Week 5: Centre For English Language Communication National University of Singapore

REPORT WRITING: DRAFTING Week 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
 To understand and appreciate the different languages of report writing
 To understand the different key considerations in drafting the report
I NTRODUCTION

You are now ready to draft your report. In the earlier stage, you organized your report by
gathering relevant material for it and mapping out the structure of presentation of content or
ideas in it. If you have done all that consistently and logically, then you now have a mental map
of your report, and your task now is to fill up the map with words, graphics and other visuals
that complete the entire report. In this set of notes, you will be introduced to some important
considerations in the drafting of your report. These are:

1. Use the appropriate languages of report writing
2. Use appropriate style and tone
3. Incorporate charts and tables in the texts
4. Use in‐text citations
5. Write an executive summary for the report
6. Edit and proofread the report

U se the appropriate languages of report writing

The report is a complex writing challenge because the language you use must be consistent in
some sense and appropriate in another sense. That is, while tone must be consistent, the type
of report language to be used varies from one section to another. In the Findings section, you
use interpretive language; in the Conclusions section, you use evaluative language. In the
Recommendations section, imperative (or command) language is preferred.

Interpretive language in the Findings section
The Findings section must aim for an objective presentation of data through appropriate
words and phrases, texts, charts and tables. For example, you should report on what your
data says or what your respondents or what experts say.
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Centre for English Language Communication
National University of Singapore

Being objective is tricky, though. In the Findings section, we are mainly concerned with the
following question: “What does this information or data mean?” But this question requires your
interpretation, not someone else’s. This goes without saying that if someone else is interpreting
the data, it may be a different take on the facts or information.
Nevertheless, objectivity here means an approach to reading facts, data and other kinds of
information. This further means two things: (1) your interpretation requires a logical
presentation of facts but (2) it does not ask you to explain why particular facts mean the way
they do. Find out more about appropriate (and inappropriate) interpretation below (Note: Use
these examples for Mini Lecture 3).
√ A great majority of respondents believe that the retrenchment package is unfair. Sixty‐
eight percent (68%) of all respondents perceive the package to be unfair because it only
provides three legal days for management to inform employees of possible
retrenchment. An additional 23% percent of respondents also believe that the package is
unfair because remuneration is not comparable to the length of years served by
retrenched employees. Only 9% of the respondents say that the package is generally fair.
If you look at the italicized words – a great majority, because, only – you will realize that the analysis is not
100% objective. However, this is really the nature of interpretation. The important thing is that you lead the
reader through your own logical way of presenting the facts. In other words, you must convince the reader
that your interpretation is feasible, and even correct. In the analysis above, the first sentence is the
interpretation. The succeeding sentences present the facts that support that interpretation.
Why is because acceptable in the analysis above? After all, the word does provide an explanation too. The
answer is simple. The explanation is not your. It is the respondents who made the connection between
ideas. Also, notice the word only in the last sentence. This is also subjective because 9% of, say, 10,000
respondents is still 900 people. Can you say only if 900 people are involved? In the analysis above, it is
possible that only is used in comparison with the great majority of respondents who say otherwise.
So why not take out all these subjective words? That is one possibility, but remember that in the Findings
section, your aim is to persuade your reader that your interpretation is right. If the reader is not convinced,
then it is highly likely that you will also not persuade the reader with your conclusions and
recommendations.
× Sixty‐eight percent (68%) of all respondents perceive the package to be unfair because it
only provides three legal days for management to inform employees of possible
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This is referred to as the literal description of data. There is no interpretation going on here. The analysis
merely put into words what probably could have been showcased in a table or graph. Many writers fall into
this trap of literal description. There must be a general interpretation; otherwise you may end up with the
question, ‘so what?’ In the Findings section, make sure that you have generalizing statements that
showcase your interpretation of the data or facts. Without such interpretive statements – such as A great
majority of respondents believe that the retrenchment package is unfair – you will have nothing to put
together in your Conclusions. In a sense, you can call these statements Big Statements or Key Findings. They
usually appear at the beginning of a paragraph or section to be followed by the presentation of facts and
data.
× A great majority of respondents believe that the retrenchment package is unfair. Sixty‐
retrenchment.
The interpretation is certainly not supported by a logical presentation of facts. The reader may ask, “Why
does 68% mean ‘great majority’?” In other words, there is a loophole in the analysis. Even if ‘great majority’
is changed to ‘most’, what happened to the rest of the respondents? The interpretation is there (in the first
sentence), but it is not convincing because of the loophole in the presentation.
× The retrenchment package is unfair because sixty‐eight percent (68%) of all respondents
say it only provides three legal days for management to inform employees of possible
Look at the first sentence whose main ideas are connected by the linking word because. Is this what the
data is saying? It is one thing to say that the package is unfair and another thing to say that most
respondents believe that it is unfair. The interpretation and presentation of facts are mixed up.
× A great majority of respondents believe that the retrenchment package is unfair. Sixty‐
This could be because this minority has been provided with financial support for
relocation.
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With the italicized sentence, you are no longer interpreting the data here; you are providing an explanation.
This is already part of evaluative language which belongs to the Conclusions section.
× An unbelievable majority of respondents believe that the retrenchment package is unfair.
Sixty‐eight percent (68%) of all respondents perceive the package to be unfair because it
only provides three legal days for management to inform employees of possible
unhappily retrenched employees. An awfully small 9% of the respondents say that the
package is generally fair.
Interpretive language in the Findings section must avoid deeply personal and emotionally‐charged
language. As soon as you write unhappily retrenched employees, you are making a stand in the issue by
making clear that you are siding with the retrenched employees. This is not a good strategy. Even if you
have a point, the reader may begin to question your objectivity in the report. Your interpretation must play
out the logic of your analysis, and not the use of words which can distract the reader from truly
understanding and accepting your interpretation.
There are also other important considerations in making sure that your interpretation is clear,
correct and logical.
 Begin the Findings section with a short paragraph on what the readers should expect in
the section. This includes brief information on the structure of the section and the
areas or topics being discussed.

