MS 111

BUSINESS
COMMUNICATIO
N REPORT WRITING
Presented By:
025 Anil Gupta
026 Tanvi Jindal
027 Anshul Jain
028 Vipul Singhal (Group
Leader)
029 Vineet Kumar
030 Ishita Dhingra
 Overview
 Report and its Importance
 Report Writing
 Classification of Reports
 Styles of Report Writing
 Tips For Effective Report Writing
 Who writes and reads Reports
 Purpose of Report Writing  Steps involved in Report
Writing
 Essentials of a Good Report
 Parts of Formal Reports
 Three Levels of Reports
 Some Principles of Report
Writing
 Presentation of a Report
 Various Examples of Reports
 What is a
Report?
 Management tool for effective decision making.

 Detailed examination of a situation or problem, of action

taken, or of the findings of an investigation.

 Written in a clear, informative way.

 Often drawing conclusions, making recommendations.

 Orderly and objective communication of factual

information that serves a business purpose.
 Report Writing
 Importance of Report writing:

Report writing is central to:

 Decision making
 Progress reporting
 Root cause analysis
 Problem solving
 MIS
 Report writing can be done by an individual or by a team.
 Writing a Report

Assembling material Planning the Report

Editing the Report Drafting the Report

 Classification of Reports

REPORTS

Informational Analytical
Report Report
 Informational Report

 Intended to explain something or educate readers.

 Focus on data and facts without analysis or
recommendations.
 Informational Reports include those for monitoring and
controlling operations, progress reports and
compliance reports.
 E.g. Annual Report prepared by the company
secretary for presentation at Annual General Meeting.

Classification of Reports
 Analytical Report
 Designed to convince audience that the conclusions and
recommendations developed are valid.

 Body of the report presents all the facts and ends by

presenting a decision or a solution to a problem.

 E.g. Technical Reports

Classification of Reports
 Styles of Report Writing

Report Writing styles

Letter style Report Schematic Report

 Letter Style vs Schematic
Style Report
Letter Style of Schematic Report
Report  Deals with a number of
related topics.
 Covering mainly one topic
 Is generally requested by
 Is used to make requests,
senior management.
pass information.
 Is presented in a particular
 Used for detailed
format.
communi-cation.

Styles of Report Writing

 Tips For Effective Report
Writing
While writing a Report, some useful tips are as under:

 Simple words and Short Paragraphs

 Avoid adverb and adjectives

 Avoid emphatic words like very, highly, extremely

 Be specific and precise

 Never exaggerate

 Write to inform and not to impress

 Who Writes And Reads
Reports
 Generally subordinate to superior.

 In specific terms, it depends on purpose of writing it.

 Because of constraints, managers delegate this duty

to their subordinates.

 E.g. -- a sales manager forecasts sales on the basis of

field representative ‘s report.
 Purpose of Report Writing

1. Informing

2. Analyzing 3.
Recommendin
g
 Informing

 Facts and events surrounding a particular situation.

 No attempt is made to analyze or interpret the data or to

draw conclusions or recommend a course of action.

 Main interest lies in providing all relevant information,

objectively and accurately.

Purpose of Report Writing

 Analyzing

 Data in itself is meaningless, so should be played

with to serve the purpose.

 Interpret data as per the requirement of problem.

 It involves going into depth of problem,

understanding it and coming out with some
solutions.

Purpose of Report Writing

 Recommending

 Endorsing a specific course of action

 After interpretation , suggesting a plan of attack

 Recommendation should be based on problem in

question and data gathered and analyzed.

Purpose of Report Writing

 Steps Involved in Report
Writing
 Planning

 Data gathering

 Organizing

 Analyzing

 Drafting
 Planning
Define the purpose of report ----
 Determine why issue is important
 What use of report will be made?
 Decide purpose of report and know constraints.

Define the audience for report---

 Whether it is for internal or external reader.
 Level of interest and knowledge of reader.

Steps Involved in Report Writing

 Gathering Information

 Determine what data would be required.

 Know what data is available with you.

 Trace the sources from where remaining data can

be obtained.

 Collect the data actually.

Steps Involved in Report Writing

 Organizing the Data

 Compiling data in a systematic and logical form.

