BUSINESS REPORTS
I. What is Report Writing?
The purpose of a report is to inform someone about a particular subject. Reports are made up of facts and arguments on a specific subject. Reports allow information to be presented in an ordered way.
How reports are different form essays?
There are two major differences between writing a report and writing an essay.
Every essay argues a case that is unique. The effect they create can be anything from thrilling to enraging. Essays are as various as the people that write them.
Good essays persuade, or at least engage one's full attention and respect, whereas bad essays do none of those things and cause irritation or dep 414h71e ression. That means that amongst all else essays need to be well-informes and illuminating. Nevertheless, every essay is ultimately a personal testament.
The decisive difference between an essay and a report consists in priorities, of which the most pressing is that the chief purpose of nay report is to inform.
All essayists' primary duty is to themselves. They seek to entertain, stimulate and persuade.
The paramount aim of report writers is to inform and satisfy their readers. That is, the matter of audience and readership is crucial. Many essays are written with no real knowledge of who the reader(s) will be. In sharp contrast, the majority of reports are written for a defined and known audience - which means that there is a psychology of writing a report.
Reports present findings and make recommendations rather than a critique of a subject.
1a - Audience - You should know for whom you are writing and why
Are you writing for experts, for intelligent non-specialists, or beginners?
If you have the chance to find out when and where your report will be read and/or discussed, do so.
1b - Core material - You should know what information you are going to use and present.
You will need to do some preliminary thinking about what is essential, what is secondary and what is marginal. Your main goal is to achieve clarity of presentation and argument.
1c - Starting point - It is probably best to start with your new information (Richard Palmer): to start with new information gives your report immediate impact and personality.
I. 2. Make an overall plan
Non- planners waste more time than they save, through mental blockages and sudden crises of sequencing and structure.
A decent plan accomplishes two things:
- it dramatizes your decision about the ordering of the main sections and the individual points within them
- doing it refreshes your memory about all the details you are going to be concerned with.
I. 3. Make - and discuss - a synopsis
Invariably a report is a public document whose readership is going to be plural; it therefore makes sense to furnish and talk over your projected ideas with others. Ask some colleagues or friends to look over and comment on it. You must encourage absolute honesty in them.
One of the most subtle traps in writing is to confuse what you think you have said with what you actually ended up saying.
I. 4. Draft the text
You cannot write well unless you are clear about what you think and what you want to say. Don't forget:
Don't be too perfectionist too early!
Get as much down as you can, as fluently as you can. Once that is in place, the stylistic improvements and precise adjustments will follow much more easily.
I. 5. Walk away
Reading the report some time after having finished it will ensure your reading it as another person, not the absorbed creator of the day before.
I. 6. The final edit
It implies following these stages:
. Look for errors; doubtful spelling; sloppy, imprecise or irritating punctuation (including its absence); facts and names that need checking.
. Read the report as critically as possible.
. Peruse it again, with two governing questions in mind:
Is the style accurate, readable and consistent?
Is the report structured to your liking?
I. 7. Compile a single-sheet summary of your major points and affix it to the front
This is good public relations: it eases the reader into the task, providing a clear and welcome map for what may be a very substantial journey.
Conclusion
Writing reports need not be drudgery. Within the limits outlined, stay natural as well as properly alert .
Types of reports
There are three types of reports- extended formal reports, short formal reports and informal reports.
1. Extended Formal Reports
Companies and governments use extended formal reports when reports are going to be seen by the public.
The structure of an Extended Formal Report is as follows:
Title Page
Contents
Synopsis
Terms of reference
Procedure
Detailed findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Appendices
Bibliography
2. Short Formal Report
A Short Formal Report is for internal use in companies.
2.1. The structure of a Short Formal Report is as follows:
Standard headings (stating: who the report is for, who it is from; what subject it covers; the date)
Introduction (This is where you give details to the reader of the report about what you intend to cover. The introduction is a good time to include the statement of aims and objectives; this is when you say what you are planning to do and how you are going to do it).
Procedure (This is where you explain how the information was gathered. You also need to say exactly where you got your information from, and how you got the information. This is where you would also include your methodology, if relevant).
Findings (This section of the report should contain the information that you found out as a result of your procedure. You will need to include the facts and figures that have been collected during your report. You can use tables, graphs and charts. If you do, you must remember to describe them e.g. Chart 8 or Appendix 3 shows that 28% of offices do not meet safety requirements).
Conclusions (The conclusion is made up of the main findings. This is where you show what you think of the information you have found. Make sure that you clearly show how you came to your conclusions, and that they are based on your findings. Everything in this section is based on the findings and you should not introduce new points at this time).
Recommendations (This is where you must say how the problem can be solved. This must be based on the findings of the report. You can have short-term and long-term recommendations; you need to be aware of the implication of your recommendations: financial etc).
Appendices (An appendix is the additional information you refer to in the report and wish to conclude as evidence or demonstration of the full findings. Graphs, tables etc, should be within the findings section if they need to be looked at whilst reading the report. The appendices should only include information that may possibly be referred to out of interest or is needed as evidence).
2.2. In business you can write short reports to:
describe something that has happened → Incident Report
describe how someone was hurt or something was damaged → Accident Report
describe how many goods or services were sold, and the reasons for any differences from the plan → Sales Report
describe how close you are to completing something you planned →Progress Report
relate on how practical a proposal is → Feasibility Study/Report
to give recommnedations on what your organisation should do → Proposal/Recommendation Report
to relate on how or why something has changed over time → Case Study
Bibliography
Palmer R., 2001, Write in Style, Routledge Study Guide
II. Writing Practice
II. 1. Read the following reports and establish what type of reports they are? What is the objective of each of them?
Sample Report (A)
Sample report (B)
Sample report 3
II.2. Use the following report writing assessment grid to evaluate the reports above.
Writing Test Assessment Grid - Report Writing
Does the writer express his/her ideas clearly? | ||
Are the writer's main points adequately supported? | ||
Does the writer respect format and layout (headings, paragraphs, bullets, etc.)? |
|
|
Is the piece of writing free of redundancy and repetition? | ||
Are the sentences of an appropriate length? | ||
Are linking words used clearly and naturally? | ||
Is there an appropriate range of vocabulary, grammar and functional language? | ||
Does the writer manage discourse adequately? | ||
Does the writer use appropriate spelling? | ||
Is the formality and tone employed relevant? | ||
Does the report have the appropriate length ? |
II.3. Writing Tasks
Situation: Your manager wants to introduce new practices into your company. He has asked you to write a report which includes details of two marketing practices from another company which you would suggest adopting in your own company.
Task: Write a 200-250 word report for your manager, including the following information:
what is special about the other company
which two of its practices you would adopt
why your company would benefit from them.
Situation Your company has decided to conduct an investigation into the possibility of increasing the number of ways in which all the staff of the bank could benefit from English language training courses.
Task Write a proposal concerning the training course. Include the following:
a brief outline of the current level of language competence throughout the company
a description of what benefits the bank could achieve
recommendations for the kind of training and planning that would be necessary.
Situations: The table below illustrates the Romanian -US Trade Balance between 2000 and 2004.
Task: Using the information in the table draw the adequate bar char. Then, write a short report of about 100-150 words, summarizing the changes that took place.
Romania - US Bilateral Trade Balance,
- '000 US dollars - |
|||||
Export (FOB) | |||||
Import (CIF) | |||||
Trade Balance (FOB/CIF) |
Source: National Customs Authority of Romania
II. 3.1. Report writing tips
While writing the report you should pay attention to:
all the points mentioned in the rubric
who the reader is and what information is needed
the planning of your writing in what concerns: purpose, content and order of paragraphs, main points and supporting ideas in each paragraph
typical written functional phrases
register discrimination
appropriate style (factual and objective)
proper vocabulary and structure (no slang)
correct spelling
discourse management and readability
report lay out (headings, paragraphs, bullet points).
II.3.2. Standard Report Writing Phrases
Introduction
This report examines .
This report aims/sets out to .
The objective/aim/purpose of this report is to .
The report is based on .
This report was requested by .
Findings
It was found that .
The major point of the meeting was that .
In general, the findings indicated that .
In addition, .
Due to differences highlighted above, it was decided to investigate .
The following points summarise our key findings.
The key findings are outlined below.
Conclusion (s)
The main conclusion that can be drawn is therefore that...
It was decided/agreed/felt that .
No conclusions were reached regarding .
Recommendations
In the light of these conclusions, I recommend that .
It is suggested/recommended/proposed that .
We (strongly) recommend that .
It is essential to .
It would be advisable to .
Signalling
The following areas of concern have been highlighted.
There are a number of reasons for .
There are several factors which affect .
A further factor is .
This raises a number of issues.
As might have been expected, .
Contrary to expectations, .
