STUDY GUIDE

Module 11: Workplace Reports

A business report is a well-organized printed statement, which contains facts related to business
matters

FUNCTIONS of Reports
INFORMATIONAL REPORTS
- present data without analysis or recommendations
- writers collect and organize facts, but they do not analyze the facts for readers

ANALYTICAL REPORTS
- provide data or findings, analyses, and conclusions
- writers may be asked to supply recommendations
- may intend to persuade readers to act or to change their beliefs

ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES of Reports

DIRECT STRATEGY
- when the purpose for writing is presented close to the beginning
- mostly evident in reports that merely carry information without analysis

INDIRECT STRATEGY
- when the conclusions and recommendations, if requested, appear at the end of the report
- usually begins with an introduction or description of the problem, followed by facts and
interpretation from the writer
- most rational to readers because it follows the normal thought process: problem,
alternatives (facts), solution

The format of a report is governed by its length, topic, audience, and purpose.

LETTER Format
- Use letter format for short (usually eight or fewer pages) informal reports addressed outside
an organization.
- Use the company letterhead and include headings.

MEMO and EMAIL Formats

- more appropriate for short informal reports that stay within organizations
- begin with essential background information and use standard headings
MANUSCRIPT Format
- for longer, more formal reports
- begins with a title followed by systematically displayed headings and subheadings

PREPRINTED Forms
- often used for repetitive data, such as monthly sales reports, performance appraisals,
merchandise inventories, and personnel and financial reports
- make information easy to locate and ensure that all necessary information is provided

DIGITAL Format
- written with the use of desktop publishing software/tools
- lets users hyperlink multimedia content within the document or with associated text or
media files

Informational reports
- collect and organize information
- may record routine activities
**In trip reports, business travelers identify the event they attended or the company they
visited, objectively summarize three to five main points, and, if requested, itemize their
expenses on a separate sheet.

Progress reports
- monitor the headway of unusual or nonroutine activities
**For example, progress reports would keep management informed about a committee’s
preparations for a project/show, etc.

Justification / recommendation reports

- similar to informational reports but offer analysis in addition to data
**These reports are often solicited; that is, the writer has been asked to investigate and report.

Feasibility reports
- when a company must decide whether to proceed with a plan of action (i.e., the practicality
of implementing a proposal)

Minutes of meetings
- a record of the proceedings of a meeting generally kept by a secretary or recorder

Summaries
- compresses the main points from a book, report, article, Web site, meeting, or convention
- condenses the primary ideas, conclusions, and recommendations of a longer report or
publication
 **Employees may be asked to write summaries of technical reports.
**Executive summaries condense long reports such as business plans and proposals.

Adopting an Appropriate REPORT Writing Style

Being Objective
- Present both sides of an issue.
- Separate facts from opinions.
- Be sensitive and moderate in your choice of language.
- Cite sources.

Using Effective Report Headings

- Use appropriate heading levels.
- Strive for parallel construction within levels.
- For short reports use first- and second-level headings.
- Capitalize and underline carefully.
- Keep headings short but clear.
- Don’t use headings as antecedents for pronouns.
- Include at least one heading per report page.

A formal report an official report that contains detailed information, research, and data necessary
to make business decisions. It is generally written for the purpose of solving a problem

MAJOR PARTS of Formal Reports

**Six major parts form the central structure of every formal report. In the traditional arrangement
they are known by the acronym SIDCRA.
S – summary
I – introduction
D – discussion
C – conclusion
R – recommendation
A - appendix

SUMMARY
- brief synopsis that tells readers quickly what the report is all about
- considered by many to be the most important part of a report and the most difficult to write
- ideally written last after the remainder of the report has been written
**A summary needs to tell a story: it should have a beginning, a middle, and an end.

INTRODUCTION
- begins the major narrative of the report
- orients readers to the purpose and scope of the report and provides sufficient background
information to place them mentally in the picture before they tangle with technical data
**Most introductions contain three parts: purpose, scope, and background information.

DISCUSSION
- normally the longest part of a report
- presents all the evidence (facts, arguments, details, data, and results of tests) that readers
need to understand the subject
**The writer must organize this evidence logically to avoid confusing readers and present it
imaginatively to hold their interest.

CONCLUSIONS
- briefly state the major inferences that can be drawn from the discussion
- If there is more than one conclusion, state the main conclusion first and follow it with the
remaining conclusions in decreasing order of importance
**Never introduce new material or evidence to support your argument.

Because conclusions are opinions (based on the evidence presented in the discussion),
they must never tell the reader what to do.
This task must always be left to the recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS
- appear in a report when the discussion and conclusions indicate that further work needs to
be done, or when you have described several ways to resolve a problem or improve a
situation and want to identify which is best

APPENDIX / APPENDICES
- contains related data not necessary to an immediate understanding of the discussion
 **The appendices are a suitable place for manufacturers’ specifications, graphs, analytical
data, drawings, sketches, excerpts from other reports or books, cost analyses, and
correspondence.

SUBSIDIARY PARTS of Formal Reports

**Although referred as “subsidiary” parts, they nevertheless contribute much to a report’s
effectiveness.

Cover
Title Page
Table of Contents
References
Cover Letter
Executive Summary

RESEARCHING SECONDARY DATA

- Print resources, electronic databases, the Web, blogs and social networks

GENERATING PRIMARY DATA

- Surveys, interviews, observation, and experimentation

DOCUMENTING INFORMATION
- Purpose, good research habits, paraphrasing skill, citation

ORGANIZING AND OUTLINING DATA

- Organizational strategies, outlines, and headings

CREATING EFFECTIVE GRAPHICS

- Charts, Tables, Graphs, Photos, Maps, Illustrations, Diagrams, etc.

Prepared by:

Vanrom Kip P. Follosco

Language Instructor, HSC
FEU Institute of Technology

**This guide is not an “all-in” approach for the lesson’s contents. For a more comprehensive review and content
learning on the module, please refer to the video courseware and the PPT materials in CANVAS.