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Unit 13

InternalAndExternalBusinessCommunication WritingBusinessReports

Structure
13.1 Introduction Objectives 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 WhatisaReport? TypesofBusinessReports SelfAssessmentQuestions1 FormatforBusinessReports SelfAssessmentQuestions2 StepsinReportPreparation SelfAssessmentQuestions3 Summary TerminalQuestions AnswerstoSAQsandTQs 13.1Introduction Business reports are used to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders of an organization. Internally, management may need facts such as sales projections, to determine the directionthatbusinessshouldtake.Externally,thegovernmentmayneedreportsoncompliancewith various regulations. Reports are therefore varied in nature, purpose and format. They convey importantinformationinanobjectivemannerandeitherpresentasolutiontoabusinessproblem,or help in making major decisions. Since the report is a key to business success, careful attention should be paid to the organization, preparation and writing of the report. This unit will explain the different characteristics,formats and typesof business reportsand provide stepbystepguidelines forreportpreparation.

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LearningObjectives: Afterstudyingthisunit,youshouldbeableto.

1. Understandtheroleofreportsinbusiness 2. Analyzeandinterpretdifferenttypesofreports 3. Organizeandprepareanoutlineofreports 4. Developskillsinobjective,nonpersonalwriting

13.2WhatIsAReport?
Abusinessreportmaybedefinedasanorderlyandobjectivepresentationofinformation,that helpsindecisionmakingandproblemsolving.Itmaybeinoralorwrittenform. Thekeywordsintheabovedefinitionareorderly,objective,information,decisionmaking andproblemsolving.Orderlymeansthatareportflowsinalogicalsequence,forexample,from a definition of the problem, to analysis, to recommendation of solutions. Objective means that a reportiswrittenavoidinguseofthefirstperson,soastoavoidbias.Thepassivevoiceisusedrather thantheactivevoice,soastogivelessimportancetothedoeroftheaction. Example:Asurveywasconductedwithasamplesizeof100respondents.(passivevoice) andnotIconductedasurveyamongasamplesizeof100respondents(activevoice).

Areportpresentsinformationorauthenticfactsanddata.Subjectivejudgmentsand recommendationsshouldbebasedondata. Finally,abusinessreport,unlikeascientificoracademicreport,shouldaiddecisionmakingand problemsolving.Forexample,areportonthemarketfeasibilityofanewproductshouldhelp managementtodecidewhethertolaunchthenewproductornot. Abusinessreporthascertainuniquecharacteristics *Areportvariesinpurpose,length,formatandcomplexity. PurposeThepurposeofabusinessreportmaybetoa)informb)analyzeorc)persuade.Areport that seeks to merely inform the reader is simple and states facts with no persuasive intent. An
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example of a report with this purpose is a report on company policies and procedures. Other examplesaresalesreports,monthlydepartmentalreportsandprojectreportsshowingprogresson projects. Sometimesareportmayhavethetwinpurposeofinformingaswellasanalyzing.Merelyproviding datamaybemeaningless,unlessthedataisanalyzedandinterpreted.Allresearchreports,suchas marketresearchreportsbasedonsurveys,comeunderthiscategory.Theinformationgatheredfrom asurveyisanalyzedandthenpresentedinameaningfulform. Abusinessreportmayalsohavethepurposeofpersuadingorrecommendingacourseofaction.A researchreportmayalsomakesomesuggestions,basedonthedataandtheanalysisofthedata.A marketing strategy report submitted to top management and proposals to the government seeking fundsfor building a researchfacility,orfor some other purpose,areother examples of persuasive reports. .Length,formatandcomplexityBusinessreportsvaryfromsimpleonepagememoformats,to morecomplexreportssuchasmanuscriptreports,runningtoseveralpages.Researchreports arethemostcomplexandthelongestofallreports.Thepurposeofthereportdeterminesthelength, formatandcomplexity.Thedifferentformatswillbediscussedindetailinalatersection. *Reportqualityisaffectedbyqualityandaccuracyofthedata Areportmaybeperfectlywrittenbutmaystillbeofpoorquality,ifthedatacollectedisnotaccurate, oriftheprocessofdatacollectionitselfisfaulty.Forexample,aresearchreportmaybewellwritten and presented, but the sample selected for the survey may be too small, or not representative enoughofthepopulation. Regardingaccuracyofdata,taketheexampleofareportrecommendingpurchaseofanoverhead projectorforthecompanysconferenceroom.Supposeyouhavebeenaskedtostudythefeaturesof differentbrandsofOHPsandcomeupwitharecommendation.IfyourecommendabrandofOHP basedonitsbulblifeof100hoursinsteadof300hoursbymistake,yourrecommendationitselfmay beincorrect.

