### The Evolution and Impact of Cricket: A Comprehensive Analysis #### Introduction Cricket, a sport that began as a pastime in the fields of England, has grown into a global phenomenon that captivates millions. Its evolution from a rudimentary bat-and-ball game to a sophisticated sport played in various formats reflects the dynamic nature of its history. This essay delves into the historical development, cultural significance, economic impact, and contemporary issues facing cricket, providing a thorough understanding of this beloved sport. #### Historical Development ##### Origins and Early Development Cricket's origins are somewhat obscure, but it is widely accepted that the game began in the south-east of England during the 16th century. Early references to the game, then known as "creckett," suggest it was initially played by children. By the 17th century, cricket had gained popularity among adults, and village matches became common. The 18th century marked a significant period in cricket's development. The establishment of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 1787 and the formulation of the Laws of Cricket provided a structured framework that facilitated the sport's standardization and growth. These laws, albeit with numerous amendments over the centuries, still govern the game today. ##### Expansion and Globalization The 19th century was pivotal for cricket's expansion beyond England. The British Empire played a crucial role in spreading the sport to its colonies, including India, Australia, the Caribbean, and South Africa. Cricket became a symbol of British culture, often associated with the ideals of sportsmanship and fair play. Test cricket, the longest form of the game, emerged during this period. The first officially recognized Test match was played between England and Australia in 1877. This format established cricket as a serious and strategic sport, requiring not only physical skill but also mental resilience and tactical acumen. The 20th century witnessed further global expansion and the birth of international competitions. The Imperial Cricket Conference (now the International Cricket Council or ICC) was founded in 1909 to oversee international cricket relations and competitions. The establishment of the ICC World Cup in 1975 introduced the One Day International (ODI) format, which significantly increased the game's appeal by offering a more concise and dynamic version of cricket. #### Cultural Significance ##### National Identity and Unity Cricket has played a substantial role in shaping national identities, particularly in countries where it is the dominant sport. In India, for instance, cricket transcends regional, linguistic, and religious differences, acting as a unifying force. Icons like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are not merely sports figures but national heroes who symbolize aspiration and excellence. In the Caribbean, cricket has been a critical element of post-colonial identity. The success of the We

1. Report Writing
Module 2

2. INTRODUCTION
 Reports are facts and arguments on a specific subject presented
in an orderly and systematic manner.
 Reports assist in decision-making.
 Some present a review of background information that aids in
deciding on a future course of action, while others provide
solutions to actual business problems.
 Organizing a report requires a thorough understanding of the
purpose for which the report is required, the audience that will
read the report, and the context or backdrop against which the
report is set.

3. How Reports help the managers?
 Reports are assigned and written to enable managers to make
decisions when they cannot directly observe the materials,
personnel, and other factors involved in running an organization.
 Managers must rely on the observations and reports of others
when:
 ❚ They are too far removed from a particular operation to observe it
directly.
 ❚ They do not have time to supervise an operation directly.
 ❚ They do not have the technical expertise to make accurate
observations.

4. QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL REPORT
 Reports must be accurate, reliable, and objective for effective decision-
making to occur.
 Good reports do not merely inform; they give the readers ideas,
direction, and answers to pressing problems.
 It is also said that the recipients of reports, who are usually higher up in
the chain of command, assess the credibility of the writer by the quality
of the report.
 Writers need to be free of biases and prejudice. They need to honestly
assess whether all the relevant information pertaining to the subject of
the report has been included.

5. To achieve accuracy and objectivity in Report
Writing
 Differentiate between facts and opinions—avoid hasty and ill-conceived generalizations that are
not supported by evidence.
 Use correct sources of information that are regularly updated. Also cite these wherever
necessary. Do not rely solely on one source.
 Avoid unfair comparisons and analogies.
 As far as possible, test for things which have been assumed. Generalizing hypotheses and
stating these to be a norm without accurately testing them makes the research subjective in
nature.
 Use logic to support arguments. Emotional statements and the excessive use of adjectives and
weak verbs make the writing ineffective.
 Focus on people and not on the ideas in framing sentences. In essence, make the subject of
the sentence the person or the organization, not the idea that one has proposed. The idea then
becomes the object of the subject’s focus. For instance, the sentence “*Rightsizing can result
in motivating officers who are sincere in their jobs” should ideally be rephrased to “Sincere
officers benefit the most from the proposed rightsizing.”
 *reduce the size of the company by shedding the staff.

6. DIRECT AND INDIRECT REPORTING STYLES
 A thumb rule to follow when selecting a reporting style is to select the direct style
when:
 ❚ The writer is sure that the audience will react positively to the direct tone.
 ❚ The writer knows the audience well.
 ❚ What is written has a positive feel to it.
 ❚ The matter is routine
 The indirect style should be chosen when:
 ❚The writer is unsure about the reaction of the audience to the direct tone.
 ❚ The writer does not know the audience (when in doubt, it is better to use the indirect style).
 ❚ What is written has a negative feel to it.
 ❚ The writer wants to build up his or her case.

