1. Understanding and Planning Reports and Proposals
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2. Basic Report Categories
Informational reports
Analytical reports
Proposals
Reports fall into three basic categories:
Informational reports offer data, facts, feedback, and other types of information without analysis or recommendations.
Analytical reports offer both information and analysis, and may include recommendations.
Proposals offer structured persuasion for internal or external audiences.
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3. The Three-Step Process
Planning
Writing
Completing
Analyze Situation
Gather Information
Select Medium
Get Organized
Revise
Produce Message
Proofread Message
Distribute Message
Adapt to
the Audience
Compose
the Message
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4. Analyze the Situation State the purpose Prepare work plan To inform
To identify
To analyze
Prepare work plan
Determine tasks
Create outline
Set schedule
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5. Gather the Information
Purpose
Audience
Priorities
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6. Selecting the Medium Media requirements Feedback preferences
Uses for the document
Subject matter
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7. Organize the Information
Direct approach
State conclusions and recommendations
Introduce findings
Include support
Indirect approach
Discussion and support
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8. Support Your Messages Plan your research Locate data and information
Process data and information
Apply your findings
Manage information
No matter what the task, successful research can be a rewarding activity if you follow productive research procedures:
Plan your research. Planning is the most important step of any research project; a solid plan yields better results in less time.
Locate the data and information you need. The research plan tells you what to look for, so your next step is to figure out where this data and information is and how to access it. Much of your business research will be done online, but other projects require personal interviews, surveys, and other techniques.
Process the data and information you located. The data and information you locate probably won't be in a form you can use immediately and will require some processing; this processing might involve anything from statistical analysis to resolving the differences between two or more expert opinions.
Apply your findings. You can apply your research findings in three ways: summarizing information for someone else's benefit, drawing conclusions based on what you've learned, or developing recommendations.
Manage information efficiently. Many companies today are trying to maximize the return on the time and money they invest in business research by collecting and sharing research results in a variety of computer-based systems.
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9. Plan Your Research Develop a problem statement
Identify information you need
Generate research questions
Prioritize information needs
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10. Ethics and Research Keep an open mind Respect privacy of participants
Don’t mislead people
Document and credit sources
Respect intellectual property rights
Observe research etiquette
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11. Data and Information Secondary research Primary research
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12. Evaluating Sources Honesty and Reliability Potential Bias
Purpose of Material
Author’s Credibility
Source’s Information
Independent Verification
Timely and Complete
Careful Scrutiny
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13. Secondary Research Inside the company Outside the company
Reports and memos
Other documents
Outside the company
Print resources
Online resources
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14. Finding Information at the Library
Newspapers
Periodicals
Business
Books
Directories
Almanacs
Statistical
Resources
Government
Publications
Electronic
Databases
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15. Internet Search Tools Search engines Web directories Online databases
Metasearch engines
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16. Search Techniques Keywords Boolean operators Natural language
Forms-based
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17. Fine Tune Search Methods
Read instructions
Observe details
Review your options
Vary search terms
Adjust search scope
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18. Innovative Search Methods
Newsfeed subscriptions
Social bookmaking sites
Desktop search engines
Enterprise search engines
Research managers
Content managers
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19. Documenting Sources Credit sources Build credibility Help your readers
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20. Primary Research Observations Experiments Surveys Interviews
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21. Conducting Surveys Validity and Reliability Clear Instructions
Easy-to-Answer Questions
Short Questionnaires
Easy-to-Analyze Questions
Avoid Leading Questions
No Ambiguous Questions
No Compound Questions
A carefully prepared and conducted survey can provide invaluable insights, but only if it is reliable (would produce identical results if repeated) and valid (measures what it’s supposed to measure). For important surveys, consider hiring a research specialist to avoid errors in design and implementation. To develop an effective survey questionnaires, follow these tips:
Provide clear instructions. Respondents need to know exactly how to fill out your questionnaire.
Don’t ask for information that people can’t be expected to remember. For instance, a question such as “How many times did you go grocery shopping last year” will generate unreliable answers.
Keep the questionnaire short and easy to answer. Don’t make any individual questions difficult to answer, and don’t expect people to give you more than 10 or 15 minutes of their time.
Whenever possible, formulate questions to provide answers that are easy to analyze. Numbers and facts are easier to summarize than opinions, for instance.
Avoid leading questions that could bias your survey. If you ask, “Do you prefer that we stay open in the evenings for customer convenience?” you’ll no doubt get a “yes.” Instead, ask, “What time of day do you normally do your shopping?”
Avoid ambiguous questions. If you ask “Do you shop at the mall often?” some people might interpret often to mean “every day,” whereas others might think it means “once a week” or “once a month.”
Ask only one thing at a time. A compound question such as “Do you read books and magazines?” doesn’t allow for the respondent who reads one but not the other.
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22. Internet Surveys Save time Minimize cost
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23. Conducting Interviews
Choose questions
Open-ended
Closed
Ask questions
Sequencing
Methodology
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24. Using Research Results
Quoting
Paraphrasing
Summarizing
Avoid plagiarism
Cite sources
Observe context
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25. Apply Research Results
Drawing conclusions
Making recommendations
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26. Planning Informational Reports
Monitor and control operations
Implement policies and procedures
Demonstrate compliance
Report progress
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27. Organizing Informational Reports
Comparison
Importance
Sequence
Chronology
Geography
Category
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28. Organizing Website Content
Readers are demanding
Reading online is difficult
The format is non-linear
The medium is multidimensional
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29. Information Architecture
Site navigation
Reader control
Information “chunks”
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30. Planning Analytical Reports
Assess opportunities
Solve problems
Support decisions
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31. Challenges of Writing Analytical Reports
Analysis
Persuasion
Responsibility
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32. Focus on Conclusions Advantages Disadvantages Ease of use
Bottom-line driven
Disadvantages
Possible resistance
Oversimplification
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33. Focus on Recommendations
Establish the need for action
Introduce benefits
List the steps
Explain each step
Summarize
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34. Focus on Logical Arguments
2 + 2 = 4 approach
Yardstick approach
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35. Planning Proposals Internal External Funding Management support
General projects
External
Investments
Grants
Sales
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36. Structuring Proposals
Solicited
Direct approach
Interested audience
Unsolicited
Indirect approach
Uninterested audience
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