A COMPANY NEWS BLOG

Title/Introducing
Great news!
New opportunity for all staff!
Why not take advantage of an exciting new scheme?
Informing
The changes come into place next month.
The company is happy to announce that ...
We are opening our first office in Ecuador.
Concluding
We would welcome any comments you might have about ...
Let us know if you wish to participate.
If you are interested, please contact …
MODEL SAMPLE
Volunteer projects for sabbaticals
Want to take that sabbatical but don’t know how to arrange it? Then you are sure to be delighted
to learn that we are sponsoring sabbaticals next year which involve overseas volunteer projects.
The company is happy to announce that it would welcome ideas for volunteering projects from
all staff. One example idea has already been suggested. It is a sabbatical working with a marine
charity on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In Australia you could take advantage of the
opportunity to both learn about marine life and how to surf. As you are likely to want to see more
of the country, you will have one month to travel around the country after your volunteering
work. If you are interested in this opportunity or have your own idea to submit, please contact
HR by the end of the month, when next year’s sabbatical schedule is to be finalized. Please
don’t hesitate to contact us if you have an idea you would like to discuss informally.

A TRAINING REQUEST
Requests
I am writing to request some more professional training
I would therefore like to attend
Please could you let me know if
Would it be possible for me to do a course?
I would appreciate it if I could ...
It would be very helpful if I could attend a course.
Reasons
As I have just become project leader, it is important to attend a leadership course
It is vital to develop my skills, so that I can manage team effectively
Because registration closes soon
I am interested in developing my skills for dealing with conflict
I start work in Spain soon so I need to study Spanish.
I have just been promoted to manager so ...
 I do not have enough experience in this area.

Model sample
As I am now having to negotiate new contracts with our customers, I feel that it would be
very helpful if I could attend this new course to help me negotiate more effectively.
I believe that the course is ideal because it focuses on key skills such as being able to
recognise how negotiations can change during the process and how to read the reactions of the
people I am negotiating with. It is very important to be able to know if the other side is likely to
accept our offer. Another area where I need to improve my skills is being able to listen actively. I
sometimes find it difficult to keep focused on listening so I occasionally might not always ask the
right questions.
In order to create suitable strategies, the course also looks at the value of careful
planning and preparation so that I can create effective strategies to use during negotiations.
Since the next course is in two weeks’ time, I’d appreciate it if you could confirm as soon
as possible if I can take this course as I have to negotiate the new contract with our biggest
client next month.

ANNUAL REPORT SUMMARY

Overview/ Introduction:
2018 was a year of mixed results and challenges.
The last year has seen the company making many tough decisions
Reasons:
The problem were caused by the strength of the dollar
This was largely as a result of our entry into the Asian market
Positive aspects:
After a steady recovery over 2 quarters, we achieved good results.
We were able to raise our annual dividend by 2%
Negative aspects:
Sales fell by 5% in the second quarter
We posted sales of $128 million, down 5% on the previous year
Future outlook:
This gives us cause to be optimistic
The forecast for the coming year looks promising
MODEL SAMPLE:
2018 was a year of challenges due to an economic downturn in some of our
markets. However, this was offset by our entry into more buoyant markets, which
meant we achieved better results overall than expected.
 We finished the year posting group sales of £48 billion compared to £40
billion in 2017. In addition, cash flow from operations also saw an increase and
was up on the previous year, at £4.5 billion. As a result of this success, we were
very pleased to be able to raise our annual dividend to £1.34, the third consecutive
year it has increased.
The total number of stores worldwide has reached 2,000 since we acquired
five more stores in Russia, ten new stores in India and four in Japan, the latter two
being new markets for us. Furthermore, we successfully launched a new brand
aimed at the high-end European market and this appears to be selling very well,
which gives us cause to be very optimistic about the future.
Our plans now include a major restructuring of the organization in order to
reduce operating costs and a plan to buy back £1 billion worth of our shares over
the next three years.

SHORT BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Introduction or purpose statement
This proposal evaluates the use of ...
The proposal aims to assess ...
Brief summary of problem
Deliveries have failed to arrive on time.
Recently, there have been complaints about an increase in waiting times…
Solution to problem
The new technology would enable us to ...
In order to solve this problem we need to ...
The most efficient option would be ...
Plan, costs and schedule
It is expected that the initial costs would be ...
The equipment could be installed immediately.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we feel that ...
To sum up, it is recommended that

MODEL SAMPLE
This proposal evaluates the possibility of investing in driverless battery-powered vehicles
to transport people around the city. Our long-term strategy is to ban gas-powered vehicles
completely from the centre within three years to reduce congestion and pollution and to
encourage more people to use public transport.
Driverless buses would be an excellent solution.
They are reasonably priced, cheaper to run than traditional forms of public transport and
much cleaner for the environment, so there would be far less pollution. People who drive into
the city usually leave their cars parked 95 percent of the time, so using these vehicles would
free up car parks for other uses. In addition, the city would not have to build new infrastructure
as these vehicles can travel safely on existing roads and bridges.
Although initial investment is high, these battery- powered vehicles are cheaper to run
than other forms of transport. As travel costs would be lower for customers, this could persuade
more people to use public transport. We could run a trial by the end of the year in part of the
city.
In conclusion, I therefore recommend the city invests in driverless vehicles and runs a
trial route before the end of the year.