7. 5 Ws and 1 H
 A report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with
an interrogative word:
• Who is it about?
• What happened?
• When did it take place?
• Where did it take place?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?*
• *"how" can also be covered by "what", "where", or "when"

8. Reports can be classified according to their requirement
in the organization

9. Format/Structure
 The elements (parts) of a full report, in the order of their sequence in a long, formal report are:
Cover
Title page
Acknowledgements
Table of contents
Executive summary
Introduction
Discussion/description
Conclusions
Recommendations
Appendix
List of references
Bibliography
Glossary
Index
Front Matter
Main Body
Back Matter

10.  In the normal arrangement, the conclusions and recommendations are positioned
after the discussion. However, business executives are usually short of time and are,
therefore, more interested in knowing the conclusions and recommendations of the
study. Alternative arrangement follows the below order:

Alternative Arrangement:
Order of Elements in a Formal Business Report

11. Parts of a Formal Report

12. The Title Page
The title page includes the
following:
 The heading (title of the report),
which should be short, clear, and
unambiguous.
 The name and affiliation of the
author(s).
 The department and date of issue.

13. Acknowledgements
The writer of the report should thank everyone
associated with the assignment and preparation of the
report.
Sample: I thank my organization, PPL Feedback Packaging Limited, for giving me the opportunity to
conduct this research project. A special word of thanks to Mr. Suresh Kumar (Director and Chief
Executive), Mr. Nitin Khanna (DGM), and the executives of PPL Feedback Packaging Limited for
giving me the necessary guidance and help. I also thank all the respondents of the survey, who gave
me valuable information to carry out the study. Finally, I wish to thank my colleagues in the
marketing department, whose inputs were invaluable to the research.

14. Letter of Transmittal
Although the letter of transmittal is usually placed
after the title page, it functions as a greeting to the
reader.
The letter summarizes the findings, conclusions, and
recommendations and gives an idea of what is in the
report.

15. Table of Contents
 Long reports must have a table of
contents placed after the
acknowledgements and before the
executive summary.
 It identifies the topics and their
page numbers in the report (or any
long document).
 It indicates the hierarchy of topics
and their sequence and mentions
the main sections of the report
exactly as they are worded in the
text.

16. Abstract and Executive Summary
 An abstract or executive summary
comes immediately after the list of
tables in the table of contents or
on/after the title page itself.
 A report has either an abstract or an
executive summary, based on the length
of the report and expectations of
readers. A company practice may be to
have both an abstract and an executive
summary with long reports.
 A summary: ■ Should give the context
of the report ■ Should provide the most
important findings, conclusions, and
recommendations ■ Should act as a
time-saver for busy management
executives
 Management reports use executive
summaries instead of abstracts.
An abstract is a summary of a
report’s most important points.
It can be either descriptive or
informative and is generally
written in about 200 words and
in one paragraph.
An executive summary gives a
more detailed overview of a report
than an abstract does. It can run
into one or two pages. It presents
the reader with a preview of the
report’s findings, conclusions,
recommendations, and impact on
the company. Management
executives sometimes need to know
just the main contents of a report,
especially its conclusions and
recommendations, and a detailed
synopsis in the form of an executive
summary serves this purpose.
DIFFERENCE

17. Executive Summary’s Content
An executive summary covers all the major elements of a report’s
content:
1. Background of the problem
2.Major topics
3.Important details
4.Main conclusions
5.Recommendations
6.Discussion of how implementation of the recommendations would affect
the company.

18. Discussion and Analysis of Findings
This is the main body of the report, and the
collected information is developed in one of the
following ways:
Chronological development
Subject-wise development
Concept-wise Development

19. Discussion and Analysis of Findings
 Chronological development:
The information can be arranged in the order in which the events
happened. This is the simplest method of presenting information—as a
story with a beginning, middle, and end.
It requires relatively little planning and organizing. The writer selects
and arranges the major topics in the order of their occurrence.
Nonsignificant events are left out.
This method is usually used for writing short reports, progress reports
describing the status of a project, and investigative reports that discuss
investigations conducted over a long time and at different places.
 By discussing each event step by step, the cumulative effect of a
variable (factor/ thing) can be seen through the conclusions drawn at
suitable intervals.

20. Discussion and Analysis of Findings
 Subject-wise development
The information can also be arranged according to the subjects or
topics discussed within the report.
The subjects are grouped in a predetermined order to make the
presentation of information coherent and logical.
When writing a report with several variables, the author should
arrange the discussions according to the subjects, explain how each
variable affects each subject, calculate the cumulative effect, and then
record the cumulative effect in a chronological order.
The writer must select a sequence based on the variable they want to
recommend or emphasize, either in increasing or decreasing
suitability order. They must clearly indicate whether ascending or
descending order is being followed before structuring the information.

