TERM PAPER on

COMMUNICATION PRACTICES of
“AVANT GARMENTS”

Course Name: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Course Code: ALD 1202

Submitted to:
Sarabia Rahman
Assistant Professor
Bangladesh University of Professionals
Submitted by:
Shelachi Mitra
ID: 19221068
Abi Rawan Arko
ID: 19221022
Ishmum Haider
ID: 19221104
Faiyaz Al Karim
ID: 19221106

Section: B
Department of BBA in Finance and Banking
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Date of Submission: 31st October. 2019

Letter of Transmittal
31st October 2019
Sarabia Rahman
Assistant Professor
Department of Finance and Banking
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals
Subject: Submission of term paper on “Communication Practices of Avant Garments”

Dear Ma’am,
With due respect, we would like to present the term paper that has been assigned to us as a
requirement of the ALD-1202 Course in Finance and Banking under the Faculty of Business
Studies. This term paper describes the business communication practices of “Avant Garments”.
We have tried to do our best to prepare the term paper with the best research we could do.
We do believe that you will be pleased with our tried attempt and will be looking forward to
send us feedback to fix our problems.

Sincerely yours,

Shelachi Mitra Abi Rawan Arko

Ishmum Haider Faiyaz Al Karim

Acknowledgement
At the beginning we want to pay our homage to The Almighty who made us capable to continue
our everyday tasks both inside and outside the workplace during the whole period of our work
on this term paper. It has been an enriching experience to get the opportunity to do our term
paper on “Communication practices of Avant Garments".
Afterward we would like to pay our deepest gratitude to our supervisor, “Sarabia Rahman”.
It is her tireless effort to guide us into being more enriched in practical business communication
process that drove us towards a successful completion of this term paper. This has been an
excellent experience to witness and scrutinize communication practices inside a business
organization.
Our acknowledgement will not be justified without mentioning some names of the staffs of
“Avant Garments”. We are cordially grateful to “Mr. Goutam Kumar Mitra of Avant Garments
who helped us to utilize this opportunity to conduct our research work. We worked under the
direct supervision of Mr. Shirajul Islam who provided us every information he could at his
convenience that our term paper required.
Successful completion of any research work requires support from various people. We have
been fortunate to get the guidance and supervision of our teachers, friends, “Avant Garments”
and others.

iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY viii
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Origin of The Report 1
1.2 Problem and Purpose 1
1.3 Scope of The Study 1
1.4 Limitations: 2
1.5 Historical Background 2
1.6 Methodology 3
1.7 Definitions and Acronyms 4
1.8 Report Preview 5
2 COMPANY OVERVIEW 6
2.1 About Avant 6
2.2 Mission 6
2.3 Vision 6
2.4 Core Commitments 7
2.5 Support 7
2.6 Products 8
2.7 Research and Development 8
2.8 Software 8
2.9 Executives and Staff 9
2.10 Customers 10
2.11 Address and Contact Details: 10
3 ANALYSIS 11
3.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports 11
3.1.1 Casual Operational Messages 11
3.1.2 Moderately Formal Messages 12
3.1.3 Meeting Minutes 13
3.2 Good News and Neutral Messages 14
3.2.1 Routine Inquiry 14
3.2.2 Favorable Response 15
3.2.3 Order Acknowledgement 16

v
 3.2.4 Direct Claim 17
3.2.5 Adjustment Grant 18
3.3 Bad News Messages 19
3.3.1 Refused Request 19
3.3.2 Adjustment Refusal 20
3.3.3 Negative Announcement 21
4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 22
4.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports 22
4.2 Good News and Neutral Messages 22
4.3 Bad News Messages 22
5 CONCLUSION 23
6 RECOMMENDATIONS 24
6.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports 24
6.2 Good News and Neutral Messages 24
6.3 Bad News Messages 24
REFERENCES 25
APPENDICES 26
A. Detailed list of staff of “Avant Garments” 26
B. CLOTHING DETAILS- 1 27
C. CLOTHING DETAILS- 2 33
D. PO sheet 38
E. Invoice 39

vi
LIST of TABLES
Table 2.1 Products of Avant Garments 8
Table 2.2 List of Manpower 9
Table 2.3 Executives in Details 9

LIST of FIGURES
Figure 2.1 Preview of Software 8
Figure 2.2 Customers 10
Figure 3.1 Casual Message 11
Figure 3.2 Moderately Formal Message 12
Figure 3.3 Meeting Minutes 13
Figure 3.4 Routine Inquiry 14
Figure 3.5 Favorable Response 15
Figure 3.6 Favorable Response 16
Figure 3.7 Direct Claim 17
Figure 3.8 Adjustment Grant 18
Figure 3.9 Refused Request 19
Figure 3.10 Adjustment Refusal 20
Figure 3.11 Negative Announcement 21