 Your interpretative statements must appear in a predictable way in your Findings
section. This means that your statements must be easily found. The best place for such
statements to appear is at the beginning of a paragraph or section to be followed by
your presentation of facts or data.

 Whenever appropriate, present your data using appropriate graphics. All charts and
data should be neatly and clearly presented, with a label and title.

 Draw explicit connections between ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs and sub‐
sections using linking words or linguistic signposts such as First, Second, Third,
Moreover, Therefore, and In addition. This is critical in achieving coherence in your
analysis.

 End with a summary of key findings and an invitation for the reader to read the
conclusions in the next section.
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To summarize, use interpretive language in the Findings section. This involves drawing up
statements that showcase your interpretation of a particular set of data, facts or information.
Such statements, which must be easily found in the paragraphs or sections, must also be
backed up by a logical presentation of data, facts, or information. Interpretative language, to be
clear and persuasive, must make full use of appropriate graphics and linking words. Above all, it
appeals to the reader’s sense of logic, not emotion, although good interpretation does not
discount the possibility that it can also touch the reader’s heart.

Evaluative language in the Conclusions section
Your main task in the Conclusions section is to provide explanations for and elaborate more on
key findings or trends in the Findings section. Your explanations can take various forms:

 Draw up connections between two or more key findings
 Highlight the importance (or lack of it) of particular findings
 Identify possible causes and/or effects of particular findings
 Provide support (e.g., more evidence, research by others) for particular findings
 Establish the need for action on particular findings

These various ways of explaining constitute the evaluative language of your Conclusions
section. (Note: Use the examples below for Mini Lecture 3)

