Here's a quick list of things I'd like to cover in a Business Writing class.
These are just my main ideas, and we can adjust and re-focus these according to your needs and desires.
1. Organization/ Overall Structure
A) First Paragraph -- should be short (2-4 sentences) and introduce the main idea.
(1) Who you are. Introduce yourself -- name plus company and position -- if necessary (ie. the reader doesn't know you already.
(2) What you want. The purpose of writing.
You can also reference any earlier communication if helpful.
B) Middle Paragraph(s) -- normal paragraphs should be around 3-6 sentences
In Business Writing, extra paragraphs are better than too few.
(1) Details. This is where you explain each idea in detail and explain things.
(2) Each paragraph should be begin with a general sentence that introduces what you will talk about, followed by details developing that idea.
C) Final Paragraph -- relatively short (2-4 sentences is good)
(1) Possibly a summary sentence -- useful if you have a lot of details
(2) Possibly a conclusion (often beginning with: "So ..." or "Therefore ...")
(3) Future Action: Who needs to Do What, by When.
Usually you want the other party to do something, but maybe You need to do sth.
Try to be specific about the deadline when you need something done.
(4) Polite Closing Sentence
(ie. Thank you for your time and cooperation)
A good email should allow you to quickly look at the 1st paragraph and know the main idea.
Then you can skip to the last paragraph and see what's the next step. Details in the middle.
2. Formal and Informal Writing
How formal writing should be depends on who is receiving it, the way you want to present yourself, and the contents. So one simple rule is: know your audience.
We can cover formal word choice and business words.
Words such as "deal with" and "handle" are nice business verbs.
It's always a good idea to master specific terminology that relates to your company and job.
One or two formal words in a sentence usually are enough to make the sentence appropriately formal. If you use too many big words, the meaning will often be less clear.
Business Writing = Direct, clear, well-ordered and with enough details
Exercise: One way to practice formal/informal writing is to take a piece of writing that is formal and re-write it in informal language. The same can be done in reverse. We can also take something informal and practice re-writing it into business English.
3. The Quick Way to Improve Your Writing (works for speaking too)
Figure out what mistakes you are making. I can help alot with that.
In English, nouns and verbs are the most important words in a sentence.
So focus on getting those right.
My advice is to focus on one "big" mistake at a time.
For example, if you make mistakes with verb tense (past/present/future/etc.), I'd recommend that you proofread your writing by checking all of your verbs. Verbs are relatively easy to find, as there is one right in the beginning of the sentence and probably a second one mid-ay through for longer sentences.
Look at the verb and ask yourself when.
You can also help yourself by beginning a sentence with a when phrase
(ie. Yesterday, I .... or Next week, I ....)
If you use verbs and nouns correctly, your English will improve quickly.
A good sentence starts with a good subject and verb.
4. Vocabulary
A) If you want to use good vocabulary, I'd suggest use good action verbs.
Action makes a sentence seem more lively and interesting.
B) Most words in English have various forms -- noun, verb, adjective, etc.
(ie. to vary, a variation, various, a variety, variegated, variously)
It's good and easy to learn a few forms of a word, so that you can make sentences better.
This is the fastest and best way to increase your vocabulary.
C) Use an English dictionary.
Translating can be helpful and fast, but if you want to understand the meaning of an English word, it is best to understand its meaning in English. The example sentence can also help with common usage. When using an English dictionary, you might still want/need to check a translation dictioanry as well. You don't have to use an English dictionary all the time. But if you can start using it sometime, this will improve your Englsih alot. Also gives you more English practice.
D) We can do some drills taking sentences and replacing words with alternative words.
5. Proofreading
A) Spell-check and Grammar-check.
You should use these for all your English writing (unfortunately, this blog doesn't have either).
This is like having a teacher/editor in your computer.
of course, the computer doesn't actually understand English, so use your judgment in making corrections.
B) A big problem is that when people read their own writing, they think it says what they want it to say. Try to get some distance from your own thoughts, so that you can read your writing more objectively. If time allows, write something in the morning, go to lunch and come back to it in the afternoon. Or do a draft in the afternoon and come back the next day. If it is urgent and important, maybe ask a colleague to read it over quickly.
C) Do a quick check on all headings and sections.
Make sure that you've used the same format throughout (especially with regard to Capitalization, Bold, Underline, Numbering, etc.).
D) Follow some simple general rules.
If a sentence looks very long, your first thought should be dividing it into two (or more) sentences.
If two very short sentences are next to each other, your first thought should be whether they can be combined.
If a paragraph looks too long (especially if more than 5 or 6 sentences), look to see if it can divided.
Big blocks of type are boring and difficult to read.