vii
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This term paper was written on account of completing the business communication course.
Acknowledgement is given to our honorable faculty, Assistant Professor Sarabia Rahman. The
completion of this term paper required the selection of a company that conducts its
communication in English first of all. Then by approaching the company’s correspondent,
necessary samples were required to be collected following an ordered list that will be further
expanded upon further. Then after following the sample, according to preset parameters
supervised by our faculty, these samples were analyzed to determine whether they were
appropriate for a business mode of communication or not.
Before expanding on the details, the outline of the paper will be explained which will guide
through the entire process. Firstly, the introduction was made which will give a background
study for the topic along with other necessary data. Following it, will be the company overview.
This chapter will aim at explaining the organizational structure of the company to give a better
context on what might be expected from this particular establishment. The most important part
will follow next. The analysis and findings part. In the findings part all the samples collected
will be present along with analyzing of what flaws those samples had. The positives will also
be mentioned. Then based on the analysis, the findings chapter will explain in summary of the
analysis that was extracted. Then the next chapter will be the recommendation part which will
provide suggestions on how the flaws can be reconstructed. The final chapter will be
concluding the term paper by once again summarizing everything that was done and the
interpretation that was made. In the appended part, the appendix and the reference will be
present to further validate and support the claims in the middle of the paper.
The introduction segment introduced the topic at hand in a much more detailed sense. First, the
origin of the report stated the root of this problem and state the justification behind writing this
paper. Then acknowledgement was provided to our honorable faculty Sarabia Rahman for
supervising us during the course of the preparation of this paper. The problem and purpose
segment explained the problem statement and stated the purpose of this paper. The problem, is
that due to bad communication skills, companies incur financial losses which can easily be
avoided with advanced business communication skills. The purpose of this paper is to highlight
the problems in communication for Avant garments LTD and provide a suitable
recommendation for the benefit of the company. This won’t create a situation where all
problems can be solved. However, it will provide guidelines by thoroughly analyzing the
collected samples. The limitations of this paper are then mentioned. Due to lack of knowledge
as first year university students, we couldn’t make out all the terminologies used in the sample.
Furthermore, there isn’t a formal operational message sample because this company simply
doesn’t use formal tone in operation. Historical background segment talks about business
communication and where and how it came from. Here, the old way of thinking and employee
requirements played a role in the poor state of business communication of the current time.
Furthermore, many theories and studies on business communication were explained to give
better context of the practices that takes place in the current time and age. Moving on, comes
the methodology segment. A qualitative analysis has been done on this paper as the method for
viii
research was predefined by our honorable faculty. It was required to visit a company and
provide them with necessary information on our necessities. Based on the list, they provided
us with 11 sample emails and some WhatsApp screenshot for casual conversation sampling.
These samples had the company’s official seal on it to mark its validity. Next, in the definition
segment, the uncommon terms used in the paper were explained. So, all the types of messages
along with some judging parameters have been defined with proper citation and referencing to
the source. Finally, a report preview was made at the end of the introduction chapter which will
define the remaining part of the term paper. This exact thing was already accomplished in the
previous segment.
Following the introduction chapter, comes the company overview. In this day and age,
especially if the context of Bangladesh was taken into account, the garments sector is always
on the rise and has to come up with new concepts and innovations. Avant Garments understands
the context perfectly thus they started their journey on 2012 in the hopes to revolutionize the
industry with state-of-the art garment factory. With this in mind they started their journey. To
further their cause, they starting building from the foundation up and focused on the main
pillars that every successful garment company should follow. They made sure that they had the
most dedicated and reliable workforce around. Till this day they have kept adding to these
already remarkable team. They bought a garment factory that is more than enough to meet
supply. They bought world class machineries to maximize efficiency so that they have nothing
holding them back. All this is matched by an impeccable recruitment policy and one of the best
merchandising and R&D department that can be found among other factories. To keep the
employee morale up they incorporated a policy, making sure that the social and security of
labor is maintained. All these efforts would have resulted to null if their customers weren’t
satisfied. So, like any good company they made it their primary goal to reach customers
satisfaction. To reach customer satisfaction they implemented a great feedback policy where
they listen to the customers and their preferences and then design their products accordingly.
This has proved to be a magic formula for Avant garments and by following this formula they
have come a long way and only continue to do so.
The samples collected from Avant garments matched casual messages, moderately formal
messages, routine queries, favorable responses, order acknowledgements, direct claim, indirect
claim, refused request, credit refusal, adjustment refusal and negative announcements. Firstly,
all the samples were arranged and prior contexts for each of these mails were given to get a
better understanding of what the situation demanded from the emails compared to what was
delivered.
Before analyzing the samples, a summary of how these messages were analyzed will be
mentioned. Limited Sentence content will be monitored first because in business messages, it
is ideal to use words with precision and staying to the point and simultaneously constructing
the sentences. Next, the sentences must be coherent and words must be used economically. It
means that excess words mustn’t be used when the same meaning can be portrayed with a
limited number of words. Next, conventional style of talking must be used. Along with cutting
out the usage of rubber stamps and dated clichés. The positives must also be accentuated.
Special emphasis must be given on using you-viewpoint. Goodwill is another important aspect

