1. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 1 Planning Reports and Proposals

2. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 2 Basic Report Categories Informational reports Analytical reports Proposals

3. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 3 Applying the Three-Step Process Analyze the situation Gather information Select the right medium Organize your information

4. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 4 Analyzing the Situation Define the purpose Prepare the work plan

5. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 5 Defining the Purpose Inform Persuade Recommend Confirm Analyze Summarize

6. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 6 Preparing the Work Plan Statement of the problem Statement of the purpose and scope Discussion of tasks to be accomplished Description of final products or outcomes Review of schedules and requirements Plans for following up Working outline

7. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 7 Gathering Information Purpose Audience Priorities

8. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 8 Selecting the Medium Hardcopy Digital format Multimedia

9. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 9 Organizing the Information Direct approach State conclusions and recommendations Introduce findings Include support Indirect approach Introduce findings Discuss support State conclusions and recommendations

10. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 10 Using Outline Headings I. Industry Characteristics A. Annual sales B. Profitability C. Growth rate 1. Sales 2. Profit I. Flour milling is a mature industry. A. Market is large B. Profit margins are narrow C. Growth is modest. 1. Sales growth less than 3% 2. Profit growth is flat. Descriptive (Topical) Outline Informative (Talking) Outline

11. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 11 Supporting Your Messages Plan your research Locate data and information Process data and information Apply your findings Manage information

12. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 12 Plan Your Research Learn about the subject Identify information gaps Prioritize research needs

13. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 13 Ethics and Etiquette in Business Research Don’t skew results Respect privacy of participants Document sources Respect intellectual property Don’t misquote

14. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 14 Data and Information Secondary research Primary research

15. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 15 Purpose of the Material IndependentVerification Logic and Good Sense Honesty and Reliability The Author Timeliness PotentialBias Data Collection Methods Completeness Evaluating Sources

16. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 16 Secondary Research A specific company An entire industry Statistics and trends Business issues

17. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 17 Finding Information at the Library BusinessBooksElectronicDatabasesNewspapersPeriodicals DirectoriesAlmanacsStatisticalResourcesGovernmentPublications

18. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 18 Internet Search Tools Search engines –Web directories –Online databases –Meta-search engines

19. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 19 Search Techniques Keywords Boolean operators Natural language Forms-based

20. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 20 Fine Tune Search Methods Read instructions Review your options Adjust search scope Understand details Vary search terms Employ search agents

21. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 21 Documenting Sources Credit sources Build credibility Help your readers

22. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 22 Primary Research Administer surveys Conduct interviews

23. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 23 Survey Questions Ask easy-to-analyze questions Avoid leading questions Ask one question at a time Pretest all questionnaires

24. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 24 Effective Internet Surveys Minimize cost Reach more people Boost response rate

25. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 25 Planning Interviews Purpose Audience Main ideas Structure

26. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 26 Types of Questions Close-ended Restatement Direct open-ended Open-ended

27. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 27 Processing Interview Information Write down your ideas Review notes Organize the material Transcribe recordings

28. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 28 Analyzing the Data Mean, median, and mode Overall trends Cause and correlation Cross-tabulation

29. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 29 Processing Data and Information Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing

30. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 30 Applying Your Findings Drawing conclusions Making recommendations

31. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 31 Planning Informational Reports Monitor and control operations Implement policies and procedures Demonstrate compliance Report progress

32. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 32 Structuring Informational Reports Comparison Importance Sequence Chronology Spatial orientation Geography category

33. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 33 Effective Informational Reports Audience-centered Logical Focused Easy-to-follow Concise Honest and objective

34. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 34 Planning Analytical Reports Assess opportunities Solve problems Support decisions

35. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 35 Challenges of Writing Analytical Reports Quality of reasoning Clarity of writing Persuasive elements

36. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 36 Organizing Analytical Reports Logical arguments Feasible recommendations Bottom-line conclusions

37. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 37 Focus on Conclusions Advantages –Ease of use –Bottom-line driven Disadvantages –Possible resistance –Oversimplification

38. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 38 Focus on Recommendations 1.Establish the need for action 2.Introduce benefits 3.List the steps 4.Explain each step 5.Summarize

39. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 39 Focus on Logical Arguments 2 + 2 = 4 approach Scientific method Yardstick approach

40. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 40 Planning Business Proposals Internal –Funding –Management support –General projects External –Investments –Grants –Sales

41. © Prentice Hall, 2007 Excellence in Business Communication, 7eChapter 10 - 41 Structuring Proposals Solicited –Direct approach –Interested audience Unsolicited –Indirect approach –Uninterested audience