1. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 1 Understanding and Planning Business Reports and Proposals

2. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 2 Reports and Proposals Monitor and control operations Implement policies and procedures Comply with government regulations Document results Guide decisions Gain acceptance by others

3. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 3 Classifying Reports Source Frequency Audience Length Intent

4. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 4 Informational Reports Monitor and control operations State policies and procedures Comply with government regulations Document progress on projects

5. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 5 Analytical Reports Problem-solving reports Business proposals

6. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 6 Solving Problems Troubleshooting reports Feasibility reports Justification reports

7. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 7 Writing Proposals Internal External Solicited Unsolicited

8. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 8 Three-Step Writing Process Planning Writing Completing

9. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 9 Planning Reports and Proposals Analysis Investigation Adaptation

10. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 10 Analyzing the Situation Informational reports Analytical reports

11. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 11 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?

12. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 12 Writing a Purpose Statement Analytical –Analyze –Evaluate –Recommend –Suggest Informational –To summarize –To explain –To submit

13. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 13 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?

14. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 14 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

15. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 15 Business Information on the Internet Internet public library Company Web sites News release sites

16. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 16 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

17. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 17 Sources of Primary Information Documents Observations Experiments Surveys Interviews

18. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 18 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

19. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 19 Effective Interviews Plan the interview Prepare questions Prioritize questions Limit questions Edit the questions Process information

20. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 20 Documenting Sources Avoid plagiarism –Copyrighted material –Quotations –Paraphrasing General knowledge

21. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 21 Interpret Your Findings Conclusions –Fulfils purpose statement –Based on information in report –Does not allow new information

22. © Pearson Education Canada, 2005 Business Communication Essentials, Canadian Edition Chapter 10 - 22 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