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13.3TypesOfBusinessReports
Reports may be classified based on several criteria, including their use( progress reports and financial reports), purpose ( informational, analytical and persuasive reports), frequency of preparation ( annual, monthly, weekly and hourly reports), length (short and long reports) and whethertheyareinternaltothebusiness,orareusedoutsidethebusiness.

Themostcommontypesofbusinessreportsmaybedividedintothefollowingcategories 1.PeriodicreportsThesearereportsthatarepreparedonaregularbasis,forbothinternal andexternalaudiences.Theirpurposeissolelytoinform.Examplesofthistypeofreportare a)RoutinemanagementreportsThesearereportssuchasequipmentreportsandsalesupdates andarepreparedforinternalaudiences. b)CompliancereportsThesearesubmittedtoexternalstakeholders,suchasthegovernment, statingcompliancewithregulationssuchasenvironmentalnorms. c) Progress reports These reports may be prepared for both internal audiences such as top management and shareholders, as well as for external audiences such as customers. A project reportstatingprogressonalongtermprojectisanexampleofthistypeofreport. 2.ProposalsUnlikeperiodicreports,thepurposeofaproposalistopersuade.Proposalsmay be prepared for both internal and external audiences. Examples of proposals include research proposals and marketing strategy proposals to top management, proposals to the government to grantfundsforbuildingaresearchfacilityandproposalstoconsumerstobuyacompanysproducts. 3.Policies and Procedures Thepurpose ofthese reports is solely to inform. They are also preparedonlyforinternalaudiences.Examplesincludereportsoncompanypoliciesandprocedures, writtenbytopmanagementandsenttoallemployees.Thisispartofdownwardcommunication. 4.SituationalreportsTheseareonetime,exceptionalreportsthatarepreparedwhenaunique eventoccurs.Forexample,ifsalesofthecompanyhasshownasignificantdecline,astudymaybe carried out to determine the reasons for declining sales and a report prepared on the findings.

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Similarly,amarketfeasibilitystudymaybecarriedoutbeforelaunchofanewproductandareport prepared, .based on the study. The purpose of such reports is usually to inform, analyze and persuade. SelfAssessmentQuestion1 Arethefollowingstatementstrueorfalse? 1.Abusinessreportisasubjectivepresentationofinformation. 2.Thereisnosingleformatforabusinessreport. 3.Thepurposeofaproposalistoinform. 4.Acompliancereportisaonetimereport. 5.Thequalityofareportisjudgedbyitsvisualappeal. 13.4FormatForBusinessReports Theformatforabusinessreportwilldependonthelengthofthereport.Lengthalsodeterminesthe degreeoflanguageformality. Thesimplestformatforareportisthememoformat,whichisaonepagereport.Forexample,calling attentiontoameetingortoaproblem,mayrequireonlyonepageorlessandcouldbewrittenina memoformat.Suchreportswillalsobemoreinformalthanlongerreports.Memoswerediscussedin detailinanearlierunit. As the complexity of the problem increases, additional pages may be required .The writer of the reportwillthendecidethatthereportislargeenoughtobedressedupwithafewextraparts.For example,atitlepagemaybeaddedtothereporttoimpressthereader.Or,aletteraddressedto the reader may be included, to indicate that the report is complete and is being sent. This is knownasaletteroftransmittal. Therefore,asthesizeofthereportincreases,anumberofextrapartsmaybeadded,inorderto assistthereaderinunderstandingthereport.Thereportwillthentakeonadifferentformat Considerthefollowingtwopagepersuasiveproposal,writteninamanuscriptformat,which includesacaption,subheadsandasummary,tohelpthereaderinunderstandingthereportclearly. Aonepagememoreportwouldnotrequireanyoftheseitems.

