These slides were prepared for a writing workshop offered by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, Massey University, for students taking the Organisational Communication course. It focuses on writing a business report for assignment 2.

1. REPORT WRITING
(for organisational communication)These slides can be viewed at:
tinyurl.com/219303report
Centre for Teaching and
Learning
Library Level 3
ctlalb@massey.ac.nz
09 441 8143

2. CONTENTS
Report Structure
Research & Writing Process
Online Extras
Assignment Question
Writing Advice and
Sample Phrases
Referencing Basics

3. ASSIGNMENT QUESTION

4. FOCUS OF THE REPORT

5. TYPICALLY, 15 – 25 PARAGRAPHS
OF ABOUT THREE TO SIX
SENTENCES EACH.

6. Use our assignment
planning calculator at
owll.massey.ac.nz
TWO WEEKS FROM NOW!

7. RESEARCH & WRITING
PROCESS

8. STEP 1: PLANNING
• Choose an organisation.
• Research topics of interest.
• Construct an interview schedule to explore these topics.

9. STEP 2: DATA COLLECTION
• Read Massey University Code of Ethical Conduct.
• Provide the information sheet to the interviewee.
• Conduct the interview.
• Make notes or record and transcribe the interview.

10. STEP 3: DATA ANALYSIS
• Use theory as a tool to identify relevant issues in the data.
• Collect supporting quotations and other evidence to
support your identification of issues.
• Use theory and examples of best practice to develop
recommendations.
• Prepare the interview schedule and summary of data as
appendices for the report.

11. STEP 4: REPORT WRITING
• Follow the advice given in the rest of this presentation, in the
writing guidelines and handout (from Stream) and on OWLL.
• Ensure you have cited a number of scholarly books, book
chapters and journal articles and have compiled a correct
APA reference list.
• Ask another student to check your work and give you
feedback.
• Consider booking a consultation at the CTL (in advance!).

12. REPORT STRUCTURE

13. Cover page
Executive summary
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Research process
3. Findings and discussion
4. Conclusions
5. Recommendations
References
Appendices
Sections of the report

14. Analysis of some previous reports

15. WRITING ADVICE &
SAMPLE PHRASES

16. Executive Summary advice
• You need to finish writing the rest of the report before you
write this.
• It should give an overview of the whole report.
• Summarise the main points in each of the main sections in
one to three sentences.

17. Executive Summary phrases
This report presents an investigation of …. at a New Zealand
adventure tourism company. The report is based on ….. . The
interview was transcribed and analysed thematically from a ….
perspective. Three major issues emerged from this analysis: ……… .
The report concludes that …. . Recommendations are made regarding
improvements in ……

18. Introduction advice
• Include about two paragraphs summarising relevant
information about the organisation: The first could provide
general information, while the second one could focus on
aspects of the organisation which are particularly relevant
to organisational communication.
• Also include a short paragraph about the purpose of the
report and the theoretical approach(es) used.

19. Sample introduction phrases
The aim of this report is to present an investigation of organizational
communication issues at a New Zealand adventure tourism company
(referred to here as ‘Kiwi Tours’). Kiwi Tours organises adventure
tours throughout New Zealand, ranging from …. During 2016, the
turnover was ….. , a 20% increase on the previous year. The
company employs 25 permanent staff and ….
Organizational communication is critical to the success of the
company because …. However, the nature of the business, with its
heavy reliance on seasonal staff, together with the diversity of clients
present several challenges for both internal and external
communications. The business … In 2016, clients came from …. and
spoke … different languages …..

20. Because of the dynamic external environment of Kiwi Tours, and the
need for effective intercultural communication, the analysis in this
report is informed by …. model (Brayne, 2010). This model is
particularly suited to …. and has been applied to organisations in the
same business sector as Kiwi Tours, such as ….. (Buch-Werme,
2012).

21. Research Process advice
• Use the past tense to describe your interviews, ethics, your
notetaking and/or transcription and your data analysis.
Make sure you also explain why you made your decisions.
• Switch to present tense to make general comments about
research method etc.
• Use impersonal language (e.g. passive).
• Note any important limitations of your method and/or data.

22. Sample research process phrases
As this was a small-scale, exploratory study, a ….. approach was
followed. This approach involves …. (Dum & Dummer, 1996). A
number of artefacts were first gathered in order to …. . These
included: …………. . Then a semi-structured interview was conducted
with ……. (referred to as Emily in this report). She was chosen
because …. A semi-structured interview was considered appropriate
because ….
The interview took place in … and was recorded and later transcribed
(See Appendices A and B). Blah blah analysis (Dum & Dummer,
1996) was used in order to identify organisational communication
issues, with reference to the … model (Brayne, 2010).

23. The interviewee was provided with an information sheet (See
Appendix C) and ….. in order to ensure ……
There are a number of inherent limitations in the qualitative method
used in this study. These include ….. (Dum & Dummer, 1996).
Specific limitations of this study include ….. . As a result, …..

24. Findings & Discussion advice
• Divide it into 3, 4 or 5 sections with about three paragraphs
each (of 4 – 6 sentences).
• Identify the organisational communication issue, including
a definition and explanation from a book or journal article.
• Provide quotations and other evidence to show why this is
an issue in the organisation, and possible causes and
effects.
• Discuss what the literature says about best practice in
relation to this issue and whether it is appropriate for the
selected organisation.

25. Findings & Discussion phrases
3.2 Blah blah
The process of communicating blah blah to external stakeholders is
known as ……. . Blah blah has been defined as “ ……… “ (Locke,
Stock, & Barrill, 2016, p. 24). Blah blah is an essential component in
the creation and maintenance of brand value because …. (Byers &
Sellars, 2011). It is considered a source of …. , which is crucial to
organisational success in … environments (Bigg & Bold, 2009).
Emily reported two weaknesses in blah blah at Kiwi Tours. One
weakness is in how blah blah is created and distributed within the
organisation. As she explained: “ …………. “. This type of weakness is
regarded as an indication of poor horizontal communication, which
can lead to …. (Speke & Lissen, 2007).

26. Conclusions advice
• Divide it into 3, 4 or 5 sections of one paragraph each (of 3
– 4 sentences) – each one based on the corresponding
paragraph in the previous section (4.1 summarises 3.1
etc).
• Each section should highlight the key lessons learnt from
the analysis of each organisational communication issue at
the selected organisation.
• Do not say what the organisation should do (that goes in
the recommendations).

27. Conclusions phrases
4.2 Blah blah
Kiwi Tours has weaknesses both in the creation and dissemination of
blah blah internally and in the communication of blah blah to
external stakeholders. These are indications of underlying
weaknesses in brand management; for instance, in the lack of clarity
regarding organisational mission and values and in lack of attention
to these within induction of staff and strategic planning. External
communication of blah blah is further hampered by confusions over
roles and responsibilities.

28. Recommendations advice
• Divide it into 3, 4 or 5 sections (of 1 – 2 sentences) – each
one based on the corresponding paragraph in the previous
section (5.1 is logically related to 4.1 etc).
• Google ‘SMART objectives’ and ensure that your
recommendations are ‘SMART’. This includes how the
organisation should evaluate any changes which you
recommend them to make.
• You don’t need to explain why the organisation should
follow these recommendations – that should be obvious
from your previous discussion.

29. Recommendations phrases
5.2 Kiwi Tours appoints a blah blah manager as soon as possible with
six-month goals to complete an approved blah blah strategy and to
liaise with the HR manager to include this blah blah strategy as a key
element within a revised induction and training plan for 20__. The
firm should consider external evaluation of the revised strategy and
induction plan after a 12 month period.

30. REFERENCING BASICS

31. The most common references are to these four
types of expert source:
BOOKS CHAPTERS IN
EDITED BOOKS
ARTICLES IN
SCHOLARLY,
PEER-REVIEWED
JOURNALS
CREDIBLE
WEBSITES

32. You’re going to see an APA reference list which includes all of
these types of sources.
Discuss with your partner
• Which of the four types of source appears more than
once?
• Why are the references in this order?
• Why do some lines begin after a space?

33. References
Biggins, G. (2009). Why I became a social worker. In P. Te Ara & T.
Rogers (Eds.), Social work and social workers in New
Zealand/Aotearoa (pp.102-120). Auckland, New Zealand: Insight
Press.
Hamel, G. (2000). Leading the revolution. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Press.
Hubbard, J., Thomas, C., & Varnham, S. (2001). Principles of law for
New Zealand business students (2nd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand:
Pearson Education.
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American
Behavioral Scientist, 48(1), 35-42. doi:10.1080/09585190802707433
Statistics New Zealand. (2009). Mapping trends in the Auckland
region. Retrieved from
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Publications/PopulationStatistics/mapping
-trends-in-the-auckland-region.aspx.

