In the past years, the volume of Iran’s trade with the countries of the African continent has been a total of one billion dollars in exports and imports, which is in no way proportional to the capacities of Iran and African countries.
Tanzania ranks 62nd among the importing countries to Iran, followed by Ghana with the 66th rank, Ethiopia with the 68th rank, South Africa with the 69th rank, and Kenya as the 70th importer among the 116 countries that import to Iran
Principles and rules of international business correspondence
Business correspondence has its own principles:
Business letters and contracts are two very widely used and vital examples of business correspondence in interaction with foreign people in international interactions. In addition to these cases, there are other principles and points that we will discuss in detail in this article.
Business, both in terms of import (import process) and export (export process) of goods, usually has an urgent need to establish external communication with different people from other parts of the world. Every country and nationality has its own language, culture, customs and laws that businessmen are required to follow and on the other hand, people do not have direct access to foreign businessmen. As a result, most of the conversations, talks and contracts are done in writing and remotely.
Business correspondence includes: letters, contracts, memorandums of understanding, conversations, news, discussions, meetings and many other materials that a businessman does to export or import goods. And it should be kept in mind that from your simple conversations with a foreign businessman on social networks and emailing him to the conclusion of a legal contract, they all fall under the category of business correspondence that requires compliance with certain principles and rules.
In business, especially foreign business, mutual trust is the first and last word. Business correspondence is the most important and main option to create trust in the other party or deprive him/her of trust. Since the two parties are from different cultures and nations, a small and simple misunderstanding can cause their trust to be taken away.
Traders and business can correspond with their foreign parties based on the topics and concepts they encounter in the course of business. As a result, we cannot categorize them precisely in advance. Nevertheless, the types of foreign business correspondence can be divided into several important sections, despite the similarities between these sections, we must pay attention to the points of difference between them. In the following, we will refer to the introduction and development of all types of business correspondence.
The main and most important part of business correspondence is business letters, and without a doubt, all businessmen will definitely need to write letters during their working life. Of course, we know that the subject of business letters is very different. But usually, several different issues such as introducing the company or products, receiving the product catalog, receiving a representative from a foreign company, receiving or sending the price of goods and products, these issues are more common among them. Considering that business letters are considered written documents, therefore one should be extremely careful in writing them.
Business email
One of the best and fastest ways to establish business communication with external parties is email. From this route, you can easily access all foreign parties. Although sending e-mail is not very common in Iran, this method of communication is one of the main ways of communication in most countries of the world. At first, it seems like sending an email is a simple task, but in practice it is much more difficult than writing business letters.
Here are some of the most important points to keep in mind when sending emails to companies and external parties:
One of the most sensitive and important types of foreign business correspondence is “commercial contracts”, which should be written with utmost care. A businessman most likely needs to enter into business and commercial contracts with foreign parties and companies many times during his working life. The subject of commercial contracts can be in various fields such as cooperation in product manufacturing, buying and selling of goods, and similar matters.
Since the commercial contract is considered a legal document, therefore, care should be taken in its drafting and conclusion. And it is the most important document that the parties can refer to in the judicial authorities in case of problems. Institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce or the Joint Chambers of Commerce between countries are responsible for resolving disputes and commercial disputes between commercial parties.
If there are other obligations such as: points related to goods transportation, bill of lading and goods insurance, it should be clear in the contract
Fortunately, social networks have experienced a lot of growth in recent years and have entered the international business arena. Easy access and communication with different people through these networks has made social media a very suitable tool for international marketing of goods, getting to know customers, establishing relationships, etc. Social networks have different types, each of which has its own functions and differences. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram and LinkedIn are among the networks that can be used for foreign business. Despite the use and benefits that social networks have for international business, it is necessary to provide some tips regarding their proper use.
If you have recently stepped into business, you should keep the following issues and points in mind regarding business correspondence:
English letter writing principles for business correspondence
In all languages of the world, correspondence writing is classified into two groups: official or administrative and informal or friendly.
Informal letters refer to letters that are written outside of official custom and mostly for friendly and family correspondence, these group of letters do not consider specific principles.
Official letters refer to letters that are written only for administrative correspondence or to address the business party. And it is prepared on the basis of various business topics such as: introducing the company, requesting price inquiries, inviting cooperation, thanking, ordering goods, presenting complaints about products and services, etc.
Components of an official letter
All formal letters have three main and important parts.
Title
In this section, the recipient of the letter is often addressed, which is written in the left corner, in the upper part of the letter, and a comma is used after inserting the title.
For example:
Dear Mr. Jack
Dear Ms. Albert
Dear All,
Dear gentlemen,
This part contains the main text of the letter and it should be noted that the main text has a formal composition and it is mandatory to avoid the first person singular pronoun in writing sentences.
At the respectful end of the letter, expressions such as with respect, yours sincerely, etc. should be inserted in the lower left corner of the page, and the name of the writer of the letter should be written and signed below it, along with the organizational title or the name of the relevant company.
Example of Yours Sincerely, Best Regards, Sincerely Yours, Truly Yours:
Note that the first letters of the above phrases must all be capitalized. Business correspondence is a key aspect in the world of business regardless of the way it is done. This correspondence should be clear and in compliance with the principles and transparency. A mistake in the use of words causes the wrong concept to be conveyed to the recipient of your letter, which in this case leads to misunderstanding, delay in delivery, damage and ultimately failure of the transaction.
Without sufficient mastery of the English language and the principles of international business correspondence, it is impossible to write professional e-mails and business letters. To be successful in business and business correspondence in English, first of all, one must know its alphabet, that is, expertise and sufficient knowledge in the field of English language. International business communication has gone through many changes, many books including the very comprehensive book of A. Ashley and AMACOM and other sources can help your academic knowledge in the field of business writings and correspondence.
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