For Business Administration and Related StreamsHow To Use The Bu.docx

For Business Administration and Related Streams
How To Use The Business Report Template
(version 1.0)
Formal business reports are prepared in a different format than
essays or other academic assignments. Preparing professional
reports, and proposals, will help you communicate your ideas to
your employers while also adding to your value as an employee.
This is an important skill to develop and practice while here at
Centennial.
Business writing should involve three key steps:
Planning Writing Completing
Planning:
· Analyzing the situation or topic. Defining the purpose, the
“business problem” or “opportunity” that a report may address.
Formulating a main message for your report - often this
involves proposing a solution or response to the purpose.
Developing an audience profile.
· Gathering information. In other words, primary and secondary
research, as required.
· Organizing the information: Creating an outline or structure
for the key points that need to be expressed.
Writing:
· Adapting to the audience. Developing a tone or style that is
sensitive to audience needs while projecting and protecting your
organization’s image and/or brand.
· Composing the message: Follow the outline prepared earlier,
using carefully constructed paragraphs and sentences. Identify
or create any visual or graphic representations of data that you
want to use.
Completing:
· Revising: Proofread and edit for spelling, grammar and
typographical errors. Re-write for conciseness and clarity.
To assist you with the formatting of such documents, we have
prepared a template that you can use to guide you through the

report preparation process.
· Download the template.
· Save one “master “ copy to use again in the future.
· Save a new copy with a new file name that reflects your report
or assignment.
· Instructions are given and highlighted in yellow. Read all
instructions and delete them when you no longer need them.
· Replace all other elements (titles, headings, sample text, etc.)
with YOUR content, as instructed.
· When you finish using the template, the final document should
contain your own original work, formatted as a standard
business report. All instructions or examples given in this
template should be either deleted or replaced with your own
content.
Instructions for the cover page:
The next page is a cover page and contains the report title
(mandatory), a subtitle (optional) and information on the author,
the intended audience (in this case, a professor), and the date it
was prepared.
Every business report should have a title that reflects its content
or “main message”. The title should be in the same font as the
body of your work, but at least twice as large as your regular
text. It should be centred, bold, underlined and should appear
about one third to halfway down the page from the top.
Depending on the nature and content of the report, you may
decide that a subtitle is appropriate. For example, a report
about recycling in Toronto might look like this:
Recycling In Toronto
Saving The City One Plastic Bottle At A Time
Titles do not require punctuation, although you can use a colon
at the end of the title if you decide to use a subtitle. This is
optional.
Guidelines regarding fonts and font sizes:
Use either a simple sans serif font (Ariel, Calabri, Tahoma) or
Times New Roman (a simple serif font). Regardless of which
font you select, use the same font for the entire document. Do

not use italics at any point in your report. Use the following
font sizes and configurations:
Cover Page Title: 22 point, bold, underlined, centred
Cover Page SubTitle: 16 point, centred
Headings: 16 point ,bold, underlined, centred
Subheadings: 13 point, bold, underlined left-justified
Body text: 11 point
DELETE THIS PAGE BEFORE YOU HAND IN YOUR WORK!
Liz Clarke – For Distribution throughout the School of
Business, Centennial College
The Title Of Your Report
The Subtitle of Your Report
Your Name
Your Student Number
Professor’s Name
Course Name
Course Code
Date Submitted

Executive Summary
Instructions:
The heading “Executive Summary” is standard and should
remain unchanged on this page.
An Executive Summary is the last item that an author prepares
when writing a business report. It should contain NO MORE
than three paragraphs, each with three or four sentences. The
Executive Summary should never exceed one page.
Paragraph One: Introduce the topic of the report.
Paragraph Two: Discuss the main problem(s) that the report
examines.
Paragraph Three: Review, briefly, any conclusions or
recommendations that the report offers.
A reader should get a reasonable representation of the overall
content from reading these three paragraphs.
Table of Contents
These page numbers are provided as samples. Use the real page
numbers for your report. Put actual headings and subheadings as
per your actual report.
Introduction
1
First Topic Heading
1
Subheading
1
Subheading
1
Subheading

2
Second Topic Heading
2
Subheading
2
Subheading
3
Subheading
3
Third Topic Heading
3
Subheading
3
Subheading
4
Subheading
4
Recommendations
4
Conclusion
4
References
5
Appendices

