Writing A Business Report

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Key takeaways from the document are that reports are well-researched documents written for a specific purpose and audience, and there are different types of formal and informal business reports used internally and externally in organizations.

Some of the different types of business reports mentioned are analytical reports, informational reports, inventory reports, marketing reports, statutory reports, non-statutory reports, annual reports, and general or confidential reports.

The standard sections of a business report mentioned are the title page, summary, table of contents, introduction, methods and findings, conclusion and recommendations, and references.

What are reports ?

Reports are well researched, planned and organized documents that are written for a purpose.
A report is written for a specific audience; it must always be accurate and objective. It is a
concise document based on research that typically analyses a situation and sometimes makes
recommendations.

Different Type of Business Reports


Reports are a vital part of any business organization; businesses monitor their progress and
make critical decisions based on these reports.

In Business reports, you analyze a situation, evaluate the success or the problems and provide
suggestions to fix the issues. A business report includes facts and figures, and usually, there is
not one but many solutions for a problem with their own cost and benefits. Therefore, you can
keep on top of your business affairs, whether you are reaching your goals or not and plan
accordingly.

Moreover, a formal business report is written for a specific audience; it could be the CEO or the
head of the organization. Additionally, informal reports are for internal use and staff members.
There are different types of business reports; some are formal and some informal reports.
Business report examples include analytical reports, informational reports, inventory reports,
marketing reports, statutory reports, non-statutory reports, annual reports, and general or
confidential reports.

Writing a Business Report: Structure & Examples

Imagine you are a new graduate and are excited to join your first job. Teeming with confidence,
you put in your best efforts, and are able to achieve your daily, monthly, and quarterly goals. At
the end of the quarter, your boss calls you into her cabin, praises your excellent performance,
and asks you to write a quarterly business report.

Report writing for business is something you have heard of, but don’t exactly know how it’s
done. However, with the help of experts and some practice, you can master the art of business
report writing. After all, former Indian cricket team captain M.S. Dhoni did not hit a six the first
time he picked up a bat! 

Structure of the Report


Vijay and Ajay were best friends in college. While Vijay was proficient in computer
programming and coding, Ajay paid more attention in English classes. Both the friends were
placed in the same company after graduating. So when it was time for both of them to submit
their quarterly reports, Vijay came to his friend seeking help.

Ajay assured his friend that writing the report would be quite simple if Vijay followed a
standard structure. There are quite a few business report writing formats. The standard format
of a business report is as follows:

1. Title page: Start with giving a clear title to the report that explains your work. Mention your
name and the date on which the report was created on this page.
2. Summary: This includes a brief paragraph about the objective of your business report, the
data collection strategies you adopted, an overview of the report, and your findings.
3. Table of contents: Include a table of contents in your report to help the reader easily
navigate through the content.
4. Introduction: The introduction should include information about your project, the purpose of
the report, along with the context and background of the work.
5. Methods and findings: Describe data collection methods and analyses you have used while
composing your findings.
6. Conclusion and recommendations: After presenting the results, write your conclusions from
the findings. This will help readers understand your perception of and solution to the problem
you have worked to resolve.
7. References: You will need to mention the references you have used such as research papers,
books, and interviews. This will provide scientific solidarity to your conclusions in the report for
business.
As mentioned earlier, there are several business report formats available. The one we have
detailed is called the ‘General Business Report Writing Format’. For internal team
communication, you may not need to write a business report in such a meticulous and
structured manner. 

When communicating with your team or colleagues, you can keep the structure of the report
informal. While writing an email report to your colleague or immediate manager, include your
name, the project’s name, statistics, and data, findings and a conclusion note. . 

Business reports require to be presented in specialized formats. At Harappa, you can learn the
dependable framework known as the PREP Model, which talks about the Point of start, Reason,
Example/Evidence, and Point of conclusion. The framework will help you create impressive and
well-structured reports in easy steps. 

Business Report Writing Examples


Let’s start with a simple example of a business report for a company’s balance sheet. It has a
common structure that’s easy to understand. Usually, every spreadsheet and accounting
program like Tally or MS Excel has a template that allows you to create your report without any
hassle. 