E) Check your verbs. Subject-verb agreement. Verb tense. Action verbs, plus good vocabulary.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Home Depot in the News
Home Depot May Shed Unit to Focus on Retail
Shortly after Robert L. Nardelli was deposed as chief executive of Home Depot, several of the country’s biggest buyout firms welcomed the company’s new leader, Frank Blake, with a tantalizing proposal, according to people briefed on the matter.
They would consider buying the retailer’s $12 billion wholesale supply business, which Wall Street thought was a poor fit for a home improvement chain, removing a liability from the Nardelli era and allowing Mr. Blake to focus on Home Depot’s 2,000 stores.
It was an offer too good to refuse.
Yesterday, Home Depot said it would consider selling the supply division, a network of companies that provides pipes, concrete and lumber to professional builders. Analysts estimate that it could fetch $9 billion.
Now comes the hard part: reviving Home Depot without its fastest-growing business.
Home Depot is running out of room to build new stores in the United States, which is why, in 2000, Mr. Nardelli began cobbling together Home Depot Supply.
The new business never won over analysts or shareholders, who did not understand how it would help turn around slumping store sales, but the supply division provided $12 billion in revenue that will be hard to replace by selling more paint brushes and light bulbs.
Now Home Depot’s future rests with its stores — where sales have been trailing those of its rival Lowe’s and customers routinely complain about a less than stellar shopping experience.
“It will definitely be a challenge,” said Mark J. Rowen, an analyst at Prudential Securities. “Part of the reason they created supply was because they did not know how to grow the retail business.”
The task for Home Depot executives now is to quickly improve employee morale, customer service and, eventually, store sales enough to lift the company’s stock out of the doldrums.
The stock, which traded at more than $50 in 2002, closed yesterday at $41.44, up 1 percent on news of the possible sale of the supply business.
To overhaul its stores, Home Depot has set up five committees to study what it considers weak spots. One is called “shopping environment,” and another “product availability.”
The “associate engagement” committee has already scored a victory with employees: a $3,000 fund for each store to be used to reward workers with holiday parties and spontaneous outings.
But winning over workers will get Home Depot only so far. Lowe’s has snatched away customers, the housing market is weak and Home Depot’s reputation has suffered because of Mr. Nardelli’s decision to cut employee hours over the last six years.
The supply business, for all its problems, gave Home Depot a soft cushion to fall back on.
So why sell it?
For one, it does not provide as high a profit margin as the retail business, and the cost savings expected from synergies — because the chain could order products like wood in bulk for its supply and retail divisions — did not materialize as quickly as executives had hoped.
To exploit those cost savings, Home Depot would now have to start weaving together the supply and retail business, setting up one information technology system and rewriting supplier agreements to apply to both.
Senior Home Depot executives have determined that integration could prove costly and distracting, dragging down the retail business even further, according to the people briefed on the matter who are not authorized to discuss it.
“It would be a lot of heavy lifting,” said a person with direct knowledge of the internal debate over the future of the supply business.
The company said it had hired Lehman Brothers to weigh whether it should sell Home Depot Supply, spin it off or take it public.
For Mr. Blake, the prospect of selling the supply business had another attraction: it would serve as a strong declaration of independence from Mr. Nardelli, who spent $7 billion building the unit.
Mr. Nardelli was ousted over his generous pay package and authoritarian management style — a legacy Mr. Blake is eager to distance himself from.
In the last 40 days, since he was named chief executive, Mr. Blake has begun to quietly dismantle Mr. Nardelli’s Home Depot. He has nudged out several of Mr. Nardelli’s hand-picked deputies, eliminated perks like a free executive lunch and reached out to Home Depot’s revered founders, Arthur Blank and Bernard Marcus.
In conversations with analysts and shareholders, Mr. Blake has said he wants to return Home Depot to its roots as a retailer — the Home Depot before Mr. Nardelli — a sentiment echoed in the chain’s statement yesterday about the potential sale of the supply business.
“We are undertaking this action,” it said, “because of our desire to increase our focus on our retail business.”
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Since I don't know you yet, I cannot craft questions that fit your interests and work experience very well at this time.But here are some questions that i have for you:
1) Do any of you have stock in Home Depot?
Does your company give stock to managers, employees, or as bonuses?
2) Does this potential restructuring of Home Depot's business affect China in any way?
3) What is the difference between retail and wholesale?
Does HD engage in both kinds of businesses in China?
Why did Home Depot get into the wholesale business?
Why is it planning to get out of it?
4) What about Home Depot's growth in China?
What problems doe sHome Depot face in the US according to the article?
Do these problems also apply to Home Depot's China operations?
Why or why not?
5) Any other questions or comments you can think of.
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