Business Reports

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In this module, you are expected

Module 3: Business Reports

ObjectivesObjectives

to learn about the format and contents of business reports;

to write short formal reports with correct format and sufficient information.

Business Reports

There’re about 30 smokers in Zhejiang Sunshine Cashmere

Co., Ltd. Although smoking is prohibited in general office areas i

n Sunshine company, Mr. Jiang, the general manager, could stil

l find some employees smoking from time to time in their offices.

Over the past several months, the company also received some

complaints of the smoking problem from some clients. In order t

o solve the problem, the management decided to set up a smoki

ng lounge in the company. Mr. Jiang asked Qiu Xiaoyun to do s

ome research and write a feasibility report on the setting up of t

he smoking lounge.

Task

Your Try Your Try1

Business Reports

What kind of information must be

got before you write this report?

Make a list.

You are divided into several groups

and exchange your outlines with

other members in the group. Decide

which one is the best and list the

reasons why it is the best. Use the

following hints when you are

discussing and making decision.

Notes:

What is a feasibility report?

Can you explain it in your own words?

Can you give an example to explain?

Communicative Activity Communicative Activity2

Business Reports

1. What is a feasibility report? Can you explain it in your own

words? Can you give an example to explain?

A feasibility report is one that evaluates a program or a

strategy-to-be. It is based on a close study of the program

and a full consideration on the advantage and disadvantage

of the future effect. A feasibility report provides crucial help

in any major business decision’s being made. The example:

to analyze the possibility of applying flextime system in the

company…

Communicative Activity Communicative Activity2

Business Reports

2. What kind of information must be got before you

write this report? Make a list. • (1) the present smoking problem in the company,

including the number of smokers; complaints of the smoking staff; complaints of other non-smoking staff; complaints of some of the clients…

• (2) where to set up the smoking lounge;• (3) the cost on setting-up or converting a smoking

lounge;• (4) …

Communicative Activity Communicative Activity2

Business Reports

• Feasibility of Converting Cafeteria to Smoking LoungeInformation

• Introduction• Acting on a December 2008 employee referendu

m overwhelming in favor of a nonsmoking policy in general office areas, senior management decided in February 2009 to resist smoking exclusively to one smoking lounge. This report assesses the feasibility of locating that lounge in the presently unused small Cafeteria A.

Sample Analysis

Information

Business Reports

•Analysis

•Four requirements must be met in locating the smoking lounge:Analysis

•1. The lounge must be large enough to accommodate most of the company’s 30 smokers at the same time (assuming that a majority of smokers may congregate in the lounge at lunch and breaks).

•2. The lounge must be centrally located so that employees have enough time to use it during an average break of 15 minutes.

•3. The lounge must be convertible to a sophisticated ventilation system which prevents smoke from leaking into other employee’s area.

•4. The lounge must be developed in such a way that it can be returned to its original use, or another use, after the phase-out of the smoking area (expected with one year).

Sample Analysis

Analysis

Business Reports

Sample Analysis

Discussion1. Cafeteria A obviously meets 1 and 2. There is no question, however, that the present ventilation system in the cafeteria will have to be replaced with a large, more sophisticated system. At present, the cafeteria is ventilated into ducts shared throughout the building by other offices. Only the cafeteria kitchen has a dedicated ventilation duct directly to the outside.2. Providing adequate ventilation for Cafeteria A will involve both time and expense. Benson Engineering estimates that a new ventilation system, including all ductwork and necessary wall repairs, will cost RMB105,000 and take two weeks to install. This estimate has been corroborated by two other engineering firms.

Business Reports

3. The work, once completed, may pose difficulties for re-converting the facility to a cafeteria after the phase-out of the smoking lounge. Large ductwork must be installed in the kitchen area (where the only exterior walls are located) and cannot be removed without disrupting the new ventilation system. Benson Engineering estimates that re-conversion of the area to a kitchen may cost as much as installation of the ventilation system (i.e. in the range of RMB100,000). The re-conversion is technically out of question, the firm assures us, but may be prohibitively expensive.

Sample Analysis

Business Reports

•Alternatives•Other sites considered for the smoking lounge are the following:•1. The Presentation Office. This heavily used facility is large enough to accommodate the company’s 30 smokers, but is located at the far end of West Wing. Smokers trying to walk there from East Wing will use their entire 15-minute break simply in transit. In addition, the extensive audiovisual equipments and wiring built into the presentation office would be difficult and expensive to be relocated.•2. Meeting Room C. This room, now used as a storage facility, is only large enough to hold 20 people at a time. Company’s smokers would literally have to wait their turn to use the facility during busy lunch hours and standard break times.

Sample Analysis

Business Reports

•Evaluation Benson Engineering•For these reasons, the company faces little choice in the location of the smoking lounge. While the Cafeteria A site poses the engineering and budget difficulties, it nonetheless remains the most feasible site when compared to existing alternatives. The cafeteria has the additional advantage of having vinyl floors and washable walls; both important if the area is to be thoroughly cleaned of smoke at a future date for re-conversion to an eating facility.