 Organizing data according to problem.

 It involves classifying data, tabulating them,

using graphs and other pictorials.

Steps Involved in Report Writing

 Analyzing Data

 Each bit of data individually and then in conjunction

with other data.

It brings out----

 Findings

 Alternative solutions and sometimes probable solution

as well

 Conclusion.

Steps Involved in Report Writing

 Drafting the Report

 Consider needs of reader and nature of problem.

 Determine length, formality and format of report.

 Make sure that report is complete, objective and

credible.

 Proofread to ensure it reflects highest standards

of accuracy, thinking and care.

Steps Involved in Report Writing

 Essentials of a Good

Report
Meet the needs of the readers and answer the questions in
their minds.
 At the right level for the readers- some readers have an in-
depth knowledge of the subject; others may be decision-
makers without specialized technical knowledge.
 Have a clear, logical structure- with clear signposting to show
where the ideas are leading.
 Not to make assumptions about the readers’ understanding.
All writers need to apply the “so what” test and need to
explain why something is a good idea.
 Give a good first impression. Presentation is very important.
 Parts of Formal
Reports
 A Report is divided in three sections:

Preliminary Section

Body of the Report

Supplementary Section
 Preliminary Section
A) Title page

 Typically contains the title of the report; the writer’s name, title &
department; and the date of submission.

 Should indicate the purpose and content of the report.

B) Letter and Memo of Transmittal

 It introduces report to the reader. Its like Preface or Foreword.

 It may include personal comments or suggestions and any item

worthy of discussion.

 Should be concise and subjective.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Preliminary Section
(cont.)
C) Table of Contents

 Lists all major sections and the page on which each

begins.

 An aid in quickly locating specific information in the report

 Usually for reports of more than five pages.

 Sometimes also contains list of illustrations.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Body of the Report
A) Introduction
 General Information about the problem and main issues involved in it.
 Statement of problem which clearly identifies the specific problem that was
investigated.
 Purpose of the study that why the study was conducted. It should convince
the reader that the problem was important and need to be studied.
 Scope of the research which can include resources, time, or geographic
boundaries.
 Writer can define the terms unfamiliar to the reader. If there are many terms
than glossary should be included in the supplementary section.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Body of the Report
(cont.)
B) Procedures or Methodology
 It includes the steps taken in conducting the study.
 It allows readers to determine whether all aspects of the problem
were investigated adequately.
C) Findings
 They are results discovered during the research.
 Presented in a factual and objective manner without personal opinion
or interpretations.
 Present all findings- Positive and Negative.
D) Analysis
 It is the writer’s interpretation of the qualitative and quantitative
assessments of the findings.
 Analysis assists reader in determining which relationships are
important.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Body of the Report
(cont.)
E) Conclusions
 These are drawn from the findings of the study.
 Summary of the content of the Analysis Section.
 No new data should be presented in this section.
 A study may have one or more conclusions.
F) Recommendations
 It is the writer’s suggestion to the reader as to the actions that
should be taken to solve the problem.
 These should develop logically from the findings, analysis and
conclusions of the study.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Supplementary Section
A) Glossary

 Alphabetic list of terms used in the report with brief definition of each.

 Used only when numerous unfamiliar terms are included in the text.

B) Appendix

 Related information excluded from the body to improve its readability.

 All appendixes should be referred to in the body of the report.

 Some examples are: questionnaires, computer printouts, follow-up letters,

working papers, intricate tables and supporting material.

Parts of Formal Reports

 Levels of Reports
There are three levels of reports that means a Report can provide:

 Information Only:

Sales report and Quarterly reports

 Information plus Analysis:

Annual Reports, Audit Reports and Make-good or pay-back reports

 Information plus Analysis plus a Recommendation:

Feasibility reports, Justification reports and Problem-solving reports.

 Principles of Drafting a
Report
1. Principle of Purpose: Must have a specific and
sound purpose.

2. Principle of Organization: Should be properly

planned and well-organized.

3. Principle of Clarity: Written in Simple Language.

 Principles of Drafting a
Report (cont.)
4. Principle of Brevity: Should be brief
enough.