ix
because it ensures further business transactions with the company in contact even if the news
delivered in this instance was negative. This same purpose can be fulfilled by using strategic
buffers as well. Strategic buffers hide the direct negative news by slowly easing the reader into
the negative message instead of using a direct blaming tone. Taking these into mind, analysis
was done on the samples.
The results found included the samples having fault in multiple of the parameters set above.
However, the direct messages were well put together with minor flaws. Even without
considering the flaws, these messages can easily be used a business condition.
The problem lies with the indirect messages however. These messages contained a blaming
tone and neither strategic buffers nor goodwill was maintained in these messages. So, these
messages are inappropriate for use in any business situations as this will defame the name of
the organization and a lot of business transactions could be hampered due to this.
In conclusion, business communication is an integral part of a corporate sector. So, anyone
pursuing that path will need to master this art. As for Avant garments LTD, they already have
a very solid communication structure but there are still lacking that can be capitalized upon
with more training and using the stated recommendation.
The suggestions provided for this problem was simple. The parameters mentioned above
should be followed in writing business mails. A more in-depth recommendation is provided in
the main body of the report. You-viewpoint must be used and goodwill must be maintained.

x
 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Origin of The Report

This term paper is created for the purpose of completing Business Communication course. In
this term paper, the main objective is to collect different emails or communication-based
documents from a specific company and providing critique on them to judge whether the
language and formalities used are appropriate a business culture.
To complete this purpose, the company selected in case of this term paper is Avant garments
LTD. And the documents collected were done with the cooperation of the executives of this
establishment.
This term paper is titled, “Communication Practices of Avant Garments LTD.” On account of
the experience gathered during the preparation of this term paper, it was done under the
supervision of Assistant Professor Sarabia Rahman, Department of Finance and Banking,
Bangladesh University of Professionals.

1.2 Problem and Purpose

In modern time, the success of a business depends on the quality of communication that occurs
inside and outside that organization. Since this term paper focuses on a garments industry, the
problems and purposes will be explained from the point of view of the garments industry in
general. The garments industry stands out from a lot of other business sectors because people
from lower walks of life work here. And often due to their lack of communication skills or due
to absence of communication platform in general, a gap is created. So, a lot of the losses and
potential opportunities for a business gets ruined due to lack of communication practice in the
organization.
Considering the problem, this term paper aims at analyzing samples of communication
collected from a garments industry and determine the quality of business communication
practice from both an internal and external standpoint.

1.3 Scope of The Study

This term paper is delimited to analyze business communication practice in Avant garments
LTD. This topic in general depends on the sample provided by the organization. Hence, not all
aspects that build an understanding of communication network in a company can be presented.
So, the sections of communication touched by this paper along with the parts that couldn’t be
collected.
Boundaries of this paper include:

• Casual messages
• Moderately Formal messages
• Direct Messages
• Indirect messages

1
Exclude:

• Formal messages
• Some examples of direct and indirect messages

1.4 Limitations:
For the completion of this term paper, a more comprehensive version augmented with more
samples of emails and communications was intended. However, not all of it could be gathered
and thus, this paper has limitations.

• The company values its confidentiality and so they provided with physical copies of
their email samples.
• Sensitive information including name, emails, company names and some dates was
crossed out from the physical copies with the same purpose of maintaining
confidentiality.
• Internal communication is mostly done in casual or semi-formal tone and thus formal
internal communication couldn’t be collected.
• Not all email samples could be analyzed properly due to lack of knowledge regarding
company’s terminology.
• No indirect claim message could be extracted due to unavailability.

1.5 Historical Background

Concept of business communication has been around ever since the advent of business in
general. If communication is an issue in the current world, the root of the problem dates back
to the early 1900’s or the late 1800 when employee creativity was discouraged. With the advent
of time however, demands from employees and their overall functionality changed. This
brought revolutionized the traits an employee is expected to have. One of those being effective
communication.
So, developing business communication in employees have been a primary task in companies.
The goal is to create a platform where the employees can effectively and professionally
communicate with customers which will create a brand representation for the company.
Success and reputation of companies are built upon its quality of business communication. So,
sever since the necessity of business communication rose, developing communication has been
a priority. In this regard, the multinational companies working here in Bangladesh are miles
ahead compared to the local business industries.
Taking a look at the history from an Asian perspective, (bcrp, 2018) says that the multinational
Asian companies started forking from the late 1908’s. Japan, Korea, India, Taiwan all countries
had great business potential. But the one thing that held them back was problem in
communication. They either weren’t adept in the common tongue or didn’t possess the
knowledge of language adequate to conduct business with the outside world. Building on a
framework inside the Western business world, adaptations were made in sectors of language
and culture which contrasted from the Asian context. Thus, began the earliest works which
talked about business communication which ultimately led to a chain of events which now is
used to train thousands of employees to blend in with the corporate culture.

2
In an attempt of solving this issue with business communication, many prior researches have
been conducted. Many theories and models have been proposed to identify a well-accepted
form of business communication. The two-model approach by (Dulek, 1993) is noteworthy in
this regard where he proposed whether adapting business communication in schools would
improve this overall culture. The existence of communication studies in business teaching
curriculum had been marked after his proposition. (Arnold, 1998) refuted the previous remark
by stating that on field experience on business communication would be more practical
compared to a tedious curriculum with no practical use. (Murphy, 1998) further refuted to this
by providing his own testament saying that like other sectors of business studies taught in
business schools, business communication shouldn’t be treated as anything separate and must
be included in the same curriculum. Even 10 years ago from this debate, scholars have tried
including business communication as a section of managerial studies. So, a lot of work and
hypothesis have been proposed regarding this problem of not employees not knowing how to
communicate in business platforms. This term paper on this note, provides a study of how the
business communication practice is ubiquitous in the point of view of a garments industry in
Bangladesh.

