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REPORT WRITING 401

REPORT WRITING 401. WRAP-UP LECTURE CHAPTER 1-3 Presenter: Mr. VITOU OR (MSW, BED, BBA). MAJOR CONTENTS. CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS A REPORT? CHAPTER 2: BEFORE YOU START CHAPTER 3: GETTING THE FACTS. OBJECTIVES– CHAPTER 1. After the lecture, the students will be able to:

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REPORT WRITING 401

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  1. REPORT WRITING 401 WRAP-UP LECTURE CHAPTER 1-3 Presenter: Mr. VITOU OR (MSW, BED, BBA)

  2. MAJOR CONTENTS • CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS A REPORT? • CHAPTER 2: BEFORE YOU START • CHAPTER 3: GETTING THE FACTS

  3. OBJECTIVES– CHAPTER 1 • After the lecture, the students will be able to: • Give appropriate definition of “a report” • Identify and analyze the key functions of a report, importance, qualities and types of report

  4. CHAPTER 1–CONTENTS • DEFINITION • FUNTIONS • IMPORTANCE • QUALITIES • TYPES OF REPORT

  5. DEFINITION • A document which gives information, reports findings, puts forward ideas and sometimes makes recommendations on a specific subject for a specific reader. (Colin & Jones G. 1989, pp. 2)

  6. FUNCTIONS • To give information • To report finding • To put forward ideas

  7. To give information • State history or background of a particular project • Describe a process or an existing situation • Enable a record to be kept for future reference

  8. To report finding • To provide details on the progress of a project • To explain the reasons of the problems (form report) • To state results/findings of any experiments, survey, etc.

  9. To put forward ideas • To evaluate a proposal (donors), system or piece of equipment (factories) • To propose/ recommend a solution to a problem or for improvements and actions

  10. IMPORTANCE • Management side • Save time for information retrieval (report as the recording of information of the past activities) • Guide management in the decision making process. (feasibility, problem solving reports…)

  11. IMPORTANCE • Employee side • Review of their performance • Identify their potentials and drawbacks • Improve their current and future commitment through their report writing and review (Self Assessing their performance based on their job description)

  12. QUALITIES • Accuracy: true or accurate, up to date contents/data • Conciseness: Short yet relevant content • Completeness: Concise yet complete • Clarity: Language, logical sequence, layout

  13. TYPES OF REPORT—SUB CONTENTS • Form reports • Extended reports • Information reports: fact finding, annual and progress reports • Recommendation reports: feasibility and problem solving reports

  14. Form reports • In the form format • Provided by the company, completed by employees • Regular completion (daily activities, eg: accident report) • Concise and brief (limited space provided) • Standard form (user friendly, save time for staff and management)

  15. Extended reports • Information reports: Convey information to the readers without analysis of the facts. • Recommendation reports: Not only analyze information but also draw reasonable conclusion and make appropriate recommendation.

  16. Information reports • Fact finding reports: present facts which analyze the problems (bases of recommendation reports) • Annual reports: present major facts of the operations of the company (past and future expectations) to the share holders, fund providers. • Progress reports: provide details of what happened in the past in an uncompleted job or project. (But, sometimes also provide records of the problems and recommendation)

  17. Recommendation reports • Feasibility reports: Done before starting the project to figure out how feasible to begin or go ahead with the project. It determines how likely or unlikely the project will reach its success. • Problem solving reports: Require a great deal of thoughts and analysis of the problems in order to generate solutions and recommendations for the management in decision making.

  18. END OF CHAPTER ONE WRAP UP LECTURE!!! Let’s have a two minutes recess…

  19. CHAPTER 2– OBJECTIVES • After the lecture, the students will be able to: • Identify and analyze the significant the terms of reference to prepare the report writer before starting her report writing including the purpose, scope, time limit, persons who ask for the report vs. the report readers.