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SAMPLEPROPOSAL THEBUSINESSWRITERSHOTLINE AProposalsubmittedbyProf.SteveMartin SiliconValleyCollegeofBangalore,Karnataka,totheFulbrightFoundation April3,2008

Allbusinesswritershavequeriesaboutwritingstylefromtimetotime.TheBusiness CommunicationfacultyatSiliconValleyCollegeofBangaloreoftenreceivescallsfrom businesswriters,askingquestionsaboutthetone,writingstyleandformatofbusiness lettersandreports.Althoughacoupleofbusinesswritershotlinesexistnationwide, noneisavailableinthecityofBangalore. Thus,theBusinessCommunicationFacultyofSiliconValleyCollegerequeststhata grantforRs.1.5lakhsbeawarded,forthepurposeofsettingupandoperatinga BusinessWritersHotlineforoneyear.ThiswillbenefitbusinessexecutivesinBangalore cityandthestudents,facultyandstaffofSiliconValleyCollege. BenefitsoftheProject

TheprojectwillfundtheestablishmentandfunctioningofaBusinessWritersHotline,in whichseniorprofessorsofBusinessCommunicationofSiliconValleyCollegewill answertelephonequeries,onthesubjectofgrammar,writingstyleandformat.This servicewillbeofferedatnocosttousersandwillbeavailablefivedaysaweek,from MondaytoFriday.Thishotlinewill

1. Enhancebusinessproductivity,byreducingerrorsinwritingthatcancause communicationproblems,unnecessarydelays,orevenwrongdecisions.

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2. Provideausefulservicetobusinesswriters,includingbusinessexecutives, collegestudentsandfaculty,whopresentlyhavenootherwayofclarifyingtheir doubtsandquestions. 3. Projectafavorableimageofthecollege,asanassettothebusinesscommunity inBangalore. Procedures

ABusinessCommunicationfacultymemberwillbeavailabletoansweranytelephone enquiries,duringworkingdays,between9amand6pm.Anycallsreceivedoutside regularworkinghourswillberecordedonanansweringmachineandatelephone responseprovided,beforetheendofthenextworkingday. Adedicatedphonelinewillbeinstalledforthispurposeandincomingcallswillbe forwardedtothefacultymembers,sothattheycanworkonothermatters simultaneously. Facultymemberswillonlyprovideconsultancyservicesandtrytoanswerany reasonablequestionsrelatedtogrammar,punctuation,spelling,format,etc.Theywill notundertakeanywrittenwork,editanyoneswriting,oransweranyquestionsthat requireindepthresearch.TwobookswillserveasthestandardreferencesTheOxford EnglishDictionaryandTheEconomistStyleGuide. Thehotlinewillbeginoperatingonthefirstdayoftheacademiccalendaryear,afterthe granthasbeenawardedandwillcontinueforoneyear.Asmalladvertisement announcingthisservicewillappearinleadinglocaldailies,suchastheTimesofIndia andTheDeccanHerald. Theextenttowhichtheserviceisusedandthetypesofquestionsaskedwillbe recorded.Theserecordswillshowwhethertheneedsofbusinesswritersarebeingmet bythisserviceandwhetherfurthertrainingshouldbegiventobusinessexecutives.

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Budget

ThebudgetrecommendedfortheBusinessWritersHotlineforthefirstyearofoperation isasfollows PurchaseoffivecopieseachofthetwosuggestedreferencebooksRs.5000 Purchaseofonetelephoneansweringmachine Rentalofonetelephoneline(12months@Rs.1000pm) Advertisements(12months) Rs. 2000

Rs. 12000 Rs. 100000 7000

Longdistancecharges(12monthsestimatedatRs.2000pm).Rs. 24000 MiscellaneousRs. Total

Rs.150000

Note:Thefacultymemberswillnotchargefortheirtime. FacultyQualifications

AllthefacultymembersofSiliconValleyCollegehavedoctoraldegreesintheirfieldand anaverageoftenyearsteachingexperienceinBusinessCommunicationandrelated areas.Therefore,theyarewellequippedtoanswerthequestionsthatarelikelytocome up. Summary

ThesettingupofaBusinessWritersHotlinewillimprovethecommunication skillsandwritingqualityofbusinessexecutivesinBangalore.Thecostsindicatedabove aresmall,comparedtothebenefitsthatwillbederivedfromtheservicebybusiness executives,students,facultyofthecollegeandthecollegeitself.

