Assignment : Creating a Business Report

In the week 3 discussion, you began the Pre-Writing step for a report for your boss on Richard Hackman's statement that using a team to complete a complex project may not be the best approach.

Review your classmates' contributions to the discussion forum so that you are able to leverage a wide variety of perspectives.

Your written assignment this week is to continue the 3x3 writing process and complete the report.

Continuing your research using the South University Online Library, complete the report. Your report must include the following:

An outline of how you have formulated your response to Richard Hackman's statement. Your outline should provide a reasonable framework for the report and show where you are going to use each of the pieces of information you found through your research

An introduction to the report that explains the purpose of the report, the significance of the topic, and a preview of the main points to be discussed

The body of the report that uses clear headings and topics arranged logically, in an appropriate tone

Meaningful conclusions and practical recommendations in the report

Multiple current and credible sources

Elements of a Report

You should provide suitable headings and subheadings at all appropriate places. Your report should also include:

• Objective of the report and background information

• Methodology explaining from where and how you collected the data

• Specific results of the report

• Possible interpretations of the results of the research

• Conclusion and suggestions

Business reports, whether or not research-oriented, should contain some or all of the following elements:

• A cover letter or memorandum stating the purpose of the report-a cover letter is written when addressing the external audience; and a memo is required for addressing the internal recipients

• A title page that suitably describes the topic of the report

• An executive summary, also known as an abstract, usually of 350 words or less

• Table of contents with respective page numbers

• Headings for various sections such as introduction, background, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion or recommendations

• Bibliography or a reference list

Appendices for tables and charts of quantitative data, or specific survey responses and comments for qualitative data

• Glossary of terms, particularly useful in highly technical reports

• Index depicting numbers or any particular scale, if necessary

Layout and Language

While writing a report, it is important to keep the language accessible and the layout well-defined. With regards to this, the key points to bear in mind are:

• Use gender-neutral language: Avoid using pronouns like he or she; rather, use they or their.

• Avoid references to cultural or ethnic stereotypes, as these references might be misinterpreted by certain people.

• Avoid clichés, jargon, or highly technical language. Rather, keep the language simple. Use the terminology related to your professional field only, and be original.

• Use examples and analogies, wherever they can be used.

This will make the report seem more authentic and interesting.

• Use short sentences, paragraphs, and subheadings. While revising, verify that the content in each section is focused; check if it maps to the specific heading and subheading.

• Use bulleted lists wherever applicable. It is always preferred to break down information into bullets; this brings in more clarity and facilitates ease of understanding.

Use tables, figures, and graphs. You can use tables or graphs to support the content in the body of the report, but make sure you use appendices for detailed tabulated data.

• Use legitimate sources and cite them under a "References" section.

• Consider all the stakeholders and provide bias-free recommendations for action.

Planning and Organizing Content

Writing a business report requires that you plan, prepare, and organize the content of your report. Certain questions that you need to consider before starting to write a business report are:

• What is the purpose of the report? What decisions should follow from the information in the report?

• Who is the decision maker? If the decision maker is you then you should include all the supporting information that explains how and why you arrived at your decision.

But if the decision maker is another person then you should include all the findings and other factual details that will help him or her in making a well-informed decision.

• Who is the audience for the report? Is it possible that there might be multiple audiences for it?

• What, where, and who are the information sources? Sources may be primary or secondary, or internal or external, but they should be reliable.

• What is a reasonable and realistic timeline for the report you need to create? You should bear in mind the time allotted, and accordingly, devote enough time for research, compilation, and preparation.

• What resources are available to help collect and collate the required information?

Objectives and Elements of a Proposal

Business proposals are formal letters that are written for a number of purposes, like:

• Writing an application for receiving some kind of finance

• Writing to an office for receiving grant for a research

• Writing to a large client for obtaining business from them

A business proposal is an official document, usually directed to an audience that is external to the organization.

The key elements of a business proposal are:

• Introduction and organizational background

• Cover letter

• Abstract or executive summary

• Table of contents

• Requirements of:

o Staffing

o Budget

o Finance sources

o Timeline

• Authorization and any appendices

Writing a Business Proposal

The process of planning, preparing, organizing, and writing a proposal is similar to that of a formal business or research report.

Preparing to write a proposal involves:

• Formulating the objectives of the proposal

• Analyzing the audience profile and understanding their needs

Analyzing markets and competition

• Understanding organizational strengths

• Researching for supporting data

• Identifying and communicating the benefits of the proposal Writing a proposal is usually considered difficult, as it involves bearing in mind several aspects that determine its effectiveness.

It should be persuasive; the content must maintain the reader's interest and it must reflect your or your company's credibility, work ethic, and competence.

Your proposal should have a realistic or feasible budget and staffing requirements. Also, a proposal is treated as a contractbetween two parties; for this reason, all the requirements and terms of the proposal must be well thought out before writing.