Report writing, cont.

LANGUAGE

Register and style

OBJECTIVITY

The passive form – a brief revision

I enclose the invoice for our services.

The invoice for our services is enclosed.

I enclosed the invoice for our services.

The invoice for our services was enclosed.

I will enclose the invoice for our services.

The invoice for our services will be enclosed. III

S V-Present Simple O

V- to bePresent Simple S Past participle

Active voice

Use formal expressions & specific verbs to improve your style

RB, p 21, task IV

To take a look at the problem of declining number of visitors to Hong Kong, we decided to do a really big survey.

Informal?

Personal?

Unprofessional?

Suggest some more appropriate terms!

Practice register & objectivity

RB, p 21, task IV

To take a look at the problem of declining number of visitors to Hong Kong, we decided to do a really big survey.

Informal?

Personal?

Unprofessional?

investigate conduct large-scale

Rewrite the sentence using the above terms.

Practice register & objectivity

RB, p 21, task IV

We made a questionnaire and handed it out to 2,000 people.

design distribute

Practice register & objectivity

We did this because right now we don’t have any hard data on why tourist numbers are declining.

currently reliable

We did this because currently we have no reliable data on why tourist numbers are declining.

Pls, go on editing the text.

To INVESTIGATE the problem of declining numbers of visitors to Hong Kong, we decided to CONDUCT a LARGE-SCALE survey. We DESIGNED a questionnaire and DISTRIBUTED it to 2,000 people. We did this because CURRENTLY we have NO RELIABLE data on why tourist numbers are declining. There's LITTLE information available either on what might bring them back to Hong Kong. The return rate for the questionnaire was VERY DISAPPOINTING at only 13% but this figure should provide a firm enough basis for DISCUSSING why tourist numbers are DECLINING.

HW: Edit the following textSome formal words you could use are provided for each sentence. You might need to change the tenses, parts of speech or turn an active stentence into passive.

To figure out how many of our customers were into online shopping, we rounded up a group and had them answer some questions.

conduct practice determine form interview Only a couple of guys showed up for the chat with our staff,

but left as soon as they realized they were not being paid for this.

male lose interest attend incentive The women, though, were helpful and gave us some cool

comments and clever ideas. provide insightful female next slide

The info we got was a great. If we are to understand our customers better, I guess we should do it again. Maybe we could give some gifts or coupons.

obtain information useful recommend should offer

HW: RB, p 25 Report writing task 1 or 2 (submit by 21 March)

HW check: Terms of reference

requested submitted Procedure

gathered sources provided releases Findings

difficulties spending competition

strategies meeting expanding

building introducing developing Conclusion

fierce competitive Recommendations

recommended analysed

E-COMMERCE

II Judging from what you read in the article Storm clouds over the mall (2005) do you think that by 2012 major retailers made strong efforts to participate in e-commerce?

III Take a looke at the list of large retailers.

United Retail Group Apple

Walmart Disney

Target Macy’s

Amazon Borders

COMPETITION: Find them in the text and explain why they are mentioned.

RB, p 43

E-COMMERCERB, p 43

RB, p 44Tasks IV & V

HW for Tuesday:

RB, p 44 Tasks VI and VII

Edit the text on slides 8 & 9

Do the exercises with passive (handout) – hand in if you want them checked

HW for Friday, March 21:

RB, p 25 Report writing task 1 or 2 (submit!!!)