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BUSINESS REPORT WITING
Contents
CLARIFYING WRITING TASK....................................................................2
Classification of report..............................................................................2
TYPE OF REPORTS....................................................................................4
INFORMATIONAL REPORTS – PROGRESS & PROJECT REPORT..............5
ANALYTICAL REPORT – EVALUATION & FEASIBILITY REPORT..............6
PERSUASIVE REPORT – PROPOSALS & RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP).......................................................................................7
WRITE REPORT IN A GROUP....................................................................8
4 Types of approaches................................................................................8
OPERATIONALIZE PROBLEM....................................................................9
WAYS TO DIVIDE THE INFORMATION.....................................................9
SYSTEM OF OUTLINE SYMBOLS...............................................................9
SOURCE OF INFORMATION....................................................................10
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION..........................................................10
SAMPLING METHOD...............................................................................11
QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION........................................................12
ORGANIZING & DRAFTING REPORT......................................................13
Flow of information presentation............................................................14
Organizing report body............................................................................15
1
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
CLARIFYING WRITING TASK
Classification of report
1) Time2) Delivery3) Length4) Function5) Format/form6) Formality
1) time – different stages of project to inform people about the progress/problem encountered
i. preliminary report (before commencemant of project)ii. interim report (middle stage)
iii. periodic report (fixed-interval : routine)iv. final report (completion of project)
2) delivery – medium of presentation
i. oral report (transmitted orally – informal/formal)ii. written report (commonly at workplace)
3) length
i. short report- 5 pages or less- 3 parts > intro – report body – conclusion- Informal style
ii. long report- more than 5 pages- actual length varies with complexity of issues discussed- 3 parts > prefatory / preliminary – report body - appended parts
4) function
i. Informational report - To provide information needed by reader.- Information in organized matter- Not make any judgment
ii. Analytical report- Based on facts gathered, interpret / analyze the information- Sometimes, recommend actions needed.
iii. Persuasive report- To influence reader to agree with the solution suggested.- Based on fact and interpretation- Use data / well-chosen data / visual aids
2
BUSINESS REPORT WITING5) format / form
i. Form report- Pre-printed forms- Routine in nature- E.g. : accidents report / daily sales report
ii. Memorandum report- Use memo format- Informal in language- Brief
iii. Letter report- Exactly like letter- Have components necessary – address, salutation, etc
6) formality
i. Informal report - Short- Language – conversational in nature- Matters less complex- Memo / letter format
ii. Formal report- Quite long- Language -formal- Fairly complex- Long report format
3
BUSINESS REPORT WITINGInformational report Analytical report Persuasive report
Function Present only facts not evaluate / judge/
recommend don’t give opinion tell HOW and WHAT not WHY
analyze / evaluate the data & interpret the information
To influence decision in agree with solution suggested
Common type
Progress report Project report Situation report Site visit report Process description
and instruction report
Feasibility report Evaluation report
Proposals Respons to
request for proposal (RFP)
example Progress report Project report Travel report Test report accident report
TYPE OF REPORTS
4
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
INFORMATIONAL REPORTS – PROGRESS & PROJECT REPORTProgress report Project report
Function - compilation of all projects a person undertook during a period of time in the past (past week / month/ year)
- report on work done during specific period & on the works still needs to be done
generally - covers specific period of time- deal with one’s person works- deal with more than 1 task
- discuss tasks to be carried out
- cover work effort of team people
- deals only tasks related to 1 specific project
Content - focus on work done during specific period covered by the report
- reader wants to know what has been done, progress made & continuing efforts
- provide : work done , work in progress , work being planned
- include specific info (names, facts, dates )
- what task have been completed ?
- what work currently being done ?
- how much work yet to be done ?
- project on schedule & within budget ?
- any anticipated problem ?
Format - based on audience , amount & detail of information , any policies involvedo brief memos / lettero informal / formal
- in the form ofo memoo lettero short informal reporto long formal report
Arrangement of content
- priority order ( in descending order of importance)
- chronological order (based on way the tasks were carried out)
- status order (status of task )o 3 parts ( work
completed , work in progress , work left to do )
- Task order (individual task)o Reported individuallyo Sub-tasks of each
individual task have 3 parts ( work completed , work in progress , work left to do )
5
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
6
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
ANALYTICAL REPORT – EVALUATION & FEASIBILITY REPORTEvaluation report Feasibility report
What ? - Present data & writer’s judgment of the information.
