Business Style.

Relations to Other Styles

- substyle of the administrative style

- shares some features with the style of legal documents: contracts

- also shares some features with the style of advertisements: offers

Functions

- persuades for purchase or co-operation

- establishes the relationship binding two parties in an undertaking: typically two or more enterprises or bodies

- aims to reach agreement between the two contracting parties

Forms

- business agenda, commercial correspondence, brochures

- offers, orders, forms, contracts, invoices, inquiries, dunning letters, claims, complaints

General Characteristics

- graphical layout

- a definite compositional pattern /the business letter heading gives the address of the writer and the date, the name of the addressee and his address/

- some genres: reduced or no punctuation, word registers

- keywords defined by the most precise and specific phrase at the opening, then referred to by a single word /‘the provider of a product or service’, henceforth ‘the provider’, is obliged to/

Special Nomenclature

- business terminology: extra revenue, taxable capacities, liability to profit tax

- writing letters: Dear Sir or Madam > Yours faithfully; Dear Ms Smith /correct for both married and unmarried women/ > Yours sincerely; to encourage further contact; to acknowledge an enquiry; signature by hand, then typed

- expressing dissatisfaction: we are far from satisfied with the service you offer; there appears to be an error on the statement; we will have to consider other sources of supply; out reputation is at stake; we would like an explanation as to how this mishap occurred; so that this matter can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction