OFFICE REPORTS

4 Functions of Reports:
1. They can be used as controls to ensure that all departments are
functioning properly.

2. They give information.

3. They provide an analysis.

4. They persuade others to act.

Types of Office Reports:
1. In terms of Formality………..
a. Formal: reports prepared by the executives of companies
because of their positions
b. Informal: reports, which do not flow from any official
procedure

2. In terms of Legal Requirements……..

a. Statutory reports: reports which are prepared in accordance
with the statutory requirements of law
b. Non-statutory reports: reports which do not have any legal
requirements
3. In terms of Function…………..

a. Informational Reports: which contain functional information

with regard to a specific business activity
b. Analytical Reports: which contain interpretations, analysis and
comments of the person preparing the report
c. Research Reports: which state the findings of a research
conducted by the person preparing the report
Elements of a Formal Report:
1. Letter of Transmittal: A letter of transmittal is usually the first thing
one sees in a technical report, unless the report has a cover. This
letter is addressed directly to the person who commissioned the
report. It reminds the reader about when the request was made
and what the details of the request were. The letter goes on to
describe the report briefly. It ends on a positive note and usually
assures the reader that the writer is available for further assistance
should any be needed.
2. The Title Page: Where the title of the report, name of the reporter,
date of the report, and the recipient of the report are written.
3. Table of Contents: lists the major heads that are distributed through the
report. These heads should reflect the report's hierarchical structure: The
first-level heads should appear on the left margin or the table of contents,
and second level heads, if listed, should be indented. The effect will be that
of an outline without the Roman numerals and capital letters. From each
head, a line of dots should cross the page to a column of page numbers near
the right margin. The page numbers in this column should be the number of
the pages on which the heads appear.

4. List of Illustrations: If you have used tables or figures, you should list them
in a separate table of contents called the list of illustrations. This list, like the
table of contents, has its title at the top and the names of illustrations along
the left column with page numbers to the right.
The list of illustrations is divided into two parts. The first
subpart lists all the tables you have used in the report. The second subpart
lists all the figures (any graphs, drawings, or photographs) you have used.
5. Abstract or Executive Summary: An abstract is a summary of the report;
therefore, it is best to write it last. It simply reduces the length of the original
consistently all the way through.

6. The Introduction and Sections: The main body of a formal report is

divided into the introduction and the sections. The intro is usually divided
into a purpose statement, a problem statement and a scope statement. The
purpose statement indicates what the purpose of the report is; the problem
statement explains the situation in the world that called for the writing of
the report; and the scope statement indicates what will and will not be
covered in the report. The scope statement also serves to preview the
sections of the report.
The sections of a report are like chapters.
They are usually shorter than book chapters and they are introduced with
headings that indicate their nature. Different kinds of reports call for
different kinds of sections. Each section should start with a topic sentence
that explains the section's purpose. The rest of the section should develop
the message of that topic sentence in detail.
7. References:. These are a list of all the outside sources used in the
report. Technical reports often use a numbering system. The first
citation to appear is reference one, and the second is reference two
and so on. The number appears on the page where the citation appears
(right after the cite) and then again on the reference page, which
appears at the end of the report.