Memorandum Analysis

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The Purpose of a Memorandum According to Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, a memorandum is meant to protect the writer instead of being issued to inform the reader. I believe that the quote by Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson is not accurate. This statement creates ambiguity because the primary purpose why the writer issues a memorandum is to inform the reader. If the purpose is just to protect the writer and not to inform the reader, just for the sake of issuance, then such memo is of no use. However, this paper seeks to discuss the relevance of both—a memorandum is intended to inform the reader and it is also used to protect the writer. The Business Communication (2015), memorandum or memo literally means a note to assist …show more content…

Informing the reader and protecting the writer must go hand in hand. The claim of Acheson may be understood in these examples. As the Secretary of the State, he is expected to perform his duty properly. If he wants to do something, he can send the President a memo to inform the latter. If such endeavor will turn out to be a failure, Acheson can always claim that the President is aware of what he did. Therefore, he is free from liability. Another example is when he issues a memo to inform the people under him about certain instructions in performing a specific task. If his subordinates are not able to successfully execute the job, he cannot claim that it is not his fault because he already provided them instructions. In the given examples, Acheson must make sure that the memorandum he issued has reached the President and his subordinates. He cannot always claim that he is free from liability once he issues a memo. He is only entitled to protection when the readers of the memo are informed. References Business Communication. (2015). What is Business Memo in Communication? Functions of Memorandum. Retrieved from http://bizcommunicationcoach.com/what-is-business- memo-in-communication-functions-of-memorandum/ The Business Communication. (2015). What is office memo or memorandum? Retrieved from http://thebusinesscommunication.com/what-is-office-memo-or-memorandum/ Thibodeaux,

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