1.6 Methodology
As per the requirement for the completion of this research, qualitative approach was used.
Qualitative research strategy focuses on words, builds an inductive relationship between theory
and research. It collects theoretical data and then interprets conclusions based on the outcomes
and various observations derived from observational foundation.
For this research however, the methodologies have been predefined. The task was to visit an
organization and collect samples of various emails that are used for communication.
With the view of completion of this task, a company was selected and with the help of a
correspondent, physical copies of emails were collected according to the provided list. The list
provided is shown below.
Internal Operational Messages and short reports:

• Casual messages
• Semi-formal messages
• Formal messages
• Meeting minutes

Good News and Neutral Messages:

• Routine quires
• Favorable responses
• Order acknowledgements
• Direct claim
• Adjustment grants
Bad News Messages:
3
 • Refused request
• Indirect claims/ credit refusal
• Adjustment refusal
• Negative announcements
The correspondent evaluated this list and provided the physical copies along with the
company’s official seal to certify the validity of the documents. This concluded the
methodology segment.

1.7 Definitions and Acronyms

For better articulation of this paper, some terminology used in this paper has been defined for
the convenience of understanding.
Business Communication: The approach taken in a business environment where employees
share information with other people both inside and outside the boundaries of the organization
is called business communication. (nextiva, 2019)
Using Strategic Buffer: Strategic buffers are necessary where negative news are delivered
and must be perceived indirectly by the reader. (Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019)
Rubber Stamps: Overly used phrases that when used in a business message makes it sound
stiff and dull is called rubber stamps (Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019)
Casual Operational Messages: The quick responses usually located at the bottom of the
formality chart are casual operational messages. These messages are usually very frank and
resemble the speakers’ usual conversing tone. (Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019)
Moderately-Formal Operational Messages: They are well-constructed compared to an
average casual message and are usually given to people with whom the sender has achieved a
moderate level of acquaintance. (Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019)
Formal Operational Messages: This type of messages represents the official one of a
company. Usually, policies and procedures are conveyed through this type of writing.
Meeting Minutes: Minutes record the activities of a group, including announcements, reports,
important discussions and decisions. They contain important details, but mainly a summary
that reports, not a verbatim transcript, the essentials of what happened. Minutes shall include
only objective data; their authors shall be careful not to use such judgmental words as excellent
or impractical or such descriptive words as angrily or calmly. (Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019)
Routine Inquiries: When a buyer wants to know more information about the product, they
wish to buy i.e. Price, quantity, quality and the terms for business, it is called routine inquiry.
(bizcommunicationcoach, 2019)
Favorable Response: Replying in accordance to any question a buyer projected regarding a
product is favorable response. (thoughtco, 2019)

4
Order Acknowledgement: It is a confirmation which addressed that the order has been
received in a written form. The sales manager often notifies the customer of this.
(acknowledgementsample, 2019)
Direct Claim: A payment that doesn’t display harmony with a purchase order which leads to
the customer deficient a correction. (businessdictionary, 2019)
Adjustment Grant: When the adjustment issued by a customer after receiving a product is
granted by the company, it is called adjustment grant. (Steiner-William, 2015)
Refused Request: This is the diplomatic way of refusing a request for business. Care and
precaution are necessary while writing this as not choosing the right words might cause damage
to the business in the long run. (Luthy, 2019)
Indirect Claim: Indirect claim is a message which seeks compensation for damage. This
usually happens when the order delivered doesn’t add up to the standard the company was
expecting. (investorwords, 2019)
Adjustment Refusal: When the adjustment requested by a company gets refused due to legal
reasons, it is adjustment refusal. Thought and precaution is also necessary when writing this.
(targetstudy, 2019)
Negative Announcement: This is the announcement which is perceived to be negative by the
audience. This could be the end of stock for a product or even sacking of an employee.
(courses.lumenlearning, 2019)

1.8 Report Preview

This segment will give a preview of the report. What topics will be covered in this paper and
an organized structure will be set up for the convenience of navigation.

• First, the part that has already been discussed is the introduction which has set up
various information and background for this report.
• Next will be followed by the company overview, where a detailed perception will be
created on the organization on which this study is being conducted.
• This will be followed by the findings and analysis. This segment will present and
criticize all the samples that were collected from the organization.
• Conclusion and recommendation will be following soon after. This chapter will give a
conclusive discussion about this report and the recommendation will further analyze
the email samples and give endorsements regarding it.
• The reference chapter will give sources about all the citations used in this paper and the
bibliography will present all the documents that were reviewed for the completion of
this paper.
• Finally, the appendix will provide all additional documents required to further augment
and justify this paper.

