LIB300 Session 1 week 6 What is a report? Categories of the reports Organizing Reports

1. Understanding and
Planning Reports and
Proposal
Week 6 Session 1

2. What is a ‘report’?
“A report is a written message presenting information that
will help a decision maker to solve business problems”.
(Ricks & Gow, 2012)
Reports are analytical in nature, longer than letters and
memos and contains detailed discussion.
Locker, O.K. and Kaczmarek, K.S. (2011). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills. (5th Ed.). NY, Mass. McGraw-Hill / Irwin.

3. Purpose
of a
Report
Provide the relevant details of an
activity to a specific audience
What is the audience?
• Depends on circumstances
Instructor
• Interested in your methodology and results
will be checking this against standard results
Boss
• Interested in conclusions and implications

4. Content
I. ReportsThree Basic Categories
II.Three-stepWriting Process to
Reports and Proposals
A. Plan
1. Analyzing the situation
2. Gathering Information
3. Selecting the Right Medium
4. Organizing the information
5. SupportingYour Message with
Reliable Information
B. Write
C. Complete

5. What are the three
Categories of
Reports?

6. 3 Basic Categories of Reports
• Offer data, facts, feedback, and other types of information, without
analysis or recommendations
Informational reports
• Offer both information and analysis and can also include
recommendations
Analytical reports
• Present persuasive recommendations to internal or external
audiences, often involving investments or purchases
Proposals
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

7. Informational Reports
Offer data, facts feedback and other types of
information without analysis or recommendations
Reports to Monitor and Control Operations
Reports to Implement Policies and Procedures
Reports to Demonstrate Compliance
Reports to Document Progress
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

8. Analytical Reports
Offer information and analysis; can also include
recommendations
Reports to Assess Opportunities
Reports to Solve Problems
Reports to Support Decisions
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

9. Proposals
Feature persuasive requests for decisions or
action
Internal Proposals
External Proposals
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

10. Plan

11. 1. Analyzing the
Situation
Pay attention to your
statement of purpose,
which explains why you are
preparing the report and
what you plan to deliver.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

12. To identify potential markets for our new
phone-based videogames
To update the board directors on the progress
of the research project
To submit required information to the
Securities and Exchange Commission
Report sample statement purpose.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

13. To secure funding in next year’s budget for new
conveyor systems in the warehouse
To get management approval to reorganize the
North American sales force
To secure $2million from outside investors to start
production of the new titanium mountain bike
A proposal must also be guided by a clear
statement or purpose to help you focus on
crafting a persuasive message.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

14. 2. Gathering
Information
Some reports require
formal research projects
in order to gather all the
necessary information.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

15. 3. Selecting the
right medium
The best medium for any given
report might be anything from a
professionally printed and bound
document to an online executive
dashboard that displays nothing
but report highlights.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

16. 4. Organizing your information
• Present the reports’ recommendation, followed by the
conclusions that lead to the recommendation
Direct approach
• Introduce the topic but no conclusions are drawn
immediately, the conclusions and the ultimate
recommendation appear later, in the body of the report.
IndirectApproach
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

17. Informational
reports

18. 4.1
Organizing
Informational
Reports
Comparison
• Showing similarities and differences, advantages and
disadvantages
Importance
• Building up from the least important item to the most
Important or vice versa
Sequence
• Organizing the steps or stages in a process or
procedure
Chronology
• Organizing a chain of events in order from oldest to
Newest or vice versa
Geography
• Organizing by region, city, state, country, or another
Geographic unit
Category
• Grouping a topical category, such as sales, profit, cost
or investment

19. Exercise: For each sentence, identify the
correct logical order: comparison, importance
, sequence, chronology, geography, and
category
1. You must prepare a status report to
account for daily activities.
2. You must examine how three
companies solved the same
problem.
3. You must write a report to discuss
your department’s major projects.
4. You develop a set of instructions for
an on-the-job training manual.
5. You attended a meeting
representing your boss, and you are
now writing a memo to your boss
about what happened.

20. Analytical reports

21. Introduction
Conclusion
Support the conclusion with evidence
Support the conclusion with evidence
Complete the report by highlighting
areas that still need improvement
Summary
4.2 Organizing Analytical Reports
•Focusing on Conclusions
When you’re addressing a receptive audience
Example:
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

22. 4.2 OrganizingAnalytical Reports
Establish
Establish the need
for action in the
introduction by
describing the
problem or
opportunity
Introduce
Introduce the
benefits that can
be achieved if the
recommendation is
adopted, along
with any potential
risks.
List
List the steps
(recommendations
) required to
achieve the
benefit, using
action verbs for
emphasis
Explain
Explain each step
more fully, giving
details on
procedures, costs,
and benefits; if
necessary also
explain how risks
can be minimized.
Summarize
Summarize your
recommendations
Focusing on Recommendations
When readers want to know what you think they should do
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

23. 4.2 Organizing Analytical
Reports
Focusing on Logical Arguments
• When readers are potentially skeptical,
consider using the indirect approach to
logically build toward your conclusion or
recommendation.
• Demonstrate everything that adds up to
your conclusion and use a number of
criteria to decide which option to select
from two or more possibilities.
Bovee, C., &Thill, John. (2012). Business Communication Essentials (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall

24. End of Session 1