Report Summary (Mandy)

Evidence of Knoweledge of Report Structure

Introduction:

Reports, in an information age, are essential to business writing and written communications in general. A report is usually viewed as formal, it allows fuller discussions and analysis of subjects, and it comes in numerous shapes and sizes.
What makes business reports different from general academic reports is a real-world, practical, problem-centered orientation. The emphasis is placed on brevity, clarity, and functionality.

As a leader in an organization, you may write reports to inform, instruct, or persuade the others. Reports may be long or short, formal or informal. They may even tell a story; for instance, you might first provide an overview of the current situation, and then discuss the details that have complicated the situation, and finally suggest a resolution or recommendation to improve the situation. Although many reports serve multiple purposes, such as informing and persuading, NOTE1 lists typical types of leadership communication reports organized by their primary purpose.


Parts of a Formal Full-Length Report

Use of headings in long reports are essential. The headings act as an internal outline, showing the reader the importance of each section. Consistency of headings will guide the reader through the categories of your report. Depending upon the level of formality, reports, typically, include some or all of the following eleven parts:

1. Title
2. Abstract (Synopsis; Executive Summary)
3. Letter of Authorization
4. Letter of Transmittal
5. Table of Contents (develop last and include page numbers)
6. Introduction
7. Body
8. Conclusion
9. Recommendation
10. References
11. Appendices

Popular Structures for Organizing a Case Analysis Report

1. Inductive or indirect

• Strategic issues and problems
  
• Analysis of problems
  
• Recommendations

2. Deductive or direct

• Recommendation or solution
  
• Support for solution or evidence for recommendation
  
• Brief discussion of alternative solutions

3. Issues and results (executive)

• Crucial strategic issues
  
• Assumptions about issues
  
• Recommend strategies
  
• Justification for recommendation
  
• Plan of action
  
• Expected result
  

4. Elimination of alternatives

• Discussion of at least three alternative solutions
  
• Summary of why only one is the best
  
• Reinforcement that one

5. Pros and cons

• Introduction of two best solutions
  
• Advantages and disadvantages of each
  
• Conclusions recommending the preferred alternative

6. Thesis-antithesis-synthesis

• Solution
  
• Counters or objections to that solution
  
• Combination with solution emphasized
  

NOTE 1: Purposes and Types of Leadership Communication Reports


To inform:

1. Progress

• Outlines the status of the tasks in a project,including work completed,work remaining,and anticipated delays.
  
• Sometime include analysis for discussion or preliminary conclusions for testing with audience

2. Financial

• Includes financial performance for reporting purpose,such as to the SEC for public companies

3. Sales/marketing

• Provides the sales achievements and figures for a standard period of time
  
• Often includes sales prospects and projections and could focus on market trends,positioning and product development

4. Operational

• Varies across industries and companies,but may include overall operational/project performance or complaince to regulations,such as health,safety,and environment

5. Meetings(minutes)

• Provide a summary of the major topics descussed
  
• Usually includes date,attendences,old business,new business,and action items

6. Research/Investigative

• Reports on the results of research and oftenprovides recommendations on actions
  
• Includes investigative research,analysts reports,benchmarking
  

To Instrust:

1. Procedure

• Explains the steps to be completed to accomplish some goal
  
• Usually presents the actions in chronological order
  

2. Policy

• Summarizes the organizational regulations or guidelines that govern employee behavior

3. Performance appreisals

• Documents the quality of an employee's work with the intension of creating needed legal records anf providing feedback to improve performance

4. Request for proposal (RFP)

• Provides guidelines on the information to include in a proposal
  

To Persuade:

1. Annual

• Reports on the financial performance of an organization with the intent of influencing external and internal constituencies,primarily investors and analysts
  
• Frequently includes a company's mission,vision,accomplishments and plans

2. Feasibility

• Argues that an approach or idea will work,recommends action
  
• Usually focuses on economic,technical,and cultural aspects

3. Proposals

• Seeks acceptance for a product,services,or potential solution by defining the needs and benefits
  
• Often responds to an RFP and is seen as a sales document that is legally binding

4. Business plans

• Discuss all of the components of a business or business idea,including value proposition,feasibility,and profitablity
  
• Follows standard content expectation,such as those provided by the Small business administration