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Reportsrunningtoseveralhundredsofpagessuchasresearchreportswillrequireagreaternumber ofassisting items. They will alsobe much moreformal in termsof language used and methodsof presentation,comparedtothememo,whichisattheinformalend.Wewilldiscusstheseassisting itemsinsomedetail. 1.PreliminaryParts a)LetterofTransmittalThisisaletterattachedtothereportwhenitissenttoreaders.Itserves asagreetingandasanintroductiontothereport. Forexample,inaresearchreport,theletteroftransmittalshownbelowisaddressedtothepersonin anorganization whoauthorizedthe study. Thefirst sentencepresents the reportand reminds the readerthatitwasrequested.Itmakesabriefmentionofthemethodologyusedinthestudy,themain findingsandtherecommendations. Example DearMr.Johnson, Hereisthereportofthestudyyourequested,onthefeasibilityofopeningabranchofficein thecityofBangalore. Astudyofthesocialandeconomicfactorsofthecommunity,ananalysisofsavingspatterns andofthepotentialcompetition,indicatesthatanadditionalsavingsandloanbranchofficecouldbe accommodatedinBangalore. Ihopethisreportwillassistyouinmakingadecision.Pleaseletmeknow,shouldyouwishto discussthereportinanyway. Sincerely,

DonaldMcDonald ResearchAssociate

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b)TitlePageSincethetitlepagecreatesthefirstimpressiononthereader,itshouldbevisually appealing.Thetitleshouldbeclearandasdescriptiveofthestudyaspossible. Thispageshouldalsomentionthepersonwhorequestedorauthorizedthereport,thepersonwho preparedthereportandthedateonwhichthereportwassubmitted. Example THEFEASIBILITYOFOPENINGABRANCHSAVINGSANDLOANOFFICEINBANGALORE

Preparedfor: Mr.WilliamJohnson Chairman WesternSavingsandLoanAssociation Mumbai Preparedby: DonaldMcDonald ResearchAssociate IndianMarketResearchOrganization Bangalore
st April1 ,2008

c). The Contents Page The purpose of having a contents page is to help the reader locate information, when a report is several pages long. It indicates how the report is organized. The contents should include the same headings that are used in the body of the report. The headings shouldbeconnectedwiththeappropriatepagenumbers.Ifthereportcontainsseveralgraphs,tables or figures, they shouldbe listed separately on aseparate page, under aheading suchas Listof TablesandFigures.Thecontentspageshouldbepreparedfromtheoutline,afterwritingthereport.

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d).TheExecutiveSummaryorSynopsisThisisincludedinlongreportstoletthereaderknow whatthereportisallabout,withouthavingtoreadtheentirereport.Thesummaryisacondensed form,oranoverviewofthecontentsinthereport.Inaresearchreport,theexecutivesummary shouldincludethepurposeofthestudy,abriefstatementoftheproblem,theresearchmethodology, themainfindings,conclusionsandrecommendations.Theexecutivesummarymaybeonetotwo pagesinlength. 2.BodyoftheReportThisisthemaintextandistheheartofthereport.Itshouldincludesections suchas a)IntroductionThisincludesthebackgroundandthepurposeofthestudy. b)ProblemStatementAcleardefinitionoftheproblem,orthefundamentalissuethatneedstobe resolvedisneeded. c)ResearchMethodologyAdetailedexplanationofthetypeofresearchthatneedstobecarried out, the methods used for collection of data, the sample size, procedure and the questionnaire design,shouldbeincludedinthissection. d)Analysis,FindingsandConclusionsThedatacollectedshouldbeanalyzedandthefindings presented and interpreted in a meaningful manner. Inferences should be made based on the findings.Thefindingscouldbepresentedintabular,oringraphicalform. e)RecommendationsAreportwhosepurposeistopersuadeshouldincludesuggestedcourses ofaction,orsolutionstothedefinedproblem,basedonthefindings. 3.Addenda/AnnexesAreportmayalsoincludeavarietyofitemsafterthebodyofthereport. Someofthemainitemsinthissectioninclude a)BibliographyorReferencesThisisalistingofallsourcesofinformationbooks,journals, researchpapersandwebsitesthatwerereferredtoforpreparationofthereport.Thepurposeof includingthissectionistopresentdocumentedevidencefrompeoplewhoareconsideredauthorities