Sample Analysis

Business Reports

•Specific Projections•Instead, therefore, on the estimates of Benson Engineering and other consulting firms, we project that conversion of Cafeteria A to a smoking lounge will require the following time and budgetary allocations:•Stage One Remove kitchen equipments RMB30,000 7days•Stage Two Install new ventilation systemRMB105,000 14days•Stage Three Repair and paint wallsRMB18,000 10days•Stage Four Install lounge furnitureRMB35,000 2days

Sample Analysis

Business Reports

•Hence the project will require approximately one month to complete at an expense of RMB188,000. Re-conversion expenses when the smoking lounge is phased out will entail another 18 days, at an expense of approximately RMB120,000. The combined expense for the projects totals RMB1,400 for each smoker in the company.Recommendation•Recommendation•We, therefore, recommend that the company designate Cafeteria A as the site selected for the smoking lounge.

Sample Analysis

Recommendation

Business Reports

The definition of a short formal report

A short formal report is used to document the

results of an experiment, a design, or to pass

on any type of information in a formal style. W

hen writing a short formal report, it is importan

t to ensure good English use and to follow the

correct format. A short formal report that has

been done correctly will leave the reader und

erstanding what has been done, why it was d

one, and the conclusion on what was done.

Summary

Business Reports

Summary

• When writing a short formal report, you should be sure to consider who your audience is and what the needs of the reader are. You need to write in a style which communicates your message easily and without excess details. Be sure to stay on what your report is about and stay on topic. Headings work well to help keep your audience on track and they make the report easier to read. Make sure that the report flows nicely by using transitional words like “further, besides, therefore”, or “hence”. Of course there are many other transitional words you can use.

• In business world, people write short formal reports under various names, such as marketing report, investigation report, feasibility report, etc.

Business Reports

Summary

• 2. The format of a short formal report• A short formal report is of special importance for beginners of

report writing as it is more operable in format and content. It usually includes the following sections:

• -- Title Page• -- Terms of Reference/Introduction: This is an introductory part of

the report answering questions like why the report is written, what the report is about, and when the report needs to be submitted.

• -- Procedure/Method: This is where you explain how and where the information was gathered.

• -- Findings: This section of the report should contain the information that you have found as a result of your procedure. You will need to include the facts and figures that have been collected. You can use tables, graphs and charts.

Business Reports

Summary

• -- Conclusions: This is where you show what you think of the information you have found. Make sure that you clearly show how you come to your conclusions, and that they are based on your findings.

• -- Recommendations: This is where you must say how the problem can be solved. This must be based on the findings of the report.

• -- Appendices: An appendix is the additional information you refer to in the report and wish to conclude as evidence or demonstration of the full findings.

• -- Bibliography: This is a list of your references.

Business Reports

You are provided two more short formal reports to learn by yours

elf. You can make comparison on the samples according to what ha

ve been taught.

Individual Study

Tips

Report 1: a marketing report A marketing report helps busy marketers differentiate their products and services, and achieve maximum profitability for their companies.Report 2: a recommendation report A recommendation report conveys information, the writer’s analysis, and the writer’s ideas about appropriate actions that might be taken.

Business Reports

Directions: In part , you have drafted an outline of a report for Qiu XiaoyuⅠn, now you are required to expand the outline into a complete report. Then revise your writing work according to the 5-C principles in the table.

Practices

Revising Revising1

Purpose Clarity Have you made the purpose clear?

Layout Correctness Does the layout conform to the requirements?

Language ConcisenessHave you used the proper punctuation, words, sentence and paragraphs to express yourself?

Content Completeness Have you included all the points?

Tone Courteousness Have you shown your politeness all through the writing?

Business Reports

1) The first program has obvious advantage over the others.第一个方案比其他几个有明显的优势。 2) Here is the report about the work done by the Marketing Department for May 2008. 这是我们营销部对 2008 年 5 月份的工作情况所做的报告。 3) The report examines the supply and demand of the target market and recommends some market developing approaches.这份报告研究了目标市场的供需状况，提出了一些开发目标市场的策略。

Practices

Translating Translating2

Business Reports

4) The department managers have too little autonomous decision power and have to make every decision according to our company’s policies.部门经理没有独立的决策权，每项决策都必须符合公司的政策。 5) The mass-market lines should be dropped and we should concentrate on the specialty lines.我们应该放弃大众产品线，将精力集中在特色产品上。 6) 鉴于以上所述…… In view of the comments above…

7) 我们建议发展一些潜力较大的客户。 We should recommend selecting a certain number of higher potential customers for further development.

Practices

Translating Translating2

Business Reports

8) 我们认为下一步是多了解市场的情况。 We think that the next stage is to find out more about the market.

9) 市场疲软但竞争仍然激烈。 The market is slow but competition is pressing.

10) 对售后服务部门要增加更优惠的措施和更多善于沟通的人员。 After-sales team should be strengthened with more favorable measures and skilled-in-communication staff.

Practices

Translating Translating2

Business Reports

Directions: Find a company in your city and do some investigation there. Write an informal report to analyze the possibility of re-investment of the profit this year. There’re some suggested projects: 1) computer replacement; 2) some language in-service training courses; 3) extra bonus.

Practices

Writing Writing1