Chapter Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Chapter 11 Planning Reports and Proposals

Chapter Learning Objectives 1.Adapt the three-step writing process to reports and proposals 2.Describe an effective process for conducting business research, explain how to evaluate the credibility of an information source, and identify the five ways to use research results 3.Explain the role of secondary research and describe the two major categories of online research tools Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Learning Objectives 4.Explain the role of primary research and identify the two most common forms of primary research for business communication purposes 5.Explain how to plan informational reports and website content 6.Identify the three most common ways to organize analytical reports 7.Explain how to plan proposals Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Applying the Three-Step Process to Reports and Proposals Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Common Types of Business Reports and Proposals Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Informational Reports Monitor and Control Operations Implement Policies and Procedures Demonstrate Compliance Document Progress Analytical Reports Assess Opportunities Solve Problems Support Decisions Proposals Internal Proposals External Proposals

Chapter Work Plan Components for a Report Problem Statement Purpose and Scope of Work Sources & Methods of Data Collection Preliminary Outline Task and Assignment Schedule Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Sample (Excerpt) Work Plan for a Report The preliminary outline for this study is as follows: I. What experiences have other companies had with social networks in the workplace? A. Do social networks have a demonstrable business benefit? B. How do employees benefit from using these tools? C. Has network security and information confidentiality been an issue? II. Is social networking an appropriate solution for our community-building needs? A. Is social networking better than other tools and methods for community building? B. Are employees already using social networking tools on the job? C. Will a company-endorsed system distract employees from essential duties? D. Will a company system add to managerial workloads in any way? Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Purpose Statements Informational Report To identify potential markets for our new smartphone apps Analytical Report To analyze the T&E [travel and entertainment] budget, evaluate the impact of recent changes in airfares and hotel costs, and suggest ways to tighten management’s control over T&E expenses. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Problem Versus Purpose Statements Problem Statement Our company’s market share is steadily declining. We need $2 million to launch our new product. Statement of Purpose To explore new ways of promoting and selling our products and to recommend the approaches most likely to stabilize our market share To convince investors that our new business would be a sound investment so that we can obtain desired financing Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Selecting the Right Medium Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Organizing Your Information Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Direct Approach Indirect Approach Conclusions and Recommendations Recommendations Overall Findings Objective Support Overall Findings Discussion and Support Conclusions and Recommendations Recommendations

Chapter Report Introduction Sample Direct Approach Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Since the company’s founding 25 years ago, we have provided regular repair service for all our electric appliances. This service has been an important selling point as well as a source of pride for our employees. However, rising labor costs have made it impossible to maintai profitability while offering competitive service rates. Last year, we lost $500,000 on our repair business. Because of your concern over these losses, you asked me to study whether we should discontinue our repair service. After analyzing the situation in depth, I have concluded that the repair service is an expensive, impractical tradition, and I recommend that the service be discontinued. By withdrawing from the electric appliance repair business, we can substantially improve our financial performance without damaging our reputation with customers. This conclusion is based on three basic points that are covered in the following pages: It is highly unlikely that we will ever be able to make a profit in the repair business. We can refer customers to a variety of qualified repair firms without significantly reducing customer satisfaction. Closing down the service operation will create few internal

Chapter Research Process Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Ethics Problem, Purpose Statement 1.Plan Evaluate and Select Sources 2.Find Data Paraphrase, Summarize Analyze Numerical Data 3.Process Data

Chapter Research Process Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Summarize Findings Draw Conclusions Recommendations 4.Apply Findings Distribute and publish research results as applicable 5.Manage Information

Chapter Conclusions & Recommendations Conclusion On the basis of its track record and current price, I believe that this company is an attractive buy. Recommendation I recommend that we offer to buy the company at a 10 percent premium over the current market value of its stock. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Primary Research Methods Primary Research Methods Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Conducting Surveys Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Avoid Sampling Bias Reliable Sample Valid Sample Representative Sampling

Chapter Primary Research: Online Survey Tools Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Secondary Research Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Inside CompanyOutside Company Reports and Memos Other Documents Print Resources Online Resources

