The AMA Handbook of Business Documents

Kevin Wilson, Jennifer Wauson

• Publisher: AMACOM
• Year: 2011
• ISBN:
  9780814417706
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Writing
• Index: Business

This book gives you the tips, tricks, and specific words you need to make your company come across on page or screen in a way that leads to its success.

From business plans and sales presentations to newsletters and email marketing, The AMA Handbook of Business Documents has everything you need to be successful. You'll learn about the various types of business documents and the parts of a document that spell either big success or big trouble.

This versatile guide to preparing first-class written pieces provides you with dozens of sample documents and practical tips to give you a strategic and creative advantage when crafting documents such as:

• proposals,
• memos,
• emails,
• press releases,
• speeches,
• reports,
• policies and procedures,
• warning letters,
• announcements,
• and so much more.

Suited equally to executives, entrepreneurs, managers, administrative staff, and anyone else charged with putting a business's intentions into words, The AMA Handbook of Business Documents will forever transform the way you communicate your company's identity, products, services, and strengths in written communication.

ABSTRACTS

An abstract is a summary of a larger document, such as a report. Abstracts are also called summaries or executive summaries.

There are two types of abstracts:

Descriptive abstracts are short summaries that appear on the front page of a formal report or journal article. (Figure 1.)

A descriptive abstract does not summarize the facts or conclusions of the report.

A descriptive abstract introduces the report and explains what the report covers.

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Example: This report provides recommendations for the antivirus software currently available.

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Informative abstracts summarize the key facts and conclusions of the report. (Figure 2.)

Informative abstracts are usually one- or two-page documents.

Informative abstracts summarize each of the sections in the report.

Sentence structure is normally complex and packed with information.

An informative abstract is intended to allow readers to determine whether they want to read the report.

An informative abstract is not treated as an introduction.

Include any statistical details in an informative abstract.

Figure 1 Descriptive Abstract

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Abstract

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has been developing cost effective methods for gathering occupational and training requirements information. This information has most often been collected at an individual level of analysis focusing on the more behavioral aspects of work. Recent interest in both team and cognitive requirements for work has prompted renewed interest in team task analysis and accurately representing knowledge and cognitive components of work. The U.S. and Allied Military Services have pioneered the development of exemplar methods that serve as the foundation for recent advanced training. This paper highlights recent explorations and advanced training in team task analysis and cognitive task analysis methods. Implications for increasing the accuracy and efficiency of the requirements analysis process will also be discussed.

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(Courtesy of the United States Air Force)

Figure 2 Informative Abstract

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Summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published special rules to establish nonessential experimental populations of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. The nonessential experimental population areas include all of Wyoming, most of Idaho, and much of central and southern Montana. A close reading of the special regulations indicates that, unintentionally, the language reads as though wolf control measures apply only outside of the experimental population area. This proposed revision is intended to amend language in the special regulations so that it clearly applies within the Yellowstone nonessential experimental population area and the central Idaho nonessential experimental population area. This proposed change will not affect any of the assumptions and earlier analysis made in the environmental impact statement or other portions of the special rules.

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(Courtesy of the United States Environmental Protection Agency)

ACCEPTANCE LETTER

An acceptance letter is often written to formally acknowledge an employment of...