Deck 11: Preparing Informative and Influential Business Reports

Question 1

What formatting devices in a table of contents can aid reader comprehension? Find some examples of helpfully formatted tables of contents and discuss what makes them effective.

Answer 1

A table of contents in essence is turning the outline into an aid for the reader. To create an instructive format one should start by clearly indicating the order of the information. Form (font selection, size, style and color) and placement (location and indentation) can be used to distinguish among the levels of contents.to make the format readable, there should be ample space between the heading and the content. Using bullets between topics and page numbers will help enhance readability. This will enable the reader to get a hold of the topic at a glance.
Tables of content can be made more effective by the following:
1. Topic and talking headings: Topic headings illustrate the topic of discussion. It usually consists of one or two words. A talking heading identifies the subject matter and delves a little deeper into the topic.
For example:
Country
Labor intensive
Capital intensive
2. Parallelism of Construction: Same level headings should be parallel in structure. For example: if one major heading has a particular figure of speech say noun phrase, same should follow with other headings too. This rule is to show similarity.
For example:
Increase in price
Decrease in demand
3. Concise wording: headings should be terse and meaningful while still being clear and informative. Extra long headings lose their importance and are unable to convey the real meaning.
An example of an appropriate heading can be "social media-boon or a bane"
4. Variety of expression: the content should not be too dull or boring for the reader. A variety of expression makes the content interesting, precise and logically structured.

Question 2

"Collaborative reports are better than reports written by an individual because they use many minds rather than one." Discuss.

Answer 2

The statement in the question is true since there are many minds working on a project rather than one. Highly specialized knowledge of different people improves the output. Everyone has unique talents and will be able to contribute individually.
A report compiled with the efforts of many individuals will have more ideas as it weigh high on the quotient of creativity. Each team member has a lot to contribute. All good suggestions should be compiled and assessed.
Also, since each member of the group is putting in effort, the combined time to complete the report is reduced significantly as compared to when a single person completes the whole report.
Each group member has a lot to learn from his \ her group mates and hence the report produced is a quality one. Many different software tools help in forming groups from different parts of an area. This helps and maintaining ease and comfort.

Question 3

Assume that you are writing the results of a survey conducted to determine what kinds of groceries are purchased by female college students in the United States. What division possibilities exist here? Which would you recommend?

Answer 3

Business Report: It refers to a objective an orderly communication of information (factual) that helps the business to serve a purpose.
Survey Report: It refers to a report that states the result of a survey. A survey is a thorough examination of a particular thing by using the review of participants of the survey.
Once the interpretation of the information has been done, the net step that comes in framing a report is organization of the important points of the report. The important parts of the reports can be organized by divisions. The division is done on the basis of conventional relationships.
The division possibilities of the results determined by a survey of the kinds of groceries that are purchased by college students are given below:
Place: As the survey would have covered specific geographical locations, the data can be divided on the basis of place division.
Quantity: The survey also relates to the purchases that are somehow related to income. Thus, the data can be presented on the basis of quantity division.
The above stated are the division possibilities of the given problem. One can choose the division basis as per the requirements. Both division possibilities have its own merits.

Question 4

"Disagreements in groups are counterproductive." Discuss.

Question 5

You are writing a report on the progress of your local cable company's efforts to increase sales of five of its products through extensive advertising in print and online newspapers and magazines and on television and radio. Discuss the possibilities for major headings. Evaluate each possibility.

Question 6

For the problem described in the preceding exercise, use your imagination to construct topic headings for the outline.

Question 7

Find a sample short report online on a topic of interest to you and evaluate it using the advice in this chapter. Is it a good report? Why or why not?

Question 8

Point out any error in grammatical parallelism in these headings:
a. Region I sales lagging.
b. Moderate increase seen for Region II.
c. Sales in Region III.

Question 9

Explain the difference between personal and impersonal writing. Which is "better"? Argue both sides.

Question 10

Point out any error in grammatical parallelism in these headings:
a. High cost of operation.
b. Slight improvement in production efficiency.
c. Maintenance cost is low.

Question 11

Explain the differences between the present-time viewpoint and the past-time viewpoint.

Question 12

Which of the following headings is inconsistent with the others?
a. Agricultural production continues to increase.
b. Slight increase is made by manufacturing.
c. Salaries remain high.
d. Service industries show no change.

Question 13

Is it incorrect to have present, past, and future tense in the same report? In the same paragraph? In the same sentence? Explain.

Question 14

Select an editorial, feature article, book chapter, or other document that has no headings. Write talking headings for it.

Question 15

What kinds of reports do you expect to write in your chosen profession? Why?

Question 16

"Transitional sentences are unnecessary. They merely add length to a report and thus run contrary to the goal of conciseness." Discuss.

Question 17

For each of the following problem situations, write a clear purpose statement and list the factors you would probably need to investigate. When necessary, you may use your imagination to supply any additional information needed.
a. A manufacturer of breakfast cereals wants to attract a new demographic of customers.
b. The manufacturer of a toothpaste wants a bigger share of the toothpaste market.
c. Wal-Mart wants to give its stockholders a summary of its operations for the past calendar year.
d. A building contractor engaged to build a new office for Company X needs to submit a progress report.
e. Able Wholesale Company wants to find out how much cash it should have in reserve.
f. The supervisor of Department X must prepare a report evaluating the performance of an administrative assistant.
g. Baker, Inc., is experiencing higher than normal employee turnover.
h. An executive must rank three subordinates on the basis of their suitability for promotion to a particular job.
i. The supervisor of production must compare three competing machines that are being considered for use in a particular production job.
j. An investment consultant must advise a client on whether to invest in the development of a lake resort.
k. A consultant needs to hep a restaurant improve its profits.

Question 18

Assume that you are reporting the results of a survey you have conducted. Write a paragraph of the report using the present-time viewpoint; then write the paragraph using the past-time viewpoint. The paragraph needs to convey the following information:
Answers to the question about how students view the proposed Aid to Education Bill in this survey and in a survey taken a year earlier (last year's results are in parentheses):
For, 39 percent (21); Against, 17 percent (43).
No answer, undecided, etc., 44 percent (36).

Question 19

Explain the concept of outlining as a process of division.

Question 20

"Reports are written for business executives who want them. Thus, you don't have to be concerned about holding your reader's interest." Discuss.

Question 21

Select a hypothetical problem with a time division possibility. What other division possibilities does it have? Compare the two possibilities as the main bases for organizing the report.

Question 22

List the advantages and disadvantages of each of these different media for writing collaboratively.
a. Face-to-face meetings
b. Email
c. Discussion boards
d. Online editing tool (e.g., Google Docs)
e. Website (e.g., blog or wiki)
f. Live online interaction (e.g., Skyping or IM-ing)