PERFORMANCE REVIEW SUMMARY

Positive comments
You have empowered staff with authority.
Your work indicates a good knowledge of …
You demonstrate the ability to
You display great aptitude for solving problems…
You exhibit good decision-making skills
You adapt well to changes
You consistently meet deadlines
Constructive criticism
This can easily be resolved with more targeted training.
This can sometimes lead to delays.
Unfortunately, the results indicate that goals were not always reached.
I am impressed with what you have done so far, despite…
Although you have done an excellent job, you…
Meeting all your deadline has been a great achievement, although
You successfully met all the targets but…
However, I feel that more training…
MODEL SAMPLE:
I am very pleased to report you demonstrate very good communication skills in your role
and an ability to communicate information clearly and concisely with your team and colleagues.
In addition, you have exhibited the ability to listen actively and you are quick to understand
information and new ideas. With regard to your team, you display an aptitude for developing the
skills of others to help them solve any problems they have. You also always take responsibility
for your team’s actions, which is a very important quality for someone in a management role.
Moreover, you also remember to praise your staff when they have done something well and
always give constructive feedback if they have not. It is also pleasing to note that you have
successfully met all your targets and sometimes even exceeded them.
I am encouraged by your work so far, although there are still some areas which could be
improved. Nevertheless, I am confident this can be done with more training. Occasionally you
seem to lack a little confidence when under pressure so a leadership course would be
beneficial. Also, improving your time management could help you avoid some of the pressure
you find yourself under.
COMPANY NEWSLETTER
Recent news
One of our new projects has been filmed for television.
We introduced a new holiday strategy two months ago.
Current news
A school is being built in South Africa.
Employees can now take advantage of extra discounts.
Future plans
Only eco-friendly products will be sold.
Staff will have extra holiday for time spent on community work.
MODEL SAMPLE:
Doing more to create less
As we have had problems achieving our environmental targets and reducing waste in
the company, we need to rethink our strategy. It appears that some people are still using plastic
coffee cups which cannot be recycled, and figures show that at least 50 percent of waste paper
is not being recycled. Lights have also been left on in empty offices and, in some, they have not
even been switched off at the end of the working day. We are therefore working with everyone
to look at ways of improving our systems and reducing waste. We are currently investigating
more eco- friendly systems but would also like you to put forward any ideas that you may have
to meet our environmental targets and eliminate as much waste as possible.
As a result, we are going to have a competition, and the people who suggest the best
two ideas will win an extra week’s holiday. We will also be putting in new lighting systems over
the next few weeks and are hoping to have a paperless office by this time next year. But we still
need to implement other measures to ensure that we are the most eco-friendly offices in town.

AN EMAIL GIVING REASONS

Introducing a problem
I’m really sorry to tell you that we’ve hit a big problem
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to meet the deadline due to unforeseen circumstances
Despite our best efforts, we are sorry to inform you that
Unexpected problems have arisen with your order.
Explaining a reason
There was a major electrical failure in the town
There is a delay because of a strike in the factory
The problem was caused by late deliveries from suppliers
The main reason for the delay is…
Outlining required action
I therefore propose that we travel
I’ll have the job completed by Friday latest.
We may need to re-assess the schedule
Extra staff are needed to solve the problem

MODEL SAMPLE:
From: Project Manager
To: Production Director
Subject: Unexpected problem
Hi Sofia,
I’m really sorry to tell you that an unexpected problem has arisen with the equipment we
ordered for the new factory.
The main reason for this problem is that the supplier we chose has gone bankrupt. I
received a letter this morning informing me of this. As a result, we won’t receive our order.
Unfortunately, this leaves us in a very difficult situation because we do not have the machines
we need.
Consequently, if we do not get the equipment, the factory opening will be seriously
delayed, which we cannot afford. There is also a problem with the fact that we paid a deposit to
the supplier when we ordered the equipment and it is unlikely that we will ever get it back.
I therefore propose that I investigate alternative suppliers and see if anyone can supply
the equipment as soon as possible at a reasonable cost. Unfortunately, we will probably have to
pay more for other equipment. I’ll have information about the costs, delivery times and
equipment specifications on your desk by the end of the week. Hopefully we can then make a
decision and re-assess our schedule if necessary.

PRESS RELEASE
News and key facts (Para 1)
Beeza has announced an independent review
Thousands of bags were transported to the wrong destinations
Further details (para 2)
Customers were complaining that they couldn’t contact customer services
Customers were met with automated email replies
The situation quickly went viral
Quotation (and apology if required) (Para 3)
The CEO said he was very sorry and deeply regretted the situation…
The CEO promised he would do everything he could to ensure that customers were
compensated
He also reminded everyone that customers were the key to success
Future promises (para 4)
It is expected that the review will be completed…
Beeza assured the public that regular announcements on the progress of the
investigation would be made…
MODEL ANSWER
Move to Mumbai
 Now that Hasfell Supplies is part of a multinational group, it has announced plans for the
relocation of its headquarters to Mumbai, in order to take advantage of the growing markets in
South East Asia. Unfortunately the media believes the company is causing huge job losses in
the UK, but this is far from the truth.
The move, which is expected to take place in December when the new office building is
ready, may result in job losses in the UK, but all employees have been offered work in other
parts of the UK organisation. Several staff have already indicated they are happy to take
voluntary redundancy.
Mr Raj Singh, the CEO, informed staff about the relocation before going public and
regretted the negative reaction to the announcement. He assured staff this expansion would
bring more business and offer new and exciting opportunities for promotion and career
development within the company.
The company management team will meet all current staff next week to discuss their
future career options. Interviews for jobs in Mumbai will take place next month. Hasfell said
there would be regular announcements on the progress of the move. For further information,
contact Anika Chadha on [email protected].