This document provides guidance on writing business reports. It discusses clarifying the writing task by classifying the report by time, delivery, length, function and format. It also covers the main types of reports including informational, analytical and persuasive reports. The document provides details on writing reports in a group and how to organize and draft the different sections of a business report.

1. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
1
Contents
CLARIFYING WRITING TASK...............................................................................................2
Classification of report ........................................................................................................2
TYPE OF REPORTS ...............................................................................................................4
INFORMATIONAL REPORTS – PROGRESS & PROJECT REPORT......................................5
ANALYTICAL REPORT – EVALUATION & FEASIBILITY REPORT ......................................6
PERSUASIVE REPORT – PROPOSALS & RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
(RFP) .....................................................................................................................................7
WRITE REPORT IN A GROUP..............................................................................................8
4 Types of approaches ..........................................................................................................8
OPERATIONALIZE PROBLEM .............................................................................................9
WAYS TO DIVIDE THE INFORMATION ..............................................................................9
SYSTEM OF OUTLINE SYMBOLS .........................................................................................9
SOURCE OF INFORMATION ............................................................................................. 10
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION................................................................................... 10
SAMPLING METHOD ..........................................................................................................11
QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION ..................................................................................12
ORGANIZING & DRAFTING REPORT.................................................................................13
Flow of information presentation..................................................................................... 14
Organizing report body ......................................................................................................15

2. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
2
CLARIFYING WRITING TASK
Classification of report
1) Time
2) Delivery
3) Length
4) Function
5) Format/form
6) Formality
1) time – different stages of project to inform people about the progress/problem encountered
i. preliminary report (before commencemant of project)
ii. interim report (middle stage)
iii. periodic report (fixed-interval : routine)
iv. final report (completion of project)
2) delivery – medium of presentation
i. oral report (transmitted orally – informal/formal)
ii. written report (commonly at workplace)
3) length
i. short report
- 5 pages or less
- 3 parts > intro – report body – conclusion
- Informal style
ii. long report
- more than 5 pages
- actual length varies with complexity of issues discussed
- 3 parts > prefatory / preliminary – report body - appended parts
4) function
i. Informational report
- To provide information needed by reader.
- Information in organized matter
- Not make any judgment
ii. Analytical report
- Based on facts gathered, interpret / analyze the information
- Sometimes, recommend actions needed.
iii. Persuasive report
- To influence reader to agree with the solution suggested.
- Based on fact and interpretation
- Use data / well-chosen data / visual aids

3. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
3
5) format / form
i. Form report
- Pre-printed forms
- Routine in nature
- E.g. : accidents report / daily sales report
ii. Memorandum report
- Use memo format
- Informal in language
- Brief
iii. Letter report
- Exactly like letter
- Have components necessary – address, salutation, etc
6) formality
i. Informal report
- Short
- Language – conversational in nature
- Matters less complex
- Memo / letter format
ii. Formal report
- Quite long
- Language -formal
- Fairly complex
- Long report format

4. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
4
TYPE OF REPORTS
Informational report Analytical report Persuasive report
Function  Present only facts
 not evaluate / judge/
recommend
 don’t give opinion
 tell HOW and WHAT
 not WHY
 analyze / evaluate the
data & interpret the
information
 To influence decision
in agree with solution
suggested
Common
type
 Progress report
 Project report
 Situation report
 Site visit report
 Process description and
instruction report
 Feasibility report
 Evaluation report
 Proposals
 Respons to request
for proposal (RFP)
example  Progress report
 Project report
 Travel report
 Test report
 accident report

5. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
5
INFORMATIONAL REPORTS – PROGRESS & PROJECT REPORT
Progress report Project report
Function - compilation of all projects a person
undertook during a period of time
in the past (past week / month/
year)
- report on work done during
specific period & on the works
still needs to be done
generally - covers specific period of time
- deal with one’s person works
- deal with more than 1 task
- discuss tasks to be carried out
- cover work effort of team people
- deals only tasks related to 1
specific project
Content - focus on work done during specific
period covered by the report
- reader wants to know what has
been done, progress made &
continuing efforts
- provide : work done , work in
progress , work being planned
- include specific info (names, facts,
dates )
- what task have been completed ?
- what work currently being done ?
- how much work yet to be done ?
- project on schedule & within
budget ?
- any anticipated problem ?
Format - based on audience , amount &
detail of information , any policies
involved
o brief memos / letter
o informal / formal
- in the form of
o memo
o letter
o short informal report
o long formal report
Arrangement of
content
- priority order ( in descending
order of importance)
- chronological order (based on
way the tasks were carried out)
- status order (status of task )
o 3 parts ( work completed ,
work in progress , work left to
do )
- Task order (individual task)
o Reported individually
o Sub-tasks of each individual
task have 3 parts ( work
completed , work in progress ,
work left to do )

6. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
6
ANALYTICAL REPORT – EVALUATION & FEASIBILITY REPORT
Evaluation report Feasibility report
What ? - Present data & writer’s judgment of
the information.
- Writer draws inference &
conclusion
- Studies, assess the practically of
proposed project or change
Analyze on? - Concerning an unchanging, static
situation & draw specific
conclusion
- To determine whether a suggested
change in situation is possible &
reasonable & recommend action
( should / should not)
How to - Clear intention of judging the value
of the report.
- Based on
o Past performance
o Present status
o Potential outcome
- How?
o Divide large
o general subject > specific area
o Specific area > sub-area
- Looks at alternative to a situation /
at proposed solution to a problem
- Examine several alternatives that
been proposed
- How?
o Technical feasibility (technical
resources)
o Economic feasibility
(money @ cost implemented)
o Operational feasibility
(personnel availability)
o Social feasibility
(social @ society impact)
o Environmental feasibility
(environment)
Components - Title page
- TOC
- Executive summary
- introduction
- Overview / background
- Methodology
- Analysis / findings
- Conclusion
- Recommendation
- Title page
- TOC
- Executive summary &
recommendation
- Introduction
- Analysis of alternatives
- Conclusion
- recommendation

7. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
7
PERSUASIVE REPORT – PROPOSALS & RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR
PROPOSAL (RFP)
proposal RFP
What - to recommend
change/solution/action
- well-chosen word/data/visual aids
- to convince reader to take action
- Request for proposal (RFP) is
document sent by clients who need
specific product/service; invite the
receiver to propose solution.
- Response to request for proposal is a
proposal that propose
solution/action that writer feels
meet the best needs stated in RFP
type - May be
o Solicited (request by someone)
o Unsolicited (self –initiated)
- Reader may be
o External (outside client)-
informal language
o Internal (within organization)-
formal language
o Response to non-negotiable RFP
- Condition are not changeable,
strictly adhered to
o Response to negotiable RFP
- Specification / condition may
be modified
How to write? - Write persuasively
- Stress on benefits
- Discuss possible –ve impact
- Use visual aids
- Response must depends on what
needed in RFP
- Include accurate information,
appropriate solution
Components - Transmittal letter
- Title page
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Problem/current situation
- Solution/recommendation
(proposed action)
- Benefits
- Implementation (schedule of steps)
- Costs
- Conclusion (restate benefit &
immediate action)
- Transmittal letter
- Title page
- TOC
- Executive summary
- Introduction
- Problem/current situation
- Solution/recommendation
(proposed action)
- Benefits
- Implementation (schedule of steps)
- Costs
- Conclusion (restate benefit &
immediate action)

8. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
8
WRITE REPORT IN A GROUP
4 Types of approaches
1) horizontal approach
- team works independently
- each member complete separate section
- doing all things (drafting, revising, researching ) alone
2) sequential approach
- completed entirely by one team member
- reworked /edited by 2nd
team member
- repeated until all member have edited the report
3) stratified approach
- each member have specialized role
- 1st
– research
- 2nd
– graphics
- 3rd
– editing
4) free-form approach
- all member works together at one place
- perform all roles and finish the task together
Guidelines
i. all team member have clear understanding of the report
ii. decide what will done together / individually
iii. clearly define role each member
iv. schedule regular meetings
v. prepare Gantt chart

9. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
9
OPERATIONALIZE PROBLEM
Problem statement – statement that briefly define the problem situation that your report
would cover
Purpose statement - statement that defines the objective of the report
In 3 ways :
i. Infinitive phrase (the purpose of this report is to evaluate ……. )
ii. Question (Are the …….. ?)
iii. Declarative sentence ( The client wants to know whether …………………..)
Informational report Analytical report Persuasive report
to document
to describe
to inform
to examine
to determine
to evaluate
to assess
to compare
to analyze
to propose
to suggest
to recommend
Scope – tells the reader what is and is not part of the report , informs the coverage of the
report.
WAYS TO DIVIDE THE INFORMATION
by time period (chronological in order)
by place (different location)
by quantity (quantitative values)
by factors (several factors /areas)
SYSTEM OF OUTLINE SYMBOLS
alpha-numeric (conventional symbol) - use alphabets and numerals
decimal (numerical ) – use numerals (1,2,3) and decimals

10. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
10
SOURCE OF INFORMATION
 primary source
- primary data
- firsthand information
- e.g. : experiments / observation / survey
 secondary source
- secondary data
- information already created (published / unpublished)
- e.g. : directories / newspaper / internet website / encyclopedia / company
publication
METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
primary research method
- examining
- conducting experiment
- making observation
- surveying (process of asking questions) – in 2 ways
o interviewing
- face-to-face interview
 better information
 can clarify things,
Costly
Way of asking may indirectly influence the answer
given
- interview by telephone
 cheaper
 interview many people quickly
limit question to shorten time
not all people have telephone

11. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
11
o questionnaire
- administer the questionnaire in person
 spot on questions to complete the questionnaire
costly
- mail to the respondents
 select respondents from wider geographic area
 reduce expenses
return rate of completed questionnaire low
respondents may biased
secondary research method
- reviewing
- retrieving data
- searching in internet
SAMPLING METHOD
probability sampling
o simple random sampling – subjects randomly selected
o systematic random sampling – subjects randomly selected from pre-
determined interval (every 4th
person)
o stratified random sampling – population > sub-groups (based on
characteristic) = select random subject from sub-groups
non-probability sampling
o quota sampling - subject select based on actual proportion in population)
o judgment sampling – only subject thought to possessed required
characteristic are selected.

12. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
12
QUESTIONNAIRE CONSTRUCTION
Consider :
 type of question
i. open questions (free to answer , no specific answer )
ii. closed questions : provide choices to answer. 2 types :
o dichotomous questions (provide only 2 choices : yes/no )
o multiple choice questions ( provide 3 or more choices)
- discrete point type
- ranking (I – 2 – 3 – 4 )
- continuous rating ( excellent - good- average – fair – poor)
 Construction of question - Answers are affected by :
Phrasing question
 Leading question - leads to choose particular answer
 Double-barrelled question – multiple question in 1 question , ask 2 type
of information
 Overlapping questions – choices provided overlapped each other
 Vague questions :
- Unfamiliar words
- Not within respondent’s experience
- Subjective (wide range in meaning)
Answerability
 Questions embodying hidden assumption (assume respondents have
certain behavior)
 Recall dependent question (recall thing happened long time ago)
 Personal question (too personal to reveal)
Question structure
 Hop and skip question : If yes, go to …. If no, please go to .. )
 Question with limited choices (doesn’t provide all possible choices)
Scaling technique
Ranking – measure relative importance of items :
(most important)1-2- 3-4(least important)
Rating – measure opinion or attitude of item
(excellent – good – average – fair – poor )

13. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
13
ORGANIZING & DRAFTING REPORT
Short report format
 Pre-printed form – present information of routing nature (e.g. daily sales)
 Memo – memo standards ; To, From, Date, Subject
 Letter – include normal parts of letter
 Short report format – like long report format, has 4 sections ; intro, findings,
conclusion, recommendation
Long report format
Prefatory / preliminary part
o Title fly – has only report title, as cover page of report
o Title page – has 4 components ; report title , report reader, report writer,
submission date
o Letter of authorization – request/ commissioning a report attached to
the report
o Transmittal letter – contains ;
- Statement stating purpose of the letter
- Summary of report’s scope & purpose
- Explanation of problem encountered
- Acknowledgement of help
- Closure offering further assistance if needed
o Acknowledgment – to express appreciation to those have provided the
assistance
o TOC – to locate information of interest
o List of figures / tables – listed with respective page numbers
o Executive summary – synopsis of report. Contains ;
- Report’s major findings
- Conclusions
- recommendation
Body
o Introduction/ opening – introduce the report. Contains ;
- Purpose statement *
- Scope *
- Source of information
- Authorization *
- Definition
- Background
- Methods

14. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
14
## British tradition, (* )combined as “ Term of reference ”. Contains ;
 Date of instruction given
 Name & official designation of person who asked for the
report
 Name & official designation of person who wrote the
report
 Purpose
 Scope
 Submission date
o Findings
o Conclusion summarizing the report
o Recommendation
Appended / supplementary part
o Bibliography
o Appendix
Flow of information presentation
METHOD SEQUENCE OF PRESENTATION
Inductive Specific to general
Deductive General to specific
Chronological Past to now
Tropical One topic to another
Geographical One area / place to another
Problem-solution Problem to the solution
Pros / Cons Advantages & disadvantages

15. BUSINESS REPORT WITING
15
Organizing report body
Indirect / inductive / logical order
Begin with known information (from secondary/primary source)
Later, unknown information (from interpretation / collected
experience)
Looks like ;
o Introduction
o Findings
o Conclusion
o Recommendation
Direct / deductive / psychological order
Begin with unknown information ( from suggestion / interpretation)
Later, known information ( from secondary/primary source )
Looks like ;
o Conclusion
o Recommendation
o Introduction
o Findings