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Informal Reports
CHAPTER SYNOPSIS
An effective flow of information is the life blood of business organizations. Reports serve multiple
purposes ranging from simply keeping superiors updated and creating a record to complex studies that
are designed to facilitate problem solving and decision making in the organization. Chapter 9
discusses the functions, strategies, writing style, and formats of typical business reports. It discusses
the importance of clearly identifying the problem to be solved and the specific purpose of the report.
Students are introduced to collecting data and documenting sources with an emphasis on online
databases, the Web, and other resources for business writers. The chapter addresses primary and
secondary sources. The chapter also provides tools for creating meaningful and interesting report
graphics.
Most workers in business organizations today write some type of report on a regular basis, usually
informal short reports, often distributed as a simple e-mail message. Occasionally workers collaborate in
teams on larger-scale projects. This is why students need to acquire the considerable skills involved in
planning, researching, composing, and presenting business reports. This report and research chapter will
help students to develop report writing skills that will impress their future employers.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain informational and analytical report functions, organizational strategies, and writing
styles.
2. Describe typical report formats and understand the significance of effective headings.
3. Determine the problem the report is addressing as well as the reports purpose, and gather
significant secondary and primary information.
4. Write short informational reports that describe routine tasks.
5. Prepare short analytical reports that solve business problems.
WHAT'S NEW IN THIS CHAPTER
The authors made the following changes and improvements:
Streamlined chapter contents by reorganizing into five concise learning objectives for quick
comprehension and retention.
Simplified the report-writing topics by categorizing informal reports as either informational or
analytical.
Converted selected content from textual to graphic representation to appeal to visual learning
styles.
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.
Added content that reflects how digital trends have affected information gathering and report
distribution.
Revised and updated guidelines for writing effective headings, including the importance of
establishing a clear hierarchy of heading levels within a report.
Created new model documents showing levels of headings in reports, a memo-style conference
report, and a memo-style article summary.
Rewrote 90 percent of the chapter review and 100 percent of the critical thinking questions to
reinforce concepts.
Rewrote or revised 90 percent of the chapter Activities to add relevant assignments on current
topics associated with the digital and social world.
Added relevant information to the Communication Workshop on facilitating group work on
team writing projects.
LECTURE OUTLINE
I.
Efficient reporting plays a critical role in helping organizations sift through data and
make major decisions.
Routine reports keep managers informed about work in progress. Focused reports help
managers analyze the challenges they face before recommending solutions.
II.
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.
Letter format: Useful for short informal reports (usually eight or fewer pages)
addressed outside an organization; prepared on companys letterhead stationery.
Memo and e-mail formats: Useful for informal reports circulated within
organizations; usually attached to e-mails or contained in the body of an e-mail.
Manuscript format: Useful for longer, more formal reports; usually printed on plain
paper.
Forms and templates: Useful for repetitive data, such as monthly sales reports,
performance appraisals, and financial reports.
Digital formats and PDF files: Helpful in condensing documents while preserving the
formatting and graphics.
Infographics: Used to visually illustrate data or information; can display complex
information more quickly and clearly than written text.
Digital slide decks: Used to deliver report information in digital slideshows, which
can be sent by e-mail, embedded on the Web, or posted on a company intranet.
Figure 9.4 Informal Reports Delivered as Slide Decks
III.
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.
IV.
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.
This section describes three common types of analytical business reports: (a)
justification/recommendation reports, (b) feasibility reports, and (c) yardstick reports.
These reports involve collecting and analyzing data, evaluating the results, drawing
conclusions, and making recommendations.
A.
Justification/Recommendation Reports
Recommendations
1. Direct Strategy
Identify the problem or the need briefly.
Announce the recommendation, solution, or action concisely and with action
verbs.
Explain more fully the benefits of the recommendation or steps to be taken to
solve the problem.
Present a discussion of pros, cons, and costs.
Conclude with a summary specifying the recommendation and action to be
taken
2. Indirect Strategy
Make a general reference to the problem in subject line.
Describe the problem or need your recommendation addresses.
Discuss alternative solutions, beginning with the least likely to succeed.
Present most promising alternativeyour recommendationlast.
Show how the advantages of your recommendation outweigh its
disadvantages.
Summarize your recommendation and any action required.
Ask for authorization to proceed, if necessary.
Figure 9.11 Justification/Recommendation Report, Direct Strategy, APA
Style
B.
Feasibility Reports
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.
e. Includeatleastoneheadingperreportpage.Donotleaveastandaloneheadingatthe
bottomofapage.
f. Addaperiodafteraparagraphheadingtoseparateitfromthetextthatfollows.
g. Makeeachlevelofheadingeasilydistinguishable.
14. What technology trends do you think will affect business reporting and delivery in the
future? (Obj. 5)
Encourage students to research technology and reporting trends. Their responses may vary. They
may discover that digital reporting is continually evolving with the use of mobile devices, digital
video, digital intelligence, and analytical tools that are changing the ways businesses collect and
share information. Informational and analytical reports will likely be generated by reporting
software connected to digital databases, which will help businesses analyze and predict their
business performance in real time. Large and small companies will benefit from digital reporting
solutions.
15. How can report writers ensure that they present their information objectively and
credibly? (Obj. 3)
Writers should strive to present both sides of an issue, even if they favor one option. They need
to separate facts from opinions and remove any signs of editorializing and bias. Readers expect
information from verifiable secondary and primary resources. By citing those sources properly,
writers gain credibility.
Activities
Note: The solutions to the activities and cases for this chapter are located in the Solutions to
Activities section of the Instructor's Manual.
To minimize having to adjust grades for nonperformers, encourage groups to confront these students
early in the project and set some guidelines for what the group expects from them, along with
deadlines for completing tasks. If they do not meet the expectations or deadlines, the groups should
consult with you. See the peer evaluation form that appears in the Evaluation Methods section of
this Instructors Manual.
Workplace in Focus
Page271
Reportsgenerallyfitintooneoftwobroadcategories:informationalreportsandanalyticalreports.
Informationalreportsprovideinformationanddataonly,whereasanalyticalreportsexamineraw
data,drawconclusions,andevenmakerecommendations.
CocaColassalesreportisprimarilyaninformationalreport.Itdeliversstatisticaldataonsalesof
variousproductcategories,anditdrawscomparisonstosalesfrompriorquarters.However,thisraw
dataismeaninglesstomanagerswithoutfurtheranalysis.Companyleaderscanseethenumbersin
decline,buttheycantinterpretwhatthedatamean,orunderstandwhatshouldbedonetoturnthe
businessaround.
Totransformsalesdataintomeaningfulinformation,CocaColamustuseanalyticalreportsthat
examinewhysalesareindecline.Forexample,analystswhoobservedCocaColassalesdecline
blamedchangingconsumerpreferences.Accordingtotheseobservers,consumersaregivingup
sugarycarbonateddrinksandseekingoutmorehealthychoices.
Page280
Towriteeffectivebusinessreportsthatsolveproblemsandinformbusinessdecisions,
communicatorsmustbeabletogenerateandinterpretsurveydataonarangeoftopics.Todays
businessleadersconductsurveystogatherdataonemployeesatisfaction,marketresearch,customer
loyalty,customerpreferences,employeetraining,jobsatisfaction,eventplanning,meetingresponse
data,andmore.Inthepast,conductingsurveyswasexpensive.However,becauseoftheriseof
companieslikeSurveyMonkey,conductingsurveysandtabulatingresultshasbecomeeasyandcost
effective.
2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website or school-approved learning management system for
classroom use.