Chapter 13 Organizing and Writing Typical Business Reports David Gadish, Ph.D

Chapter 13Chapter 13

Organizing and Writing Organizing and Writing Typical Business Typical Business

ReportsReports

David Gadish, Ph.D.

Ch. 13, Slide 2

Interpreting DataInterpreting DataYou’re looking for

• Meanings

• Relationships

• Answers!

Ch. 13, Slide 3

Devices for Tabulating Devices for Tabulating and Analyzing Dataand Analyzing Data

• Tables – systematic columns and rows

• The Three Ms Mean – arithmetic average value Median – middle point in a range of values Mode – most frequently appearing value

• Correlations – relationships between variables

• Grids – intersecting rows and columns

Ch. 13, Slide 4

A Statistical ProblemA Statistical Problem 14

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12 What is the median?

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The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people.

Ch. 13, Slide 5


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12 What is the median?

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Ch. 13, Slide 6


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Ch. 13, Slide 7


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Ch. 13, Slide 8


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Ch. 13, Slide 9

Drawing Conclusions Drawing Conclusions and Making and Making

RecommendationsRecommendations

Ch. 13, Slide 10

Tips for Writing Report Tips for Writing Report ConclusionsConclusions

Ch. 13, Slide 11


• Interpret and summarize the findings. Tell what your findings (collected data) mean.

• Relate the conclusions to the report problem.

Focus only on conclusions that help solve the original problem.

• Limit the conclusions to the data presented.

Do not introduce new material.

Ch. 13, Slide 12

• Be objective. Avoid exaggerating or manipulating the data to

prove a point.

• Use consistent criteria. In evaluating options, use the same criteria for

each alternative.

• Enumerate each conclusion. Number and list each item. Present items in

parallel form.


Ch. 13, Slide 13

Tips for Writing Tips for Writing Report Report


Ch. 13, Slide 14

• Suggest actions.Indicate specific procedures that can help solve the report problem.

• Focus on recommendations that are practical and agreeable.Suggest feasible actions that would be acceptable to this audience.



Ch. 13, Slide 15

• Present recommendations separately. Enumerate each in a statement beginning with a verb.

• If requested, indicate how the recommendations may be implemented. Some writers present detailed plans for executing the recommendations.



Ch. 13, Slide 16

Conclusion: Survey results show that the biggest student complaint

centered on long registration lines.

Recommendation: Implement a registration reservation system in which

students sign up for specific registration time slots.



Ch. 13, Slide 17

Organizing InformationOrganizing Information Reader comprehension, not writer

convenience, should govern report organization.

Ch. 13, Slide 18

Possible Methods of Possible Methods of OrganizationOrganization

• TimeArrange data by chronology: e.g., 2000, 2001, 2002.

• ComponentArrange data by classifications: location, geography, division, product, or part. A report discussing company profits could be organized by each product.

• ImportanceOrder data from most important to least important, or vice versa.

Ch. 13, Slide 19

• CriteriaArrange data by evaluative categories. In a report comparing fax equipment, organize by such areas as price, warranty, speed, print quality, etc.

• ConventionOrganize data according to prescribed categories. For example, proposals are organized by staff, budget, schedule, etc.

Possible Methods of Possible Methods of OrganizationOrganization

Ch. 13, Slide 20

Structural Cues for Structural Cues for Report ReadersReport Readers

Ch. 13, Slide 21

Introduction•Discuss the purpose and significance of the

report.•Preview the main points and the order of

development.

Transitionshowever therefore

on the contrary moreover


Ch. 13, Slide 22

Headings•Write short but clear headings.

•Experiment with wording that tells who, what, when, where,

and why.

•Include at least one heading per report page.


Ch. 13, Slide 23

Headings•Balance headings within levels. All

headings at a given level should be grammatically similar; for example:

Creating Team Motivation Treating Employees Like Customers

(not Employees Should Be Treated Like Customers)


Ch. 13, Slide 24

Headings• Integrate headings gracefully. Try to

avoid repeating the exact wording of a heading in the following sentence. Also avoid using a heading as an antecedent to a pronoun.

• Avoid: CUSTOMER SURVEYS

These are . . .


Ch. 13, Slide 25

Levels of Report Levels of Report HeadingsHeadings

REPORT, CHAPTER, AND PART TITLES

The title of a report, chapter heading, or major part should be centered in all caps.

REPORT, CHAPTER, AND PART TITLES

The title of a report, chapter heading, or major part should be centered in all caps.

Ch. 13, Slide 26

First-Level Subheading

Headings indicating the first level of division are centered and bolded. Whether a report is single-spaced or double-spaced, most writers triple-space (leaving two blank lines) before and double-space (leaving one blank line) after a first-level heading.

