INTRODUCTION:

A report is a presentation and summation of facts, figures and information either

collected or derived. It is a logical and coherent structuring of information, ideas and
concepts. Reports are used in general, by various professionals. Newspaper correspondents
use reports to make news about an incident or a programme, teachers and lecturers make
reports regarding their school/ institutions or some event happened in the institution.

"A business report is an orderly, unbiased communication of factual information that

serves some business purpose."Reports provide feedback to the manager on various aspects
of organization. The information is needed for reviewing and evaluating progress, planning
for future course of action and taking decisions. As a neatly structured piece of work, the
report, for greater ease in comprehension, is segregated into various sections. Understanding
the import of these sections, coupled with logical conjoining of the various parts, results in a
well written and presented report.

Report writing is an art. This skill is to be developed by constant efforts. Every

executive is supposed to submit reports to their superiors in scheduled time intervals. For
that, he has to learn the skill of writing reports. In case of investigations also, the report is
submitted to take remedial actions. Market researchers conduct various field surveys. The
report of the surveys is also to be prepared effectively.

The report is the ultimate output of investigation efforts. The report format varies
depending upon its purpose and target audience. The presentation of research reports to
ultimate users is the art of communication. Report writing makes the complex thing simple.
Suggestions given in the reports form the basis for the action plan to be taken. New areas for
investigation may also be identified through reports.

TYPES OF REPORT WRITING:

Reports may be classified in different ways.

 Reports may be Long and Short Reports,

 Formal and Informal Reports,
 Business/Technical Reports or Academic/Research Reports.
1. LONG AND SHORT REPORTS:
Long Reports are detailed analysis of a project or a problem at hand. As indicated
by the name, Long reports are lengthy and consume a lot of time in making as well as
presentation. On the other hand, Short Reports are a one to three page presentation of
a topic or an event. These are brief and precise in nature and contain only the relevant
facts.
Examples: Feasibility Report of a Product: Long Report
Report on Annual Exhibition of School: Short Report

2. FORMAL AND INFORMAL REPORTS:

Formal Reports are those reports, which are to be submitted to a higher
authority for analysis or for approval. These are prepared by keeping in mind all the
technicalities of report writing. On the other hand, informal reports are those which
are prepared by the person, either for his own use or for keeping as a record, not for
the use of an organization for any formal purposes. Mostly, the reports prepared in the
organizations are formal reports. In formal reports, proper facts and figures, which
can be substantiated, are used. Informal reports may be based on guess work or
approximation of facts.
Examples: Formal Report: Report Submitted by Sales Manager to General
Manager regarding annual sale.
Informal Report: Report submitted by sales assistant to sales manager regarding
approximate number of customers entering the showroom.

3. BUSINESS REPORTS AND RESEARCH REPORTS:

Business Reports are the ones prepared in the organizations for formal
purposes. Research reports or Academic Reports are the ones prepared in the course
of study. They may be reports prepared after Summer Training or after completion of
a project of study or research. These are based on a research topic, which may be
formulated in the form of a research problem. Business Reports may be classified as
follows, on the basis of Purpose of preparation:
Routine Reports:
a) Progress Report
b) Inspection Report
c) Performance Appraisal
 d) Periodical Report
Special Reports:
a) Investigation Report
b) Survey/Feasibility Report
c) First Information Report
d) Project Report
Another Classification of Reports, on the basis of Content of Report may be:
a) Informational Report
b) Analytical Report

ROUTINE REPORTS:
The reports which are prepared on a routine basis in an organization are called routine
reports. These are prepared in the normal course of business, whether or not something extra
ordinary takes place. The different routine reports may be as follows:
 Progress Report: This is the report about the growth of an organization or any
department of the organization. It may even relate to the progress of an individual in
an organization.
 Inspection Report: In case of a manufacturing concern, or even in case of other
organizations, regular inspections are held to check the compliance of the products
and services with the specified norms. These inspections may be done by the
Superiors in the organization. The report prepared by these inspection teams is called
inspection report.
 Performance Appraisal Report: At regular intervals, Performance Appraisal of the
employees is done by the Personnel Department. This is done to assess and evaluate
the employees as per their performance. For this purpose, Performance Appraisal
report of each employee is made and sent to the management for evaluation.
 Periodical Report: A report prepared at regular time intervals is called a periodical
report. A monthly report, annual report, bi annual report, etc fall under this category.
SPECIAL REPORTS:
Special Reports are those reports which are not prepared on a routine basis, but only in
the event of special circumstances or exceptional happenings. These may have to be made
once in a while. Various special reports may be as follows:
  Investigation Report: In case of an unusual happening, like sudden downfall of sales
or fall in production or any other event, investigation may have to be carried out to
find the reasons behind the event. Reports prepared after such an investigation are
called investigation reports.
 Survey Report/Feasibility Report: A survey is sometimes carried out regarding the
present working or an organization, its sales, etc or the feasibility of any new project
to be undertaken by the organization. Survey/ Feasibility Reports are prepared to
record the findings.
 First Information Report: This is commonly known as FIR. Mostly we understand
that FIRs are lodged in Police Station in case of any mishappening, theft or loss. FIR
may also be prepared for record of an organization. This is prepared by the first
witness to the event, to report to his Superiors.

INFORMATIONAL REPORT:
An informational report, as the name suggests, provides all details and facts pertaining to the
topic selected for study. It may be a problem arising in an organization or any other subject of study
as selected by the management. For instance, it could be a report that attempts to trace the growth of
Company X in the automobile industry. In a report of this kind, the presentation of all details that led
to the growth of Company X should be listed in a chronological order.
The sequential arrangement of issues or topics in an informational report could observe
any one of the following ways of presentation. It could be by:
a) Chronology: On the basis of time of happening of events
b) Importance: On the basis of Priority of the issues
c) Sequence/procedure: On the basis of sequence of events in a process
d) Category: Any basis of categorisation
e) Alphabetization: On the basis of Alphabets ( A to Z)
f) Familiarity: Arrangement from known to unknown issues.
In a report of this kind, the various sections are simple and self -explanatory .As the
presentation of information is the basic purpose of the report, details are worked out in a systematic
and coherent manner. The structural orientation in an informational report should be clearly evident to
the reader and its significance also grasped.
ANALYTICAL REPORT:
Analysis means study of a problem or event, right from its identification to discovery of its
causes. It makes use of the facts and figures. The analytical report comprises stages in which there is a
proper identification of the problem, analysis and subsequent interpretation. Recommendations or
suggestions are then incorporated in the report, depending upon what is required by the report writer.
Thus, in a problem solving method, the steps observed are as follows:
a) Draft Problem Statement
b) Evolve criteria
c) Suggest alternatives and evaluation
d) Draw conclusion(s) and make recommendations