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Other purposes that the briefing note can serve include: conveying information informing decisions, making a request, providing a response to a question, making a suggestion, presenting an informal report, proposing a solution to a problem, or documenting a reference for future use. Memos support decision making and to “help (or sometimes influence) a decision-maker to make a better decision in a particular problem situation than he might otherwise have made without the analysis”. Bringing notice to problems, and helping to solve a problem through clear and concise communication are two. There are many important purposes of a memorandum. The plural form of the Latin noun memorandum so derived is properly memoranda, but if the word is deemed to have become a word of the English language, the plural memorandums, abbreviated to memos, may be used. The origins of the term “briefing” lie in legal “briefs” and the derivative “military briefings”. Typically, a briefing note may be denoted as either “for information” or “for decision”. Ī specific type of memorandum is the policy briefing note (alternatively referred to in various jurisdictions and governing traditions as policy issues paper, policy memoranda, or cabinet submission amongst other terms), a document for transmitting policy analysis into the political decision making sphere.
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If the recipient is a colleague, the formatting requirements are usually more flexible. For example, if the intended recipient is a cabinet minister or a senior executive, the format might be rigidly defined and limited to one or two pages. Memorandum formatting may vary by office or institution. Other memorandum formats include briefing notes, reports, letters, and binders. In business, a memo is typically used by firms for internal communication, while letters are typically for external communication. In law, a memorandum is a record of the terms of a transaction or contract, such as a policy memo, memorandum of understanding, memorandum of agreement, or memorandum of association. Memos can thus communicate important information efficiently in order to make dynamic and effective changes. Commonly abbreviated "memo," these messages are usually brief and are designed to be easily and quickly understood.
#Define mou professional#
Memo written by a White House staff member during the tenure of Jimmy Carter as US president.Ī memorandum (abbrev.: memo from the Latin memorandum est, "It must be remembered") is a written message that is typically used in a professional setting.
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