Report Writing Chapter Eleven and Twelve Business Report

Report Writing Chapter Eleven and Twelve

Business Report • A business report is an orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves a business purpose 2 important components: • The basic ingredient of report is factual information. Factual information is based on events, statistics and other data • A business report should serve a business purpose

Report structure • The nature of the report problem and formality determine report structure. - Long problems and formal contexts have a complex structure - Short problems and informal contexts have a simpler structure • 1. 2. 3. A long formal report mainly has three parts: Prefatory part Body of the report Appended part

Report structure: Prefatory • Prefatory part: 1. Title fly: carries only the report title 2. Title page: identification of the writer and reader and date 3. Letter of transmittal: transmits the report to the reader which is a personal message from the writer to the reader 4. Table of contents: is a listing of the report’s contents, with page number to indicate where the part begins. May also include list of illustrations 5. Executive summary: Reviews or summarizes the entire report

Changes in report structure and formality High formality 1 st Step Title Fly 2 nd Step Title Page Letter Table Executive of of Summary Trans. Contents THE REPORT PROPER 3 rd Step Title Page Table Combination of Transmittal/ Contents Exec. Sum. 4 th Step THE REPORT PROPER Title Combination Transmittal/ Page Exec. Sum. 5 th Step Title Page THE REPORT PROPER 6 th Step Low formality LETTER REPORT 7 th Step MEMO REPORT

Report Structure: Body • Introduction 1. Origin of the report: this part should explain how and by whom the report was authorized, who wrote the report and when the report was submitted 2. Problem and Purpose Statement: Problem statement provides a clear description of the need. Purpose statement identifies the goal of the report. Example? ? ? ? ? 3. Scope: the boundaries of your investigation 4. Limitations: You should clearly identify the limitations. Example? ? ? 5. Historical Background: explain how the problem developed and what has been done about it 6. Technical Terms, Initialisms, and Acronyms: Define them clearly

Report Structure: Body • Organizational Overview (not a mandatory section) - History of the organization - Nature, activities and size of the organization - Organizational chart or hierarchy, if required • Literature Review - A literature review is a select analysis of existing research which is relevant to your topic, showing how it relates to your investigation - Shows that you have critically analyzed the background research and how your investigation relates to previous research

Report Structure: Body • Methodology - Explain how you collected the information - You need to specify whether you used published research, surveys, experiments, quantitative data, qualitative data, or a mixed method (a combination of both). • Finding and Analysis - You need to describe, compare and evaluate the information - Describe: Present the data - Compare: Look for relationships among the data - Evaluate: Explain the significance of the data

Report Structure: Body • Ending of the report - You can end the report in a number of ways: With a summary, a conclusion section and a recommendation section - Your choice depends on the purpose of the report: Purpose Ending of the report 1. To present information Ending summary 2. Present and analyze the information Ending summary+ conclusion 3. Not only to present and analyze Ending summary+ conclusion+ information but also to provide a course recommendations of action

Report Structure: Body • Ending of the report 1. Ending summary - It is a summary of the major findings - You shouldn’t confuse the ending summary with the executive summary - The executive summary reviews the entire report - The ending summary reviews on the major findings of the report

Report Structure: Body • Ending of the report 2. Conclusion - This section usually reviews the preceding information and analysis, and from the review arrives at the answer - You shouldn’t introduce a new idea while drawing the conclusion 3. Recommendation - You can include the recommendations in conclusion section or in a separate section following the conclusion section - Use bullet points if you have several points

Report Structure: Body • Appended part: 1. References - when your investigation makes heavy use of published sources, you normally include in-the-text reference and reference list 2. Appendix - Appendix includes supplementary information that support your major argument or body of the report - Appendix might include questionnaires, working papers, and other supporting information - Appendix shouldn’t include chart, graphs and table that directly support the report. They should appear in the body

We are done! Now, you need to put theories into practice. Start establishing your report from now following the rules. Thank you!