The syllabus for IBC

1. Core books:
- Ashley, A. (2003). Oxford Handbook of Commercial
Correspondence. Oxford University Press.
- International Business Correspondence by BED
2. Compulsory reading(s):
- A. Ashley, Oxford Handbook of Commercial
Correspondence – Workbook, 2nd Edition, Oxford
University Press.
- Nguyễn Trọng Đàn, The Language of Business
Correspondence in English.
3. Optional readings:
 The syllabus for IBC
3. Optional readings:
- Paul Emmersion, Email English 2nd edition, 2004,
Macmillan
- Rebecca Chapman, English for Emails, 2003, Oxford
Business English.
4. Websites
- Job applications:
https://
courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:HKPolyUx+EWA1.1x
+3T2017/course/
- Job interviews:
 The syllabus for IBC
5. Essessment ( Mid-or final- term):
- Gap-filling, letter writing, letter evaluation
- Translation(V-E,E-V)
- Mid-term score= Test + Project + Translation+
Homework+Plus
 The syllabus for IBC
- Formative assessment (10%)
+ Class attendance
+ Homework assignments
- Summative assessment(30%)
+ Translation( V-E)
+ Writing a business letter.
+ Gap-filing, letter evaluation
+ Group Portfolio
-  Group portfolio:
+ Form: Create a group of six students, three are
customers, three are suppliers (choose one
product/service)
 The syllabus for IBC
 - Group portfolio:
Content: Writing letters following Customer – Supplier
Procedure includes:
+ Enquiries
+ Replies and quotations/offers
+ Orders (advice of despatch, acknowledge of receipt)
+ Payment (advice of payment, acknowledge of
payment), request for payment and reply
Problems and adjustment
+ Job application:
- Project:
 The syllabus for IBC
The main parts of the course
Chapter 1. LAYOUT AND STRUCTURE
Chapter 2. ENQUIRIES
Chapter 3. REPLIES TO ENQUIRIES
Chapter 4. QUOTATIONS
Chapter 5. OFFERS
Chapter 6. ORDERS
Chapter 7. PAYMENT
Chapter 8. COMPLAINTS AND CLAIMS
Chapter 9. TRANSPORTATION
Chapter 10. Job Application
 The syllabus for IBC
Work Project 1 (Groups):
1. Compare business letters in English & Vietnamse in terms of
vocabulary, structuctures, semantics, uses( payment and
replies to complaints
2. Common mistakes in real IBC?
3. Common abbreviations in real IBC?
4. Common structures of a real IBC (enquiry, reply, quotations,
offer)?
5. Common structures of a real IBC ( order, payment, complaint,
transportation)
6. Common problems in writing IBC and how to deal with them?
7. Common vocabulary, expressions, word combinations,
collocations in an IBC (enquiry, reply, quotations, offer)?
 The syllabus for IBC
Work Project 1 (Groups)
8. Common vocabulary, expressions, work
combinations, collocations in an IBC(order, payment,
complaint, transportation, application form )?
9. The language style of an IBC(enquiry, reply, quotations,
offer )?
10.The language style of an IBC (order, payment,
complaint, transportation, application form?
11. Compare business letters in English & Vietnamse in
terms of vocabulary, structuctures, semantics,
uses( Sales letters and reply to sales letters
12. Compare business letters in English & Vietnamse in
terms of vocabulary, structuctures, semantics, uses( Job
applications and replies to applications
 The syllabus for IBC
Work Project 1 (Groups)
13. Compare business letters in English & Vietnamese in terms of
vocabulary, structuctures, semantics, uses( Job applications
and replies to applications)
14. Compare business letters in English & Vietnamse in terms of
vocabulary, structuctures, semantics, uses( complaints and
replies to complaints)
15. How to minimize and correct mistakes in IBC ?
16. Common problems to with IBC translation and how
to deal with them
17. Tone of business writing
18. How to study business letter writing effectively?
The Structure of a business letter
Guess the following terms or expressions
1 ortepx oguetolca
2 isbrk emadnd
3 itibrsh mbeassy
4 iniualumm stfiting
5 ailsdet of tadre iscdount
6. oafnshi gnsdsie
7. pomprt eliverides
8. onsablecider dandem for cleitsar
9. Qotedu icepr
10. alytloy oundisct
11. aedtr oundisct
The Structure of a business letter
Key:
The Structure of a business letter
Guess the following terms or expressions
12. Ulfl ckeblod sylet
13. Qittyuan doutnisc
14. Enteindd tsyle
14. Csha cnuotdis
15. Cpetitiveom ecipr
16. Enop uatiopunctn
17. Cntonte and tysle
The Structure of a business letter
Guess the following terms or expressions
Key:
The Structure of a business letter
I. Form of a business letter
How many forms of a business letter?
What are they?
- Full- Blocked
All letter parts begin at the left margin
- Blocked
Like a full-blocked, All letter parts begin at the left
margin, except the deadline, complementary
closing, company’ signature placed at the
horizontal centre of the page
The Structure of a business letter

I. Form of a business letter

- Semi-blocked or modified blocked
(Indented style ):
- The same as a blocked letter but one change:
the beginning of each paragraph is indented
some spaces
The main parts of a business letter

How many parts are there?

1. Letter head
Ex. The Vietnam National Machinery Export and
Import Corporation
Head office: 8 Trang Thi Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Cable address: MACHINOHANOI
Tel & Fax: 38852265
- Cty TNHH Hoa Hồng
- Tổng Cty Lương Thưc1
- Chi nhánh SX-DV- XNK HN tại Tp.HCM
- Liên hiệp SX-DV-XNK Giày Da VN
The main parts of a business letter
How many parts in a business letter?
1. Letter head
Key:
 The main parts of a business letter

2. References

EX: Your Ref: JS/ mk

Our Ref: 526/17

 
 The main parts of a business letter

3. Date line
15 January 2021;
January 15 2021 ;
or January 15, 2021
15.01.2021
15/01/2021
4. Inside address
Mr. James Leighton
General Manager
Leighton Engineering Co Ltd
12 Bracken Hill
 The main parts of a business letter
5. Attention line
For attention of Mr. John Tyler, Sales Manager
Attention: Mr. John Tyler, Sales Manager
FAO:   Mr. John Tyler, Sales Manager

6. Salutation
 
 The main parts of a business letter
British
Formal (unknown person)
Dear Sir (unknown man)
Dear Madam (unknown woman)
Dear Sir or madam or Dear Sir/Madam (unknown sex)
Dear Sirs (to a department or a company)
Dear Sir:
Less formal (known person)
Dear Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms + Last name
E.g.:
Dear Mr. Brown
Dear Mrs./ Miss/ Ms Smith
Dear Mr. Brown:
Dear Mrs./ Miss/ Ms/ Smith:
American
Gentlemen, Ladies
 The main parts of a business letter
  

7. Subject line (heading)

ORDER NUMBER 4564

8. Letter body
It is divided into 3 main parts : Opening/ main/
ending, Space between each paragaraph
 The main parts of a business letter
  

9. Complimentary Close
Dear Sirs, Dear Mr.,Miss,Ms,Mrs+
Last name
Yours faithfully, Yours sincerely

Dear Ladies, Gentlemen,

Yours truly,
 The main parts of a business letter

10. Company signature

11. Enc, Encl: B/L(3 copies)
12. CC.
13. PP.
14. The rules to write a business letter
- ABC
- KISS
- 7C