Revision

The truth about workMK: p. 122

Words, words, words, ... the gap between rhetoric and reality

(1) employability (11) ILO (31) job tenure (28, ...) flows in and out of employment (55) business cycle (54) counter-cyclical (56) downsizing (75)

Assignment

According to the article (MK p.122), ...

1. Reasons for differences in job tenure among countries

2. What happens with job tenure in the ups and downs of the business cycle?

BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE 2

Based on Littlejoh, A.: Company to Company, CUP, 2005.

OPENING (revision)

We are writing to ... ...inform you that ...enquire about... ... remind you that ...

Dear Ms Jackson..., we are writing ...

REFERRING (opening)

We are writing IN CONNECTION WITH your delivery of 15 May 2008.

WITH REGARD TO your delivery, ...

WITH REFERENCE TO your enquiry of 3 May 2008, we would like to inform you that ...

FURTHER TO our phone conversation of 24 April, we ...

Types of letters

good news bad news requesting action complaints apology

orders, job applications, ...

GOOD NEWS

We are HAPPY to inform you that... PLEASED

DELIGHTED ... you have been shortlisted for

interview for the position of ...

...we ARE ABLE TO deliver ...

BAD NEWS (+reason)

We are SORRY to inform you that ..

We REGRET to inform you that ...

... we ARE UNABLE TO deliver ...

... we HAVE BEEN FORCED TO increase our prices.

This is DUE TO unforeseen circumstances. OWING TO ... AS A RESULT OF ...

BECAUSE OF ...

Good news (CC:p.29)

.............. your application for a post as secretary, ........that we would like you to start work as soon as possible.

.............our telephone conversation last week, .................that your car is now ready for you to collect.

Good news (CC:p.29)

With reference to your application for a post as secretary, we are happy to inform you that we would like you to start work as soon as possible.

With regard to our telephone conversation last week, we are pleased to inform you that your car is now ready for you to collect.

Bad news (e.g.)

We ... to inform you that we ... to cancel the meeting scheduled for 27 May. This is .... to staff illness.

Bad news (e.g.)

We regret to inform you that we have been forced to cancel the meeting scheduled for 27 May. This is due to staff illness

Good news/bad news and giving reasons (cause-effect)

We have been forced to..., We are unable to..., We are able to... / This is due to (the fact that)...

delay the delivery of the goods – strike by airline pilots

cut all salaries by 10% - fall in sales

increase all salaries by 10% - rise in sales

Good news/bad news and giving reasons (cause-effect) With regard to your order of March 25, we regret

to inform you that we are unable to deliver the goods on time. This is due to a strike by airline pilots.

We are sorry to inform you that we have been forced to cut all salaries by 10%. This is as a result of a fall in sales of 12% in the last quarter.

We regret to inform you that tomorrow’s meeting has been cancelled. This is due to the fact that a lot of staff have been ill

We are delighted to inform you that we have decided to increase all salaries by 10%. This is due to a rise in our sales last year.

Ex: not able to deliver the goods on time /a breakdown in one of the production systems

Follow the model below:

“We REGRET TO inform you that the Credit Committee decided not to grant you a loan of €300,000 you requested. This is DUE TO to the insufficient collateral you have provided.(This is DUE TO THE FACT THAT you have not provided sufficient collateral for the loan.)”