Report Outline:

1. Introduction
The introduction answers the following:
● Who ordered the report?
● What is the purpose of the report?
● Where does the information come from?
● Are recommendations given?
The background section could be included in the introduction, but it seems neater here to
give it its own heading.

2. Findings
The Findings or Body section is generally the longest section of a report. It is called the
findings because it is generally written after a period of some sort of investigation or
research.
The findings section should simply present information without drawing conclusions (which
go in the conclusions section) or giving recommendations (which go in the recommendations
section). However, it should be written in a way that conclusions and recommendations
naturally follow.

3. Conclusions
Note that, unlike an academic essay, the conclusions section is not the last section of the
report – it is the second last.
In this case, the conclusions have been numbered to make it easy to see that there are four
main conclusions. Look back at the findings; for each body paragraph, there is one
conclusion, and they are written in the same order. Each conclusion is basically a summary
of a problem written about in the Findings section.

4. Recommendations
The last section of a report is the recommendations section. For each concluding point, a
recommendation is given. The recommendations are given in the same order as the
conclusions.

Recommendations are specific, action-oriented suggestions that can be given to solve the
reported problem. When writing recommendations, you should remember to:
● make specific suggestions
● avoid conditional words
● number the recommendations
● describe how they can be implemented
● arrange the recommendations from most important to least important.

Notice the language which is used. The most common modal verb used in the
recommendations section is ‘should’. Remember that the writer’s job is simply to give
recommendations. Hence, we do not use the word ‘will’ and we prefer ‘should’. We reserve
‘must’ for strong advice:
● Center managers must ensure that break and lunch hours are not shortened or
skipped.
In this case, there could be legal issues if the recommendation is not followed. Hence the
use of ‘must’ is justified.
For weaker advice or suggestions, we may use the word ‘could’:
● Staff morale could be improved by having facilities such as a coffee dispenser.

Sample Report:
[Introduction] The HR manager requests this report to analyze the high staff turnover of
employees at Zest Health Benefits Ltd. The research and data in this report have been
gathered by human resources over a six-month period. The team of six analyzed working
conditions and administration records and also interviewed staff. In this report, the
researchers make recommendations to reduce the high turnover of staff working at Zest
Health Benefits Ltd.

[Background] Zest Health Benefits Ltd. has been a Limited Company for over two decades,
formed in January 2000. It employs 300 members of staff, with most of the employees
tasked with processing and researching health products to communicate with a large
audience of consumers. Despite operating in a region with substantial unemployment, the
annual turnover has been between 50 to 55% within the last five years.

[Findings] The most prominent issue to arise when interviewing staff is that of dehydration
in an air-conditioned office. The interviews also found that mothers are having trouble with
childcare because they don't receive any childcare support from Zest Health Benefits Ltd.
Male and female staff expressed their concerns about having to take time off for their
families.

[Conclusions] The main issues that we found were as follows:

1. A lack of drinkable water supply to remain hydrated at work.
2. A lack of support for employees, specifically relating to the company's lack of
childcare support.

[Recommendations] To address these two main issues, we recommend the following

steps:
1. Purchase free-to-use water coolers at a reasonable cost for each office room at Zest
Health Benefits Ltd.
2. Set up an in-house childcare center to encourage mothers and fathers to remain in
employment at Zest Health Benefits Ltd.

[Introduction] This report is written at the request of the Chief Financial Officer in order to
investigate the high turnover rate amongst employees in the Kingsley Helpdesk Operation.
The information in the report is based on a week-long investigation into the matter by three
members of the Human Resource Department. The three-member team interviewed staff,
checked administration records and observed working conditions. Recommendations are
made in this report on how to decrease the high rate of staff turnover at the center.

[Background] The Kingsley Helpdesk Center has been in operation for four years. It
employs 100 personnel whose work comprises mainly of handling telephone enquiries from
the general public regarding our range of telecommunication services. Although situated in
an area with high unemployment, the annual turnover has been between 50 and 55% every
year since it opened. The average annual turnover for the helpdesk/call center industry is
33%, already considered high compared to other industries.

[Findings]
One of the first things that the team noticed was the lack of training of the personnel in
handling a call. Each employee had their own system of dealing with an issue. Where a
process needed to be explained, different employees would provide different steps. In many
instances, the employees felt frustrated because they had not been trained how to handle an
issue and were merely guessing at the solution.

