Lecture 07: Long, Formal

Business Report

Rowshonara Akter Akhi

Assistant Professor
Department of Finance & Banking
Jahangirnagar University
 Report: Defining
 Report
A business report is an orderly, impartial,
objective communication of factual information
that serves some business purposes.

 Characteristics
o A formal form of non verbal communication
o In most cases a kind of detailed communication
o Creativity is being judged!
 Report: Report and Organization
 Report and organization
 Why do you write report? How often?
o Depends on the organization
o The key fact is information and information
management
 Think about a big firm
o Its large and might have complex structure
o Everyday it produces or uses a huge amount of
knowledge
o Therefore its mandatory for the firm to keep track
of the knowledge
o To do that firms use the report. How often?
Depends on the requirement of the firm!
 Report: Why to study?
 Why report?
 Quite common… information, information
management, and communication. Is that all?
 But let’s see the other angel!
o Bringing innovation/creating new knowledge
o Adaptation to innovation/modifying the
existing knowledge
 Through?
o Relevant and reliable information that come up
in proper times
 Report: Types
 Types of reports
o It depends!
o Could be two types based on length
 Short report: one-two pages
 Long report: no page limit actually
 What determines the size?
o Formality
o Subject matter of the report
o Target reader of the report and the
requirement of being detailed!
 Report: Elements
 Elements of reports
o There are mainly three parts in any report
o But design and presentation style may vary
o Personal preference works based on the
requirements from a report
o Academic culture in different institutions also
affect the report writing
o Public and private organization might have two
different types of report handling practice
o However main theme of the report is more or
less same!!
 Report: Long Report
 Long report

o Our concern is about long formal business

report
o We shall see the parts
o We shall see how one can better present the
parts
 Long Report: Parts
 Parts of the report

 Prefatory parts
 The report proper
 Appended parts
 Long Report: Prefatory Parts
 Prefatory parts
 It includes
o Title fly
o Title page
o Letter of authorization
o Letter of transmittal
o Foreword
o Table of contents
o Executive summary
 Prefatory Parts: Title Fly
 Title Fly
o The very first page of the report having title only
o Nowadays almost obsolete as it is just a formality
o But once you are much formal you must attach it!
o Title
 Once you have a good title you are already ahead!
 Its said that preparing title is simple but its also true
researchers spends years to construct a good title
 Use 5 Ws (who, what, why, where, when) and H (how) if
possible to build up a good title
 Prefatory Parts: Title Fly
 Title fly contd..

o Neither count nor insert the page number

 Prefatory Parts: Title Page
 Title Page
o Second page of the report; But the first page in
counting
o Still you don’t insert the page number
o This is also called 4 step arrangement
o Here you provide information of
 Title
 For whom you do write
 Who are you writing the report
 Date of submission
 Prefatory Parts: Letter of
authorization
 Letter of authorization
o This is the letter that assign you the job to do.
You can include a copy of that in the report
o As a writer of the report normally you don’t
write it
o But once you are boss you do write!
o When you write please include
Problem description
Data required if possible
Available time and money
Other relevant information
o Count but don’t insert the page number
Prefatory Parts: Letter of transmittal
 Letter of transmittal
o Informing the reader that you are submitting
the report along with the results of your research
o This is the direct substitute of the face to face
meeting
o Start directly; direct approach of letter writing
o You can combine executive summary in it too
sometimes
o Write in the first person
o Count but don’t insert the page number
 Prefatory Parts: Foreword
 Foreword
o You recognize the help and co-operation of various
people
o You might mention the name too
o You can be a bit informal too!!
o Write in the first person
o Don’t forget to write the date and place
o Don’t insert the page number but count the page
Prefatory Parts: Table of contents
 Table of contents
o Once again a snapshot of your report but almost
graphically!!
o Be good looking @ presentation, don’t make it
hazy
o Count the page
o Insert the page number if more than one page in
roman
o Table of contents
 Table of contents
 Table of tables
 Table of figures
Prefatory Parts: Executive summary/
abstract
 Executive summary/abstract
o Whatever you call, this is the summarizing of
the whole report including your methodology
o For the people who don’t have time to read the
report!!
o Should not be more than 2-3 pages
o Some people ask to write abstract within 250
words!!
o It has to be less than an eighth of the whole
writing you do summarize
Prefatory Parts: Executive summary/
abstract
 Executive summary/abstract
o A clear synopsis of the report, your word
economy works
o Organization might require something different
o Insert and count the page number
Insert in roman numbers (I, II, III)
o Could be both indirect (introduction, body,
conclusion) or direct order
 Long Report: Report Proper
 Report Proper

It has three parts

o Introduction

o Report body
o Report ending
 Report Proper: Introduction
 Introduction
o Most long reports are written in indirect order. It
includes……
o Introduction
 Origin of the report
 Problem and Purpose
 Literature review
 Scope of the report
 Methodology
 Limitations
 Report preview
 Definition of terms
o From the first page you insert the page number
 Report Proper: Introduction
 Introduction contd..

o Report can be written in direct order too

o Remember you introduce the reader with your

research here
o So you can modify the list and you can rename
them
Report Proper: Report Body & Ending
 Report body
 Report Body
o All the collected data
o Findings and analysis