√ (1) One of the key findings of the report concerns most respondents’ belief that the
retrenchment package is unfair. (2) This relates to another important finding which
indicates that respondents are very willing to take legal actions against the company
should the terms of the package remain unchanged. (3) Although the legality of the
package can be affirmed by the lower courts, the sheer number of respondents willing to
take legal actions because of the perceived unfairness of the package can be burdensome
to the company. (4) In a recent similar case involving TransLingual Inc. (Chua, 3 March
2010, p. 5), the company won the case in court but only after it gained negative publicity
and spent S$18 million dollars the defend the case both in court and in the media. (5)
There is a need for the company to take these findings seriously to avoid facing more
problems in the future.
This conclusion exemplifies evaluative language. Sentence 1 presents one key interpretation of data or facts
from the Findings section. Sentence 2 evaluates Sentence 1 by relating it to another key finding. Sentence 3
emphasizes the importance or urgency of the problem presented by the two interrelated findings. Sentence
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4 makes a case for Sentence 3 by providing evidence of a similar issue faced by another company. Sentence
5 evaluates the findings further by emphasizing the need for the company to seriously look into the
problem.
The conclusion above begins with a presentation of a particular key finding. Each sentence that comes after
uses evaluative language to build a case for the conclusion to be taken seriously by the company.
× One of the key findings of the report concerns most respondents’ belief that the
retrenchment package is unfair. Another important finding shows that respondents are
very willing to take legal actions against the company should the terms of the package
remain unchanged despite calls for it to be reviewed.
This ‘conclusion’ simply lists down one key finding after another. Sadly, this is what many writers do in the
Conclusions section. They may, in fact, add a few more important findings to fill up the Conclusions section.
But where is the evaluation? How important are these key findings? In the first place, why are they ‘key’
findings?
retrenchment package is unfair. As earlier shown, 68% of all respondents perceive the
package to be unfair because of the short time given to employees to be served out a
notice of retrenchment. Additionally, 23% percent of respondents also believe that the
package is unfair because remuneration is not comparable to the length of years served
by retrenched employees. Only 9% of the respondents say that the package is generally
fair.
This is another common example of inappropriate evaluation. It simply repeats what has been said in the
Findings section. In principle, you do not need to re‐introduce the same facts in the Conclusions section.
They have been ‘processed’ in the Findings section already so your job is to ‘bring down’ to the Conclusions
section only the key findings or general statements made on the data or facts using the principle of
interpretation. In other words, the ‘evaluation’ above does not extend the interpretation.
retrenchment package is unfair. This relates to another important finding which indicates
that respondents are very willing to take legal actions against the company should the
terms of the package remain unchanged despite calls for it to be reviewed. Although the
legality of the package can be affirmed by the lower courts, the sheer number of
respondents willing to take legal actions because of the perceived unfairness of the
package can be burdensome to the company. In a recent similar case involving
TransLingual Inc. (Chua, 3 March 2010, p. 5), the company won the case in court but only
after it gained negative publicity and spent S$18 million dollars the defend the case both
in court and in the media. The company must establish a formal forum for employees who
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take issue with the retrenchment package. For this purpose, the company should form a
crisis management task force composed of members from different departments of the
company.
Notice that the italicized sentences are no longer simply establishing the need for the company to do
something about the problem. They provide possible solutions to the problem or issue identified. These
sentences are no longer evaluative. They are now imperatives or commands which belong to the next
section of the report, the Recommendations section.
In writing your Conclusions section, it also important to bear in mind a few other points to
consider:
 Begin the section by connecting it to the Findings section (e.g., “Based on the findings in
the earlier section…”)
 Write an introductory paragraph which gives the reader an idea of things to come in the
Conclusions section (e.g., “Based on the findings in the earlier section, we will now
discuss some key findings and provide some plausible explanations for their
emergence.”).
 Indicate the main areas or topics in your conclusions (e.g., “Based on the findings in the
earlier section, we will now discuss some key findings and provide some plausible
explanations for their emergence. In particular, we will discuss the respondents’ plan to
take legal actions against the company, ….. , …..”).
 Just like in all other sections of the report, use linking words to connect your ideas,
words, sentences, paragraphs and so on.
 End with a summary of your conclusions and an invitation to the reader to read the
report’s recommendations.
Imperative language in the Recommendations section
Recommendations are your ideas on what should be done based on your conclusions but they
must also be a logical outcome of the findings and conclusions drawn. If you want to strengthen