6
Appendix One – Title
7
Appendix Two – Title
8
Appendix Three – Title
9
Appendix Four – Title
10
Instructions:
The Table of Contents shows the reader where to find specific
content areas. If you have prepared a strong outline prior to
writing your report (highly recommended), the headings,
subheadings and other information should be easily available
and clearly organized. This example shows three headings and
two subheadings for each, however this is just for the purposes
of this example. There is no set amount for these elements. Use
as many of each as you feel are appropriate to construct a
complete report.
Insert the accurate page number for each corresponding
element. It is often best to construct this table of contents after
all content is prepared and edited. This will allow for fewer
revisions to the table of contents.
The appendices show any data tables, charts, graphs, or visuals
that you refer to within the body of the report. Such visual
material should appear at the end in an appendix rather than
taking up page space within the body of the report.
A note about page numbers: The first page of the report is the
page that follows this table of contents and should contain a few
introductory paragraphs to the topic, followed by the first major
topic heading. However, the first page NUMBER should appear
on page two. It is standard to leave the page number out on page

one.
Introduction: About This Topic
Sample text for introduction … Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum magna quam, auctor at
congue nec, venenatis a felis. Nunc ornare, velit ac tincidunt
volutpat, sapien velit consequat nulla, id dignissim est eros et
risus. Vivamus consequat arcu tristique risus ornare a fringilla
nisl consequat. Quisque at tristique eros. Duis sit amet eros sed
nunc consequat mattis eu vitae quam. Nullam facilisis iaculis
tortor id pulvinar. In pellentesque nisl quis risus eleifend
placerat. Nam ac malesuada magna. Praesent tristique sem ac
ipsum suscipit a ornare quam ultrices. Suspendisse at arcu nisl.
Ut vel odio massa. Aenean eget ipsum eros, quis pellentesque
neque. Etiam consequat vulputate purus, et posuere urna lacinia
non. Proin tortor nisl, lacinia a faucibus condimentum, dictum
eu mauris. Morbi velit ipsum, eleifend suscipit rhoncus in,
elementum eget urna.
Vivamus sed felis et est commodo aliquet. Praesent quis urna
ante. In sed dui odio, adipiscing mollis augue. In bibendum nibh
ut ipsum lacinia ut luctus lacus vulputate. Quisque eget metus
neque. Mauris commodo massa eu elit sodales ut scelerisque
justo vestibulum. Phasellus semper ipsum sit amet dolor
facilisis a fringilla tellus tincidunt. Etiam at magna lorem, ut
rutrum elit. Suspendisse egestas consequat eros, et interdum
felis placerat ut. Aenean ut lacus lectus, vitae dictum lacus.
Praesent ac nisl diam, id vestibulum lacus. Nullam consectetur,
leo nec imperdiet pellentesque, nisl risus venenatis nulla, quis
tempus metus dolor dignissim sem. Aenean vitae scelerisque
tortor. Morbi sem odio, sollicitudin sed porttitor at, ullamcorper
sit amet diam. Pellentesque turpis nunc, viverra vel malesuada
in, iaculis in magna.
Instructions:

In the introduction, write two or three paragraphs introducing
the topic of the report and, in particular, explaining why it is
important. Do not use subheadings here. Change the heading
above to reflect your actual topic.
A good choice for line spacing is 1.15, as shown here. 1.5 is
also acceptable. Double-spacing is not appropriate for business
reports.
First Topic Heading
Subheading
Sample text … Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur
adipiscing elit. Vestibulum magna quam, auctor at congue nec,
venenatis a felis. Nunc ornare, velit ac tincidunt volutpat,
sapien velit consequat nulla, id dignissim est eros et risus.
Vivamus consequat arcu tristique risus ornare a fringilla nisl
consequat. Quisque at tristique eros. Duis sit amet eros sed nunc
consequat mattis eu vitae quam. Nullam facilisis iaculis tortor
id pulvinar. In pellentesque nisl quis risus eleifend placerat.
Nam ac malesuada magna. Praesent tristique sem ac ipsum
suscipit a ornare quam ultrices. Suspendisse at arcu nisl. Ut vel
odio massa. Aenean eget ipsum eros, quis pellentesque neque.
Etiam consequat vulputate purus, et posuere urna lacinia non.
Proin tortor nisl, lacinia a faucibus condimentum, dictum eu
mauris. Morbi velit ipsum, eleifend suscipit rhoncus in,
tempus metus dolor dignissim sem.
Subheading

in, iaculis in magna. (Argenti 2006)
Instructions:
The major difference between a “business report” and an
“essay” is that a business report clearly divides its content into
logically flowing topic areas, divided by headings and
subheadings. These should ALWAYS correspond to a properly
prepared outline – something that makes your task much easier.
Use as many headings / subheadings as make sense for your

report. There is no standard regarding the number of
paragraphs or sentences per paragraph, although most
paragraphs contain – at minimum – three sentences. Use as
many or as few as make sense for what you have to say about
your topic.
Please note: A heading or subheading should NEVER appear in
the last 15% (i.e. at the bottom) of any page. In such a case,
leave white space and start the next section at the top of the
next page.
In-Text Citations: For all ideas, quotations or content, use
standard APA in-text citation format of the author’s name
followed year of publication. (Argenti 2006) The reader should
then be able to refer to your reference page to find where you
sourced your specific material.
Second Topic Heading
Subheading
elementum eget urna. (Hoover’s 2007)