5
 2 COMPANY OVERVIEW

2.1 About Avant

In the year 2012, Avant Garments Ltd. was established by the American-Bangladeshi business
man Ziaul Hasan, with a clear vision to turn it into a pioneering and trailblazing garment factory
in Bangladesh.
The competition in the garment industry is higher than ever. There is such a demand for
garments in this world, it almost sinful not be efficient as a garment factory in this day and age.
The whole system has to work a well-oiled machine. And the work of a garment factory just
isn’t bound between cutting and sewing, it is so much more. There are so many factors to
reaching peak efficiency. Some of the factors are selection of factory site, construction of a
conformed modern building, choosing the right machineries, recruiting the right people, having
an efficient supply-chain, environment and quality assurance. Avant garments understands the
effect all this factors have and they are always trying to develop in these areas.
Avant garments is well aware of the global socio-economic situation and how fast growing it
is. To be fully prepared for the present world, they have created a factory to cater to the needs
of their customers by providing quality products, addressing social health, security and social
aspect of labor. They believe that their work force is their gem and their main goal is to develop
the skill of their work force.
Avant Garments is proud about the fact that they are one of the few garment companies in
Bangladesh to have their sales and marketing emulsified in the USA under Hewburton LLC.
Hewburton chose 20 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720 to do business, enabling door to door
supply service from factories to buyers in the USA. This has benefitted a lot of people who
prefers to do all their monetary transaction within the USA. Avant Garments invites their
potential clients to explore their business possibilities through Hewburton.

2.2 Mission
The present universe of business is a tiresome field where surviving is an issue, not just bound
inside picking up benefit, yet, in addition serving the industry and society too. Their mission is
to serve top notch products and goods, supported by end to end service and creating distinct
memories of business. With their aggressive and assorted, they thrive to spread their brand
name through contented clients and the society we live in.

2.3 Vision
• Creating a forte in the global coliseum of business
• Making the garments industry as the ultimate forerunner sector considering local and global
context
• Gathering a dedicated customer base through customer satisfaction and comfort

6
• Portraying a corporate character which would not exclusively be perceived as a benefit
picking up association yet in addition having a sharp eye on corporate social duties.
• Hoping to become one of the leading garment factories in the world and become a role model
for other factories.

2.4 Core Commitments

To set up their image name they feel obliged to guarantee a lot of responsibilities appearing
our sincere and most extreme genuineness to our objective portion and our prized customers.
• Emotion: Emotion is the route that generates passion and spasm to work
• Discipline: The excited acquiescence of laws and requests, which are given by the legitimate
authority.
• Duty: The eager dutifulness of laws and requests, which are given from our conscience.
• No Discrimination: No discriminations shall be expressed through their actions, reactions,
behavior and attitude while tending to the health of other human beings in the form of physical
or mental nature.
• Quality: Quality shines through when a company goes rules, regulations, commitments,
values and overall just by being sincere through material and emotional aspects.
• Give respect: To be more empathetic and sympathetic to other people’s wishes and thinking.
Taking the thought process of other human being and their emotion with an open mind
• Self-respect: To work with the notion that someone is working with their dignity and honor
intact.
• Truth: Meaning absolute transparency when it comes to action, reaction and attitude.
• Absolute Honesty: No manipulation or administration in order to feed one’s greed and
desires.

2.5 Support
Merchandising: The company has a team boasting of proficient and efficient merchandisers
who can deal with customers online. The team is quick to respond to customer queries and is
always open to critique and feedback because the team values the customers first and foremost.
The team keeps tabs on the customers through our German made server-based computer
software and very responsive with the customers.
Sampling: Due to the company having customers worldwide and since the customers
participate in exhibitions worldwide, the company makes a good set of sampling collection
before the start of every season. The sampling team is updated based on the latest fashion trends
and styles, so that they can stay in line with the customer base too
Washing: The company basically has two washing partners. They are as follows:
1. SP. Washing Ltd.
2. Dhaka Garments and Washing Ltd

7
2.6 Products
In the short time Avant garments has been in the industry, they have become a force to be
reckoned with. Avant has built a great team and a tremendous factory to ensure quality control
and customer satisfaction. Below is given the lucrative and sunning products that Avant makes.
Table 2.1 Products of Avant Garments1

1. Hospital 2. Chef Coats 3. Coverall 4. Vest 5. Work 6. Aprons

Scrubs Wear
7. Chef Hat 8. DHL Cargo 9.DHL Cargo 10. Cardigan 11. Pull
Long Pant Short Pant over

2.7 Research and Development

The research and development is the undoubtedly the busiest department in Avant Garments.
They are in a continuous frenzy and rush to come out with new products to entice new
customers into buying their products and keep the current customer base updated with latest
trends and styles. They have dedicated and reliable quality control team who will look at every
flaw possible in the product and then come to a decision whether that product is sellable or not.
In this way the company manages to uphold their quality and very rarely send faulty products.
The R & D team uses a highly technical and flexible server-based computer to monitor and
administer all orders and steps and meticulously avoid any fatal flaw. Research and
development office is one of the most esteemed section which attempts to advance the whole
association by finding numerous methods for business advancement and techniques through
persistent research and analysis so as to adapt up to the tiring worldwide business.

