2.2.

7 Practice:
Writing a Business
Letter Practice
Introduction to Name:
Business and
Technology Sem 1 Date:

Reflect (5 points)

Answer the questions about personal business letters.

1. Why would you write an inquiry to a company? (1 point)

2. Why would you write a complaint to a company? (1 point)

3. Why is it important to send a cover letter with a resume? (1 point)

4. What would you include in a request for a company to sponsor your sports team?
(1 point)

5. What would you include in an apology for missing an appointment? (1 point)

Analyze (10 points)

Analyze the purpose and parts of the business letter below:

Mr. Andrew Simpson

145 Washington Way

Springfield, IL 62701

(201) 555-4521

January 1, 2014

Mr. Edmond Walter

 ABC Notebooks

1817 Main Street

Northbrook, IL 60062

Dear Mr. Walter,

I am writing to request an extension for submitting the additional proposal

documentation that we discussed on December 7, 2013.

I will need an additional two weeks to secure the statistical report that is
being created by a third party. The rest of the report is compiled and available
should you want to view it in its current state. The financial plan and the
notebook design are also available. Please feel free to send any additional
questions you may have.

I anticipate hearing from you by phone or email at your earliest convenience.

Best regards,

Andrew Simpson

1. Identify the following standard parts of this business letter: (3 points)

a. Return address:

b. Date sent:
c. Salutation:

d. Closing

2. Answer the following questions about the letter:

a. Who is the sender of this letter? (1 point)

b. Who is the recipient of this letter? (1 point)

c. What is the purpose of this letter? (2 points)

3. Based on the letter above, do you think it is an appropriate business letter? Explain
why. (3 points)

Synthesize (25 points)

Note: Remember that personal business letters are most often written for one of
the following reasons: an inquiry, a request, a complaint, an apology, or a cover
letter.

1. Read the following scenario. What type of business letter do you think is required
in this situation? (1 point)

Melissa and Melrose are both first-year students at a local community college. They
both have interest in volunteering with a nonprofit organization. They decided to
reach out to nonprofit organizations to ask about the steps they need to take in order
to volunteer.

2. Choose one of the following scenarios and compose an effective business letter:
  You are interested in learning about the career opportunities that might be
available in veterinary medicine. Write a personal business letter to your local
animal clinic to request an informational interview. Indicate that you have
included a letter of reference from your volunteer experience with a local animal
shelter.

 You recently purchased four bags of tortilla chips for a party. When you opened
the bags, you discovered all the chips were stale. You purchased them on July 7,
2014, and the best by date on the bags was September 3, 2014. Write a
complaint to the chip manufacturer to let them know you were dissatisfied with
their product. Indicate that you have included a copy of your receipt.

a. Write the standard addressing features of a letter using the following information
for whichever scenario you chose. (3 points)

 The local animal clinic is called Furry Friends Animal Hospital, and from their
website you learn the address is 120 Main Street, Lincoln, IL 62656, and the head
doctor is Dr. Alison Furtado.

 The tortilla chip company is called Dale's Chips, and from their website you learn
the address is 5094 Factory Avenue, Springfield, IL 62701, and all comments and
complaints should be directed to the customer service department
b. Now write the salutation, body, and closing of your business letter. (5 points)

c. Complete the following checklist to ensure your business letter is written and
formatted properly. (1 point)
___Have I run the spelling checker and grammar checker on my document?

___Have I addressed any instances of red or green lines that appeared under words
or phrases?

___Have I used the correct form of all words, such as affect/effect?

___Did I include all the standard elements of an effective business letter?

3. You work in the marketing department for a specialty cycling store called Cycle
Lot. Your job involves sending out advertisements and promotional offers to
customers who have signed up for your VIP rewards program. Your manager
mentions a mail merge program works well for this task. However, you aren't familiar
with this type of program.

a. Research what a mail merge program is.

i. What is this type of program used for? (2 points)

ii. What options are available with a mail merge program? (2 points)
b. Your manager specifically wants you to send a letter advertising your upcoming
sale of 20% off all regularly priced items in store for the weekend of April 12 and
April 13. This sale is a special offer for VIP customers only. Create the form letter
with fields, and use page margins for the top at 2 in. and the bottom and sides at 1
in. Submit your document to your teacher along with this worksheet. (4 points)

c. Create a recipient list to send on April 3, 2014 using the information below. Submit
your file to your teacher along with this worksheet. (3 points)

 Name: Elise Ziolkowski; Address: 1800 Clear Ave, Ferndale, CA 99825

  Name: Miguel Hernandez; Address: 236 Mountain Terrace, Ferndale, CA 99825

d. Complete a mail merge using the information provided in part b of this question.
Submit your documents to your teacher along with this worksheet. (4 points)
Copyright © 2018 Apex Learning Inc. Use of this material is subject to Apex Learning's Terms of Use. Any unauthorized

copying, reuse, or redistribution is prohibited. Apex Learning ® and the Apex Learning Logo are registered trademarks of Apex

Learning Inc.

2.2.7 Practice: Writing a Business Letter