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intheirfield,insupportofourownstatements.Itgivesduecredittoauthorswhowereconsulted,in theabsenceofwhichwemaybeaccusedofplagiarism,orcopying.Includingabibliographyalso revealsthedepthofthestudy. Examples 1.MarkEllis,ChristineJohnson,TeachingBusinessEnglish,OxfordUniversityPress:Oxford, 1994. 2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication b)AppendixThisisasectionthatincludesmaterialrelevanttothestudy,butistootechnicalor complicatedtobeincludedinthebodyofthereport.Thisisbecauseitwouldhinderthereaders ability to grasp the message. Examples of such items include cover letters for questionnaires, the questionnairesthemselves,maps,summariesofrawdata,computerizedmodelsandmathematical orstatisticalformulas.EachitemintheappendixsectionmustbelabeledasAppendixA,Appendix B,etc.andgivenasuitabletitle. c)IndexThisisincorporatedinordertohelpthereadertoeasilylocateanytopicorconceptthatis mentioned in the report. It is an alphabetical guide to the terms used in the main text of the report. It is generally not a part of most business reports, although it may be needed in some proposals,prospectusesandannualreports.Itwillincludealistofkeytermsinalphabeticalorder, followedbyallthepagenumbersonwhichthekeytermsareused. d) Glossary This is an explanation of technical terms or jargon used in the body of the report.Thissectionisneededonlywhenthereportisofahighlytechnicalnatureandthereaderisa layperson, who is not familiar with the technical terms used. If the reader is an expert in that particularfield,theglossarymaybeomitted.Itmayalsobeomittedifthenumberofsuchtermsis small,inwhichcase,theymaybeexplainedintheformoffootnotes.

Businessreportsneednotnecessarilyincludealltheitemslistedabove.Infact,itwouldberareto findallthesesectionsinasinglereport.Theyhavebeenmentionedonlytoillustrateallthepossible partsthatabusinessreportcouldinclude.Forexample,thepreliminarypartsandtheaddendaitems

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only support the body of the report. The purpose, type, length and formality of the report would determinewhichofthesectionstoinclude. SelfAssessmentQuestion2 Matchthefollowing

1.Memoformata.Bibliography

2.Preliminarypartb.Technicalspecifications 3.Problemdefinitionc.Informal 4.Appendixd.Bodyofreport 5.Documentatione.Executivesummary

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StepsInReportPreparation

Sincereportsareakeytothesuccessofanybusiness,theyshouldbecarefullyplanned,organized, writtenandpresented.Alotofgroundworkshouldprecedetheactualwritingofthereport.Weshall brieflydiscussthefivemainstepsinreportpreparation 1.PlanningthereportThefirstquestiontobeaskedbeforegatheringinformationandwritingthe report, is regarding the type of report that is required. We classified reports into four main types, basedonthepurpose,theaudiencetowhomtheyareaddressedandthefrequencyofthereport. Secondly, it must be remembered that most reports are required by management to solve a problem, or to make a decision. Therefore, the basis, or starting point for a report is a problem. Reportsarewrittenafteraproblemisanalyzedandasolutiontotheproblemisfound.Theproblem may be of a daytoday nature, such as determining which brand of overhead projector to recommend for purchase. Or, the problem may be a negative one, such as sales of the company

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showingadecline.Inanycase,theproblemisthesinglefundamentalissuetobeaddressedin thereportandshouldbeclearlydetermined,rightattheoutset.