the persuasiveness of your recommendations, use imperatives. These are commands. Bear in
mind the following points:
 Make a strong case for your recommendations using imperative language.
 Indicate or highlight the conclusions upon which the recommendations are based.
 Concretize the recommendations.
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 Explain briefly the feasibility of the recommendation.
 Make a strong case for the company (or the reader) to take action on the
recommendations.
Study various versions of a sample recommendation below to learn more about imperative
language (Note: Use the examples below for Mini Lecture 3)
√ Establish a forum for retrenched employees
(1) This recommendation is based on the fact that respondents are willing to take legal
actions against the company because of their belief that the package is unfair. (2) More
specifically, the company should form a crisis management task force composed of
members from all six departments of the company. (3) The main work of the task force is
to meet with respondents who may have valid views about the package and propose a
course of action for the company to address the problem.
(4) The formation of the task force may add more stress to those who are asked to be
part of it, but given the fact that the appraisal process ends in October 2010, those
involved in the process may be asked to join the task force. (5) In addition, prospective
members may include the work in the next appraisal year, thus raising their chances of
receiving higher bonuses.
(6) The formation of the task force is a critical step towards addressing concerns about
retrenchment in the company. (7) It may also save the company money and energy in
pursuing the employees’ legal cases.
This is an example of a recommendation which aims to persuade the reader to take up the
recommendation. It uses an imperative – Establish – thus strengthening the call for action. In Sentence 1,
the recommendation indicates the conclusion upon which it is based. Sentences 2 and 3 concretize the
recommendation by giving details of the nature of the suggested work to be done. Sentences 4 and 5
explain why the recommendation is feasible. Sentence 6 and 7 urge the company to take up the
recommendation because of the relevance or urgency of the problem to be addressed.
× Establish a forum for retrenched employees
This recommendation is based on the fact that respondents are willing to take legal
actions against the company because of their belief that the package is unfair. It will be
recalled that 68% of all respondents perceive the package to be unfair because of the
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short time given to employees to be served out a notice of retrenchment. Additionally,
23% percent of respondents also believe that the package is unfair because remuneration
is not comparable to the length of years served by retrenched employees. Only 9% of the
respondents say that the package is generally fair.
The problem here should now be self‐evident. It repeats the same facts which have been interpreted in the
Findings section and evaluated in the Conclusions section. Leave the specific facts, data and information out
of the Recommendations section and focus on your suggested solutions to specific problems. If the reader
questions a particular recommendation, she may go back to the Findings and Conclusions sections to find
out more about how you presented and argued your case.
× Recommendation 1
It will be noted that respondents are willing to take legal actions against the company
because of their belief that the package is unfair. This is an urgent matter for the
company to attend to because it may require millions of dollars, as well as energy and
effort, to pursue the legal cases of many retrenched employees. In this connection, the
company may consider establishing a forum for retrenched employees in order to address
this problem. More specifically, the company could form a crisis management task force
composed of members from all six departments of the company. The main work of the
task force is to meet with respondents who may have valid views about the package and
propose a course of action for the company to address the problem.
The problem with this recommendation is its inability to make a strong impact on the reader. First of all, the
heading does not say anything at all. Secondly, the key recommendation is lost in the midst of many
sentences. If it is not italicized, it will take time to find it. Thirdly, the key recommendation is weak because
of its use of ‘may’. It has been established in the earlier sentence that the matter is ‘urgent’ so a stronger
imperative is needed such as ‘should’.
The Recommendations section also requires a few other important considerations for it be
well‐written. These are:
 Connect the section to the Conclusions section (e.g., “Based on the conclusions in the
earlier section…”)
 Write an introductory paragraph which gives the reader an idea of things to come in the
Recommendations section (e.g., “Based on the conclusions in the earlier section, four
key recommendations will be proposed. These are…”)
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 Just like in all other sections of the report, use linking words to connect your ideas,
words, sentences, paragraphs and so on.
 End with a summary of your recommendations and an appeal or urgent call for the
company (or reader) to take up the report’s recommendations. You may also include
implications of inaction on the part of the company.
Over‐all Conclusion
This section is the last section of the report. In this section, you conclude the entire report by
doing the following:
 Re‐visit your PPQ
 Explain briefly how your PPQ has been addressed (e.g. answered, solved) through a
summary of your key findings, conclusions and recommendations.
 Make a general call for action for the company (or reader).

