Business Report Structure PDF

Structure of a Business Report BU 3073, Class 5, by Amanda Paananen Today’s Agenda SCM proposals Structure of a business report The research process What is a formal report? The term formal report refers to the type of document rather than its title. A formal report is more likely to be referre...

Structure of a Business Report BU 3073, Class 5, by Amanda Paananen Today’s Agenda SCM proposals Structure of a business report The research process What is a formal report? The term formal report refers to the type of document rather than its title. A formal report is more likely to be referred to as • a feasibility study • an investigation or evaluation report • a product analysis • a project report The Traditional Formal Report There are six main elements in a formal report There are also additional parts that support these main elements, and they help give the report its formal shape. They are listed in their appropriate positions in relation to the main compartments: Additional Parts - Cover Letter - Cover Page - Title Page - Summary - Table of Contents - Introduction - Discussion - Conclusions - Recommendations - References - Appendix - Back Cover Title Page Summary In a formal report the Summary immediately follows the title page but appears before the Table of Contents. It always has a page to itself and is centered on the page. Sometimes it is preceded by the heading Abstract instead of Summary. The Summary is the most important page in the report because it is the first body of information that readers encounter, it has to encourage them to read further; if it does not, it has failed to achieve its purpose. Guidelines for writing summaries are: • Write the Summary after the rest of the report has been written but place it at the front of the report. • Indent the Summary from both left and right margins and center it vertically on the page. • Draw information for the Summary from the Introduction (particularly the purpose of the project), the Discussion (pick out the most important highlights), and the Conclusions and Recommendations (the outcome or result of the project). • Keep the Summary as short as possible and make it interesting and informative. For example, rather than write "conclusions are drawn and a recommendation is made," state specifically what the main conclusions are and what you are recommending or suggesting should be done. • Keep the intended readers clearly in mind to ensure you tell them what they most want to know or need to hear. • Use plain, nontechnical words and avoid topic jargon, so that the summary can be understood by almost any person who reads the report. Summary Example (from our textbook) Table of Contents A table of contents (T of C) is inserted at the front of a report mainly to help readers find specific information. But it also has a secondary, much more subtle purpose: to let readers see how the author has organized the information and what topics are covered. Factors To Consider When Creating A Table Of Contents: • Every major topic heading in the report must also appear in the T of C. • The topic headings in the T of C must be worded exactly as they appear in the report. This can be accomplished readily if you use word-processing software to create the T of C for you. • Minor subordinate headings may be omitted from the T of C if their inclusion would make the T of C too lengthy or detract from the clarity of the overall organization plan. • All appendixes must be listed, with the complete title drawn from the first page of each appendix. • If drawings or illustrations are grouped separately in the report, they should be listed in the T of C. If there are many illustrations, it is acceptable to insert the single entry "Illustrations" and page number in the T of C and to place a separate list of illustrations as the first page of the Illustrations section. Table of Contents Example (from our textbook The Introduction The Introduction prepares readers for the details that follow in the Discussion. It introduces them to the circumstances leading up to the project, and to the reasons it was undertaken, and the report was written. An Introduction has three main components: The Background: which describes events leading up to the existing situation, what projects (if any) have been done previously, and why the current project or study is necessary. The Purpose: which defines what the project or study is to achieve, who authorized it, and the specific terms of reference. The Scope: which outlines any limitations imposed on the project, either by the person(s) authorizing it or by the person undertaking it, such as cost, time in which the project is to be completed, depth of study, and factors that must be included or may be omitted. Introduction Example from our textbook Discussion: Things to remember The Discussion may follow immediately after the Introduction (i.e. on the same page), or it may start on a fresh page. The Discussion Section How you arrange the information within the Discussion is extremely important. The overall logic of the case you present must be clear to readers, otherwise they may follow your line of reasoning with some doubt or hesitation. This, in turn, may affect their acceptance or rejection of your conclusions and recommendations. Three factors can have a particularly negative effect on readers: • Writing that is beyond their comprehension; that is, uses technical terms and jargon they may not understand. • Writing that fails to answer their questions or satisfy their curiosity; that is, does not anticipate their reactions to the facts, events, and concepts you present. • Writing that either underestimates or overestimates the readers' knowledge; that is, assumes they know more (or less) about the topic than they really do. Common Pitfalls Writing that either underestimates or overestimates the readers' knowledge; that is, assumes they know more (or less) about the topic than they really do. These common pitfalls can be avoided if you clearly identify your readers. • You have to establish first whether your report will be read primarily by management, by specialists knowledgeable in your field, or by lay people with very limited knowledge of your specialty. • Then you must decide what they are most interested in and what they need to hear from you (particularly if there is likely to be a conflict between what they would like to hear and what you need to say). • Finally, you have to plan your report so that the order in which you present information will answer not only the readers' immediate questions, but also any questions they may generate while they read. For a start, go back to the terms of reference you were given by the person or organization authorizing your project. Pick out the points of most interest to your reader(s), jot them down, and then rearrange them into a logical sequence that will satisfy the readers' curiosity in descending order of importance Extra Information Readers not only want to be given facts, but they also want to know how they are derived. If it is not practicable to provide an indepth discussion of certain facts (possibly because they would be irrelevant to the report's main thrust or divert readers' attention), then refer to the source from which the information was obtained. Place the references at the end of the report and call them "References." Discussion Example from our textbook: Headings Different sizes of bold typeface help readers automatically assess which are primary and which are secondary headings (and, concurrently, how the different sections and paragraphs are subordinated). Illustrations Illustrations should be chosen and inserted with care. They should: • serve a useful purpose • supplement, not duplicate, the written words • be simple, clear, and readily understood • be referred to in the narrative of the report • be accompanied by a brief caption or title, and sometimes a few explanatory remarks • ideally, be smaller than a full page, so that some text can appear either above or below them (full-page illustrations tend to interrupt reading continuity). Conclusions and Recommendations The Conclusions and Recommendations are sometimes referred to jointly as a "terminal summary," meaning that they provide a summing-up of the outcome of the discussion. It's unwise, however, to treat them both under a joint heading, because doing so can invite a report writer to write a weak recommendation. The most important thing to remember about Conclusions and Recommendations is that they must never offer surprises; that is, they must present no new information. Everything they contain must have been discussed in previous sections of the report (i.e. in the Discussion). Conclusions should… • be as brief as possible, with their main points drawn from the Discussion • present in descending order of importance, i.e. primary conclusion first, followed by subsidiary conclusions • satisfy the requirements established in the Introduction • never advocate action • present in point form (in numbered or bulleted subparagraphs) if there are many subsidiary conclusions Illustration & Conclusion Example from textbook: • be strong and advocate action • use the active voice Recommendations should… • satisfy the requirements established in the Introduction • follow naturally from the Conclusions • offer recommendations either in descending order of importance or in chronological sequence if one recommendation naturally follows another, and • be in point form if several recommendations are being made. To make a strong recommendation, you should write "I recommend ..." (if you are personally making the recommendation) or "We recommend ..." (if you are making recommendations for a group of people, a department, or your company). Never use the weak, passive voice for a recommendation, as in "It is recommended that... ." References • Your reference list should appear at the end of your paper. It provides the information necessary for a reader to locate and retrieve any source you cite in the body of the paper. Each source you cite in the paper must appear in your reference list; likewise, each entry in the reference list must be cited in your text. • Your references should begin on a new page separate from the text of the essay; label this page "References" in bold, centered at the top of the page (do NOT underline or use quotation marks for the title). All text should be double-spaced just like the rest of your essay. APA Formatting: Basic Rules for Most Sources • All lines after the first line of each entry in your reference list should be indented one-half inch from the left margin. This is called hanging indentation. • All authors' names should be inverted (i.e., last names should be provided first). • Authors' first and middle names should be written as initials. • For example, the reference entry for a source written by Jane Marie Smith would begin with "Smith, J. M." • If a middle name isn't available, just initialize the author's first name: "Smith, J." • Reference list entries should be alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work. Learn more here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_cita tion/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guid e/reference_list_basic_rules.html The Appendix The Appendix contains complex analyses, statistics, manufacturers' data, large drawings and illustrations, photographs, detailed test results, cost comparisons, and specifications, i.e., any information that, if included in the discussion, would interrupt reading continuity. An appendix should be created on its own individual page labelled “Appendix” and followed by a title on the next line that describes the subject of the appendix. These headings should be centered and bolded at the top of the page and written in title case. If there are multiple appendices, each should be labelled with a capital letter and referenced in-text by its specific title (for example, “see Appendix B”). All appendices should follow references, footnotes, and any tables or figures included at the end of the document. Tables & Figures format Tables & Figures Check List Read more here: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatti ng_and_style_guide/apa_headings_and_seriation.html Example of an Appendix Example of an Appendix All notes in this lecture were adapted from: • Owl Purdue • Textbook: Blicq, R. S., & Moretto, L. A. (2001). Writing Reports to Get Results ISBN: 9780471143421