First-Level Subheading

Headings indicating the first level of division are centered and bolded. Whether a report is single-spaced or double-spaced, most writers triple-space (leaving two blank lines) before and double-space (leaving one blank line) after a first-level heading.


Ch. 13, Slide 27

Second-Level Subheading

Headings that divide topics introduced by first-level subheadings are bolded and begin at the left margin. Most writers double-space (leaving one blank line) after a second-level heading.

Second-Level Subheading

Headings that divide topics introduced by first-level subheadings are bolded and begin at the left margin. Most writers double-space (leaving one blank line) after a second-level heading.


Ch. 13, Slide 28

Third-Level Subheading. Because it is part of the paragraph that follows, a third-level subheading is also called a paragraph heading. It should appear in boldface print.

[Note: Indent double-spaced paragraphs. Don’t indent single-spaced paragraphs.]

Third-Level Subheading. Because it is part of the paragraph that follows, a third-level subheading is also called a paragraph heading. It should appear in boldface print.

[Note: Indent double-spaced paragraphs. Don’t indent single-spaced paragraphs.]


Ch. 13, Slide 29

Writing Informational Writing Informational ReportsReports

Ch. 13, Slide 30

Introduction• Identify the report and its purpose.• Present a brief overview of the report’s

organization, especially for longer reports.

• When readers are unfamiliar with the topic, briefly fill in the background details.


Ch. 13, Slide 31

Body• Group facts or findings into three to five

roughly equal segments that do not overlap.

• Organize by time, component, importance, criteria, convention, or some other method.


Ch. 13, Slide 32

Body• Supply functional or talking heads (at

least one per page) to describe each section.

• Use an informal, conversational writing style unless a formal tone is expected.

• Use bullets, numbered and lettered lists, headings, underlined items, and white space to enhance readability.


Ch. 13, Slide 33

Summary/Conclusion• When necessary, briefly review the main

points and discuss what action will follow.

• If relevant, express appreciation or describe your willingness to provide further information.


Ch. 13, Slide 34

Typical informational business reports• Periodic reports

• Describe production, sales, shipping, service, and other recurring activities.

• Trip, convention, conference reports• Describe an event, summarize three to five

main points, itemize expenses, and estimate the event’s value.


Ch. 13, Slide 35

Typical informational business reports• Progress and interim reports

• Explain continuing projects, including work completed, work in progress, future activities, and completion date.

• Investigative reports• Examine problems and supply facts; provide

little analysis.


Ch. 13, Slide 36

Student Progress Student Progress ReportReport

DATE: ~~~~~~TO: ~~~~~~FROM: ~~~~~~SUBJECT: ~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Background~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Work Completed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DATE: ~~~~~~TO: ~~~~~~FROM: ~~~~~~SUBJECT: ~~~~~~

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Background~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Work Completed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ch. 13, Slide 37

~~~~~~~~~~ Page 2 ~~~~~~~~

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Work To Be Completed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~ Page 2 ~~~~~~~~

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Work To Be Completed~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Student Progress Student Progress ReportReport

Ch. 13, Slide 38

Writing Analytical Writing Analytical ReportsReports

Ch. 13, Slide 39

Introduction• Explain why the report is being written.

For research studies, include the significance, scope, limitations, and methodology of the investigation.

• Preview the report’s organization.

• For receptive audiences, summarize the conclusions and recommendations.


Ch. 13, Slide 40

Findings• Discuss the pros and cons of each

alternative. For receptive audiences, consider placing the recommended alternative last.

• Establish criteria to evaluate alternatives. In “yardstick” studies create criteria to use in measuring each alternative consistently.


Ch. 13, Slide 41

Findings

• Support the findings with evidence: facts, statistics, expert opinion, survey data, and other proof.

• Use headings, enumerations, lists, tables, and graphics to focus attention.


Ch. 13, Slide 42

Conclusions/Recommendations• Develop reasonable conclusions that

answer the research question. Justify the conclusions with highlights from the findings.

• Make recommendations, if asked. Use action verbs. Explain needed action.


Ch. 13, Slide 43

Typical analytical business reports• Justification/recommendation reports

• Make recommendations to management; provide data to solve problems and make decisions.

• Feasibility reports• Analyze problems and predict whether

alternatives will be practical or advisable.

• Yardstick reports• Establish criteria and evaluate alternatives by

measuring against the yardstick criteria.


Ch. 13, Slide 44

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Chapter 13 Organizing and Writing Typical Business Reports David Gadish, Ph.D