Chapter 1 Memo Writing Exercises

Memo writing exercises are intended to help you strengthen your written communication skills while applying what you have learned to issues of managerial concern. The following memo provides information on writing good memos. Use it as a guide. MEMORANDUM To: Students using this book From: W. Stevenson Date: April 4, 2011 Subject: Memo writing exercises The purpose of this memo is to introduce you to an important mode of business communication, and to provide you with information on how to write a memo. Memos are often used to convey information within an organization, but they are also used to communicate with people outside the organization, such as suppliers, distributors, and, sometimes, customers. Memos tend to be less formal than letters. Memos should communicate business information in an organized, concise format. Even so, their length and degree of formality depend in part on the purpose of the memo, the amount of information to convey, and the intended audience. Thus, a memo reporting financial information to the chief executive officer would be more formal and probably longer than a memo to employees about the company picnic. A variety of memo styles can be used. One style is illustrated by this memo, which is informational. 1. Use the first paragraph to state the purpose of the memo. 2. Use the second paragraph to provide major details of a proposal or major reasons for a decision or suggestion, or to indicate why you agree or disagree with a proposal or idea. 3. Use the third paragraph for minor details. 4. In a long memo, you may want to end by again stating your position on the subject. 1. Suppose that your boss, Tony Roman, who is the operations manager of your company, sends you a memo asking for your input on holding joint planning sessions with people from marketing and finance. A portion of that memo follows: ail in Marketing and Jim in Finance have been bugging me lately about holding joint meetings. Theyre real gung-ho on this. But Im a little concerned about agreeing to it. I

Chapter 1 Memo Writing Exercises

us what to do. They dont really understand what it is we do or the kinds of problems we have. Im sure they think we arent doing as well as we could, but thats not any of their concern. I dont know why they just dont concentrate on what they do, and leave operations to role us. of Write a one-page memo that summarizes the potential 2. Assume the a mid-level manager of a small company. The CEO, benefits of holding joint planning meetings with Marketing and Finance. Rachael Barker, wants your views on a new computer network she is considering. The current network is adequate, but the new one will provide much greater capabilities for managing files, word processing, and accessing the database. Write a one-page memo in which you list (1) the key factors that you believe must be taken into account in making the decision, and (2) the trade-offs that must be considered. 3. Write a brief memo, responding to this one: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MEMORANDUM To: (Your name), V.P. of Manufacturing From: Deiter Smith, Production Supervisor, second shift Date: Monday Re: Accidental spill We recently experienced an accidental discharge of mildly toxic chemicals into the creek that runs past one of our plants. Although there have been a few complaints of contamination from downstream property owners, I dont think that the spill can be traced back to our plant. Besides, other nearby companies have been getting away with more serious abuses for years, so let them take the heat. I am confident that this is a one-time occurrence, so lets not blow the whole thing out of proportion. If we were to have to pay for a cleanup, this would have a big impact on quarterly profits, and our stockholders wouldnt like that one bit. Furthermore, in light of our recent efforts to promote an image of an environmental-friendly company, I say we should definitely keep quiet about this and let things die down. What do you think? 4. Using your computer, load and then open the DVD for this book. Click on the assets menu. Write a half-page memo to your instructor on which of the items on the list you feel will be most helpful to you in this course.