© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Understanding and Planning Business Reports and Proposals

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Reports and Proposals Monitor and control operations Implement policies and procedures Comply with government regulations Document results Guide decisions Gain acceptance by others

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Classifying Reports Source Frequency Audience Length Intent

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Informational Reports Monitor and control operations State policies and procedures Comply with government regulations Document progress on projects

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Analytical Reports Problem-solving reports Business proposals

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Solving Problems Troubleshooting reports Feasibility reports Justification reports

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Writing Proposals Internal External Solicited Unsolicited

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Three-Step Writing Process Planning Writing Completing

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Planning Reports and Proposals Analysis Investigation Adaptation

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Analyzing the Situation Informational reports Analytical reports

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Defining the Problem What needs to be determined? Why is this issue important? Who is involved in the situation? Where is the trouble located? How did the situation originate? When did it start?

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Writing a Purpose Statement Analytical –Analyze –Evaluate –Recommend –Suggest Informational –To summarize –To explain –To submit

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Drafting a Preliminary Outline Descriptive (Topical)Informative (Talking) I. Industry Characteristics A. Annual Sales B. Profitability C. Growth Rate 1. Sales 2. Profit I. What is the nature of the industry? A. What are the annual sales? B. Is the industry profitable? C. What is the growth pattern? 1. Sales growth? 2. Profit growth?

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Preparing the Work Plan State the problem State the purpose and scope List tasks to be accomplished Review final products or outcomes Review schedules and requirements Set follow-up plans Compose a working outline

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Business Information on the Internet Internet public library Company Web sites News release sites

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Searching Databases Use multiple search engines Replace concepts with key words Use capitals and lower case correctly Use variations of search terms Specify phrases and key words Refine searches as needed

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Sources of Primary Information Documents Observations Experiments Surveys Interviews

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Effective Surveys Provide clear instructions Use short questionnaires Seek easy-to-analyze questions Avoid leading questions Ask one thing at a time Pretest the questionnaire

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Effective Interviews Plan the interview Prepare questions Prioritize questions Limit questions Edit the questions Process information

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Documenting Sources Avoid plagiarism –Copyrighted material –Quotations –Paraphrasing General knowledge

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Interpret Your Findings Conclusions –Fulfils purpose statement –Based on information in report –Does not allow new information

© Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter Interpret Your Findings Recommendations –Based on logical analysis and end conclusions –Must be practical and acceptable –Describe the next steps –Must be designed for easy access