II.3.3. Useful vocabulary for describing trends
To go up |
To go down |
||
Noun |
Verbs |
Noun |
Verbs |
an increase |
to increase |
a decrease |
to decrease |
a rise |
to rise |
a fall |
to fall |
a growth |
to grow |
a drop |
to drop |
an improvement |
to improvement |
a decline |
to decline |
an upturn |
a downturn |
to go down |
|
a surge |
to surge |
a plunge |
to plunge |
an upsurge |
a slump |
to plummet |
|
a jump |
to jump |
a crash |
to slump |
a leap |
to leap |
a tumble |
to crash |
to take off |
a downward trend |
to slip |
|
to shoot up |
to sink |
||
to soar |
to tumble |
||
to rocket |
Change of direction |
No change of direction |
to peak |
to remain stable |
to reach a peak |
to level off |
to top up |
to stay at the same level |
to reach a low point |
to remain constant |
to bottom out |
to stagnate |
to recover |
to stabilize |
to rebound | |
to revive |
To describe the degree of change |
|||
Adjectives |
rise or fall |
to rise or fall |
Adverbs |
a dramatic |
dramatically |
||
a considerable |
considerably |
||
a sharp |
sharply |
||
a significant |
significantly |
||
a substantial |
substantially |
||
a moderate |
moderately |
||
a slight |
slightly |
To describe the speed of change |
|||
Adjectives |
rise or fall |
to rise or fall |
Adverbs |
an abrupt |
abruptly |
||
a sudden |
suddenly |
||
a rapid |
rapidly |
||
a quick |
quickly |
||
a steady |
steadily |
||
a gradual |
gradually |
||
a slow |
slowly |
Prepositions |
to rise from . to |
to increase by 100% |
a decrease of 50% |
to fall from .to |
to fall by 50% |
Similarity |
Difference |
Both share prices rose sharply in . |
X fell sharply whereas/while Y remained steady |
Neither company has made a profit |
X fell quickly compared to Y |
Like X, Y fell in June |
Unlike X, Y rose by 10% |
X rose just as sharply as Y |
X rose far more dramatically than Y |
UNIT 5
Memos or Informal Reports
I. What is the purpose of memos?
Memos solve problems either by giving the reader new information, like policy changes, price increases, etc., or by persuading the reader to take an action, such as attend a meeting, use less paper, or change a current production procedure. Regardless of the specific goal, memos are most effective when they connect the purpose of the writer with the interests and needs of the reader.
Memos or informal reports are used for internal use, particularly within departments and for dealing with routine issues. They are useful in situations where e-mails or text messages are not suitable. For example, if you are sending an object, such as a book or a paper that needs to be signed, through internal office mail, you can use a memo as a covering note to explain what the receiver should do.
They do not need to be signed, but sometimes have the sender's name at the bottom to be more friendly, or the sender's full name to be more formal.
II. The structure of a memo
Memos should have the following sections and content:
A Subject Heading. Troubleshooting hints:
a. Situation - an Introduction or the purpose of the memo
b. Problem (optional) - for example: "Since the move to the new office in Kowloon Bay, staff have difficulty in finding a nearby place to buy lunch."
c. Solution (optional) - for example: "Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in their own lunchboxes and reheat their food."
d. Action - this may be the same as the solution, or be the part of the solution that the receiver needs to carry out; e.g. "we would appreciate it if you could authorise up to $3,000"
e. Politeness - to avoid the receiver refusing to take the action you want, it is important to end with a polite expression; e.g. "Once again, thank you for your support.", or more informally "Thanks".
Include only as much information as is needed in the context, but be convincing that a real problem exists. Do no ramble on with insignificant details.
For easy reading, put important points or details into lists rather than paragraphs when possible. Be careful to make lists parallel in grammatical form.
Example memos:
To Health
& Safety Committee From Joe Chan, Chairperson, H&S Ctte Date 13 Apr '06 Subject Room change for
next meeting The meeting on Saturday, 13 May has been changed to Room 101. https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/CiLL/eiw/memos.htm
MEMO
MEMO To: Katherine Chu,
Regional Manager From: Stephen Yu,
Sales Date: 28 March 2006 Subject: Notification of
My Resignation I am writing to inform
you of my intention to resign from G & S Holdings. I have appreciated very much my four
years working for the company. The training has been excellent and I have
gained valuable experience working within an efficient and professional
team environment. In particular, I have appreciated your personal guidance
during these first years of my career. I feel now that it is time to further
develop my knowledge and skills base in a different environment. I would like to leave, if possible, in a
month's time on Saturday, 29 April. This will allow me to complete my
current workload. I hope that this suggested arrangement is acceptable to
the company. Once again, thank you for your support. https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/eiw/memos.htm
CONTACT COMPUTER GRAPHICS To: S M Chan,
General Manager 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Advantages 4. Staff Opinion 5. Cost Brand Model Price Philip Sharpe Sonny M903 R-3R29 6145 X 6. Request Samantha Ng
MEMORANDUM
From:
Date:
Subject:
Samantha Ng, Office Manager
13 April 2006
Purchase of a Microwave Oven
At the monthly staff meeting on Monday, 10 April 2006, you requested
information about the possible purchase of a microwave oven. I would now
like to present these details.
Since the move to the new office in
Providing a microwave oven in the pantry would enable staff to bring in
their own lunchboxes and reheat their food. Also, staff members are less
likely to return to work late after lunch.
A survey found that staff would like to use the microwave oven.
Details of suitable models are given below:
If this meets with your approval, we would appreciate it if you could
authorise up to $3,000 for the purchase of the microwave oven.
IV. Writing Tasks
Situation: For some time now your clients have been complaining about the bad communication skills of your accountants. As a result of this situation you have decided to put them on a training course.
Task: Write a 100-150 word memo in which you:
announce them about the course
give them some details about the course
ask them to inform you when they prefer to attend the course
A. Use the report writing tips in the Report writing section.
B. Use the Report Writing Test Assessment Grid in the Report writing section.
|