Name : Aqila Falah

NPM : 233402112

Class : B Management

Proposals and reports

There are many similarities between writing a proposal and writing a report. Both require the use of
formal language, clear structuring to guide the reader, and careful revision. In this chapter, proposals
are dealt with first and then reports.

Proposals

Businesses can fail or thrive depending on how they communicate their ideas and a cleverly
developed business proposal can make all the difference.

The term proposal can refer to a wide range of documents, from a bid for a contract to a proposal to
increase the budget for the office coffee. Proposals that are seeking funding or an alliance can
involve millions of Euros whereas a proposal to give a temporary worker a permanent position has
limited financial consequences. No matter what it is, the proposal must make a favourable
impression and explain all aspects of the proposed concept clearly and quickly.

First and Foremost/The concept

When you have received the information for a proposal from someone else, i.c., you are not the
original author of the proposal, it is imperative that you are clear as to what the concept is. Start off
by summarising the concept in 2 or 3 sentences and then show it to a lay person. If they are not
absolutely sure what the concept is, rewrite it until they are. Doing this, even when you are the
original author, helps clarify the message you want to get across.

Know the target reader

Even if your proposal is an internal document, think carefully about who will read it. A proposal is
written for the readers not for the writer. When you write a proposal in English, you’ll need to know
the readers’ competence in the English language. Writing for a global audience means avoiding local
assumptions and using neutral language rather than overly formal or, conversely, idiomatic phrases.
Similarly, find out how conversant the readers are with the jargon of your business or the
abbreviations that you use in your line of work. There’s nothing worse than ploughing through
someone else’s gobbledygook.

Let’s get writing

Assuming that you understand the concept(s) of the proposal, you’ve collected and collated all the
relevant information and you know your target readers, it’s time to get writing. The aim here is to
provide language frameworks that can be adapted to suit your particular situation.
 Summary

Proposals and reports are both written to communicate information, but they have different
purposes. Proposals are written to persuade the reader to take a certain action, while reports are
written to inform the reader about a topic or issue. Both proposals and reports should be clear,
concise, and well-organized, and tailored to the audience.