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BUSINESS REPORT
Chapter 5
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Business Report
Definition
A Business Report is an impartial, objective,
planned presentation of facts to one or more
persons for a specific business purpose.
An orderly, objective message used to convey
information from one organizational area to
another or from one institution to another to
assist in decision making or problem solving.
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Reports have been classified in numerous
ways by management and by report-
preparation authorities.
We classify reports on the bases of theirforms, uses, contents, etc.
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Purpose of Reports
To monitor andcontrol
operations
Plans, operatingreports,
personal activityreports
Internal reportsmove upward on
recurring basis;external reports goto selectedaudiences
To implementpoliciesand procedures
Lasting guideline,position papers Internal reportsmove downward oron a non-recurringbasis
To comply with
regulatory
Reports IRS, SEC,
Human Rights
External reports are
sent on a recurring
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Definitions of Some Types
Purpose of Report Common Examples Reparation &Distribution
To obtain new
business orfindings
Sales proposals External reports are
sent onnonrecurring basis
To document clientwork
Interim progressreports,
final reports
External reports aresent on a
nonrecurring basis
To guide decisions Research reports,justification reports,trouble shooting
reports
Internal reportsmove upward on anon-recurring basis
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Classification of Report
1. Formal or Informal
Formal reports are carefully structured; theystress objectivity and organization, contain
much detail, and are written in a style that
tends to eliminate such elements as personal
pronouns.
Informal reports are usually short messageswith natural, casual use of language. The
internal memorandum generally can be
described as an informal report.
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Classification of Report
2. Short or Long Reports?
Short-or-long can be a confusing classification
for reports. A one-page memorandum is
obviously short, and a term paper of twentypages is obviously long.
What about in-between lengths?
One important distinction generally holds true:as a report becomes longer, it takes on more
characteristics of formal reports. Thus, the
formal-informal and short-long classifications are
closely related.
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What Makes A Good BusinessReport
Business reports are used by organizations toprovide a formal, verifiable link among people,places, and times.
Some are required as a permanent record;others are needed to solve an immediateproblem or to answer a passing question.
Many move upward through the chain of
command to help managers monitor the variousunits in the organization; some move downwardto explain management decisions to lower-levelemployees responsible for day-to-day
operations.
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The purpose of a business report is to conveyessential information in an organized, useful format.Anddespite technological advances, the ability toaccumulate data, organize facts, and compose a
readable text remains a highly marketable skill.
A well-prepared business report will provideCOMPLETE, ACCURATE information about anaspect of a companys operations.
The information provided by a report is often meantto influence decisions, to determine changes,improvements, or solutions to problems. Therefore,the report must also be CLEAR, CONCISE, and
READABLE.
What Makes A Good BusinessReport
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Format
The format of a business report may vary,from a brief informal report intended for in-house use to avoluminous formal report
intended for a national public distribution.
Some reports consist entirely of prosewhile
others consist of statistics; and still otherreports may employ a combination of prose,
tables, charts, and graphs.
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Style
The style of a report depends upon the audience. Aninformal report to be read only by close associatesmay be worded personally; in such a report I orwe is acceptable.
A formal report, on the other hand, must beimpersonal and expressed entirely in the thirdperson. Note the difference
Example
Informal:I recommend that the spring campaign concentrateon newspaper and television advertising.
Formal:
It is recommended that the spring campaignconcentrate on newspaper and television advertising.
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Types of Reports
Letters Reports
A letter report is simply a report in letterform: it is often used
when sending information to a reader outside your
organization. It includes:
1. Date
2. Inside Address
3. Salutation
4. Body (the heart of the report)
5. Complimentary close
6. Signature
7. Reference section
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Letter reports are of two types:
1. Informational Letter Reports
2. Analytical Letter Reports
1. Informational Letter reportsA staff report to financial officer regarding issuesconcerning personnel turnover in the salesdepartment
A report in reply to inquiry about product andservices provided by your Company
2. Analytical Letter Reports
These include investigation of an issue or problem
Calculation of financial ratios of a company in orderto command on its financial condition.
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Main Features of Reports
The Opening
As the name suggests, the opening is the firstsection in any report. A good opening
accomplishes at least three things:i) Introduces the subject of the report
ii) Indicates why the subject is important
iii) Previews the main ideas and the order inwhich they will be covered.
If you fail to provide readers with these cluesto the structure of your report, theyll read
aimlessly and miss important points
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Headings and Lists
A heading is a brief title at the start of asubdivision within a report that cues readers
about the content of the section that follows. They visually indicate shifts from one idea to
the next, and, when subheadings (lower levelheadings) andheadings are both used, they
help readers see the relationship betweensubordinate and main ideas.
In addition, busy readers can quicklyunderstand the gist of a document simply by
scanning the headings.
Main Features of Reports
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A list is a series of words, names, oritems arranged in a specific order.
Setting off important ideas in a listprovides an additional structural clue. Lists
can show the sequence of ideas or visually
heighten their impact.
In addition, they facilitate the skimming
process for busy readers.
Main Features of Reports
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Previews and Reviews
You may have heard the old saying tellemwhat youre going to tellem; then tell em what
you just toldem. The more formal way of giving this advice is to
tell you to use preview sections before andreview sections after important material in your
report. Using preview section to introduce a topic
helps readers getready for new information.Previews are particularly helpful when the
information is complex or unexpected.
Main Features of Reports
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The Ending
Research shows that the ending, the final
section of a report, leaves strong and lasting
impression.
Thats why its important to use the ending to
emphasize the main points of your message.
In a report you may want to remind readers ofyour key points or your conclusions and
recommendations.
It provides a final opportunity to emphasize the
wholeness of your message.
Main Features of Reports
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