Subheading

Third Topic Heading
Subheading
in, iaculis in magna. (Hamilton interview 2007)
Subheading

(Hoover’s 2007)
in, iaculis in magna. (Argenti 2006)
Recommendations
First Recommendation
suscipit a ornare quam ultrices.
Second Recommendation

Third Recommendation
Vivamus ultrices eros eget sem aliquam quis tincidunt ligula
gravida. Nam id risus augue. Vivamus fringilla tincidunt
imperdiet. Maecenas sit amet tellus facilisis urna lacinia
tempor. Curabitur nec urna risus, at feugiat lectus. Vivamus erat
elit, lacinia a aliquet non, tincidunt non libero. Nulla magna
lorem, hendrerit sit amet sodales dignissim, laoreet vitae tellus.
Fusce vitae erat justo. Aenean nec tellus lacus. Sed eget ornare
mi. In lacinia dolor et arcu ultricies sed ultricies nulla viverra.
Proin suscipit laoreet lorem, eu luctus urna placerat a.
Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices
posuere cubilia Curae; Vestibulum eu lorem mi, et cursus nunc
In Conclusion

Instructions:
Most business reports are written with the purpose of presenting
findings and offering recommendations. When preparing the
conclusion, you may wish to review the main points from the
introduction (for example, re-stating whatever business problem
you were examining) and suggesting what positive results might
follow should your recommendations be followed.
References
Argenti, P. A., & Foreman, J. (2006). The Power of Corporate
Communication: Crafting the Voice and Image of Your
Business. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Hoover’s Online. (2007) Intel-Company Capsule. Retrieved
September 6, 2007 from www.hoovers.com/intel-corporation/--
ID_13787--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml.

Porter, M.E. & Kramer, M.R. (2002, December). The
competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy. Harvard
Business Review, 80(12), 56-68.
Instructions – APA Citation Style:
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of
three standard formats used to cite works that have been used as
research for reports and essays. ALL non-original ideas and
content within a document MUST be cited or you may be
plagiarizing – in other words, you may be presenting work that
appears to be yours, but in fact is not. Your professor has the
option to give a grade of zero for either the work, or the course,
should a student be found plagiarizing.
The best way to avoid this is to use APA to cite EVERYTHING.
Keep track of every article you read, every book, journal or
website you use. Personal interviews with experts are great
sources of information and must be cited in the text as well
however do not need to be included in the reference page.
APA has the following attributes:
· Citations are formatted as hanging indents and appear
alphabetically by author last name.
· Citations contain the following information (when available),
IN THIS ORDER:
1. Author last name followed by initials
2. Year of publication (in parentheses)
3. Title information
4. Publication information
5. Date retrieved or accessed (for online journals and web sites)
6. Page range (for periodicals only)
7. URL (for online journals and websites)
The examples above offer three different types of citations for
the reference page. There are dozens more that cover all
possible situations. Examples can be found online if you search
for “APA examples”, or you can refer to any reputable
communications textbook for guidance.

Appendix One – Title
Chart Title
· List the source and the date here
Instructions:
Put all visual materials into appendices that appear at the end of
your report. Each page should contain only ONE visual. Change
the title of the appendix here to reflect your work. MAKE SURE
you properly label the data, and that you use an explanatory
chart title. The source for the visual should always be listed, as
well as a date. This is particularly important if you are using
data that might be questioned or may be obsolete.
Appendix Two – Title
Chart Title

Appendix Three – Title
Picture Title
- 10 -
Liz Clarke
–
For Distribution throughout the School of Business, Centennial
College
For Business Administration and Related Streams
How To Use The
Business Report Template
(version 1.0)
Formal business reports are prepared in a different format than
essays or other
academic
assignments. Preparing professional reports, and proposals,
will help you communicate your ideas
to your employers while also adding to your value as an
employee. This is an important skill to

develop and practice while here at Centennial.
Busin
ess writing should involve three key steps:
Planning
Writing
Completing
Planning:
-
Analyzing
the situation or topic. Defining the purpose, the “business
problem” or “opportunity”
that a report may address. Formulating a main message for your
report
-
o
ften this involves
proposing a solution or response to the purpose. Developing an
audience profile.
-
Gathering information
. In other words, primary and secondary research, as required.
-

