Effective Business Report Writing: Planning and Structure

1. Mini Lecture 2Introduction to Report Writing&Planning the Report

2. Overview

3. Introduction to Report Writing

4. The Importance

5. Essays: Used to demonstrate ideas Convey arguments Personally-Based Clear distinctions between Essays and Reports: • Reports: • Research-Based • Impersonal and Objective Tone • Clarity of Main Idea • Facts presented in Main Body • Evaluations of these presented in “Conclusions” or “Recommendations”

6. Definition of Business Reports A business report is an orderly and objective communication of factualinformation that serves some business purpose.

7. “Report must meet the needs of the readers and answer the question in their minds.” “The report must be at the level for the readers. Some readers have an in-dept knowledge of the subject; others may be decision-makers without specialized, technical knowledge.” “The report must give a good first impression. Presentation is very important.” Quotes from Senior Managers:

8. Type of Reports Categorized By:A) Function B) Time C) Form

9. A) Reports categorised by FUNCTION • Informational reports • -Collection of data • i.e. Trip Reports • Analytical reports • -Interpretation of data • -May include recommendation • i.e. Credit Reports

10. B) Reports Categorized By TIME • Progress reports • Current status of project • i.e.Long term construction project • Periodic reports • Prepared at regular time intervals • i.e. Corporate annual reports • Special reports • Prepared one-time only • i.e. Investing Decisions

11. C) Reports categorised by FORM • Memo • Short and Informal • Within organization • Letter • Short and formal • Used outside organization • Manuscript • Long and formal

12. THE REPORT PROPER THE REPORT PROPER THE REPORT PROPER THE REPORT PROPER LETTER REPORT MEMO REPORT Letter of Trans- mittal Table of Contents Title page Title page Title page Title page Summary Combi-nation Trans- mittal & Summary Combi-nation Trans- mittal & Summary Table of Contents Formal Situations Complex Problems Informal Situations Simple Problems

13. Planning the Project/Report Designing the Research Tool(s) Collecting and Analyzing the Data Organizing the Information Writing the Report Editing/Proofreading the Report Report-Writing Process

14. Phase 2: RESEARCH Determine the methodology Collect the information Phase 3: ANALYSE Organise & evaluate the information Draw conclusions & make recommendations Phase 4: WRITE Draft, revise & edit the report Package the report Phase 1: PREPARE Identify & define the problem Analyse the audience The Report-Writing Process Evaluate work at every step

15. Planning the Project/Report

16. Position Problem Possibilities Proposals Planning the Project/Report

17. Analyse your audience Primary reader (request/authorize the report) Secondary reader(s) Consider background information needed for readers Define scope and limitations Position

18. Scope and Limitations • Scope - the boundaries of your investigation • Limitations - anything which hinders or limits the quality of your research/findings of the report

19. Example: Long Waiting Time at NUH • The Management of NUH have been receiving a lot of complaints regarding the long waiting time at the hospital • The Operations Manager requests a report on how to solve the problem

20. Example: Long Waiting Time at NUH Position • Who is the report for? • Primary reader: Operations Manager • Secondary readers: General Public

21. Position • What do the reader(s) need in terms of background information? • NUH’s philosophy • Reasons for authorisation of report • Authoriser of the report

22. Position • Scope: Average waiting time for each patient in the past three months • Limitation(s): Some patients may tend to exaggerate the situation as they would like to have the most efficiency

23. The problem is Real Important enough to be worth solving Narrow but challenging Criteria For A Good Report Problem

24. 2. The audience for the report is Real Able to implement the recommended action Criteria For A Good Report Problem

25. 3. The data, evidence, and facts are Sufficient to document the severity of the problem Sufficient to prove that the recommendation will solve the problem Available to you Comprehensible to you Criteria For A Good Report Problem

26. Problem statement defines what you are investigating Problem is usually defined by the person authorizing the report Purpose statementdefines the objective of the report Problem

27. Problem 1. Identify the problem • What has NUH been practicing? is waiting time so long? • Why • How can the waiting time be shortened?

28. Problem • Develop a purpose statement • To analyse process of patient treatment • To evaluate the impact of recent changes • To suggest ways to improve the system

29. Consider all areas of relevance Possibilities • Complete and unbiased • Ensures validity of conclusions and recommendations

30. Example: Long Waiting Time at NUH Possible areas of relevance: Nurses Doctors Dispensary Time Schedule

31. Possibilities Problem Factoring • Arranging the various possibilities into a series of logical, connected questions that try to identify cause and effect.

32. Possibilities Formulate Hypotheses • An unproved theory, proposition, etc., tentatively accepted to explain certain facts or to provide a basis for further investigation

33. Example: Long Waiting Time at NUH Hypothesis Made: Nurses - Feel underpaid? Doctors - Feel overworked? Dispensary - Not familiar with where various medicines are kept? Time Schedule - Time interval between appointments too short?

34. Proposals List tentative solutions to the problem (based on the hypotheses)

35. Example: Long Waiting Time at NUH Proposals: Nurses - To increase the per hourly rates. Doctors - To increase the no of doctors. Dispensary - To provide familiarizations Time Schedule - To increase the interval length

36. Summary

37. The End ~ You Are Kindly Reminded To ~ CLAP

38. Question & Answer