Preparing To Write

Business Reports
Presented by Pawan Vijay
E-MAIL:- vijaypawan@in.com
PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

AFTERSCHO☺OL
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP PGPSE PROGRAMME –
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OPEN FOR ALL FREE FOR ALL
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 What Are Business
Reports?
Business reports are systematic
attempts to answer questions and solve
problems. They include the following
activities.

Planning
Planning Research
Research Organization
Organization Presentation
Presentation

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Ten Truths About
Business Reports
1. Everyone writes reports.
2. Most reports flow upward.
3. Most reports are informal.
4. Three report formats (memo, letter,
and manuscript) are most common.
5. Reports differ from memos and
letters.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Ten Truths About
Business Reports
6. Today’s reports are written on
computers.
7. Some reports are collaborative
efforts.
8. Ethical report writers interpret facts
fairly.
9. Organization is imposed on data.
10. The writer is the reader’s servant.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Report Functions
• Informational reports
• Analytical reports

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Report Formats
• Letter format
• Memo format
• Manuscript format
• Printed forms

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Writing Style
• Formal
• Informal

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
IfIfreaders
readers
are
areinformed
informed Report
Report
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Direct
DirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
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-----------------------

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization

Report
Report
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
Direct
DirectPattern
Pattern
are
aresupportive
supportive -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
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-----------------------
-----------------------

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization

Report
Report
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Direct
DirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
are
areeager
eagertoto
have
haveresults
resultsfirst
first

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
IfIfreaders
readers
are
areinformed
informed Report
Report
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
Direct
DirectPattern
Pattern
are
aresupportive
supportive -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
are
areeager
eagertoto
have
haveresults
resultsfirst
first

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
IfIfreaders
readers
need
needto tobe
be
educated Report
Report
educated
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Indirect
IndirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization

Report
Report
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
need
needto tobe
be Indirect
IndirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
persuaded
persuaded -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization

Report
Report
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
Indirect
IndirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders -----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
readers
may
maybe behostile
hostile
or
ordisappointed
disappointed

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
IfIfreaders
readers
need
needto tobe
be
educated Report
Report
educated
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers -----------------------
-----------------------
need
needto tobe
be Indirect
IndirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
persuaded
persuaded -----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders -----Main
-----MainIdea
Idea----
----
readers
may
maybe behostile
hostile
or
ordisappointed
disappointed

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

Applying the Writing Process
to Reports
Step 1 Analyze the problem and purpose.
Step 2 Anticipate the audience and issues.
Step 3 Prepare a work plan.
Step 4 Research the data.
Step 5 Organize, analyze, interpret, illustrate
the data.
Step 6 Compose the first draft.
Step 7 Revise, proofread, and evaluate.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Work Plan for a Formal
Report
• Statement of problem
• Statement of purpose
• Sources and methods of data
collection
• Tentative outline
• Work schedule

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

Researching Report Data

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Researching Report Data
• Locating secondary print data
• Books – card catalog, online catalog
• Periodicals – print indexes, CD-ROM indexes

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Researching Report Data
• Locating secondary electronic data
• Electronic databases
• The Internet
• World Wide Web search tools
Google AltaVista
HotBot Yahoo!

• Evaluating Web sources

How current is the information?
How credible is the author or source?
What is the purpose of the site?
Do the facts seem reliable?

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Researching Report Data
• Tips for searching the Web
• Use two or three search tools.
• Understand case sensitivity.
• Prefer uncommon words.
• Omit articles and prepositions.
• Use wild cards.
• Know your search tool.
• Learn basic Boolean search strategies.
• Bookmark the best pages.
• Be persistent.
• Repeat your search a week later.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Researching Report Data
• Researching primary data
• Surveys
• Interviews
• Observation
• Experimentation

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 Illustrating Report Data

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Functions of graphics
• To clarify data
• To condense and simplify data
• To emphasize data

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Table
To show exact figures and values

Class Agree Disagree Undecided

Seniors 738 123 54

Juniors 345 34 76

Sophomores 123 234 78

Freshmen 45 567 123

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Bar chart
To compare one item with others
48