2.8 Software
The company uses the garments ERP software system. This is an integrated system which
assorts and maintains all the data for operations. This system compiles each of the company’s
merchandising, sample, commercial, store, production operations, including the
manufacturing, distribution, financial and customer relations department in one software
system.

Figure 2.1 Preview of Software

1
Source: Avant-Profile (Avant Garments, 2019)

8
2.9 Executives and Staff
Avant garments is extremely proud of its manpower and how varied it is. They have depth in
almost every department, making day to day activities easier and freer flowing than ever. The
proprietor is the CEO of the company. There are exactly 963 executive and staff. All of whom
extremely efficient in their own departments. Below is given the listing of members which is
grouped by the sections:

Table 2.2 List of Manpower2

SECTION QUANTITY
EXECUTIVE 14
CUTTING 39
SEWING 645
FINISHING 129
QUALITY ASSURANCE 72
SAMPLE 6
STORE 13
MAINTENANCE 9
HOUSE KEEPING 12
SECURITY 10
IE 4
OFFICIALS 10

As this paper is related with business communication process with both internal employees and
external customers, executive section plays a vital role in this part. Here the executive section
is given in details:

Table 2.3 Executives in Details3

EXECUTIVE QUANTITY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 1
DGM 1
AGM(Production) 1
ACCOUNTS/FINANCE 1
AGM(IE) 3
COMMERCIAL 5
MERCHANDISING 4

See appendices on page 26 for the detailed staff list.

2
Source: Avant-Profile (Avant Garments, 2019)
3
Source: Avant-Profile (Avant Garments, 2019)

9
2.10 Customers
Avant garments have 5 big companies as customers at the moment. With all these 5 companies,
they share a great relationship and mutual understanding. They have contributed actively in the
growth of this company.
The companies are given below:
1. Chef Works
2. DHL Express
3. Comtextile (HK) Ltd.
4. Industrial Textiles
5. MWG Apparel
Figure 2.2 Customers

2.11 Address and Contact Details:

Bangladesh Office: House # 15, Road # 124, Gulshan-1,Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
USA office: 20 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720 USA
Factory: Shirirchala, Bagerbazar, Maona, Gazipur Sadar,Gazipur, Bangladesh
Contact Info:
1. Md. Ziaul Hasan
Managing Director/President
zia@avantgarments.com, zia@hewburton.com
Cell +1 978-505-6547
2. Christo Fernando
Executive Director in factory
christo@avantgarments.com
Cell +880 1749 348 867
3. Ishak Mahamud
Merchandising Manager
ishak.mahamud@avantgarments.com
Cell +880 1771 673 537

10
 3 ANALYSIS

3.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports

Internal operational messages and short reports are the messages that stay within the
organization. The formality of those differs from one company to another. Below the collected
samples of internal messages and short reports from selected company are given,
3.1.1 Casual Operational Messages
This sample below shows the conversation between to employees within an organization how
to log into an official account.

1 2 3

Figure 3.1 Casual Message

Review:

• Conveying messages through social media (Whatsapp).

• Using casual tone to communicate.

11
3.1.2 Moderately Formal Messages
An employee did something wrong which will cause the company financial issues. So this letter
is to make a document which shows exactly what the employee did wrong and wants the
explanation of that mistake.

Figure 3.2 Moderately Formal Message

Review:

• The email isn’t proofread and no strategic buffer is used.

• Blaming tone is used in the email.

• The sentences aren’t coherent.

• Concrete time limit for reply is mentioned.

12
3.1.3 Meeting Minutes
This sample shows the exact details extracted from a meeting in a documented form.

Figure 3.3 Meeting Minutes

Review:

• Type of meeting is not mentioned.

• Place, date and time aren’t included.

• Mentioned of a team is found but no specific names of the attendants

• No due time for the next meeting is specified.

13
3.2 Good News and Neutral Messages
While writing good news messages, direct order enables the writer to present information in a
report as clearly and succinctly as feasible. Because in business, people more than often
anticipate clear and precise delivery of positive messages, in most cases business interactions
are using the direct order. Samples of positive messages conveyed from concerned
organizational are given below:
3.2.1 Routine Inquiry
Avant garments were looking to order fire doors for their company. So, they approached a
company which sells fire doors. But before confirming the order, they cross checked and asked
some questions regarding the order.

Figure 3.4 Routine Inquiry

Review:

• Rubber stamp is used.

• Exact time for reply is specified.

14
3.2.2 Favorable Response
Here a company approached Avant with the request of getting the clothing order for another
company. Avant garments replied favorably. Attachments of this mail are given in appendices
on page 27 and 33.

Figure 3.5 Favorable Response

Review:

• Rubber stamp is used at the start.

• You-viewpoint is used.

• Necessary supporting document is added.

15
3.2.3 Order Acknowledgement
This email was made to a customer who ordered clothing. This mail acted as order
acknowledgement for that person and an excel sheet reporting the work progress of the order
has also been added for further clarification. Attachments of this mail is given in appendices
on page 38.

