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Unit 20 Assignment 1 - Written Formal Communication
- Institution
- PEARSON (PEARSON)
The full Assignment for Unit 20 Assessment 1. Distinction level
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Types of written commsLetter
A letter is a written message that can be either written, typed and printed, than sent from one
person to another in a sealed envelope. This can be formal or informal, however in this case
formal.
The origin of the letter that we know today came into play during the reign of queen Victoria in
1840, before this letters didn't even have envelopes or stamps.
How a public service use it (police)
• To inform a member of public of a fine
• Letter of employment
• Response letter
• Court summons
Advantages
• Can contain detailed information
• It's much cheaper and doesn't have to require any electronics
• Can include visual information
Disadvantages
• It can take a long time to deliver, between 1-5 days
• When the letter is sent it can easily be lost
• The security of the letter is not 100%, it can be easily opened and read by an unintended
person which is illegal.
• It could accidentally be sent to the wrong address
Memo
A memo is a very adaptable piece of communication, usually used within a business environment
and gives a brief written message or report from one person or department to another.
A memo wasn't a form of communication until the late 1870's and early 1880's, however it didn't
become a common form of communication until the 1920's because at that point it became
widespread and was very common.
How a public service use it (police)
• Used to send a message from different departments or police precincts.
• They use inspection memos which contains information of the condition of a persons
arrest before the arrest happens and to after it happens.
Advantages
• It provides a quick exchange of information
• Less expensive, doesn't require any form of expense
• As it's a written form of communication it can be used as a future reference
Disadvantages
• It can be time consuming to draft the memo.
• Can lack in explanation as they are usually written rather briefly.
• Modification problems can occur if a memo has been sent but containing wrong
information.
• It is restricted only within the boundary of the organisation.
An email is a message between one or more person using an electronic device via a
network/internet.
The origin of the email came from a man named Ray Tomlinson who was responsible for inventing
and developing electronic mail in 1971.
How a public service use it (police)
• To send information to someone regarding employment or general information
• sending information to other officers
• communicating between different departments and precincts
• court dates and summons
• audit information
Advantages
• The speed at which that they are sent
• Having the ability to reach everyone within the organisation
• Can be used and sent 24/7
• Can be sent to one or several people at a time
Disadvantages
• You must have access to the internet to send or receive an email
• There is never a guarantee that an email will be read until a person logs on and reads it
• Viruses can easily be spread through emails
• Your email can end up as spam mail on someone's account
Internet/Intranet
The internet is an open online global computer network which can be accessed by anyone.
An intranet is a little different to the internet as it can be local or restricted communication
network that's usually used by private and independent companies to securely share any company
information and resources among other employees and can only be accessed by the personnel
from within the organisation.
The first prototype of the internet came into play in the 1960's thanks to the joint effort of a dozen
of scientists, programmers and engineers.
The intranet was developed because of the internet and was created to allow for internal
communication.
How a Public service use it (police)
Every public sector has websites on the internet that can be accessed by anyone such as the police,
so they can give the most up to date information about their organisation and give the public one
way of being able to communicate with them directly regarding any issues or concerns about them
or their area of living.
However the public sector also have an intranet system, this is more of a private site to which only
the personnel of the organisation have access to, this is for reasons such as the site contains
private information about their own officers, information about their policies and procedures and
all of their employment information.
And because it's a private network for all officers of the organisation to use it allows them to
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