Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips

This is a definition for those who have to write one and those who have to interpret one:

A job description is a document or summary that outlines tasks and duties of a particular job. The document should be general enough to summarize what is expected from the position; it is not a description of a specific individual who may fill the job. (see Words to Know For Work by Margaret Dennison)

1. If I am writing a memo about the hospital. e.g. "South Children's Hospital had 16 centers of excellence. The Hospital ...." Do we use the upper case in Hospital when we are referring to a specific hospital?

2. "The director of marketing is happy to announce that..."
   Do we use the upper case for director and marketing?
3. "Mary Fodor, the director of marketing, will be out of town...."
   Do we use the upper case for director and marketing?

Answers:

1. According to The Gregg Reference Manual, capitalize a common noun when it is part of a proper name but not when it is used alone in place of the full name. If you were referring the hospital in legal writing, use the capitalized word.

2. Again, you do not need to capitalize company names except in formal or legal writing.

3. You do not need to capitalize the title when it follows the person's name.

Basic Learning Systems, Inc. is in the process of upgrading it's online shopping cart.  In a few days, visitors to the www.basic-learning.com site will see a slight change, including the ability to add products to a shopping cart directly from the website.  We hope to begin offering direct downloads of our training materials and workbooks in the near future.

We are committed to providing high-quality business training materials at a reasonable cost and want our customers to be satisfied with their shopping experience as well as with our products.