  20. Chapter 2: CONTENTS • The purpose • The scope • The time limit • Specific reader • The person who asks for the report vs. the report reader • What do you need to know about the specific reader?

  21. Purpose • Clear objectives: why you write your report and what to achieve • Largely depend on the communication between the report writer and reader in order to shape the clear objective. • Is it to report on information without analysis? Is it also to analyze the problems and provide also recommendations?

  22. Scope • Indicates areas which are to be covered in the report • Case Study: My Dissertation Project for my Master’s of Social Work. Title: “Comparison study on the opinion on public utilities in Bangalore City.” • There are actually a wide range of areas in public utilities, but I focused only on water supply, electricity supply, dry waste collection. Therefore, these three areas are the scope of my research which limited the content of my research. • Therefore, this also applies in the report, whether in your report you want to compare with the 3 or 4 year earlier situation or just to report the situation last year only.

  23. Time Limit • Deadline of your report set by your report reader. • Avoid rush report writing and late submission of your report. • Negotiation between the report writer and reader should be made in case the time given does not match the expected length of the report.

  24. Specific Reader • Target of your report • Novels, newspapers—general readers • Specialist magazines e.g. on computers or cell phones… • Magazines: lady, men, kids…

  25. The person who asks for your report Vs. your actual report reader • Sometimes, the person who is asking for the report is not the person who is going to read your report as he might pass it on to his superior. • His superior is your actual report reader • Therefore, you need to know your actually reader’s situation well.

  26. What do you need to know about the specific reader in relation to the report? • His situational knowledge of the subject • His technical knowledge of the subject • His opinions on the subject (agree or challenge)

  27. END OF CHAPTER TWO WRAP UP LECTURE!!! Let’s have a 2 minutes recess…

  28. CHAPTER 3—OBJECTIVES • After the lecture, the students will be able to: • Identify and analyze what facts and how to obtain the facts for an effective report writing

  29. CHAPTER 3—CONTENTS • WHAT FACTS? • HOW TO OBTAIN THE FACTS?

  30. What facts? • Relevant Facts: Relevant to the purpose of the report • All the facts: Sufficient facts (depends on funds and time available) • Specific facts: Figure or percentage

  31. How to obtain the facts? • Sources of information • Interviews • Questionnaires • Recording information

  32. Sources of information • Reading: books, periodicals or journals, acts, laws, regulations, newspapers, files of correspondence, company records, relevant reports • Listening: lecture, seminars, meetings, discussions, television, radio, interview • Experimenting: Scientific or social experiment. • Talking: initial stimulus to get information • Observing: hidden camera, participatory observation • Thinking: powers to analyze and evaluate the information

  33. Interview • Preparing for an interview • Conducting the interview

  34. Preparing for an interview • Know the purpose of the interview • Choose to interview someone who can help you • Prepare suitable questions: relevant, open-ended, close-ended, unbiased (to you, gender…), complete (to get enough information)

  35. Conducting the interview • Establish the right relationship • Keep to the point • Maintain eye contact • Speak clearly • Keep a record the interview

  36. Questionnaire • Design • Sample

  37. Design • To make sure you can obtain relevant, specific and sufficient information. • Decide what information you want (objectives of your questionnaire relate to your report) • Explain to the respondents the purpose of the questionnaire • Give clear instructions • Make the questionnaire user friendly (clear instruction and questions, time concern and forms of questions) • Ask relevant questions • Make sure the results can be analyzed (objectives questions vs. subjective questions) • Make sure the questionnaire is well organized

  38. Sample • Number of sample selected must represent the population. (Sampling methods-random, non random, snowball…)

  39. Recording information • Write down the necessary details of books (citation methods) • Write on only one side of your sheet of paper (Chapter 4) • Highlight headings (quick data back up) • Taking note: tape recorder, jot down the main points, write down the names of interviewees.

  40. END OF CHAPTER 1-3 WRAP UP LECTURE….THANK YOU… LET’S BEGIN WITH YOUR QUESTIONS…

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