A

report is a logical presentation of facts and information

good business report must be an orderly arrangement of some factual information that is objective in nature and serves some business purpose.

A report is compilation of information that has been sought, collected, organized and written to convey a specific message.

Reports are broadly classified as : Information reports Research reports

It may present a record of previous events or it may periodically cover past and new information that will allow readers to stay current on a topic, see progress on a project, or gain insight on product development. It conveys ideas and data's as clearly and correctly as possible

It is concerned with analyzing information

The writer looks at a problem that needs to be solved , gathers data and analyses the data that are available , arrives at a decision , and then makes recommendations.

The reader of research report will desire to take some action as a result of new information presented in the report

Routine reports Progress report Inspection report Performance appraisal Periodical report Special reports Investigation report Survey report/feasibility report First Information report Analytical report

It should be orderly and objectivepresentation of information that may help in decision making and problem solving. It must present information and facts. Report must be useful there should be a need-to-know dimension in business reports that is sometime missing.

Accurate: includes accuracy of information and accuracy in writing. It depends on accuracy in writing mechanism( spelling, punctuation grammar)
Objectivity: presenting material free from personal feelings make a distinction between facts and opinion-reporting both positive and negative aspects of information

 Determine

the scope of the report Consider the audience Gather information Analyze the information Determine the solution Organize the report

Narrow the scope to a report length

Limit the amount of information that gathers the most important and most needed factors

Reports usually have a far wider distribution.

People involved in making decisions and need to read information in the report

Some audience considerations include: Need, educational level, position knowledge, responsibility, age,biases,preferences,attitudes.

Primary information: is the info you gather and record yourself Secondary information: is gathered and recorded by others.
Each type may have drawback so you must be alert while employing these

The purpose of the analysis is to make sense, objectively, out of the information you have gathered.
Once all the information is gathered you are ready to determine the solutions.

Based on analysis its ready to offer solution to the problem A word of caution: the gathered info should be the basis for making decisions.
Make sure you report all information good and bad

Before writing, organize info in to an outline form The outline becomes the basic structure of your report
A report could be presented as memo report this involves:

Provide identifying information. (to,from,date,subject fields) Define the project or problem (purpose of the report) Give the background Give the supporting data State your conclusions and recommendations

Preliminary pages Title page Table of contents Preface and acknowledgements Foreword List of tables List of graphs and diagrams List of abbreviations

Main text

a)Summary Introduction Main findings Conclusions and recommendations b)Introduction Introducing the theme Review of related literature Methodology c)Results Statistical analysis Testing of hypothesis Conclusions Recommendations

End matter Annexure Bibliography Questionnaire Indexing Mathematical derivations Appendices

Chapters 1)Introduction 2)Research design 3)Results and conclusions 4)Recommendations 5)References