Figure 3.6 Favorable Response

Review:

• No rubber stamp or dated clichés are used.

• You-viewpoint is used.

16
3.2.4 Direct Claim
Here, the shipment received by Avant garments wasn’t satisfactory. So, they wrote an email
expressing the need for readjustment.

Figure 3.7 Direct Claim

Review:

• Apologizing tone is used.

• Expected time for reply isn’t specified.

• Subject is neutral.

• Date of shipment or the invoice number in subject would be more effective.

17
3.2.5 Adjustment Grant
In this case, Avant garments made extra pockets on aprons they were supposed to deliver. So
when the company delivered to refuted, they proposed a solution.

Figure 3.8 Adjustment Grant

Review:

• Alternative solution is provided.

• Bad incident isn’t recalled.

• Rubber stamp is used.

18
3.3 Bad News Messages
For persuasion, advertising or negative reporting, indirect approach are used. It is appropriate
to use direct approach to positive news and frequent updates but it can be seen in negative news
or compelling messages as blunt or insensitive. Sometimes direct approach can be used when
the receiver likes the directness. Following samples are provided in order to explain the
strategic approach to negative messages in the regarded company: -
3.3.1 Refused Request
Here a customer ordered 3 dozen of a certain clothing item. But Avant garments refused their
request for business because their machines for production were all busy.

Figure 3.9 Refused Request

Review:

• Rubber stamp is used.

• No alternatives are provided.

• We-viewpoint is used.

19
3.3.2 Adjustment Refusal
Here, a company ordered clothing with particular requirements from Avant. But after delivery,
they appealed that they wanted burgundy dyed print even though the invoice didn’t match up
to it. So Avant refused their adjustment request. Attachment is given in appendices on page
39.

Figure 3.10 Adjustment Refusal

Review:

• Words isn’t used economically.

• There is no rubber stamp.

• We-viewpoint is used.

• The retort used is unfavorable for the receiver.

• No goodwill is maintained.

20
3.3.3 Negative Announcement
Here an employee of Avant Garments was fired due to some reasons.

Figure 3.11 Negative Announcement

Review:

• Indirect approach isn’t used.

• No strategic buffer is used.

• Courtesy isn’t maintained.

• No specific reason for termination is stated.

21
 4 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

4.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports

This company prefers casual or moderately formal mode of communication when done
internally. For casual messages, the sender has the freedom to type in a conventional way and
that is depicted from the screenshot. For the moderately formal email, there is a lack of proof
reading. Hence, there are grammatical mistakes. Blaming tone is also seen in the mail and there
is a lack of coherence of email structure. Along with this, a strategic buffer which is needed for
creating a gap before delivering the negative message is absent. These types of messages
usually start with the direct topic. Hence usually policies and directives are created in this tone.

4.2 Good News and Neutral Messages

For this term paper, direct messages include routine inquiries, favorable responses, order
acknowledgement, direct claim and adjustment grant. This segment of the messages does both
right and wrong. The negatives are that we-viewpoint is used in a lot of the messages where
you-viewpoint would’ve favorable. Rubber stamps are also included in the messages which
aren’t appropriate for any business messages.
In a mail which requested adjustment grant, alternate solution was provided and goodwill was
maintained. In the mail which demanded an early reply didn’t specify the exact time. This is a
problem that is usually avoided in business messages. Because specifying a time in which the
reply is to be expected makes the letter much more professional and practical.
The direct messages, despite the flaws, was managed to be used with maximum functionality.

4.3 Bad News Messages

The indirect messages used in this paper contain samples of Refused request, indirect claim,
adjustment refusal and negative announcements
These types of messages usually convey any sort of negative messages. So, the vital
functionality of these sorts of messages is that it creates a strategic buffer which causes the
negative news to be delivered indirectly. Most of these emails however, failed to use this buffer
and the negative news was delivered directly.
Some of the messages also doesn’t end with a goodwill. This creates a negative impression in
the mind of the reader. So, it can be interpreted that the company has weak structure while
sending indirect messages.

22
 5 CONCLUSION

This paper worked on analyzing the type of business messages extracted from Avant garments.
The messages thus collected were judged based on different parameters and a conclusion were
reached as to which were appropriate for business purposes and which were not.
In the context of Bangladesh, business communication should be prioritized in business
institutions. Because with the growing market of the country and its inclination towards the
foreign market, being adept in business communication can portray the ideal mode of
communication to these foreign customers. This will in turn, make sure the business
transactions are finalized. This is why this study is important in the first place. To prepare a
more solid foundation for business transactions to take place.
So, to conclude, in Avant garments, they use casual or moderately formal tone in operations.
But in transactions with external companies they use formal tone. However, they lack in
properly tailoring their message for maintaining audience. This concludes this paper.

23
 6 RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1 Internal Operational Messages and Short Reports

• In these types of messages, Avant doesn’t use formal tone of speech. So usually when
using operational messages, they prefer casual or moderately formal messages. So, the
first recommendation for them would be to proofread the messages so that any
grammatical errors can be avoided.
• The writing style must be coherent. The sentences must be logically synchronized.

