1. FORMAL REPORT PROPOSALS
Seeking permission to begin a project

2. Background
Purpose: to suggest a solution to a problem. You’re writing to your supervisor (in some cases, me) to request that you be the person to do a formal report on a specific topic. Your aim is to get your audience to agree that you should work on your chosen topic.
Format: use memo format for this document since this is an in-house assignment.
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3. Background 2
Provide a full explanation of the topic for your report, the audience/purpose, literature review, and the scope (what you will and will not cover in the report), the same information that will appear in the report’s introduction.
Give your audience enough information so that he/she can decide to allow you to go ahead with the project.
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4. Report Types Explain what type of formal report you wish to write.
Feasibility study: you investigate a specific solution to a problem or an opportunity and relate whether it is worth doing
Process report: you explain how to do a specific task or sets of tasks.
Proposal report: you persuade your audience to okay a specific project.
Information report: you provide your audience with information that they need.
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5. Examples of Formal Reports
Here are links to excerpts from the different types of formal reports on the Course Materials page.
Feasibility study on use of synthetic oil
Information report on tornadoes for new home buyers in Tornado Alley
Proposal on adding catering to a restaurant
Process manual on floor maintenance
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6. Memo Format Mandatory elements:
FROM
DATE
SUBJECT
Basic organization of the contents: introduction, body, and conclusion
Headings required for all major sections
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7. Introduction
Use this section to provide a frame of reference for your audience.
Explain what the topic will be for your formal report and what kind of report you will write.
Include the audience/purpose, literature review, scope, development.
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8. Body
Discuss your topic in some detail. Remember that your audience needs to know enough about it to decide if you’re the person to compose the report. For instance, if you’re doing a problem/solution formal report, explain in detail what the problem is.
Include the benefits that the report will bring to the company: it will save money; it will make the work environment safe, etc.
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9. Conclusion
Give your audience an idea of the results that you hope will come from the report and a sense of what you will recommend to your audience.
Include a bibliography of your primary and secondary source material.
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