U
se appropriate style and tone

Unless specified in the instructions or it follows a particular
workplace culture which privileges informality in
communication, the report is essentially a formal document. As
such, the language to be used must be formal as well. Thus:

 Write in complete sentences. Instead of “The company
is expected to undertake a massive rehiring of retrenched workers. Because the Bureau
of Workers’ Rights has found the company’s policies on retrenchment unfair”, write
“The company is expected to undertake a massive rehiring of retrenched workers
because the Bureau of Workers’ Rights has found the company’s policies on
retrenchment unfair”.
 Avoid contractions. Some examples are We’re, there’s, wanna, kinda, gotta, and gonna.
Contractions are usually used in conversations or in written forms which attempt to
capture the conversational style of speaking of a particular interviewee or story
character. There are, however, published reports now which use contractions to make
the content of the reports less daunting or overwhelming, and to establish a clear
distance between the reports and the readers. You must be familiar with the culture of
writing in the company for which you are writing the report.
 Use the first person subject “we”, third person subjects like “the company” and “The
authors…”, or self‐referential demonstratives like “This writer…” (when you are referring
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to yourself). These strategies help you establish a more formal and objective stance
towards your topic or reader. As soon as you use “You” and “I”, the reader‐writer
relationship tilts towards a very informal distance which may impact the reader’s
perception of you as the interpreter and evaluator of evidence in the report.

I ncorporate charts and tables in the text
You need to ensure your visual aids are integrated appropriately with the text of the report.
Some report writers refer to all visual aids as exhibits and number them consecutively
throughout the report, while others number tables and figures (charts) separately. Integrating
the visual aids with the text can be done through the following means:
Introduce the visual aids in the text
Help the readers understand the significance of any visual aids by referring to the visual aids.
For example, “In Table 1, it can be seen that…” This reference helps readers understand why
the chart or table is important. When describing the data shown in your visual aids, be sure to
emphasize the main point you are trying to make, such as the critical information or trend.
Do not make the mistake of simply repeating all the data.
Place visual aids near their in‐text references
Preferably, place each visual aid directly next to the text that refers to and explains the visual
aid. Ideally, each visual aid and its relevant text should be on the same page so that readers
can consult both the visual aid and the explanation at the same time.
U se in‐text citations
In drafting your report, it is necessary to acknowledge, through citations, the data or
information that you incorporate into your report from secondary sources. Two common ways
of handling citations are the author‐date system and the superscript system.
Author‐date system
When using the author‐date system to make a reference citation in text, insert the author’s last
name and the year of the publication within parentheses. You can add a page number when
necessary:
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… reflected the most comprehensive approach (Lee, 2000, p. 67).
Alternatively, the name of the author can be integrated into the text:
According to Lee (2000), the solution was definitely …
When there is no author for the publication, use a short form of the title of the work:

… because of the slowdown in exports (New Plans for Trade Stimulation, 2001, p. 13).
The author‐date system requires a reference list at the end of the report. This list contains
pertinent information about the publication such as the name of the author, title of the article
or book, date of publication, etc.

