BUSINESS REPORT
CONTENTS
What is report?
Purpose
The report & the reader
Types of report
Writing non-routine Reports
A system for report writing
Report format
WHAT IS A
REPORT?
“A report is the written statement of the results of your
investigations. Its purpose is to provide useful information and
sometimes to make recommendations.”
PURPOSE
PURPOSE
Purpose ( why the report is to be written ) and
audience ( who will read it ) are two crucial aspect
which should never be forgotten. These determine
the content, style and type of report to be produced.
Generally speaking, the purpose of a report can be:
1. To keep management informed about what is
happening in the organization.
2. To provide a written record of the performed of a
particular task or investigation.
1. To provide a basic for decision making by
an informed management.
2. To make recommendation for particular courses of
action.
3. To circulate the results of a particular
test, experiment or investigation.
4. To display the ability or achievement of the writer,
or of a department or sales team.
5. To provide evidence of an occurrence at
work which may be used in legal proceedings.
THREE BASIC PURPOSES READERS
EXPECT
Recommendation
Reason & justification
Alternative courses of action with reason
Information
Your reader may simply ask for information. The
amount of information you put in the report and the
form in which you present it must be related to the
use that is to be made of the information.
Display of ability
One of the ‘hidden agendas’ in any
authorization of a report is often a request for
you to provide evidence of what you have
accomplished.
THE REPORT AND THE
READER
THE REPORT AND THE
READER
The purpose of any report is discovered by
asking questions about the original request. The
key factor here is the reader, or audience. First,
know who is to receive the report, who else will
read it, and why the reader(s) want the
information of recommendations.
On the basis of your report, decisions may be
made which affect the organization and its staff.
Often these involve the spending of money, so it
is your responsibility to bear in mind the
following:
RESPONSIBILITIES OF A
SENDER
Assume that your reader is not looking forward
to a ‘good read’ when the report lands on her
desk. You have a responsibility to make your
report simple, concise and effective.
Assume that your reader is not an expert in the
subject as you. You are expected to use your
‘expert’ knowledge to present information simply
and to translate details and technical terms into
langauge your reader can easily understand.
Assume that your report will be read once
and then discarded.
Assume that others will read your report
when you are no longer available to answer
questions about your findings. It is your
responsibility to ensure that your report is
complete enough to anticipate questions
which may be asked much later.
Keep you audience in your mind when compiling a report.
Some things a reader needs to know are:
Why the report was written:
The report should have the sound reason for its
existence.
The significance of the report:
If the person responsible for taking action because of your
report, she will want to make these decisions knowing
fully what is likely to happen.
Cost:
Some justification for this expenditure would also be
required.
TYPES OF
REPORT
TYPES OF
REPORT
There are as many varieties of report as
there are purposes and audiences. They can
be grouped under two main headings:
Routine report
Non routine &Special reports
ROUTINE REPORT ( SHORT
REPORTS)
Routine reports follow a standard format.
Make sure your facts are logically ordered
and use language that can be clearly and
correctly understood.
Conference reports
Progress reports
Periodic reports
EXAMPLE OF ROUTINE REPORT
FORM
YOUNGERS-FORD PVT LTD
ACCIDENT REPORT
Department:
Name of injured person:
Position;
Place of accident: time and date:
Description of accident;
Names of witnesses and department(s):
Reported by:
Position:
Signature:
NON ROUTINE OR SPECIAL
REPORTS
This type of report require investigation
and research, and have a specific purpose
and audience.
WRITING NON-ROUTINE
REPORTS
Different business and organizations require
different style and formats, but it is possible
to give you a basic format which covers most
eventualities' and can be adapted to the
‘house style’ of your organization. The
question which you keep in mind while
preparing a report:
What’s this report about? (title)
Who asked for it? Why? (term of reference,
introduction)
Who carried out the research? What
qualifications do the investigator (s) have ?
(identification of writer, position,
qualifications)
How did the writer(s) find the information?
(procedure followed)
What did the writer discover? (findings)
What conclusions did the writer come to?
What action does the writer suggest?
(recommendations)
Are there more detailed statistics or evidence
for the conclusion? (appendix)
When was the report completed? (date)
Who was mainly responsible for it ?
(signature, office held)
A SYSTEM FOR REPORT
WRITING
THE BASIC
PLAN
Terms of reference
Gathering information
Classifying information
Planning and outline
Writing the first draft
Editing the draft
REPORT
FORMAT
The format or physical layout of a report
distinguishes it from other types of business
communication. Because reports aim to
make information readily accessible, the
format is designed to help the reader find
useful material as simply and quickly as
possible.
THE BASIC FORMAT OF THE
REPORT
The Front matter
The proper report
End matter
FRONT
MATTER
FRONT
MATTER
Cover
Letter of transmittal
Acknowledgements
Title page
Table of contents
summary
THE REPORT
PROPER
The report proper contains four basic
elements:
Introduction
Body or main section
Conclusions and recommendations
Signature and date
END
MATTER
Appendix (or appendixes)
Reference list (or biblography)
Index
THANK
YOU