34. References
Biggins, G. (2009). Why I became a social worker. In P. Te Ara & T.
Rogers (Eds.), Social work and social workers in New
Zealand/Aotearoa (pp.102-120). Auckland, New Zealand: Insight
Press.
Hamel, G. (2000). Leading the revolution. Boston, MA: Harvard
Business School Press.
Hubbard, J., Thomas, C., & Varnham, S. (2001). Principles of law for
New Zealand business students (2nd ed.). Auckland, New Zealand:
Pearson Education.
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American
Behavioral Scientist, 48(1), 35-42. doi:10.1080/09585190802707433
Statistics New Zealand. (2009). Mapping trends in the Auckland
region. Retrieved from
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Publications/PopulationStatistics/mapping
-trends-in-the-auckland-region.aspx.
‘References’ top and centred
Alphabetical order
Hanging indent

35. • should consist of expert sources
• includes only the sources you have cited in the essay
• is on a separate page at the end of your essay/report with
the title ‘References’ (at the top in the centre)
• is ordered alphabetically by author
• has a hanging indent (i.e. only the first line of each
reference begins at the left margin (see the last slide in
your handout for tips on how to do this)
An APA reference list:

36. BOOK
Hamel, G. (2000). Leading the revolution. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
surname,
initial
(year) title city
publisher
For more than one
author, include all
names with initials
(followed by . and ,)
Hubbard, J., Thomas, C., & Varnham, S. (2001). Principles
of law for New Zealand business students (2nd ed.).
Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Education.
This is how you
indicate second, third
… edition

37. CITY OF PUBLICATION
UK, NZ etc
city,
country
Harmondsworth, England:
Penguin.
Palmerston North, New
Zealand: Dunmore Press.
USA
city, state
initials
Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Check title of book in library catalogue and/or Google if city of
publication is not clear from the book itself
Australia
Either state
abbreviation
OR country
Milton, Qld: McGraw-Hill.
Milton, Australia: McGraw-
Hill.

38. CHAPTER IN
EDITED BOOK
Biggins, G. (2009). Why I became a social worker. In P. Te Ara & T. Rogers (Eds.),
Social work and social workers in New Zealand/Aotearoa (pp.102-120).
Auckland, New Zealand: Insight Press.
Title of chapter –
not in italics
Editors’ names (initial
before) and (Eds.)
Title of book
– in italics
Page numbers of chapter – in
brackets with pp. before
Author of chapter
and year of
publication
City &
Publisher

39. ARTICLE IN A
SCHOLARLY JOURNAL
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social
institution. American Behavioral
Scientist, 48(1), 35-42.
author’s name
year
Title (no italics; not in capitals)
journal name
(italics; main words start
with capitals)
volume number in italics;
issue number in brackets
page numbers
doi:10.1080/09585190802707433
doi number
(if the article has one)

40. WEB PAGE REFERENCE
Statistics New Zealand. (2009).
Mapping trends in the Auckland
region. Retrieved from
http://www.stats.govt.nz/Publication
s/PopulationStatistics/mapping-
trends-in-the-auckland-region.aspx.
author’s name
(or organisation that owns the web site)
Year
(if it’s missing put (n.d.)
Retrieved from
followed by full internet address
Title of page

41. You’re going to see another APA reference list.
Discuss with your partner
Which two of these elements are missing?
A) city of publication B) page numbers
C) publisher D) volume & issue numbers

42. References
New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2015). What we get for what we spend: Retrieved
from http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/data/assets/pdf_file/0011/163685/What-we-
get-for-what-we-spend-Inputs-outputs-and-outcomes-of-Govts-tertiary-education-
expenditure-2004-2013.pdf
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated
learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher
Education, 31(2), 199 — 218.
North, S. M. (1995). The idea of a writing center. In C. Murphy & J. Law (Eds.), Landmark
essays on writing centers. Davis, CA: Hermagoras Press.
Parker, M. (1992). Post-modern organizations or postmodern organization theory?
Organization Studies, 13(1), 1.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of
research. Jossey-Bass.
A) city B) page numbers C) publisher D) volume & issue numbers

43. A & B were missing References
New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2015). What we get for what we spend.
Retrieved from
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/data/assets/pdf_file/0011/163685/Wh
at-we-get-for-what-we-spend-Inputs-outputs-and-outcomes-of-Govts-
tertiary-education-expenditure-2004-2013.pdf
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-
regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice.
Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218.
North, S. M. (1995). The idea of a writing center. In C. Murphy & J. Law (Eds.),
Landmark essays on writing centers (pp. 71-85). Davis, CA: Hermagoras
Press.
Parker, M. (1992). Post-modern organizations or postmodern organization
theory? Organization Studies, 13(1), 1.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third
decade of research. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

44. In this session you have learnt how to:
SUMMARY
• structure and plan a report
• write an executive summary
• structure main report sections
• use professional writing style
• refer to research with appropriate citations
• format an end-of-text reference list, including
books, book chapters, journal articles and web
pages in APA style
These slides can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/219303report

45. ONLINE EXTRAS
• Finding sources
• Using sources
• Referencing software
• Indenting a reference list

46. FINDING SOURCES

47. USING
DISCOVER
USING
DATABASES
USING
REFERENCE
LISTS
Three ways to find academic sources

48. USING
DISCOVER

49. USING
REFERENCE
LISTS

50. USING
DATABASES

51. RESULTING
ARTICLES

52. USING SOURCES

53. Look especially in introduction, discussion and
conclusion sections of articles to identify key ideas
on your topic.
Make brief notes as much as possible in your own
words, from memory and include the reference.

54. 4 major features: social hierarchy, obedience, balance
and give and take Tsui et al., 2004
Example 1
Using my own words in my notes (instead of ‘cut and
paste’) means that I can write without
risk of plagiarism.
Original text
My note

55. Example 2
Original version
social harmony = basis of stable society – depends on
people showing respect and accepting norms and
position in society
My note
Zhang, Lin, Nonoka, & Beom, 2005

56. Example 3
Confucianism = philosophical & ethical / system /
guides social behaviour / supports stable government
(de Bettignies, Ip, Bai, Habisch, & Lenssen, 2011
Original text
My note

57. Example 4
Junzi = exemplary individual – committed to behaving
ethically (Ip, 2011)
Original text
My note

58. Build up a single set of notes divided into themes and add
notes from different articles under the same theme.
Qualities of Confucian leader
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Arvey, Dhanaraj, Javidan, & Zhang)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Fernandez)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Lang, Irby, & Brown)

59. Then you need to select the ideas you want to include ….
… and expand your notes into sentences which
flow

60. Confucianism = philosophical & ethical / system / guides social
behaviour / supports stable government
(de Bettignies, Ip, Bai, Habisch, & Lenssen, 2011
In contrast to Fayol’s pragmatism, Confucianism is a
philosophical and ethical approach to the maintenance of social
stability (de Bettignies, Ip, Bai, Habisch, & Lenssen, 2011).
My note
My sentence
You can be creative when you write from your notes – as long
as you keep to the ‘spirit’ of the original.
Example 1

61. Example 2
Junzi = exemplary individual – committed to behaving
ethically (Ip, 2011)
My note
Their credibility is strengthened by a commitment
to continual self-improvement, with the aim of
achieving the status of junzi, or person of
exemplary moral character (Ip, 2009).
My sentence

62. • For a free download and more information about EndNote see
tinyurl.com/masseyendnote
• For help with EndNote, contact the library at Library@massey.ac.nz
or go to tinyurl.com/masseylibraryquestions
• For upcoming library sessions on EndNote see
tinyurl.com/masseylibraryworkshops
• You can find other free referencing applications at onenote.com,
zotero.com and mendeley.com
Referencing software

63. Write the list normally – with each reference ‘left-aligned’ like this:
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American Behavioral Scientist,
48(1), 35-42.
Select the whole list.
Click on the ‘paragraph’ tab and on ‘special’.
Select ‘hanging’.
Click on ‘OK’. The references change to this:
Silverblatt, A. (2004). Media as a social institution. American Behavioral Scientist,
48(1), 35-42.
Smile – it’s over!
How to indent a reference list (PC)

64. © 2017
This PowerPoint Presentation and the accompanying handouts are
copyrighted by Centre for Teaching and Learning, Massey
University and may not be used, except for personal study,
without written permission from the copyright owner. Please
note that examples are provided for illustration of writing
principles only and no reliance should be placed on any of the
ideas referred to in the texts.
Martin McMorrow, Centre for Teaching and Learning
09 441 8143 ctlalb@massey.ac.nz
These slides can be viewed at: tinyurl.com/219303report