Letters of request
I hope that my request will not inconvenience you too much.
I must apologize for/ I hope that you will forgive me for /troubling you/taking
up your valuable time.

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- Letters giving information
I hope that this information will be of some assistance to you
I trust that I have been able to answer all your questions...
I look forward to being able to help you again
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you need further information

- Letters giving an opinion

I hope/trust that these suggestions will be of some assistance

- Letters of complaint
I hope this matter will receive your full/immediate attention.
I must insist on .../insist that/demand/ warn you that....
Unless this matter is resolved.../Unless satisfactory compensation is
offered...
I have no other choice but to/will be forced to take further/legal action.

Sample letter

Regardless of the type of letter used, each letter should consist of the parts mentioned previously. Here is
an example of a letter.

Western Travel Agency

12, The Crescent, Brinton, BR3 5YT
Tel 0219-84436 Tix 40036 WTV
Your Ref. RW/ts
Our Ref. CM/ya/M3

Renate Weiss
Sun Express
20 Gloucester Place
Croydon CRO 2DH

Dear Ms Weiss

Tour 5210

We are writing with reference to your letter of 11 May,

concerning discounts for groups on the above-mentioned
tour.

We are happy to accept your terms and request that you

reserve 25 places in the name of Mr D Thomas on the
tour departing July 14. Names of the group members
will be sent at a later date.

We look forward to receiving your confirmation.

Yours sincerely

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 Charlotte McEvoy
(A. Littlejohn, Company to Company, 1988)

Exercises

1. Write a request letter using the following information:

- You are the executive vice-president of InterTourist Company located in Cluj, Str. Clinicilor 1.
- Reserve a suite at the Hotel Park, Dorobantilor Str. 30, Bucharest for March 20-24.
- Reserve a small conference room, if possible adjoining the suite, from 9 a.m. the 21 st to
- noon the 25th which can accommodate eight branch managers.
- A luncheon will be served the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd; ask for sample menus.
- Inform on the arrival at the hotel (March 20, 6 p.m.)
- Ask to confirm the reservations.
- Request information concerning prices.

2. Write an eye-catching opening for a sales letter in which you try to advertise a package holiday.

3. Write a public relations letter using the following clues:

You are setting up your own office of bookkeeping, typewriting, and word processing services. To
promote your new business, you announce your venture by writing a letter that will be sent to 100
businesses all over the country. Emphasize your experience (seven years) and your excellent college
training. Include all details that will improve your chances of selling your services.

(The section on writing Business Letters was taken from S. Irimiea, 2000, Written and
Oral Communication, pages 148-157)

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