6.2 Good News and Neutral Messages

• Usage of rubber stamp must be avoided. Rubber stamps give a generic vibe to the
message and displays a lack of effort in writing the text. So, during direct message,
avoiding rubber stamps are recommended.
• They must add a goodwill message before the end of every message so that customer
can have a positive mindset about the company.
• The mails of the companies must try to maintain you-viewpoint so that the customers
can clearly see what benefit the message harbor for them.

6.3 Bad News Messages

• The company must avoid blaming tone in their messages because they way these
messages are portrayed, express a clear lack of patience. This must be adjusted while
writing the indirect messages.
• They must be consistent in using strategic buffers. The negative news mustn’t be given
directly and there must be conversation that relates to the outcome of the message.
• Courtesy must be maintained while writing these messages. This will help build
goodwill.
• When any request or adjustment is refused, alternate solution must be provided to make
sure the consumer can feel the positivity of the company.
Lastly, for the overall development, business communication courses must be taken by the
employees. This will bring the most effective solution for this issue.

24
REFERENCES
acknowledgementsample, 2019. order-acknowledgement. [Online]
Available at: https://acknowledgementsample.com/order-acknowledgement/
Arnold, R. H. K. D., 1998. Response to Murpy's "Re-viewing Business Communication".
Avant Garments, 2019. Avant- Profile, Dhaka: Avant Garments.
bcrp, 2018. e-bcrp. [Online]
Available at: https://www.e-bcrp.org/archive/view_article?pid=bcrp-1-1-4
bizcommunicationcoach, 2019. what-is-inquiry-letter-in-business-communication. [Online]
Available at: https://bizcommunicationcoach.com/what-is-inquiry-letter-in-business-
communication/
businessdictionary, 2019. definition/direct-claim. [Online]
Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/direct-claim.html
courses.lumenlearning, 2019. [Online]
Available at: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-businesscommunication/chapter/17-1-
delivering-a-negative-news-message/
Dulek, 1993. Models of Development: Business school and Business communication.
investorwords, 2019. indirect_claim. [Online]
Available at: http://www.investorwords.com/15473/indirect_claim.html
[Accessed 2019].
Luthy, M., 2019. How-to-write-a-refusal-letter. [Online]
Available at: https://www.writeexpress.com/How-to-write-a-refusal-letter.html
Murphy, M. A., 1998. Re-Viewing Business Communication: A Response to Carmichael,
White-Mills and Rogers, and Krapels and Arnold.
nextiva, 2019. what-is-business-communication. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nextiva.com/blog/what-is-business-communication.html
Rentz/Flatley/Lentz, 2019. Lesikars Business Communication. 13 ed. s.l.:s.n.
Steiner-William, J., 2015. Lynda. [Online]
Available at: https://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Adjustment-
grant/183418/439072-4.html
targetstudy, 2019. [Online]
Available at: https://targetstudy.com/letters/adjustment-refusal-letter.html
thoughtco, 2019. writing-respon-letters. [Online]
Available at: https://www.thoughtco.com/writing-respon-letters-1210171

25
APPENDICES

A. Detailed list of staff of “Avant Garments”

CUTTING QUANTITY FINISHING QUANTITY

SECTION SECTION
IN-CHARGE 1 IN-CHARGE 1
SUPERVISOR 1 SUPERVISOR 5
MARKER MAN 1 OPERATOR 20
CUTTER MAN 4 HELPER 48
HELPER 32 IRON MAN 22
FOLDING MAN 14
SEWING SECTION QUANTITY
POLY MAN 9
APM 1
PACKER MAN 9
SUPERVISOR 22
SPOT CLEANING 1
PRODUCTION 2 MAN
COUNTER
OPERTAOR 437 SAMPLE SECTION QUANTITY
HELPER 102 IN-CHARGE 1
SEW IRON MAN 44 SAMPLE MAN 5
BARTACK OP 26
STORE SECTION QUANTITY
BARTACK HP 5
IN-CHARGE 1
FUSING & INPUT 6
BOND OFFICER 1
MAN
STORE KEEPER 2
QUALITY ASSURANCE QUANTITY STORE ASST. 1
IN-CHARGE 2 NEEDLE ISSUE 1
AUDITOR & GPQ 2 BOY
QC-SEWING 4 LOADER+RACONE 7
QC-FINISHING 2
INSPECTOR 62 MAINTENANCE QUANTITY
HOUSE QUANTITY SECTION
KEEPING IN-CHARGE 1
SECTION MECHANIC 5
HOUSE 1 ELECTRICIAN 2
KEEPER BOILER 1
SWEEPER 2 OPERATOR
FLOOR 9
CLEANER OFFICE STAFF QUANTITY
DOCTOR 1
SECURITY QUANTITY
NURSE 1
SECTION
TIME KEEPER 2
IN-CHARGE 1
WELFARE 1
GUARD 9
OFFICER
IE QUANTITY PEON 1
SECTION COOK 1
OFFICER 4 DRIVER 3

26
B. CLOTHING DETAILS- 1

27
28
29
30
31
32
C. CLOTHING DETAILS- 2

33
34
35
36
37
D. PO sheet

38
E. Invoice

39