- Writer draws inference & conclusion
- Studies, assess the practically of proposed project or change
Analyze on?
- Concerning an unchanging, static situation & draw specific conclusion
- To determine whether a suggested change in situation is possible & reasonable & recommend action( should / should not)
How to - Clear intention of judging the value of the report.
- Based ono Past performanceo Present statuso Potential outcome
- How?o Divide largeo general subject > specific
areao Specific area > sub-area
- Looks at alternative to a situation / at proposed solution to a problem
- Examine several alternatives that been proposed
- How?o Technical feasibility
(technical resources)o Economic feasibility
(money @ cost implemented)
o Operational feasibility (personnel availability)
o Social feasibility(social @ society impact)
o Environmental feasibility(environment)
Components
- Title page- TOC- Executive summary- introduction- Overview / background- Methodology- Analysis / findings- Conclusion- Recommendation
- Title page- TOC- Executive summary &
recommendation- Introduction- Analysis of alternatives- Conclusion- recommendation
7
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
PERSUASIVE REPORT – PROPOSALS & RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP)
proposal RFPWhat - to recommend
change/solution/action- well-chosen word/data/visual
aids- to convince reader to take
action
- Request for proposal (RFP) is document sent by clients who need specific product/service; invite the receiver to propose solution.
- Response to request for proposal is a proposal that propose solution/action that writer feels meet the best needs stated in RFP
type - May beo Solicited (request by
someone)o Unsolicited (self –initiated)
- Reader may beo External (outside client)-
informal languageo Internal (within
organization)- formal language
o Response to non-negotiable RFP- Condition are not
changeable, strictly adhered to
o Response to negotiable RFP- Specification / condition
may be modified
How to write?
- Write persuasively- Stress on benefits- Discuss possible –ve impact- Use visual aids
- Response must depends on what needed in RFP
- Include accurate information, appropriate solution
Components
- Transmittal letter- Title page- Executive summary- Introduction- Problem/current situation- Solution/recommendation
(proposed action)- Benefits- Implementation (schedule of
steps)- Costs- Conclusion (restate benefit &
immediate action)
- Transmittal letter- Title page- TOC- Executive summary- Introduction- Problem/current situation- Solution/recommendation
(proposed action)- Benefits- Implementation (schedule of
steps)- Costs- Conclusion (restate benefit &
immediate action)
8
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
WRITE REPORT IN A GROUP
4 Types of approaches1) horizontal approach
- team works independently- each member complete separate section- doing all things (drafting, revising, researching ) alone
2) sequential approach- completed entirely by one team member- reworked /edited by 2nd team member- repeated until all member have edited the report
3) stratified approach- each member have specialized role- 1st – research- 2nd – graphics- 3rd – editing
4) free-form approach- all member works together at one place- perform all roles and finish the task together
Guidelines
i. all team member have clear understanding of the reportii. decide what will done together / individually
iii. clearly define role each memberiv. schedule regular meetingsv. prepare Gantt chart
9
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
OPERATIONALIZE PROBLEMProblem statement – statement that briefly define the problem situation that your report would cover
Purpose statement - statement that defines the objective of the reportIn 3 ways :
i. Infinitive phrase (the purpose of this report is to evaluate ……. )ii. Question (Are the …….. ?)
iii. Declarative sentence ( The client wants to know whether …………………..)
Informational report Analytical report Persuasive reportto documentto describeto inform
to examineto determineto evaluateto assessto compareto analyze
to proposeto suggestto recommend
Scope – tells the reader what is and is not part of the report , informs the coverage of the report.
