Office Administration Chapter 8

1. Office AdministrationChapter 8 Writing Business Documents

2. Overview • Writing what you have to communicate is encoding the message in words that you want the receiver to interpret and clearly understand. • Message may be delivered to the receiver in a variety of written channels: memo, letter, formal report, email, etc. • Message interpretation requires the receiver to decode the message. • Feedback = means for assessing whether this has been accomplished

3. A. Business Letters • Business letter is external communication used most often for corresponding with others outside the organization • Positive letters – says “yes” and presents good news; main purpose is to transmit info that pleases the receiver • Orders for good or services • Letter granting refund or adjustment • Response to inquiry for information • Goodwill message = expresses sympathy, thanks or congrats!

4. A. Business Letters (cont’d) • Direct approach or deductive approach – used in writing positive letters; main idea presented immediately • Opening paragraph – general statement • Body paragraph – necessary details here • Closing paragraph – general positive statement • Routine or Neutral Letters • Exchange day-to-day information • Request for information • Response to information request • Direct/deductive approach also applied here

5. A. Business Letters (cont’d) • Negative letters • Use the indirect approach – inductive approach • Unfavorable letter • Types are: • Refusal to send info • Refusal to give assistance • Problem with order for goods and/or services • Refusal to grant particular action • Writing approach: • Buffer paragraph – sets the stage in the beginning • Rationale for refusal • Bad news • Closing paragraph

6. A. Business Letters (cont’d) • Combination letters – says “yes” to the reader for part of what is requested with a “no” response clearly stated • Types are: • Partial order being filled • Partial response to information request • Persuasive Letters – presents positive information to the reader, but the nature of the info is more complex • Types are: • Special requests for assistance (fundraising efforts) • Special requests for information (research related) • Marketing goods, services or ideas

7. A. Business Letters (cont’d) • Writing approach used is: • Attention • Interest • Desire • Action • A – I – D – A approach! • Opening paragraph must get the reader’s attention! • Body paragraphs emphasize reasons why the reader should respond positively! • Closing paragraph should explain to the reader what action should be taken

8. A. Business Letters (cont’d) • Merged Letters • Word processing mail-merge feature • Variable information • Mail merge fields • Main document is the form letter • Database contains the variables to be inserted into the form letter

9. B. Memoranda and Short Reports • Memoranda = common medium for correspondence within the organization • Favorable – request for info or assistance; response to same • Unfavorable – performance evaluation; uses the indirect approach • Persuasive (use A I D A approach) • Informal or Short Reports = used to transmit meaningful information to others within the organization (informal and short – no more than 4 - 7 pages)

10. B. Memoranda and Short Reports • Types are: • Proposal = plan that includes info such as what it is, why it is important, how it will be used, and how much will it cost • Feasibility Study = analysis of business systems and procedures • Progress report = outlines steps already completed in a project

11. c. Electronic Mail (email) • Advantages: • Focused, short, and to the point • Transmitted immediately • Cost of communicating decreases • Fundamental of writing e-mail messages: • Concentrate on the four “Cs” • Conciseness – short, simple sentences • Correctness – facts MUST be accurate; spelling & grammar! • Completeness – check carefully before hitting “SEND” • Courtesy – use the “you” approach; don’t be CURT!

12. D. Business Reports • Primary purpose = transmit meaningful data to one or more persons who need the info for decision-making purposes • Business report may be oral or written • Types of reports = classified according to type of text or data material, time interval, information flow, context, function and message style

13. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Textual material (primarily text) • Narrative reports • Statistical reports = primarily numerical data • Time interval • Scheduled reports – weekly, monthly or quarterly • Special reports – generated “on demand” • Information flow • Vertical report – prepared for higher level w/in organization • Horizontal report – communication at same level w/in org • External report – disseminated outside the organization

14. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Context • Nontechnical reports – convey info to people who do not have backgrounds in a given subject area • Technical reports – designed to convey info to professionals within the field who will understand it • Function = informational or analytical • Informational report – facts presented in organized, structured manner • Analytical report – presents primary data and provides analysis and interpretation • Message style • Chronological – sequence of events • Logical – patterns of reasoning • Psychological – according to receiver’s needs

15. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Planning, Designing, and Conducting Research • Research involves study of a problem, a trend or an issue • Problem – result is a preferred solution • Trend – examines a topic over a specific period • Issue – has no resolution as yet • Result – the report is the RESULT of the research! • Definition of problem, trend or issue • Collecting data – accumulation of data or facts from primary and secondary sources to analyze the problem thoroughly • Secondary research – an investigation to gather info that others have written and prepared (company publications, general reference books, gov’t documents, databases, etc.)

16. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Primary sources = gathering the original information to use as current data in a report, you are conducting primary research • Three types: experimental, observational and survey research • Survey can be administered in written form (questionnaire) or oral form (interview) • Data collection procedures must be planned and carefully monitored: • Questionnaire = written form that includes all questions to be answered, space allowed for answers • OMR = optical mark recognition response forms • May be administered through USPS, web sites or email

17. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Personal interview – another technique used to obtain responses to open-ended questions • Individual responses need to be recorded in writing or taped • Telephone interview – should be designed so little time is needed to administer; still not as effective as the personal interview! • Question format = closed, open or scaled • Closed – provides the respondent with a choice of answers • Open – requires the respondent to provide an answer • Scaled – rating scales allow the respondent to rank a list of items

18. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Analyzing data – data is nothing until this phase is accomplished; this step gives meaning to the data • Data coding – a number is assigned to each response classification • Data tabulation – responses will need to be counted • Statistical analysis – percentages, measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion • Percentages – ratios • Measures of central tendency – measure the center value • Mean • Median • mode

19. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Measures of dispersion • Range • Standard deviation • Data evaluation and interpretation • Result of data evaluation and interpretation is the development of findings (facts) and conclusions • Findings – summarized following the presentation of the data • Conclusions – generalizations about the population or sample that are drawn as a result of the data analysis • Recommendations

20. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Organizing the report • Inductive – specific to general (most prominent form used for formal reports) • Deductive – begins with presentation of general info, followed by more specific information • Writing the report • Final step in the research process • Preliminary parts • Letter or memo of transmittal • Title page • Authorization form • Table of contents • Table of figures • Abstract • Executive summary

21. D. Business Reports (cont’d) • Body of the Report • Introduction • Data analysis and findings • Conclusions and recommendations • Supplementary parts • Bibliography – alphabetical list of all information sources used • Works cited (references list) • Glossary – alphabetical list of terms • Appendix or appendices – supplementary research material (questionnaires, etc.) • Index – names and subjects