 Report Ending
o Ending summary
o Conclusion
o Recommendations
Introduction: Problem and Purpose
 Problem and purpose
o Tell the reader why you do this and what is the
problem
o Expected benefits from your research
o Therefore,
 Form the main research question
 Form the relevant question that are needed to
be answered to answer the major research
question
o It make your work simpler
o Also a proof of professionalism!
Introduction: Scope of the Report
 Scope of the report

 Define the scope clearly so that one get the

clear idea at the very beginning what you are
working with
 Introduction: Research Methodology
 Methodology

 One of the very few most important part of

any report
 Be most careful of it at the beginning
Introduction: Research Methodology
 Introduction: Report Preview
 Report preview

o Basically the last part of the introduction

o You tell the reader how did you prepare your

presentation
 Direct or indirect

o You also explain why did you select that style

o Expressing the roads ahead in the report!
 Report Body: All About
 Report body
o All the collected data are presented here
o Also analysis comes here based on the data
o Remember this is basically the report
o Here you put the complete information
o Remember the characteristics of data/
information
 Relevance
 Reliability
 Timeliness
o This part shows your mastery in using data/
information by keeping eye on these issues
 Report Ending: All About
 Report ending
 You should end the report basing the purposes
of the report

 You can include one or all the three of the

followings
o Ending summary: simply the summary of the
report
o Conclusions: summary with the analysis
o Recommendations: your suggestions
 Appended Parts
 Appended parts
 All the back matter are here
 Appendix
o Reference
o Contains the contents that are supplementary
of the report body but not the one that directly
support the report body
o Includes questionnaire, charts, tables, graphs,
calculations, additional references etc.
Bibliography
o Reference vs bibliography
 Long Report: Referencing
 Writing reference
 Two types
o One is in short form when you write
o Another one is detailed at the end of your
writing
Long Report: Referencing
 Long Report: Referencing
 Other considerations
o Reference
 In case of short reference in the report body,
you must write the full reference of the same
short reference at the end of the report in
reference section
 You fail to do so your work will not be accepted
 For detailed reference there are lots of way to
write like Harvard system, APA method, AMA
method etc.
 Its better to learn one or two; but perfectly
 Nowadays Harvard system is pretty popular
globally
 Long Report: Page Setup
 Page setup

o Normally 1 inch in each side

o But it could be more than 1 inch in top and left

o Outlook, fonts, color, graphics: all are same with
other kind of writings in most cases
ISSUES THAT POP UP IN REPORT WRITING!
 Long Report: Human Errors
 Human errors: points to mind
o Report the facts as they are
o Don’t think that conclusions are always
necessary
o Don’t interpret a lack of evidence as proof to
the contrary
o Don’t compare non-comparable data
o Don’t draw illogical cause effect relationship
o Beware of unreliable and unrepresentative
data o Don’t oversimplify
 Long Report: Attitude & Practice
 Appropriate attitudes and practices

o Maintain a judicial attitude

o Consult with others

o Test your interpretations

 Long Report: Outlining
 Outlining
 Well there are two types
o Conventional system: It uses Roman numbers
to show the major headings while letters of the
alphabet and Arabic numbers to show the lesser
headings
o Decimal system: It uses whole number for major
headings while whole number followed by decimals
and additional digits show the subsections
 Outlining: Conventional System
 Conventional System
I. First level heading
A. Second level, first part
B. Second level, second part
1. Third level, first part
2. Third level, second part
a. Fourth level, first part
(1). Fifth level, first part
(a). Sixth level, first part
II. First level heading
A. Second level, first part
B. Second level, second part
 Outlining: Decimal System
 Decimal System
1.0 First level heading
1.1 Second level, first part
1.2 Second level, second part
1.2.1 Third level, first part
1.2.2 Third level, second part
1.2.2.1 Fourth level, first part
1.2.2.1.1 Fifth level, first part
1.2.2.1.1.1 Sixth level, first part

2.0 First level heading

2.1 Second level, first part
2.2 Second level, second part
 Long Report: Personal/Impersonal
Writing
 Personal/impersonal writing
 Personal writing
o People argue that personal writing is more
direct
o Also they say impersonal writing is dull and lots
of passive voice there
o Let’s have interaction not story telling
o Using I, we, and you
 Impersonal writing
o No use of I, we, and you
o People argue that personal writing brings
biasness
o Dullness is not due to style, its about the writer

Which to use?
o Depends on where and for whom you do write
o Normally for informal report one can use the
personal while for the formal report one can use
the impersonal style
 Long Report: Use of Tense
 Use of tense
o You can use either present or past tense
o But all the proven conclusions and prevailing
concepts are written in present tense
o Past tense
 All are past tense
 Future tense is used to refer the future event
o Present tense
 Present tense is used about recent past
 Otherwise past and future tense is used
properly
Long Report: Transition Management
 Transition
o A very important part for reports
 It matters a lot especially for long reports
o Transition among parts
o Transition among paragraphs
o Transition among sentences
o Transition among words
Long Report: Group Report Writing
 Group report writing
 Steps
o Don’t assign parts at first
o At first all the members should write the whole
report
o Then find out the special areas for each and assign
parts
o Write the assigned parts
o Revise collaboratively
o Edit the final draft
Thank You!

Any Question?