Oncetheproblemhasbeendefined,itmustbebrokenupintosubissuesorsubproblems,byasking thequestionswhat,why,when,whereandwho?. ExampleSupposethepurposeofastudyistosurveyclericalsalariesinpublicsectorbanksin Bangalorecity,inordertodeterminewhethersalariesinyourbankarecompetitiveandconsistent. Theproblemmaybebrokenupasfollows What?Astudyofclericalsalaries Why?Todeterminewhethersalariesinourfirmarecompetitiveandconsistent When?Current Where?Bangalorecity Who?Clericalemployeesinpublicsectorbanks Askingtheabovequestionsdeterminestheexactscopeofthestudyandreducestheproblemtoa workablesize. Thenextstepinplanningthereportistodoanaudienceanalysis.Wehaveseenthatreportsmay be addressed to internal or external audiences of an organization. Some of the questions to be askedabouttheaudience,orthereaderofthereportare

Istheaudienceinternalorexternaltotheorganization? Who is the specific audience or reader? for example, top management, customers or the government?Reportswrittenforthegovernmentandfortopmanagementshouldbemoreformal thanforotheraudiences.

Istheaudienceknowntoyou? Whatisthelevelofknowledgeoftheaudience?Isthetopicfamiliartothereader?Ifthereportis of a technical nature and the reader is a layperson, the technical terms may need detailed explanation.

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What is the level of interest of the reader? If the report has been solicited or authorized, the readerslevelofinterestwillbehigh.Ontheotherhand,ifthereportisvoluntaryorunsolicited,it mayhavetosustainreaderinterest.

Thetone,length,complexityanddegreeofformalityofthereportwilldependlargelyonthereaders characteristics.Forexample,reportsaddressedtopeerswouldadopt amoreconversationaltone,whilereportsoncompanypoliciesandproceduresaddressedto subordinateswouldadoptanemphatictone. 2. Selecting a Method to Solve theProblemAfterdefining the problemanddoingan audience analysis, a method has to be selected to collect the necessary information to solve the problem. Broadly, information may be gathered using secondary research methods, such as books, magazines,newspapers,internetandotheravailablesources, orthroughprimaryresearchmethods,suchassurveysthatprovidefirsthandinformation. 3.GatheringandOrganizingData Oncethemethodofgatheringinformationhasbeenselected, theactualprocessofgatheringtheinformationbegins.Sincethisistimeconsumingandexpensive, onlyinformationthatisrelevanttothereportandthestudymustbegathered.Therawdatashould be evaluated for its usefulness and organized in a form that is meaningful to understand. Tables, charts,graphsandsummariesshouldbeusedtodothis. 4.ArrivingataConclusionOncetheinformationhasbeencheckedforitsvalidityandreliability,it must be interpreted and conclusions drawn. Correct interpretation of the data is needed for the successofthereport.Soundconclusionscannotbemadeiftheinterpretationofthedataisfaulty.A common mistake made in the interpretation of data is the tendency of the researcher to use subjectivejudgments,insteadofobjectivereasoningbasedonfacts. 5.WritingtheReportTheactualprocessofwritingthereportshouldbeginonlyafterasatisfactory solutiontotheproblemhasbeenfound.Aspointedoutearlier,awellwrittenreportthatcontainsa badanswer,isworsethanabadlywrittenreportthatcontainsagoodanswer.

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Onceyouarereadytobeginwriting,certainproceduresforwritingshouldbe followed

SetadateforcompletionofthereportandgetstartedearlyBeginbyfirstpreparingan outlineandwritinganinitialdraft,whichcanberefinedlater. Startinglateisboundtoaffectthequalityofthereport.

StartwithaneasysectionItisbesttostartwritingthosesectionsofthereportwhichyoufeel areeasierthanothers.Thiswillhelpyoutogetintotherhythmofwriting,whichwillbecarried overtothemoredifficultsections.

Writequickly,withtheintentionofrewritingItisbettertoputdownyourthoughtsonpaper intheformofaroughdraftandtogetthisdonequickly.Oncethisdifficultpartisover,itbecomes easiertoimprove.