47

46

45 Enrollees

44

43

42
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Line chart
To demonstrate changes in quantitative data over time
100
90
80
70
60
Net ($M)
50
40 Gross ($M)
30
20
10
0
1998 1999 2000 2001

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Pie chart
To visualize a whole unit and the proportion of its
components

Disagree Strongly
28% Disagree
38%
Agree
13%

Strongly No
Agree Opinion
18% 3%

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Flow chart
To display a process or procedure

Receive Test Repair

Re-box Re-stock Floor

Shelves Ship

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Organization chart
To define a hierarchy of elements

C h a r l e s E u b a n k
P r e s id e n t

W i l l i a m D J i ox ao nn W i l l i aW m a sy n e L u
V ic e P r e s i d Ve ni c t e P r e s i d Ve in c t e P r e s id e n t
S a l e s D e s ig n P r o d u c t io n

C l a r i c e B rJ oo wh nn D e l G e ue oz er g e L a P o r t e
M a n a g e r M a n a g e r F o r e m a n

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Illustrating Report Data
• Forms and objectives of graphics
• Photograph, map, illustration
To create authenticity, to spotlight a location, and to
show an item in use

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Pie Chart

2001 MPM INCOME BY DIVISION

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Pie Chart
• Use pie charts to show a whole and
the proportion of its components.
• Generally begin at the 12 o’clock
position, drawing the largest wedge
first. Computer software programs,
however, may vary in placement of
wedges.
• Include, if possible, the actual
percentage or absolute value for
each wedge.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Pie Chart
• Use four to eight segments for best
results; if necessary, group small
portions into one wedge called
“Other.”
• Distinguish wedges with color,
shading, or crosshatching.
• Keep all labels horizontal.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Vertical Bar Chart
Figure 1 Figure number

2001 MPM INCOME BY DIVISION Figure title

Scale 40
value
$32.2
Millions of Dollars

30
$24.3
$22.0
20

10

0
Theme Motion Videos Scale captions
Parks Pictures

Source: Industry Profiles (New York: DataPro, 2002), 225. Source note

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Bar Charts
• Bar charts make visual comparisons.
They can compare related items,
illustrate changes in data over time,
and show segments as parts of
wholes.
• Bar charts may be vertical,
horizontal, grouped, or segmented.
Avoid showing too much
information, thus producing clutter
and confusion.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Bar Charts
• The length of each bar and segment
should be proportional.
• Dollar or percentage amounts should
start at zero.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data
• Reasons for crediting sources
• Strengthens your argument
• Gives you protection
• Instructs readers

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 Documenting Data
• Learning what to document
• Another person's ideas, opinions, examples, or
theory
• Any facts, statistics, graphs, and drawings that
are not common knowledge
• Quotations of another person's actual spoken
or written words
• Paraphrases of another person's spoken or
written words

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data
• Manual notetaking suggestions
• Record all major ideas from various sources
on separate note cards.
• Include all publication data along with precise
quotations.
• Consider using one card color for direct
quotes and a different color for your
paraphrases and summaries.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data
• Electronic notetaking suggestions
• Begin your research by setting up a folder on
your hard-drive that will contain your data.
• Create separate subfolders for major topics,
such as Introduction, Body, and Closing.
• When on the Web or in electronic databases
you find information you may be able to use,
highlight (i.e., drag with your mouse) the
passages you want to save, copy them (using
control-c), paste them (using control-v) into
documents that you will save in appropriate
subfolders.
Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL
 Documenting Data
• Be sure to include all publication data.
• Consider archiving on a Zip disk the Web
pages or articles used in your research in case
the data must later be verified.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data
• Learn to paraphrase
• Read the original material carefully so that you
can comprehend its full meaning.
• Write your own version without looking at the
original.
• Do not repeat the grammatical structure of the
original, and do not merely replace words of
the original with synonyms.
• Reread the original to be sure you covered the
main points but did not borrow specific
language.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 Documenting Data
• Two Documentation Formats
• Modern Language Association
Author’s name and page (Smith 100) placed in text; complete
references in “Works Cited.”
• American Psychological Association
Author’s name, date of publication, and page number placed
near text reference (Jones, 2000, p. 99). Complete references
listed at end of report.

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL

 End

Submitted by Pawan, PGPSE Student of AFTERSCHOOOL