When the staff survey was carried out, it was found that the most common complaint was
about the working environment. Although a fifteen-minute break for every three hours was
promised, in reality the long queue of callers on hold meant that a break was impossible,
especially during peak hours. The lunch break was usually shortened for the same reason.

The employees work in teams of eight, supervised by a team leader. The team leaders were
observed to criticize and correct the employees when they made mistakes, but never to
praise the employees when they did well. Interviews with the team members confirmed this.

Finally, many employees complained that there was no chance of decent career
progression. Team leaders are paid only very slightly more than the team members and
have to work slightly longer hours. The center is run by three managers, who were sent
there from headquarters rather than being promoted from amongst the ranks.

[Conclusions] The main issues that were found are as follows:

1. A lack of training leads to employee frustrations and disillusionment.
2. The hectic working environment, due to understaffing, means employees cannot
socialize and do not enjoy their work.
3. Employees are reprimanded but never praised, leading to employee disillusionment.
4. Employees do not perceive that they are able to better themselves by remaining in
this organization.

[Recommendations] To address these four main issues, the following actions are
recommended:
1. A team of three full time training officers should be hired by the center. These officers
should be tasked with organizing a proper training session for all incoming staff. The
staff must be trained on company procedures as well as basic and advanced
customer service skills.
2. The number of helpdesk operators should be increased by 10% during peak hours.
Center managers must ensure that break and lunch hours are not shortened or
skipped.
3. A workshop should be held for team leaders and they should be trained on how to
give appropriate feedback – constructive criticism and praise.
4. Team leaders should receive either a pay increase or an improved annual bonus in
order to reward their greater contribution. At least one manager should be promoted
from within.
[Terms of Reference]
Margaret Anderson, Director of Personnel has requested this report on employee benefits
satisfaction. The report was to be submitted to her by 28 June.

[Procedure]
A representative selection of 15% of all employees were interviewed in the period between
April 1st and April 15th concerning:
1. Overall satisfaction with our current benefits package
2. Problems encountered when dealing with the personnel department
3. Suggestions for the improvement of communication policies
4. Problems encountered when dealing with our HMO

[Findings]
1. Employees were generally satisfied with the current benefits package.
2. Some problems were encountered when requesting vacation due to what is
perceived as long approval waiting periods.
3. Older employees repeatedly had problems with HMO prescription drugs procedures.
4. Employees between the ages of 22 and 30 report few problems with HMO.
5. Most employees complain about the lack of dental insurance in our benefits package.
6. The most common suggestion for improvement was for the ability to process benefits
requests online.

[Conclusions]
1. Older employees, those over 50, are having serious problems with our HMO's ability
to provide prescription drugs.
2. Our benefits request system needs to be revised as most complaints concerning in-
house processing.
3. Improvements need to take place in personnel department response time.
4. Information technology improvements should be considered as employees become
more technologically savvy.

[Recommendations]
1. Meet with HMO representatives to discuss the serious nature of complaints
concerning prescription drug benefits for older employees.
2. Give priority to vacation request response time as employees need faster approval in
order to be able to plan their vacations.
3. Take no special actions for the benefits package of younger employees.
4. Discuss the possibility of adding an online benefits requests system to our company
Intranet.

Transport plays an important role in the goods expense. Involved parties may share the
control of risk and title through different Terms of Trade such as FOB, EXW, CIF, etc. The
most common method of transport is by sea due to low cost and ability to deliver orders of
large quantities. There are many other methods such as air, road, rail, post, etc. each with its
own advantages and disadvantages. Choosing what methods to use is very important, and
parties are advised to consult an expert in this field to make the right decision.
REPORT
The purpose of this report is to examine our up-to-date transport and loading market with
reference to cargoes coming by air.
Main categories of transported goods are jewelry and cosmetic goods. They used to be
carried in small cartons but since cartons are difficult to inspect and estimate, recently, they
have been transported by general unitized boxes. This kind of box is still new to our market
and pretty expensive, so our facility is in high demand.
I recommend using those alternative boxes despite some difficulties arising. It may take a
while to make up for the huge capital but the benefits are outweighed in the long term.
Because these special kinds of goods are often ordered by bulk buyers and long-lasting
wholesalers, they probably prefer it if their requests are carefully served. Therefore, what we
should do now is a right-away order for special boxes mentioned. Holiday season is up close
and goods are better to be on track.