SetasideuninterruptedwritingtimeAlongblockofuninterruptedwritingtime,suchasthree tofourhoursaday,shouldbesetasideforwritingthereport.Interruptionscanmakeyoulose yourtrainofthought.

Reviewandrewritewherenecessary Ideally,thereportshouldbereviewedacoupleof times,toseeifanyimprovementisneeded.Thefirstreviewshouldbetoseeifanyimprovement incontentisneeded,whilethesecondreviewshouldcheckforanyerrorsinwritingstyle, grammar,spellingandpunctuation. Reportsshouldalsobewritteninaconvincingmanner,sothatthereaderacceptsthemasvalid andreliable.Somesuggestedtechniquesofconvictionincludethefollowing

State facts in an objective manner Avoid using superlatives and emotional terms that introducebiasintheresearch,orthatsuggestthatyouarepassingjudgment.Forexample,avoid sayingTherewasanincredibleincreaseinsales,comparedtothelastyear.Instead,simply statetheamountorpercentageofincrease.Thiswillbemoreacceptabletothereader.

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ProvideexpertopinionsAlthoughfactsaremoreconvincingthantheopinionsofothers,they may not always be available. In this case, the opinions of a specialist in the field may be presented, highlighting the background and experience of the expert. This can enhance the credibilityofthereport. ExampleThisistheopinionofaneminentlawyer,whohasoverthreedecadesofexperience indealingwithsimilarcases.

UsedocumentationFootnotesarecitationsthatareplacednumericallyatthebottomof the page in the body of the report, along with the direct references. This is one way of mentioning the sources of information presented in the report. A bibliography, or list of references,explainedearlier,isanotherwayofprovidingdocumentation.Thishelpstoconvince thereaderthattheinformationisbasedonreliablesources. Businessreportsshouldbecarefullyworded,adoptingcertaintechniquesofwritingstyle

UseconcretenounsBusinessreportsshoulduseconcretenouns,ratherthanabstract nounsasthesubjectofsentences,sincetheyareeasiertovisualize.

ExampleMr.Johnsonauthorizedthestudy. Here,Mr.Johnsonisaconcretenounandiseasytovisualize.

ComparethiswiththesentenceAuthorizationforthestudywasreceivedbyMr.Johnson.Herean abstractnoun,authorization,isthesubjectofthesentenceandishardertovisualize..

Avoid pronouns referring to the writer or reader The first person pronoun I and the secondpersonpronounyoushouldbeavoidedinbusinessreports,asfaraspossible.Theuse ofIrisksplacingmoreemphasisonthewriterofthereport,ratherthanontheideas.

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ExampleIconductedfacetofaceinterviewswithfiftyrespondents.Thisdrawsmoreattention tothereportwriterandshouldbeavoided.ItisbettertoemphasizetheideathatFacetoface interviewswereconductedamongfiftyrespondents.

UsetensescorrectlyIfyouarewritingaresearchreportandreportingorsummarizingsome ofthefindings,thepasttenseispreferable.

ExampleAlmost80%oftherespondentswerenotawareofthenewproduct. Oftheremaining20%,fiverespondentsweresatisfiedwiththeproductsfeatures. However, once the findings have been presented and you are drawing conclusions, the present tenseshouldbeused. ExampleTheabovefiguresclearlyindicatetheneedformoreadvertisingtocreateawareness.

UsetransitionsentencesThereportshouldbewrittensoastoflowinalogicalsequence.A transition sentence summarizes one section of the report and leads the reader smoothly intothenextsection.

ExampleWhilethecostsofthisnewinitiativearemorethanwhatwereanticipated,thebenefits outweighthecosts,aslistedbelow. Thissentenceleadsthereaderfromadiscussiononcoststoasectiononbenefits,asaresultofa costbenefitanalysis. * Define key terms carefully Important terms and words should be definedproperly,explaining whatthewordmeans,ratherthanwhatthewordisabout. ExampleAdictionaryisabookcontaininganalphabeticallistofallwordsinaparticularlanguage isamorecompletedefinitionthan Adictionaryhastodowithwordsinalanguage.