5. Principle of Scheduling: Without

undue burden on staff and with sufficient
time for their preparation.

6. Principle of Cost: Cost should be less

than the benefits.
Presentation of a Report
 After the collection of data for the
report comes the stage of presentation
of the data in the report. This stage is
one of the most important stage in
report writing and presentation thereof
as however good the data may be if it
is not presented correctly and the
hardwork put in collecting the data may
go in vain.
 Factors to be
considered in
Presenting a Report
 Errors in interpreting the data

 Not being too elaborative

 Congestion of data must be avoided

 The report must look good

Presentation of Reports
 Errors in Interpreting the
Data
 Adding colors to the facts
 Drawing unnecessary conclusions
 Interpreting the lack of evidence as a proof of the
contrary
 Comparing the non-comparable data
 Drawing illogical cause-effect conclusion
 Relying on unreliable and unrepresentative sources
 Oversimplification of the problem

Presentation of Reports
 Remedial Steps

 Maintain a judicious attitude (Without bias or

prejudice)
 Consult others
 Test your interpretations. For this, the two tests are:
i. The experience test
ii. The negative test

Presentation of Reports
 Not being too elaborative

 Focus on the subject matter

 Attention span of the audience must be kept in mind
 Not too lengthy
 Unnecessary details and explanations must be avoided

Presentation of Reports
 Congestion must be
avoided
 Data to be arranged in paragraphs, paragraphs to be
evenly placed.
 Paragraphs must be duly identified.
 Consecutive lines/paragraphs must be properly spaced.
 Font size of the words must be adequate for the
readers to read.

Presentation of Reports
 Looking Good

 Use pleasant colored background

 Different color font for titles, headings and body text.
 Font size for titles, headings and body text must be
different.
 Appropriate diagrams must be used at proper place

Presentation of Reports
 Various Examples of
Reports
 Annual Reports
 Audit Reports
 Feasibility Reports
 Sales Reports
 Progress Reports
 Directors Reports
 Case Studies
 Annual Report

 An annual report lists the achievements and failures of

an organization.
 It is a progress report in which every department is
accounted for.

Various Examples of Reports

 Audit Report
 There are two types of auditor: the external auditor and
the internal auditor.
 External auditors are independent of the companies on
which they report. They are required to report to the
shareholders at general meetings on whether the final
statements of a company give a 'true and fair view' of
the state of the company's affairs.
 Internal auditors are concerned with the segregation of
duties and the internal control of the business for which
they are employed.

Various Examples of Reports

 Feasibility Reports
 These discuss the practicality, and possibly the
suitability and compatibility of a given project, both
in physical and economic terms.
 They also discuss the desirability of the proposed
project from the viewpoint of those who would be
affected by it.
 Report writers must come to a conclusion, and must
recommend that some action is taken or is not taken
and/or that some choice is adopted or is rejected.

Various Examples of Reports

 Sales Report

 It is a salesperson's detailed record of sales calls and

results for a given period; typically, a sales report will
include information such as the sales volume per
product or product line, the number of existing and
new accounts called upon, and the expenses incurred
in making the calls.

Various Examples of Reports

 Progress Report
 You write a progress report to inform a supervisor,
associate, or customer about progress you've made
on a project over a certain period of time.
 The project can be the design, construction, or repair
of something, the study or research of a problem or
question, or the gathering of information on a
technical subject.
 You write progress reports when it takes well over
three or four months to complete a project.

Various Examples of Reports

 Directors Report

 Financial Report prepared for company directors.

 The report is typically prepared on a quarterly and
annual basis.
 It includes detailed items such as the accountant's
financial analyses and management
recommendations.
 The report is usually unaudited.

Various Examples of Reports

 Case Studies
 Case study refers to the collection and presentation of detailed
information about a particular participant or small group, frequently
including the accounts of subjects themselves.

 A form of qualitative descriptive research, the case study looks

intensely at an individual or small participant pool, drawing
conclusions only about that participant or group and only in that
specific context.

 Researchers do not focus on the discovery of a universal,

generalizable truth, nor do they typically look for cause-effect
relationships; instead, emphasis is placed on exploration and
description.

Various Examples of Reports