Superscript system
Another method of in‐text citation is the superscript system. In this system, Arabic numerals
are placed just above the line of type at the end of the section of information taken from
secondary sources. The superscript lets the reader look for source information either in a
footnote (at the bottom of the page) or in an endnote (in the supplementary parts section of
the report). The sets of notes which you have been reading for this course have used this
system too.
… represented a 12% decrease in exports compared to the previous year. 1
Citations and bibliography in Word
In a sense, work on citing sources in all written work has become less tedious because recent
versions of Word can now help you organize your sources’ information in the correct way. Look
at a print screen below to find out where you can find help for your citations and bibliography.
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The important point to remember, however, is this: you must know the preferred citation style
of the company for which you are writing the report and use it consistently. There are many
choices: APA (American Psychological Association), Chicago, MLA (Modern Language
Association), Turabian, and many more. For your report, use the APA in both in‐text citation
and bibliography.
W rite an executive summary
An executive summary is a brief and factual overview of a report designed to give readers a
quick preview of its contents enabling them to assess the significance of the material.
Consolidating the principal points of a report in a few paragraphs, the executive summary can
be said to be a capsule form of the report. Other common names for an executive summary
are summary, abstract, overview and synopsis.
The value of an executive summary
Given the increased volume of information that managers must review, the executive summary
saves readers time by providing an overview of the report’s content. After reading your
summary, your readers should understand the main points you are making and your evidence
for those points without having to read every part of your report in full.
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Positioned before the first page of the report, an executive summary is very useful for readers
who have neither the time nor the inclination to read a lengthy report but who want to scan
the primary points quickly and then decide whether they need to read the entire version.
How to write an executive summary
Since the executive summary is the part of the report that is read first, you will want to write it
in such a way that will give your readers the impression that the rest of your report is worth
reading. To this end, it is important for you to:
 Select your content carefully. Include only key points likely to be viewed as relevant
and/or significant by the readers. Do not introduce any new information that is not
in your report.
 Present information in an effective and convincing manner. Organize the selected
content in a way that is logical and easy for readers to relate to. Present your ideas
convincingly.
One way of organizing the content of your report for the executive summary is to present the
information in the same order in which it appears in the report, with statements of problem
and purpose coming first, followed by an indication of the methodology used and, if necessary,
the scope of the report. A summary of your key findings, important conclusions and
recommendations will then come later.
An executive summary should be short enough to be economical and long enough to be clear
and comprehensive. As a rough guide, the executive summary is approximately 10% of the
length of the report.
The writing style of an executive summary should be formal. When writing the executive
summary, you should also avoid making evaluative comments about the report itself such as
"This report is very interesting". In addition, the executive summary should communicate
independently of the report so avoid making references to the report such as “The
recommendations will be explained in greater detail in the report”.
When you have drafted your executive summary, go over it with the following questions in
mind:
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 Has the summary captured the report in miniature?
 Have key ideas been highlighted? Could someone read the summary and tell the
essence of the report?
 Is the organization of information effective?
 Does the summary give the impression that the rest of the report is worth reading?
 Has the significance of the material to the readers been highlighted?
 Has the summary been written convincingly?
 Does language conform to the 3 C’s?

(Below is a sample of an executive summary – this must be used as part of Mini Lecture 4)
E
diting and proofreading the report
Editing and proofreading the report is the last stage of the report writing process. When
editing your report, consider how you can improve the clarity and conciseness of your writing.
You may need to rewrite or even delete entire sections if you find them unclear, illogical, wordy
or redundant. Other areas that you will need to review are the coherence, appropriateness of
the writing style and completeness of the report.
Eventually, in your editing process you will reach a point when you proofread the report,
primarily looking for grammatical, spelling or typographical errors.
Use spell or grammar checkers first, but be aware that a spell checker is not foolproof. The
following passage has been through a spell checker:
My Spelling Chequer
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your please two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled my sew.