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SelfAssessmentQuestion3 1.Audienceanalysishelpstodeterminethe______________andthe __________________ofthereport. 2.Thesurveymethodisusedtogather_________________dataforareport. 3._________________________________and____________________aretwoways ofmakingareportmoreconvincing. 4.Theuseof________________________________________isarecommended techniqueofwritingstyleinbusinessreports. 5.Itisbettertoemphasizethe_________________inareportratherthanthe____________.

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Summary

Business reports are used to communicate with both internal and external audiences. They are written in an orderly and objective manner and provide information that assists in problem solving anddecisionmaking.Reportsvaryinpurpose,format,lengthandcomplexity.Thequalityofareport isdeterminedlargelybythequalityandaccuracyofthedatacontainedinthereport. Reportsmaybecategorizedbasedoncriteriasuchasthetypeofaudience,thefrequencywithwhich theyareprepared,theirpurpose,useandlength.Themostcommontypesofreportsfallunderfour broadcategories 1. Periodicreports 2. Proposals 3. PoliciesandProcedures 4. Situationalreports

Theformatforareportisafunctionofthelengthofthereport.Short,onepagereports followthememoformat,whilelongerreportsfollowamanuscriptformat.Thelongerthereport,the more the number of additional parts it will need, in order to assist the reader in understanding it withoutanydifficulty.Theextraparts,orassistingitemsthatareportmaypossiblycontain,include thefollowing

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1. PreliminarypartsLetteroftransmittal,titlepage,executivesummaryandcontentspage. 2. BodyofthereportIntroduction,problemdefinition,methodology,analysis,findings,conclusions andrecommendations. 3. AddendaorAnnexesBibliographyorreferences,appendix,indexandglossaryofterms. Thestepsinreportpreparationinclude

Planningthereport,whichincludesdeterminingthetypeofreport,definingtheproblemand doinganaudienceanalysis.

Selectingamethodforcollectingdata Gatheringandorganizingdata Arrivingatananswertotheproblem Writingthereport

Regardingwritingthereport,certainproceduresshouldbefollowedtomakesurethatthereportisof highqualitystartingearly,startingwitheasysections,settingasideuninterruptedtimeforwriting, reviewingandrewritingthereport.

Sometechniquesformakingthereportmoreconvincingtothereaderinclude

Providingopinionsofexperts Statingfactsinanobjectiveandunbiasedmanner Providingdocumentationintheformofreferences

Thetechniquesofwritingstyletobefollowedwhenwritingareport,includethefollowing

Useofconcretevs.abstractnouns Avoidanceofpersonalpronounsthatemphasizethewriterorreaderofthereport Correctuseoftenses Useoftransitionsentences Carefuldefinitionofkeyterms

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TerminalQuestions 1.Whatarethecharacteristicsofbusinessreportsthatdistinguishthemfrombusiness letters? 2.Imaginethatyourfactoryisdoingwellandthatyouwishtoparticipateinthedevelopmentofthe localcommunity,inthetownwherethefactoryislocated.Youarewillingtocontributepartofthecost ofbuildingamodernfootballstadiumthereandwishtorequestthegovernmenttocontributethe remainingcost. Answerthefollowingquestionsa)Whattypeofreportwillyouprepare?b)Whatisthe purpose?c)Whatreportformatwillyouuse?d)Whoistheaudienceandwhatisthelevelof interest?e)Isthereportvoluntaryorauthorized? 3.Inyouropinion,whichisthemostimportantstepinreportpreparation?Justifyyouranswer. AnswerstoSelfAssessmentQuestions SelfAssessmentQuestions1

1. False 2. True 3. False 4. False 5. False

SelfAssessmentQuestions2

1. c 2. e 3. d 4. b 5. a
SelfAssessmentQuestions3

1. Tone/lengthformality/complexity 2. Primary 3. Expertopinionsdocumentation/references/bibliography 4. Transitionsentences/concretenouns/correcttenses

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InternalAndExternalBusinessCommunicationWritingBusinessReports

Unit13

5. Ideaswriter/reader
AnswertoTerminalQuestions 1.Refer13.2 2.Refer13.3,13.4,13.5. 3.Refer13.5

SikkimManipalUniversity

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