A marketing plan, such as a general business report or a balance sheet, has a structured format
that includes a cover page, an executive summary, and a budget. The chapters of the report
present detailed industry research, the target audience, positioning of the business, a study of
the competitor and the market strategy.

Neeraj’s case in action

When Neeraj got a job in the production department of a chemicals company, he faced a major
challenge in the first few days itself. Right after his first shift, Neeraj’s production manager
asked him to write a report to describe all the unit operations in the process of manufacturing
chemicals. The day after he submitted his first report, it was sent back to him with a lot of
comments from the production manager. He scrutinized it thoroughly, saying the report failed
to provide a detailed note on the unit operations during the previous shift. Neeraj was upset
about creating a bad impression at the very start of the job. He immediately set out to make
amends and started researching on ‘how do you write a report’. In the process, he learned the
GRT—Goal, Recipient, and Tone—Framework of effective writing.

These three elements bring clarity and make your writing more effective. The first step to
effective writing is to identify the goal of your communication. But having a goal isn’t enough;
you also need to know your recipient. And finally, the tone of your communication is
important. 

How to Write a Report


1. Understand the aim of the report 
In Neeraj’s case, the report aimed to collect the details about the operations performed in
chemical manufacturing units. Your manager may ask you to create a sales, project, or audit
report. Once you have a clear picture of the report’s purpose, collecting the right information
and writing the report will be easier.

2. Know the target audience


Ask yourself if you are writing a report for an official event, an annual general meeting, or a
project? It’s important to understand the target audience before deciding what information,
writing style, structure, and tone to use in the report. Conveying the right message to your
target audience through the report is crucial.

For example, a slightly casual and conversational writing style may appeal to your juniors or
colleagues, while the management may prefer a more formal tone.

3. Decide on the structure and layout 


Once you have a clear idea of the report’s objectives, target audience, and the information you
need to present, you must decide on its structure. A report is a structured piece of writing
designed to present findings or recommendations to a specific audience. A good report has a
clear structure and is written in sections, with subheadings. When writing assignments you
should consider the different parts of the question and use subheadings that reflect what you
have been asked to do. There are many possible ways that an academic report might be
structured depending on the task you have been set. A simple report structure is summarised in
the table below, however in your studies you may come across reports that ask for any of the
following sections:


 Acknowledgment 
 Executive summary 
 Table of contents 
 Main body containing Literature Review / Methods/Results, data, findings
 Discussion
 Recommendations
 Reference list / Bibliography
 Appendices / Exhibits
4. Get down to writing
This is the most crucial part of the stages of writing a report. While you create the first draft,
here are some tips on how to write a report: 

 Keep the tone of the report formal


 Write short sentences
 The report should be distributed in three parts: introduction, body, and conclusion
 Never forget to edit and proofread the content
 
Guidelines on How to Write a Report

Reports should not only present the facts and figures but also provide corroborative references
and theories to substantiate the facts you’re mentioning.
Let’s understand this through an example. Michelangelo, the great sculptor and painter, has
several masterpieces to his credit. The Statue of David, an 18-foot-tall marble sculpture in
Florence, is one of them. One day while working on this statue, a little boy went up to him and
asked what he was doing with the flawed rock of marble. Michelangelo replied that he was
hitting the rock to set the little angel hiding inside it free.

Similarly, after writing the first draft, which may include a lot of information, you should edit
and proofread the content. Remove unnecessary details and change the sentence structures, if
needed, to create an impressive and constructive report.

A meticulously designed report will offer a 360-degree view on any topic you’re writing about
and provide an efficient summary.

The PREP model of writing can help you design an efficient report. 

This method has four stages:

P or Point or stating the main point briefly


R or Reason or providing reasons to substantiate the point
E or Example/Evidence or providing examples to validate the reasons
P or Point or adding a concluding point while re-emphasizing the main point

Writing Style

General advice on the grammar for report writing is to use a formal style and avoid use of the
first person, i.e. using ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ For example instead of saying “I carried out research
using xxx method” a more formal way would be to say “Research was carried out using xxx
method”. However, occasionally you may need to express a personal opinion or report on an
individual activity. In these circumstances, you should use your judgement to decide what is
appropriate, or follow any guidance that is given.