Chapter Business Research Resources Company, Industry, and Product Resources (URLs are provided for online resources) AnnualReports.com ( Free access to annual reports from thousands of public companies. Manufacturing & Distribution USA. Data on thousands of companies in the manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing sectors. Reference USA. Concise information on millions of U.S. companies; subscription database. Statistics and Other Business Data Bureau of Economic Analysis ( Large collection of economic and government data. Europa—The European Union Online ( A portal that provides up-to-date coverage of current affairs, legislation, policies, and EU statistics. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Finding Information at a Library Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Finding Information Online: Search Tools Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Online Search Tools Metasearch Engines, Clustering Engines, Answer Engines, and Hybrid Sites WebCrawlers ZapMeta Mamma Web Directories, Online Libraries, and Online Card Catalogs Library Spot USA.gov (U.S. government portal) Internet Public Library Open Directory Project Blog, Video, and Podcast Search Engines and Directories Bloglines GetAPodcast Google Blog search Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Online Monitoring Tools Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall  Newsfeeds: Blogs, Websites  Microblogs: Twitter  Alerts: Search Engines, Online Databases  Specialized Monitors: Tweetbeep, TweetDeck

Chapter Organizing Informational Reports Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Organizing Website Content Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Organizing Analytical Reports Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Focus on Conclusions Focus on Recommendations Focus on Logical Arguments IndirectDirect Audience AttitudeReceptiveSkeptical Preferred Strategy

Chapter Analytical Report Outline Focus on Conclusions MEASURING QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS I. Introduction II. Conclusion: Outsourcing employee training has reduced costs and improved quality III. Cost reductions A. Exceeded 15 percent cost-reduction goal with 22 percent savings in first year B. Achieved actual reduction of 22 percent C. Reassigned three staffers who used to work on training full- time D. Reduced management time needed to oversee training E. Sold the computers that used to be reserved for training Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Analytical Report Outline Focus on Conclusions IV. Quality improvements A. Employees say they are more confident in 7 out of 10 key skill areas B. Measurable mistakes have dropped by 12 percent V. Areas needing improvement A. Three skill areas still need improvement B. Two trainers received approval ratings below 80 percent C. Outside trainers aren’t always aware of internal company issues D. We have lost some flexibility for scheduling courses VI. Summary Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Analytical Report Focus on Recommendations 1.Establish the need for action in the introduction by briefly describing the problem or opportunity. 2.Introduce the benefit(s) that can be achieved if the recommendation is adopted, along with any potential risks. 3.List the steps (recommendations) required to achieve the benefit, using action verbs for emphasis. 4.Explain each step more fully, giving details on procedures, costs, and benefits; if necessary, also explain how risks can be minimized. 5.Summarize your recommendations. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Types of Proposals Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall Internal Proposals Research Projects Management Support New Equipment External Proposals Sales Proposals Investment Proposals Grant Proposals

Chapter Sample (Excerpt) Internal Proposal TO: Jamie Engle FROM: Shandel Cohen DATE: July 8, 2014 SUBJECT: Saving $145k/year with an automated response system THE PROBLEM: Expensive and Slow Response to Customer Information Requests Our new product line has been very well received, and orders have surpassed our projections. This very success, however, has created a shortage of printed brochures, as well as considerable overtime for people in the customer response center. As we introduce upgrades and new options, our printed materials quickly become outdated. If we continue to rely on printed materials for customer information, we have two choices: Distribute existing materials (even though they areincomplete or inaccurate) or discard existing materials and print new ones. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Sample Internal Proposal THE SOLUTION: Automated Response System With minor additions and modifications to our current system, we can set up an automated system to respond to customer requests for information. This system can save us time and money and can keep our distributed information current. Automated response systems have been tested and proven effective. Many companies already use this method to respond to customer information requests, so we won’t have to worry about relying on untested technology. Using the system is easy, too: Customers simply send a blank message to a specific address, and the system responds by sending an electronic copy of the requested brochure. Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Summary of Objectives Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

Chapter Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall