11. PROPOSAL.

MINUTES
I. What is a proposal?
II. Guidelines for proposal writing
III. Structure and useful vocabulary
IV. What are meeting minutes?
V. Guidelines for minutes writing
VI. Patterns of minutes
VII.
Activities
I. What is a proposal?
A proposal is very similar in format to a report. However, while a report generally focuses on a past or present situation,
a proposal usually focuses on the future and makes recommendations for future action.
II. Guidelines for proposal writing

The information should be presented and organized clearly and logically. The general pattern is:
Introduction: explains the aim of the proposal;
Body (presented in several paragraphs): it brings reasons to support the statements that the
writer is making.
Conclusion: sums up the information and makes overall recommendations.
The heading PROPOSAL is placed at the top of the page.
Before the introductory sentence, the following elements should be present:
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Clear sections with headings
It usually contains hypotheses about the results of possible future actions and recommendations for future actions.
It needs to be easy for the reader to follow.
It should be written in an impersonal/ neutral tone.
III. Structure and useful vocabulary
1. Introduction
I would like to put forward the following proposal, which I believe would help to ..
The aim of this proposal is to put forward some ideas on how to ...
2.

Body
Because of the shortage of , I propose that..
I propose that we allocate a portion of our annual budget for advertising .
I propose to review the available literature about using.
This section presents my plan for obtaining the objectives discussed in the previous section.
My first recommendation would be
I would suggest
I propose we
I believe that we..
One possibility might be to
This would mean that
I would like to
This would allow us to
It would be worthwhile to
We could achieve this by
It would be a good idea to
We should look into the possibility of

3. Ending
In conclusion, the proposal will involve large initial expenditure, but we strongly believe the income generated
will
I believe that my proposal is the best way to create .
IV. What are meeting minutes?
Minutes are the written record of a meeting.
There are three types of minutes:
Minutes written to record internal meetings: they are attended by company personnel only and are to be used
internally. Sometimes, they can be written in a less formal register.
Minutes written to record meetings with outside agencies (customers or partners), but for internal use only.
They will often include subjective comments.
Minutes written o record meetings with outside agencies (customers or partners), but for shared use or
publication. These are often the most formal, and may form the basis for negotiations or contracts.
V. Guidelines for minutes writing
Minutes include:
Name of Company, Description of Meeting, Place, Date and Time of meeting
Names of attendees/
Apologies from those absent
Welcome - if the Chairman/President opens the meeting with a welcome message
Review of minutes of the previous meeting
Summary of discussions
Record of proposals, decisions made, voting details
Action points and responsibilities
Matters arising
Date, time and venue of next meeting
Time the meeting concluded
The signature of the chairperson and of the secretary.
They have to be accurate and concise.
Their basic function is to record decisions and summarize WHO is to do WHAT by WHEN.
They should always be checked and, if it is the case, corrected
All official minutes need to have a minute reference number.
VI. Patterns of minutes
[Insert Name of Organisation]
Minutes of the meeting of the [Management/Executive, Board of Directors etc.]
[Insert name and address of Venue at which meeting was held]
On [Insert Day & date of Meeting], at [Insert Time Meeting Commenced]
Present: [Insert name of those attending at the Meeting]
In Attendance:
[Insert name(s) of any guests at the meeting]
[Also Insert Agenda Item(s) attended for]
-MINUTES- Action -

1) Apologies for absence:

2) Minutes of the Last Meetings:
The Minutes of the last meeting held on the [Insert Date], were taken as read and
agreed/ or unanimously agreed.
3) [Insert Name of Project] Report:
4) [Insert name of any other subject matter to be discussed] Report:
5) [Insert Company] Secretarys Report:
6) Finance Report given.
7) Any Other Business:
(a) Draft date had been circulated for future meeting on the agenda. These were agreed.
The venue for meeting would for the next two meetings be at [Insert name of Venue].
We would review the venue after this date.
(b) The dates for future meetings are:[Insert Day(s) and Date(s) of future meetings].
N.B: [If anything arises demanding immediate attention of the full Committee, a special
meeting can be called in the interim].
MEETING CLOSED AT [Insert Time Meeting Ended].
___________________________
Chairperson
Dated:_____________________
[NAME OF ORGANIZATION/COMMITTEE]
Meeting Minutes
Date
Opening:
The regular meeting of the [Name of Organization/Committee] was called to order at [time] on [date] in [location] by
[Meeting Chair].
Present:
[List of Attendees]
A. Approval of Agenda
The agenda was unanimously approved as distributed.
B. Approval of Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved as distributed.
C. Open Issues
Summarize the discussion for each existing issue, state the outcome, and assign any action item.
D. New Business
Summarize the discussion for new issues, state the next steps, and assign any action item.
E. Agenda for Next Meeting
List the items to be discussed at the next meeting.
Adjournment:

Meeting was adjourned at [time] by [Person]. The next general meeting will be at [time] on [date] in [location].
Minutes submitted by: [Type name here]
Approved by: [Type name here]

VII.
Activities
1. Fill in the gaps using the words given:
secret
ensure

breaks
forward

overseas
deal

hostel
offset

ride
affordable

prestigious
remedy

To:
Date:
From:
Proposal to increase the level of tourism in this area
Introduction
I would like to put 1.the following proposal, which I believe would help to attract more visitors to our area.
Advertising
This area has a great .2to offer the tourist; however, at present it is our countrys best-kept ..3. I
propose we .4this situation by running an advertising campaign in the newspapers and on television. We
could target ..5..visitors by advertising in travel agencies abroad and also by broadcasting on foreign
television and radio stations.
Improving amenities
1. Accommodation
The shortage of ..6..accommodation is a major drawback for visitors. Although we have three ..7
hotels in the town, they cater for wealthy tourists and there are not enough middle-priced hotels. One solution might
be to encourage hotels to offer short .8at discounted prices as well as discounts for large groups. Another
possibility would be to provide tourists with lists of Bed and breakfast establishments. Finally, I propose we look into
the possibility of building a youth 9..just outside the town. This would provide suitable accommodation
for young people who cannot afford hotel prices.
2. Parking
Parking is a problem in our town. Ideally, I would like to see a park and 10.. system introduced. Visitors
would then park in a designated place outside town and take one of the specially provided buses into the centre. This
system has been successfully adopted in many large towns already.
3.

Shops and tourist sites

There should be interpreters and guides at all major tourist sites and shops should 11.that prices are
displayed in Euros and dollars.

4. Visitor centre
At the moment, there is nowhere visitors can go to learn about the history of our area and what it has to offer. I
propose we build a special visitor centre, where we can have audio-visual shows and displays by local historians and
artists.

Conclusion
This proposal will involve substantial initial expenditure. However, the income generated by higher levels of tourism
will very quickly ..12. this. I therefore hope my proposal will be given due consideration.

3. Underline the correct option

a. I do not recommend allocating/ to allocate the money to a single important project.
b. They suggested the Manager to approach/ that the Manager approaches/ that the Manager approach large companies
and ask them to make a donation.
c. We expect to raise/ raising much money in the following weeks.
d. The time of famine continues be/ to be one of the continents biggest problems.
e. We should consider funding/ to fund more educational programmes to raise awareness of the problem.
f. I propose us to use/ that we use the money to help refugees.
g. It would be a good idea to invest/ investing some of the money.
h. It would not be fair using/ to use the money on one project.
4.Complete the sentences below using the words in brackets:
a. I suggest .(one of our representatives/ go out) to Africa immediately.
b. I propose ..(well-known public figures/ make) a special appeal on TV.
c. We recommend ..(people/ make) regular contributions to their favourite charity.
d. Local aid workers have suggested .(the public/ help) by donating money and blankets.
e. We would like to propose ..(spend) a portion of this months budget advertising our charity.
5.Fill in the gaps with the words given so as to form coherent minutes:
head chairman

estimate

record scheduled expenditure received terminated

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

Held at the ..1..office of Hotel Interiors PLC on Monday, March 26, 2001 at 10 a.m.
Present: A. Michell (chair), J. Latour, P. Scheldon, H. Weiss, R. Adams, J. Swift.
Apologies: for absence were ..2..from Donald Mc Gregor.
Minutes of the last meeting
The minutes of the last meeting were taken as read and signed as a true ..3...
Matters arising from the previous meeting
There were no matters arising.
Advertising and promotion
In spite of increased advertising and promotional .4.., the companys performance had been disappointing. It
was resolved that the contract with the Saaki advertising agency be .5...
From January 2001, a new advertising agency would be appointed to handle the account.
New leaflet and brochure
It was resolved that J. Swift would provide a detailed ..6.for the production of a new leaflet and brochure.
Date of the next meting

The next meeting was .7for Monday, April 25, 2001.

.8..
A. Mitchell
General Manager
Secretary
Ann Croft
March 28, 2001
6.Complete the following sentences with appropriate words from the box:
deadline
chairperson
casting vote minutes
agenda
items
consensus
apologies
motion
circulate absentees
secretary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

If you cannot attend a meeting, it is customary to send your .to the chairman.
The chairperson reads out the names of any ..at the beginning of the meeting.
The chairman may ask if there are any matters arising out of the ..of the last meeting.
The chairperson hopes there will be a on what should be done.
If the votes for and against are equal, the only way to break this deadlock is for the chairperson to give his/ her
.. .
At the beginning of the meeting we discussed the .. .
The ..has been accepted/ rejected by 4 votes to 3.
The minutes should .after the meeting and again before the next one.
The minutes should include the name of the person delegated for each task, and the ..for its completion.
If there are too many on the agenda, the meeting will be over-long.
The job of the ..is to conduct the business of the meeting and to ensure the achievement of the objectives.
The .writes up the minutes of a meeting.

7.Translate into English:

20 de ani de experienta in marketing si training pe marketing amprenteaza aceasta carte. Complet revizuita si
innoita, Cum sa scrii rapoarte si propuneri ofera sfaturi practice pentru prezentarea unei propuneri clare si
convingatoare.
Verificati, verificati, verificati este laitmotivul care-ti asigura infailibilitatea. Documentele de afaceri trebuie sa-si
atinga
scopul
pentru
ca
ulterior
sa
declanseze
actiunea.
Sa privesti scrierea din perspectiva cititorului. Sa preferi scrisul atent in locul celui grabit si neglijent. Sa eviti chiar si o
simpla greseala de ortografie, care poate marca negativ viitorul afacerilor tale.
O foaie de hartie poate nu schimba lumea, dar bine scrisa poate influenta multe actiuni intr-un fel care va
schimba
rezultatele
si
pe
cei
care
scriu.
Si poti scrie bine...
Poti invata cu certitudine din aceasta lucrare, presarata cu exercitii si exemple, imbogatita cu liste de obiective, cum
sa transferi idei pe hartie pentru obtinerea celui mai bun rezultat. Vitala pentru orice om de afaceri, te va ajuta sa scrii cu
stil, sa folosesti limbajul adecvat si sa te exprimi clar si cursiv. Scrierea sa exprime tonul potrivit, varietate. Structura sa
fie logica si vizibila, ducand mesajul mai departe.
Sa procesezi cuvintele, pentru ca detaliile sunt importante. Sa arunci mai mult decat o privire, sporind dividendele.
Sa constati, cu multumire, ca intreg procesul se justifica pentru ca finalul atinge rezultatul dorit.

HOMEWORK
1. You work for a large company. The extract below comes from a memo which was circulated by one of the managers.
The Human Resource Director has now asked staff representatives to submit a written proposal, suggesting ways to deal
with the problems outlined in the extract and justifying any expenditure involved. Write your proposal in about 230
words.

In common with most of the population, our staff tend to lead extremely unhealthy lifestyles. Far too many exist on a
diet of burgers, chips and pizzas or similar fast foods. Few people exercise as they should, with the majority spending
their free time in sedentary activities, such as watching television or playing computer games. Obesity is a widespread
problem and there is an increased incidence of heart disease. We need to take urgent steps as a company to encourage
our workforce to become fitter and healthier.
2. Write the minutes of a meeting you have taken part in.