Business Business ReportsReports

Planning And Writing ReportsPlanning And Writing Reports

• important skills to acquire• Reports can be long or short, formal or

informal. • Purposes:

– inform, – provide background information about

something,– make recommendations– suggest a course of action.

Layout Of Short ReportsLayout Of Short Reports • a short report is to place information on a

page in such a way that the information is easily seen and understood

• a good short report should contain the following characteristics: – clear indication of your purpose – accurate and objective information – suitable ordering of information – appropriate formatting

• ordering of information is important • Use direct approach if reader is familiar

with situation • Use indirect approach if reader is

unfamiliar with the situation, or resist a proposal for changes, or report contains bad news.

Short Report FormatShort Report Format

• Formal report• Letter• memo

Formal report formatFormal report format• A title page – title of report, recipient’s name,

position and/or organization, writer’s name & position

• An introduction• Sections with headings in the body• Conclusions• Recommendations• Attachments include

Types of short reportsTypes of short reportsa) Justification report

- highlights a course of action or idea - presents evidence to support why something

should, or has been done - Format:

Introduction. Presents purpose of report and describes proposal / course of action.

Body. Describes the present situation, need for change, costs and benefits

Conclusion. Evaluates changes and provides recommendations

b. Progress report- provides information on the progress of a

project- predicts future development- Format:

Introduction. Identifies the report’s purpose with a subject line and describes the current status of the project.

Body. Presents positive features of the operation, describes problems that arose and how they were solved, and includes schedule and costs

Conclusion. Points to the future.

c. Periodic report- keeps management informed on aspect of

the organisation’s operations over a specific period.

- Format:Introduction. Identifies the report’s purpose with a

subject line and then presents relevant facts and figures. .

Body. Presents objective information on achievements and problems.

Conclusion. Summarises the findings and closes with a recommendation .

Prepositions• Words that are used to show position,

direction, location of something etc;– to, by, at, for, in front of, about, between,

across• Prepositions can be used alone in

phrases– On the table, in my bag

about before despite of to above behind down off toward(s) across below during on under

after beneath for out until against beside from over up along besides in since upon among between into through with around beyond like throughout within

at by near till without

PrepositionsPrepositions

Writing Long ReportsWriting Long Reports • documents written to provide

comprehensive information and expert opinions

• written for specific purposes (investigating suitability of site)

• usually long and require careful organising.

1. Develop an outline with main headings & sub-headings2. Begin with purpose statement and intro3. Write the main body of the report4. Draw conclusions from the info presented in the body5. Write conclusions the recommendations6. Optional – preface, abstract, synopsis or executive

summary7. Include a list of references 8. Include a table of contents and table of graphics

(diagrams, charts, graphs)9. Write the letter of transmittal10.Prepare the title page to complete the report

SequenceSequence of long reportof long report

PresentationPresentation• headings • Underlining • Indentation • Shading • Numbered lists or sections, as in reports• Space between paragraphs, left and right

margins • Headers and footers

Parts of a Long ReportParts of a Long Reporta) Introductory section

- Title page- Letter of transmittal- Table of contents

b) The body (main text)- Introduction- Discussions and analysis of findings- development of ideas- Conclusions- Recommendations

c) Final section- References- Appendices

Writing IntroductionsWriting Introductions• can be written differently• convey different kinds of information • ordering of information differently

Writing conclusionsWriting conclusions• Summarises all main points discussed

earlier • State all the main points (list)

AdjectiveAdjective• adjective is a word that describes a noun or

pronoun• It adds information on number, colour, type

and other qualities• Formation of adjectives:

– Single-Word Adjectives • Production Department, persistent patterns

– Two-Word Adjectives • small-scale operation, problem-solving approach