Preparing Informative and Influential Business Reports

Chapter 11:
Preparing
Informative
and Influential
Business
Reports
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material

solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or
distribution in any manner. This document may not be copied,
scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a
website, in whole or part.
11-1
Definition of a Business Report
An orderly and objective communication of factual

information that serves a business purpose.
Orderly-prepared carefully
Objective- unbiased
Factual Information-Information based on statistics,
data and events
Business Purpose- To be classified as a business
report it should serve a business purpose
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any manner.
This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part. 11-2
Determine the Report Purpose
1. Conduct a preliminary investigation.

-Gather facts to better understand the problem.
-Consult multiple sources
2. Create a clear problem/purpose statement.
-Create a clear problem/purpose statement, preferably in
writing.
- To clearly understand the problem/purpose in your mind
- To allow others to review it
State the Problem & Purpose
The statement can take 3 forms
1. Question:
"What effects does radio advertising have on company
X’s sales?"
2. Infinitive phrase:
"To measure the effects of radio advertising on X
company sales"
3. Declarative statement:
"Company X wants to know how a radio advertising
campaign will affect its sales.“
Determine the Factors
Find out the factors that have affected your
purpose/caused the problem.
There are 3 types of factors that we shall discuss
1 Subtopics: Subtopics of the overall topic about which
the report is concerned. Used in informational and
some analytical reports
2 Hypotheses: Possible explanations of the problem that
have to be tested. Used in problem-solving situations.
Determine the Factors
3. Comparisons: Problems that include

comparison between multiple elements. Bases
of comparison used in evaluative reports.
Ex: Purpose & Subtopics
Situation: As a general management practice, the Springfield store
authorities want to look at store operations for a certain period.
Purpose statement: To review operations of Springfield Stores
from January 1 through March 31.
Subtopics:
1.Production
2.Sales and promotion
3.Financial status
4.Product development
5.Human resources
Ex: Problem & Hypotheses
Situation: Sales has declined in Springfield stores in the
previous quarter and the management is interested in
finding out why.
Problem statement: Why has sales at the Springfield stores
declined in the last quarter?
Hypotheses:
1.Activities of the competing companies have caused the
decline.
2.Changes in the economy of the area have caused the
decline.
3.Company deficiencies have caused the decline.
Ex: Purpose & Comparison Bases
Situation: Springfield wants to decide a new store location and they
are considering 2 cities as their probable options.
Purpose statement: Springfield wants to decide a new store location
in City A or City B.
Comparison bases:
1.Availability of skilled workers
2.Tax structure
3.Transportation facilities
4.Nearness to markets
Gather the Information Needed
• Primary • Secondary
– Interviews – Library
– FGD – Online
– Surveys – Journals
• Telephone – Newspapers
• Mail/Email
– Articles
• Web surveys
– Company records
(raw data)
Statistical Tools for Data Analysis
• Statistical tools permit you to examine data

• There are many (Excel, Stata, Eviews, SPSS)
• Descriptive statistics
– Dispersion (Range, Variance, Standard Deviation)
– Ratios (Proportionate Relationship)
– Probability
Interpret the Findings
• Report the facts as they are. (don’t
overstate/understate)
• Draw conclusions only when appropriate (there
might be inconclusive results, if so just summarize
your findings)
• Compare data that is comparable. (apples and
apples not apples and oranges)
• Be sure the data used for research are reliable and
representative. (Published papers and working
papers)
11-12
Key points While Writing the Report
1. The Beginning and the Ending of the report are critical
parts.
A good beginning . . .
– states the subject of the report
– reveals what kind of data it is based upon
– indicates its likely significance to the reader
A good ending . . .
– may summarize
– or summarize and interpret
– or summarize, interpret, and recommend—depending on
the report’s purpose.
Key points While Writing the Report
2. Use smooth Transitions

-When writing in groups make sure the
different parts flow and make sense one after
another.
3. Be Consistent with Time (Past tense or
Present tense)
4. Avoid clichés and abstract writing
A Basic Blueprint
1. Determine the Purpose
2. Identify the Factors
3. Gather the Information
4. Interpret the Information
5. Organize the Material
6. Plan the Writing
7. Assign Parts to be Written
8. Write assigned Parts
9. Revise Collaboratively
10. Edit the Final Draft

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Chapter 11:

© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material

An orderly and objective communication of factual

1. Conduct a preliminary investigation.

3. Comparisons: Problems that include

• Statistical tools permit you to examine data

2. Use smooth Transitions

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