Organizing the information
: Creating an outline or structure for the ke
y points that need to be
expressed.
Writing:
-
Adapting to the audience
. Developing a tone or style that is sensitive to audience needs
while
projecting and protecting your organization’s image and/or
brand.
-
Composing the message
: Follow the outline prepar
ed earlier, using carefully constructed
paragraphs and sentences. Identify or create any visual or
graphic representations of data that
you want to use.
Completing:
-
Revising:
Proofread and edit for spelling, grammar and typographical
errors. Re
-
write for
conciseness and clarity.

To assist you with the formatting of such documents, we have
prepared a template that you can use
to guide you through the report preparation process.
·
Download
the
template.
·
Save one
“master “
copy to use again in the future.
·
Save a new copy with a new file name that reflects your report
or assignment
.
·
Instructions are given and highlighted in yellow. Read all
instructions and delete them when you
no longer need them.
·
Replace all other elements (titles, headings, sample text,
etc.) with YOUR content, as instructed.

·
When you finish using
the
template, the final document should contain your own original
work,
formatted as a standard business report. All instructions or
examples given in this template
should be either deleted or replaced with your own content.
BUSN 333
Individual Research Report
Due week 10, at the beginning of class, in the electronic
dropbox; 20% of term mark
Instructions:
A. Research and develop a formal report on your approved
topic selection. You must prepare an outline for approval by
your instructor (due in week 8 at the beginning of class and will
be approved in class)
B. Develop and apply effective research and organizational
skills in preparing your report. (see chapters 10 and 11 in our
textbook for guidance)
C. Prepare your report using the Business Report Template
provided on eCentennial. The report will consist of 4 to 6 pages
of body/text (11 pt font and one-inch margins); not including
Cover Page and Reference Pages and Appendices
D. Cite at least three published, validated research sources. In
addition to these three required sources, you can also use
Wikipeida or interviews (primary research) as long as they are
also referenced. Blogs and company websites are not

acceptable sources as they are not validated.
E. Cite every fact you state, using APA format. The work you
submit must be written and expressed by you, and NOT ‘cut and
paste’ from the internet or any other source. All reports will be
checked through Turnitin - plagiarism will result in a mark of 0
(zero). Insufficient in text citations is also a form of plagiarism
and will result in a mark of 0 (zero).
F. Consider that your paper will be marked for: (1)
Implementation of the Business Report Template (2) Standard
of Written Work (3) Quality of Content (4) Quality of
Research/Citations
G. Your topic must be related to your program stream. You
may choose your own topic, with approval from your instructor.
Marketing
· E-commerce and Internet Marketing
· Marketing Mix
· Advertising Campaigns
· Promotion
· SWOT Analysis
· Marketing Management
· Analyze the Marketing Strategy and Success or Failure of a
Company/Sector of Interest
· Marketing in the Not for Profit Sector
· Brand Management
· Consumer Behaviour

· Customer Relationships
· Market Research
· Marketing Across Cultures
· Marketing Ethics
Human Resources
· Recruitment
· Collective Bargaining
· Benefits/Compensation Plans
· Pension Plans
· Performance Management
· Role of Human Resources in For Profit companies
· Role of Human Resources in Not For Profit organizations
· Employment Standards Legislation
· Occupational Health and Safety
· Leadership Development/Succession Planning
· Disability Management Programs
· Employee Engagement
· Mission/Vision/Values
· Role of Information Technology, Data, Metrics

· Culture
· Learning and Development
· Evolution of the Role of HR from "Personnel" to Strategic
Partner
Business Entrepreneurship
· Government Support Of Entrepreneurship Initiatives
· Role of Social Media
· Characteristics Of A Successful Entrepreneur
· Choose an Entrepreneur and Research His/Her
Challenges/Motivations
· Developing A Business Plan
· SWOT Analysis
· Consumer And Market Research
· Branding And Marketing
· Franchising: Pros And Cons
· Business Operations And Financing
General Business/Business Administration/Business Operations
· Does Leadership Style Matter in a High Unemployment
Environment?

· Does a Business's Ethics Matter To Consumers?
· Explain Why Walmart's Supply Chain is the Envy of the Retail
Industry.
· How Can A Business's Corporate Culture Impact Its
Profitability?
· Does Employee Engagement Matter?
· In a Corporation is it More Important to be a Strong Team
Player or a Strong Individual Contributor?
· How Can Effective Communication Improve Organization
Productivity?

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