Basic of Report Writing Teacher- Shahed Rahman

DEFINNING REPORT Reports are vital to large organizations. You will probably write them in your future career. A Business Report is an orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves the business purpose Reports seeks truth Avoid human biases

DETERMINING THE REPORT PURPOSE Work on a report begins with a business need (problem) Your first task is to get the problem clearly in mind The Preliminary Investigation To do this you should begin by gathering all the information you need to understand the problem Need for a Clear Statement of the Problem You should express the problem clearly, preferably in writing The problem statement may be Infinitive Phrase Question Declarative Statement

Need for a Clear Statement of the Problem Infinitive Phrase – To determine the causes of decreasing sales at Store X Question- What are the causes of decreasing sales at Store X? Declarative Statement – Store X sales are decreasing, and management want to know why ? Reports writing requires hard work and clear thinking in every stage of the process. T0 determine the problem and t0 gather facts you will need to consult many sources of information.

DETERMINING THE FACTORS You should determine the factors of the problem The factors may be subtopic of the overall topic, hypotheses, or bases for comparison Use Subtopics in Information Reports Hypotheses for Problems Requiring Solution Bases of Comparison in Evaluation Studies

Use Subtopics in Information Reports Problem Statement: To review operations of Company X from January 1 through March 31 Subtopics Production Sales and Promotion Financial Status Computer Systems Product Developments Human Resources

Hypotheses for Problems Requiring Solution Hypotheses(possible explanations of the problem) may be the factors in problems requiring solution These Hypotheses could be suggested to explain a store’s loss in sales

Hypotheses for Problems Requiring Solution Problem Statement: Sales at the Springfield store have declined, and management wants to know why Hypotheses Activities of the competition have caused the decline Changes in the economy of the area have caused decline Political actions is causing the decline

Bases of Comparison in Evaluation Studies For evaluation problems the bases for evaluating are the factor You can realize the need for sub breakdown Problem Statement: To determine whether Y Company’s new location should be built in City A, City B, or City C Comparison Bases – Availability of skilled workers Tax Structure Community Attitude Transportation Facilities Nearness to Markets

GATHERING THE INFORMATION NEEDED Experiments or survey sometimes needed. Sometimes library researched used Ask the expert The internet gives you access to many information sources. Quality may vary Apply the research technique needed for the problem.

INTERPRETING THE FINDINGS Advice for Avoiding Human Error Appropriate Attitudes and Practices Statistical Tools in Interpretation

Advice for Avoiding Human Error Avoid human error by remembering these fundamentals Report the facts as they are Do not think that conclusions are always necessary Do not interpret a lack of evidence as proof to the contrary Do not compare non comparable data Do not draw illogical cause – effect conclusions Beware of unreliable and unrepresentative data

Appropriate Attitudes and Practices Adopt the following attitudes and practices: Maintain a judicial attitude Consult with others Test your interpretations Use the test of experience – reason Use the negative test – question your interpretations

Statistical Tools in Interpretation Statistics permit you to examine a set of facts Descriptive statistics should help the most Do not allow statistical calculations to confuse the reader: they should help to interpret

ORGANIZING THE REPORT INFORMATION After you know what your findings mean, you are ready to construct the outline Constructing an outline is forces you to think before you write. Outlines should usually be written. They serve as tables of contents and captions. 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 b. Fourth Level Second Part (1) Fifth Level First Part (a)Sixth Level Second Part

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 1.2.2.2 Fourth Level Second Part 1.2.2.2.1 Fifth Level First Part 1.2.2.2.1.1 Sixth Level Second Part

The Nature and Extent Outlining The outline is designed to meet the objective of the report When you reach the outlining stage you have probably done some of the work

Introductory and Concluding Part Assume that and Introduction and Conclusion will be added

Organize By Division You may view organizing as a process of division. First you divide the whole into parts. You divide the parts into subparts. You may subdivide further.

Division by Conventional Relationships Time, place quantity and factor are the bases for the process of division When the information has a time basis, division by time is possible The period of orientation, May – July Planning the Project, August When The information is related to geographic location, a place division is possible New England Atlantic Seaboard

WRITING THE REPORT Requirement of Objectivity In writing communicate clearly and quickly Good report writing is objective Keep out all the bias. Seek the truth Objective writing is believable Consistency in Time Viewpoint Keep consistent time viewpoint throughout the report There are two type of viewpoints: past and present. Select one, and do not change

WRITING THE REPORT Need for Transition Maintaining Interest Use transition to connect the parts of the report Transition means a bridging across Should be used where there is a need to connect the parts of the report Should be met naturally not mechanically Maintaining Interest Report writing should be interesting Interesting writing is necessary for good communication

COLLABORATIVE REPORT WRITING Determine of Group Makeup Techniques of Participation Procedure of the Work Activities Involved

Activities Involved ( 10 Steps of Report Writing) Determine the Purpose Derive the Factors Gather the Information Needed Interpret the Information Organize the Material Plan The Writing Assign Parts to be Written Write Parts Assigned Revise Collaboratively Edit The Final Draft