include the basics of any writing such as good grammar and punctuation; however, he notes that the good business letter must have more than the basics. It also must evidence good organization, and must communicate the writer's expertise through tone, appearance and presentation; furthermore, the well-written business document should be concise and to-the-point rather than lengthy.
Egan (1995) also reports that, in modern times, traditional ways of thinking, seeing, and even evaluating knowledge have been profoundly altered and this alteration has affected written communications in businesses. In this regard, he states that business reports, manuals, letters and memos are now generally expected to contain a variety of characteristics that go beyond the words written in the document. Specifically, these reports, manuals, letters and memos are expected to be: (1) Friendly in approach and manner, yet at the same time entirely professional; (2) Error free and---though grammatically correct---not pedantic; and (3) Relaxed and articulate but not overly colloquial. In addition, they are often expected to be subtly persuasive.
In an interesting article with assessment-related information and implications regarding the well-written business document, (See: Risk Management, December, 1993), it was noted that the increasing globalization of business and differing legal systems throughout the world mean are making companies easy targets for costly litigation. It was reported that, as a result, both foreign and American companies' need for properly written documents is literally increasing daily.
The article goes on to note that the primary characteristics needed by most companies and organizations are for business documents that: present accurate information rather than inaccurate or misleading information; present information in such a way that it the company is viewed in a positive rather than a negative light.
Moreover, it...