Try not to be too opinionated in your writing, try to find a neutral way to express your view. For
example instead of saying “this is a rubbish idea” consider saying “there are a number of
problems with this idea such as…” Try to keep your sentences reasonably short; very long
sentences can be difficult to follow. As a general rule, each sentence should make just one
point. Presentation, spelling and grammar are important. It is always worth taking some time at
the end to read through your report, looking for any errors and checking that it all makes sense.

Using your own words


When you refer and discuss materials it is important, as far as possible to paraphrase them as
this helps to show that you have understood them. Key terms, concepts or ideas do not need to
be paraphrased e.g. “sustainable design” “innovation frame”. If you do quote something, for
example as evidence to support an argument you are making, then you should use quotation
marks and reference the source.

Writing succinctly

Many students worry about keeping within the word count of an assignment. Writing succinctly
takes a little practice but once you get the hang of it you will find that it comes more naturally.
Think about the key message that you want to get across , succinct writing will help you to get
that across more strongly than writing that is too wordy. However, a word of caution, there is a
difference between being succinct and being so brief that you say too little and miss out vital
information.

How to be succinct

Look at your sentence construction. Are there any superfluous words? Could you say the same
thing differently without losing meaning? If you have gathered lots of information for your
assignment it is important to identify the key information using notes or a highlighter pen and
to be selective about what you use. Pick out the most important points, crucially those most
relevant to the question and summarise information rather than reproducing it in its entireity.

Example of how to reduce a sentence

a. You are advised that there is a need to keep to the word limit in assignments by keeping your sentences short
(20 words)

b. You are advised to keep to the word limit by using short sentences (13 words cut down from the sentence
above)

c. Use short sentences to keep within the word limit. (9 words, rearranged sentence)

Words in italics in sentence a. are superfluous. The underlined word in sentence c. is a new addition that enables
the rearrangement of the sentence.

Try it for yourself

Rephrase the following paragraph to retain its key points, how many words can you get it down
to? Be ruthless.

“Solar power offers the peace of mind that no other energy source can provide, a clean, reliable, and noise free
energy source. The sun provides energy for many of the processes that takes place on earth such as
photosynthesis and climate control, therefore it seems only reasonable that we attempt to use some of this vast
supply of energy in an effort to create an alternative power source to fossil fuels. Solar power is used throughout
the world in various applications, whether it provides power to pump drinking water in Africa or is integrated into
a commercial building in London” (100 words)

Here is an attempt which says the same thing but with 44% fewer words:

“Solar power provides clean, reliable, and noise free energy. Many natural processes such as photosynthesis utilise
solar energy and people too can use this vast energy source as an alternative to fossil fuels. Solar power is used
globally for various applications, from powering a drinking water pump in Africa to lighting a commercial building
in London.” (56 words)

Referencing

Referencing is an important part of academic writing, but lots of students find it hard to
understand how to use references to their best advantage. Hopefully this short guide will help.

What is the point of having references?

Having your own ideas is a good thing but showing how your thoughts build on or relate to the
ideas of other writers, gives your arguments strength. Academic assessments expect you to
relate your work to other authors and to present evidence to back up your claims or arguments.
This evidence could be ideas, concepts or examples.

Getting ready to reference

Starting points

When you are faced with an assignment one of the first things to do is to look at the question
and then search for relevant ideas and, if appropriate, examples. For an OU course your starting
point is most likely to be the teaching texts and other media for a block of study. In other
academic settings you might start with a reading list or recommendations from a lecturer.

Key Points

As you study the relevant material, look for key points that relate to the question in some way.
Make a note of each of these points and against each one write the details of the author, date,
title, publisher, place of publication and page numbers so that you can easily identify where the
ideas come from when you are writing your assignment.

External references

Sometimes in assignments you are asked to carry out research of external sources, for example
to find up to date examples, or to find alternative perspectives. Your sources might be books,
journal articles, web-pages or other media. As you carry out your research you will find it
helpful to note the key points and their sources as suggested above.
Referencing guide – APA style guide (latest) available at :
https://guides.library.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=75861&p=3609329

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