Report Writing
Being able to write an effective and
well presented business report is one skill that needs to be developed by all
Business and Management students. In this task you are being asked to produce a
report using an appropriate writing style and presentation. You should receive
guidance on both from your module tutor.
Instructions:
In order to prepare for
your group oral presentation you have already researched a particular company.
In addition for task 6 you have focused on a particular functional area (e.g. HRM,
Marketing, Finance, Operation etc.). You are now being asked to write a short
formal report on the present status and future development of that
particular functional area in your chosen company. Remember to include a title
for your report.
Company: Apple Inc.
Word
Limit – 1000 words
Standard
Report Structure
Contents List
This
should show the full list of sections within the report (including any
appendices, reference lists or bibliographic lists) and the page number on
which each section begins
1 A Summary
1.1 A one-page summary
which outlines, in no more than three short
paragraphs (and preferably just one) what the report says
1.2 You should write this last
1.3 It should be in the third person and
present tense. e.g. 'The report
considers the arguments in favour of
Quality Circles and makes
recommendations about their adoption. .
2 An Introduction
2.1 This should give a
brief explanation of the aims/context of the report,
and should include details of any information necessary for the reader
to understand it. e.g. company size; structure; main
activities; your
role/position; etc.
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3 The Main Body of the
Report
3.1 This
is where you present your main account of the problem or issue you are
writing about.
3.1.1 It
should be based on analysis, not intuition, e.g. avoid writing 'I
feel...
3.1.2 You
must backup what you write with evidence and/or argument.
This means you must
substantiate each assertion you make with
evidence, e.g. extracts
from the company annual report, staff survey,
recent appraisal, interviews, etc.
31.3 You must support opinions with specific examples/evidence (e.g.
from
a consultant’s report) or by building a logical argument based on
previously cited examples/evidence
3.1.4 You
should make a clear distinction between objective facts and
personal opinions.
3.2 Ideally this section should be divided into numbered paragraphs
like this briefing sheet, showing
which section the paragraph belongs to.
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3.3 Headings for each sub-section should
be underlined or in bold.
3.4 Consider presenting material in the
form of diagrams, charts, etc.
wherever appropriate. These are not only
easier to grasp, but also
reduce the word count.
4 Conclusions
4.1 This is where you sum up the
general conclusions you have
reached, such as 'The very low staff morale is
a result of an autocratic
management
style'.
4.2 Don't confuse conclusions (where you
draw together the threads of the
preceding discussion to make some
overall points) with
recommendations (where you say what
should be done about the
conclusions you have reached).
4.3 It is sometimes a good idea to present
your conclusions in the form of a
bullet list, like this:
·
Conclusion 1
·
Conclusion 2
·
Etc.
5 Recommendations
5.1 This is where you list the actions
which your conclusions lead you to
believe are necessary, e.g. 'The
team leader should attend a course in
modern approaches to management'.. .
5.2 The recommendations must be based on
the analysis and conclusions.
5.3 Wherever possible, you should include a
clear indication of:
o
The priorities
o
The timescale / deadlines for completion
o
Who is to be responsible for taking and/or
monitoring the recommended action
o
To whom any action should be reported
o
From who authorisation must be sought
o
The financial budget or source of funds
o
Other costs/resource implications
o
Etc.
6
The List of References
6.1 This is the list of sources referred to directly in your
report. If you
have mentioned a writer or a book (even a
course book) you must give
full details here of:
o
The
writer(s) or editors
o
The
date of publication
o
The
title
6 The
Bibliography (if any)
6.1 The bibliography is where you list details of any
books or other sources you
have
consulted in preparing your report which you think it would be useful for
your reader
to know about or be able to consult. You should give the details
outlined in
the section on references above.
7
The Appendices (if any)