WAYS TO DIVIDE THE INFORMATIONby time period (chronological in order)by place (different location)by quantity (quantitative values)by factors (several factors /areas)
SYSTEM OF OUTLINE SYMBOLSalpha-numeric (conventional symbol) - use alphabets and numeralsdecimal (numerical ) – use numerals (1,2,3) and decimals
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BUSINESS REPORT WITING
SOURCE OF INFORMATIONó primary source
- primary data- firsthand information- e.g. : experiments / observation / survey
ó secondary source- secondary data- information already created (published / unpublished)- e.g. : directories / newspaper / internet website / encyclopedia /
company publication
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTIONprimary research method
- examining- conducting experiment- making observation- surveying (process of asking questions) – in 2 ways
o interviewing
- face-to-face interview better information can clarify things,
CostlyWay of asking may indirectly influence the answer given
- interview by telephone cheaper interview many people quickly
limit question to shorten timenot all people have telephone
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BUSINESS REPORT WITING
o questionnaire
- administer the questionnaire in person spot on questions to complete the
questionnairecostly
- mail to the respondents select respondents from wider geographic
area reduce expenses
return rate of completed questionnaire lowrespondents may biased
secondary research method- reviewing- retrieving data- searching in internet
SAMPLING METHODprobability sampling
o simple random sampling – subjects randomly selected
o systematic random sampling – subjects randomly selected from pre-determined interval (every 4th person)
o stratified random sampling – population > sub-groups (based on characteristic) = select random subject from sub-groups
non-probability samplingo quota sampling - subject select based on actual proportion in
population)o judgment sampling – only subject thought to possessed required
characteristic are selected.
12
BUSINESS REPORT WITING
QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION
Consider :
ï type of questioni. open questions (free to answer , no specific answer )
ii. closed questions : provide choices to answer. 2 types : o dichotomous questions (provide only 2 choices : yes/no )
o multiple choice questions ( provide 3 or more choices)
- discrete point type- ranking (I – 2 – 3 – 4 )- continuous rating ( excellent - good- average – fair – poor)
ï Construction of question - Answers are affected by : Phrasing question
Leading question - leads to choose particular answer Double-barrelled question – multiple question in 1 question ,
ask 2 type of information Overlapping questions – choices provided overlapped each
other Vague questions :
- Unfamiliar words- Not within respondent’s experience- Subjective (wide range in meaning)
Answerability Questions embodying hidden assumption (assume
respondents have certain behavior) Recall dependent question (recall thing happened long time
ago) Personal question (too personal to reveal)
Question structure Hop and skip question : If yes, go to …. If no, please go to .. ) Question with limited choices (doesn’t provide all possible
choices)
Scaling technique
Ranking – measure relative importance of items : (most important)1-2- 3-4(least important)
13
BUSINESS REPORT WITINGRating – measure opinion or attitude of item(excellent – good – average – fair – poor )
ORGANIZING & DRAFTING REPORT
Short report format Pre-printed form – present information of routing nature (e.g. daily
sales) Memo – memo standards ; To, From, Date, Subject Letter – include normal parts of letter Short report format – like long report format, has 4 sections ; intro,
findings, conclusion, recommendation
Long report formatPrefatory / preliminary part
o Title fly – has only report title, as cover page of reporto Title page – has 4 components ; report title , report reader,
report writer, submission dateo Letter of authorization – request/ commissioning a report
attached to the reporto Transmittal letter – contains ;
- Statement stating purpose of the letter- Summary of report’s scope & purpose- Explanation of problem encountered- Acknowledgement of help- Closure offering further assistance if needed
o Acknowledgment – to express appreciation to those have provided the assistance
o TOC – to locate information of interesto List of figures / tables – listed with respective page numberso Executive summary – synopsis of report. Contains ;
- Report’s major findings- Conclusions- recommendation
Bodyo Introduction/ opening – introduce the report. Contains ;
- Purpose statement *- Scope *- Source of information- Authorization *- Definition- Background- Methods
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BUSINESS REPORT WITING
## British tradition, (* )combined as “ Term of reference ”. Contains ;
Date of instruction given Name & official designation of person who
asked for the report Name & official designation of person who
wrote the report Purpose Scope Submission date
o Findings o Conclusion summarizing the reporto Recommendation
Appended / supplementary parto Bibliographyo Appendix
Flow of information presentation
METHOD SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATIONInductive Specific to generalDeductive General to specific
Chronological Past to nowTropical One topic to another
Geographical One area / place to anotherProblem-solution Problem to the solution
Pros / Cons Advantages & disadvantages
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BUSINESS REPORT WITING
Organizing report bodyIndirect / inductive / logical order
Begin with known information (from secondary/primary source)Later, unknown information (from interpretation / collected experience)Looks like ;
o Introductiono Findingso Conclusiono Recommendation
Direct / deductive / psychological orderBegin with unknown information ( from suggestion / interpretation)Later, known information ( from secondary/primary source )Looks like ;
o Conclusiono Recommendationo Introductiono Findings
16