21. Discussion and Analysis of Findings
 Concept-wise Development
The information can be organized ‘concept-wise’, which means that
the writer develops his or her argument and reasoning on the lines
of his or her thoughts and can arrange the report by following the
logical sequence of the investigation.
The writer organizes a report by describing each step in sequence,
guiding the argument and forming a complete concept through a
well-linked procession of ideas.
The concept-wise method involves the writer explaining their
reasoning and conclusion in a complex topic, ensuring the reader
understands the various concepts used in the conclusion.

22. Glossary
 A glossary is a list of technical terms used in a report or paper, placed at the end
of the report before the index.
 It explains usage, rules for compounding, abbreviating, and writing difficult
words.
 Commonly confused words due to similar meanings or spellings include diplex
and duplex, ground floor and first floor, postpone and cancel, and imply and infer.
 Common errors in usage include using "many times" instead of "many times",
replacing "one of the best options" with "one of the best options", and "comprises
of" instead of "for comprises".
 Words often misspelled, such as agism (age-ism), accomodation (instead of
accommodation), and seprate (should be separate), are examples of incorrect
spelling.
 Words with multiple acceptable spellings, like program and programme, are
listed in the glossary, with a choice indicated for those like symposiums and
symposia.
 The glossary provides a comprehensive explanation of the usage of words like

23. Appendix
 The appendix is used to give a variety of information separately when
its inclusion in the main body could interfere with the smooth reading
of the report.
 It usually includes the text of questionnaires or other instruments of
survey like tables, flow charts, maps, summaries of raw data, and
details of mathematical formulation.
 Each appendix is numerically or alphabetically labelled to help the
reader identify the material.
 The word ‘annexure’ is sometimes used for the appendix.
 The appendix may also include the distribution list. When a report is
sent to several persons, it will contain a list of all the persons who
receive a copy.
 A short distribution list can appear at the foot of the table of contents

24. Bibliography and References
 The bibliography lists all sources used in preparing a report, including
reference documents, previous reports, books, periodicals, and letters.
 Report writers must cite sources as footnotes (wherever acceptable) or
endnotes to avoid plagiarism.
 Cross-references should be documented without disrupting the
argument's flow. Writers can use footnotes or endnotes to provide
references, allowing readers to check accuracy and consult original
sources. Endnotes are preferred as they are easy to refer to and avoid
spacing issues.
 Each reference to be cited in the endnotes is numbered consecutively as
1, 2, 3, and so on. Accordingly, each reference should have the same
number when mentioned in the body of the discussion (In-Text
Citation).

25. Index
 An index (plural indexes or indices) is an alphabetical list of subjects,
names, and so on, with references to page numbers where they occur
in the report or book.
 It is usually placed at the end.
 It should not be confused with the table of contents, which always
appears at the beginning of the report or book.
 In long reports and voluminous works, an index helps the reader
locate a subject easily wherever it has been mentioned or discussed in
the text.

26. Using Diagrams and Visual Aids in
Reports
 Report writers use tables and graphics such as bar charts, line
charts, and pictograms to explain ideas briefly and vividly.
 Diagrams, like all visual aids, communicate information clearly and
effectively with the help of the following:
Use of Tables
Use of Graphics

27. Use of Tables

28. Use of Graphics
 Bar Charts
A bar chart can be
simple or complex.
A simple bar chart
is used to compare
quantities that can
be depicted on a
scale.
A bar chart can be
broken up when the
quantities are too
large to be covered
by the chart.

29. Segmented Bar Chart  Sometimes bar charts
represent more than
one item and include
several components,
which are depicted by
segmenting the bars
into different parts
shown in different
colors or cross-
hatchings.
 The labels to identify
different parts can be
given separately if
there is inadequate
space along the bars.
 The segmented bar
chart is also known as

30. Line Charts/Graphs
 Line charts are useful for showing
changes in quantitative data spread
over some time.
 Use the vertical axis to represent
amount and the horizontal axis for
time.
 Begin the vertical axis at zero and
divide the scale according to the size
of the amount to be shown on it.
 Make both vertical and horizontal
gradations equal. That is, all spaces
on the amount (vertical) axis should
be the same, and all-time scales
should be the same. But it is not
necessary that the time space and
amount divisions be equal.
 Use proper proportions in the sizes
of the vertical and horizontal
measures so that the lines drawn

31. Pie Charts
 A pie chart
presents a whole
that is divided
into various
parts.
 The pie
represents the
whole, and its
segments
represent parts
of the whole.
 A pie chart is
used to show the
relationship
among parts only

32. Histograms
 A histogram is a graph of
frequency distribution.
 When drawing a
histogram, the variable is
always shown on the x-
axis and the frequency is
determined on the y-axis.
 A histogram consists of a
series of adjacent
rectangles, each having a
class-interval distance as
its width and the
frequency distance as its
height.
 The area of the
histogram represents the
total frequency
distribution across the
classes

33. *The Art and Science of Business Communication
Skills, Concepts, Cases, and Applications-Fourth
Edition- P.D. Chaturvedi & Mukesh Chaturvedi