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Proposals and Formal Reports

The document discusses chapter 10 from Mary Ellen Guffey's book "Essentials of Business Communications" which covers proposals and formal reports. It identifies the objectives of the chapter as understanding the parts of informal and formal proposals, how to collect and organize data for formal reports, and how to structure formal reports. The chapter then explains the key components of informal proposals, formal proposals, and formal reports including introductions, backgrounds, proposals, staffing, budgets, authorization requests, and more. It also discusses preparing data, documenting sources, outlining information, and illustrating data through tables, charts and graphs.

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85 views

Proposals and Formal Reports

The document discusses chapter 10 from Mary Ellen Guffey's book "Essentials of Business Communications" which covers proposals and formal reports. It identifies the objectives of the chapter as understanding the parts of informal and formal proposals, how to collect and organize data for formal reports, and how to structure formal reports. The chapter then explains the key components of informal proposals, formal proposals, and formal reports including introductions, backgrounds, proposals, staffing, budgets, authorization requests, and more. It also discusses preparing data, documenting sources, outlining information, and illustrating data through tables, charts and graphs.

Uploaded by

Dũng Trần Việt
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 22

Chapter 10:

Proposals and Formal


Reports

Objectives: pg 267
Identify and explain the parts of informal and formal

proposals.
Describe the preparatory steps for writing a formal
report.
Learn to collect data from secondary sources including
print and electronic sources.
Understand the need for accurate documentation of
data.
Describe how to organize report data, create an outline,
and make effective headings.
Illustrate data using tables, charts, and graphs.
Describe and sequence the parts of a formal report.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Understanding Business
Proposals: pg 267
Proposals are written offers to solve problems,

provide services, or sell equipment.


Most proposals, however, are external and are a
critical means of selling equipment and services that
generate income for many companies.
External proposals may be divided into two
categories: solicited and unsolicited.
Enterprising companies looking for work might
submit unsolicited proposals, but most proposals are
solicited.
Read first two paragraphs on page 268 for an
example of using business proposals.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business


Communications

Informal Proposals: pg
268
Informal proposals are often presented in short

(two- to four-page) letters.


they contain six principal parts: introduction,
background, proposal, staffing, budget, and
authorization request.
Figure 10.1 illustrates all six parts of a letter
proposal.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business


Communications

Introduction: pg 268
Although writers may know what goes into the proposal

introduction, many face writers block before they get


started.
Mary Piecewicz, former employee of Hewlett-Packard
states:
To conquer writers block, begin with a bulleted list of
what the customer is looking for. This is like a road map;
it gets you started and keeps you headed in the right
direction.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Individual Research: David


White
We talk at 200-250 wpm (words per minute) but

can listen at 300-500 wpm. Thus when the


other person is talking, we get side-tracked by
our own thoughts (which may well be triggered
by one thing that the speaker says). When we
come back into the room, we find that we have
lost track of the conversation. Rather than lose
face and become embarrassed by this, we nod,
smile and hope nobody will notice.
http://changingminds.org/techniques/listening/why_not_listening.htm

Therefore, the following minutes will be reading and

response by the students in order to enhance active


listening skills.

Background, Problem, Purpose: pg


269

Please find the most important

fact(s) from this heading.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Proposal, Plan, Schedule: pg


269
Please find the most important

fact(s) from this heading.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Staffing: pg 270
Please find the most important

fact(s) from this heading.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Budget: pg 271
Please find the most important fact(s)

from this heading.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Authorization Request: pg
271
Please find the most important

fact(s) from this heading.

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Formal Proposals: pg 272


Formal proposals differ from informal proposals not in

style but in tone, structure, format, and length.


Format proposals respond to big projects and may range

from 5 to 200 more pages.


In addition to the six basic parts just described, formal

proposals contain some or all of the following additional


parts: copy of the RFP, letter or memo of transmittal,
abstract and/or executive summary, title page, table of
contents, list of figures, and appendix. In addition, the
tone used in formal proposals is often more formal than
the tone used in informal proposals.
Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Preparing To Write Formal Reports:


pg 272
Formal reports are similar to formal proposals in length,

organization, and serious tone. Instead of making an


offer, however, formal reports represent the end
product of thorough investigation and analysis.
Like proposals and informal reports, formal reports

begin with a definition of the project.


Once you have defined the project and limited its

scope, write a statement of purposebecause it


defines the focus of the report and provides a standard
that keeps the project on target.
Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business

Communications

Lets Just Fish!: pgs 273302

Fishing through the text is simply taking the important facts


from each major paragraph.

LETS BEGIN
Researching Secondary Data:
Print Resources:
Electronic Databases:
The World Wide Web:
Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Weblogs (Blogs):

Generating Primary Data:

Surveys:

Interviews:

Observation and Experimentation:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Documenting Data:

Purposes of Documentation:

Learning What to Document:

Developing Good Research Habits:

Developing the Fine Art of Paraphrasing:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Knowing When and How to Quote:

Using Citation Formats:

Organizing And Outlining Data:

Organizational Strategies:

Outlines and Headings:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Illustrating Data:

Matching Graphics and Objectives:

Tables:

Bar Charts:

Line Charts:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Pie Charts:

Flowcharts:

Organization Charts:

Photographs, Maps, and Illustrations:

Incorporating Graphics in Reports:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Fishing Through The


Text(cont.): pgs 273-302

Using Your Computer to produce Charts:

Prefatory Parts (Preceding the Body of Report):

Body of Report:

Supplementary Parts of Report:

Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

Summary: pg 302
Proposals are written to solve problems, provide

services, or sell equipmentbusinesses today


write proposals to generate income.
Informal proposals may be as short as 2 pages;
formal proposals may be 200 pages or more.
Formal reports present well-organized information
systematicallyIn addition, formal reports often
contain tables, charts, and graphs, to illustrate
data.
Written reports are vital to decision makers!
Mary Ellen Guffeys: Essentials of Business Communications

References

Guffey M. E., (2007). Essentials of Business Communications.


Ohio: Cengage Learning.

WWW Why People Do Not Listen. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18,


2009, from
http://changingminds.org/techniques/listening/why_not_listening.htm

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