‐‐‐ Sores unknown ‐‐‐
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Many also rely on Grammar Check in Word when they proofread their
work. However, grammar checks are also unreliable. The best that they can
do is to alert you to some potential grammatical errors and provide
alternative forms which could be the correct ones. Nevertheless, not all
highlighted parts in grammar checks are wrong, and not all suggestions for
corrections are right.
Some suggestions for proofreading are to proofread the report several times, not just once.
Also, get a friend or fellow student to proofread your report. Others are likely to catch mistakes
that you continually fail to miss. If you have the time, set the document aside and proofread it
the next day.
With respect to the presentation of your report, ensure that it is neat, attractive, and
professional. For effective design, be consistent in the use of design elements such as margins
and type styles and balanced in the use of white space, text, and graphs. White space, blank
space free of text and artwork, provides contrast and gives readers a resting point.
Finally, and very importantly, check again that you have followed all instructions given on any
required format for your reports.
S
UMMARY (for this set of notes)

Drafting the report is no easy task. You must be reminded again that a good draft is, first of all,
based on a well‐formulated PPQ. However, it is also important to learn more about the actual
process of drafting your report because it involves specific conventions which may need time to
practice (and perfect). More specifically, make sure you are able to generate a persuasive
report through interpretation, evaluation and recommendation which require different ways of
using or strategizing your language. Additionally, you must always work towards a coherent
report, both for the entire report and for the specific sections and sub‐sections of the report. A
coherent report will make reading smooth and easy.

The executive summary must be written after your draft has been written. You must remember
that the executive summary is usually the reader’s first ‘contact’ with the rest of the report. If it
is not well‐written, chances are the reader may not want to continue reading the rest of the
report. Note too that the executive summary may be the only part in the report which the
reader will read. After all, your reader may be an extremely busy business executive who does
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not have the time to read all of the report. The summary, therefore, should be written as if it is
the entire report.

Lastly, you must edit and proofread your report. Do not submit your draft without going
through this stage. If you are writing the report as a team, get everyone to read the draft again
and look for possible typographical or grammatical errors, missing graphs and other
information, or possibly inconsistent use of appropriate language. A well‐edited and proofread
report demonstrates a high level of professionalism.

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SAMPLE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As mothers have become a large part of the workforce and fathers Description of the problem.
have begun to share in the family’s caregiving responsibilities, work
demands and family responsibilities have increasingly come into The need for the study
conflict. This problem needs to be looked into as working parents highlighted to show its
make up a significant proportion of the workforce at XYZ Company. A significance.
study was therefore undertaken to determine employees’ child care
Clear purpose statement.
needs and gauge their impact on the company as well as propose a
feasible solution to alleviate childcare related problems.

Research data was gathered through: (1) a survey of 50 employees,
Brief description of research
and (2) interviews with 2 managers.
methodology
The report concludes that childcare needs are indeed coming

increasingly into conflict with the work demands of the employees
resulting in higher employee absenteeism and loss of productivity at Important conclusions
XYZ Company. Over half of the employees surveyed have children highlighted with a summary of
under 12 and usually need childcare during working hours. Childcare the key findings.
needs have resulted in many respondents missing full days of work and
difficulty with child care is in fact considered to be the third largest
cause of absenteeism in the company. Problems with child care have

also affected workers’ ability to do their job well due to stress and lack

of focus.
Childcare programs have been shown to be an effective management
Benefits of proposed
tool that serves the goals of both the company and the program
recommendation highlighted.
participants. Such a program, if developed at XYZ Company, will
benefit working parents by making it easier for them to balance their
work and family responsibilities. The company will in turn benefit by
lower absenteeism and higher productivity.

It is therefore proposed that a childcare program be implemented at Proposed action by the
XYZ Company through the setting up of a daycare facility onsite company.
managed by a non‐profit organization with a board of directors
consisting of parent and company representatives.
Adapted from: Christensen, J.G. Executive summaries complete the report.
1997. Online. Available: http://www.csun.edu/~vcecn006/summary.html 6
February 2003
41 | P a g e

TUTORIAL EXERCISES

ACTIVITY 1

List down all your key findings (use a separate sheet if necessary).

1. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
25 | P a g e

ACTIVITY 2
Based on your key findings, list down your key or most important conclusions (use a
separate sheet if necessary).

1. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
26 | P a g e

ACTIVITY 3
Based on your key conclusions, write down your main recommendations (use a separate
sheet if necessary).

1. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
27 | P a g e

Week 5: Centre For English Language Communication National University of Singapore

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