REPORT WRITING

REPORTS AND FORMATS

A report is a logical presentation of facts and information. The information is needed for reviewing and evaluating progress, for planning future course of action and for taking decisions. Reports provide feedback to managers on various aspects of the organization. Special reports may be written by an individual or by a group of persons to whom the task has been assigned. Reports are written for various purposes. They may be required to review performance, keep a check on a continuing activity, plan for the future needs of the organization, survey the market, submit standardized information, etc.

DEFINITION
According to Raymond v Lesikar A business report is an orderly ,objective communication of factual information that serves some business purpose. PURPOSE OF BUSINESS REPORTS To give information about a companys activities ,progress, plans and problems. To record events for future reference in decision making. To recommend specific action. To justify and persuade readers about the need for action in controversial situations. To present facts to the management to help decide the direction the business should choose.

OBJECTIVES OF REPORT WRITING

Measuring Executive performance Help in combating changes Information Controlling Help in coordinating Contact Recommends Action

STEPS FOR REPORT WRITING

INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE OF INFORMATION TAKING NOTES ANALYZING THE DATA MAKING AN OUTLINE WRITING THE REPORT

TYPES OF REPORT

Reports may be routine or special . Routine reports are periodical and are usually prepared by filling in printed/cyclostyled forms to convey information about the progress or status of work/tasks. They are submitted at regular intervals or soon after the completion of the task. Special reports are required when a situation or problem arises. An individual or a committee of persons who have knowledge and understanding in the field/subject,is appointed to investigate and study a specific problem, collect information related to it and make suggestions to help the management to take a decision.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF REPORTS

TYPES OF REPORTS I ROUTINE II SPECIAL

Routine reports:-These reports are usually forms in which blanks have to be filled in or multiple choice statements are to be ticked. Reports forms must be prepared carefully to ensure that the management gets complete information.

I Routine Reports: The following are routine reportsa. Progress Report: It gives information about the progress of a project or a task which is in the process of being completed, such as construction of building or manufacture of products or implementation of scheme. This report is also prepared by filling in a standard form periodically.

b. Inspection reports:- It is submitted as soon as an inspection is carried out. It is necessary for detecting any irregularities or deviations from standard practice, in day-to-day work; for e.g:- internal audit reports. c. Performance Appraisal reports:- It is periodical and is usually prepared by filling in a form. It is meant for assessing and recording the performance of an employee. On the basis of these reports, decisions about promotions and other benefits are taken.

d.Periodical Reports:- It is prepared at regular intervals on the working of a section or a department. The information required is of a routine nature and can be easily tabulated, hence it is prepared by filling in a form.

II. Special Reports: a. First Investigation Reports(F.I.R): It is required when there is a disaster like fire, building collapse, robbery or accident in an organization. It is prepared by a responsible person on-thespot or the person in charge, for submission to Regional Office or Head Office. This report has to give all information which is available immediately after the incident occurs. It must state what happened, about what time, who first noticed it and what steps were taken immediately.

b. Investigation Report:- It is written after making a thorough study and inquiry. An investigation is made when there is a problem and the management needs to find out the causes of the problem and needs suggestions for solving it. For example:- Falling sales, declining deposits in a bank, many customer complaints, losses in a branch, etc.

c.Feasibility or survey report:-It is required when an organization intends to launch a new product in the market, introduce a new service, or make any major changes that may affect the companys customers. d.Project Report:- It is written after a proposal takes shape and after the preliminary survey has been completed .It describes the proposal as projected into the future, showing the cash flow and expected results.

REPORTS BY INDIVIDUALS
A Report may be assigned to one person. A report written by an individual follows the same logical presentation as the committee report. If the report is short, say two or three pages, it is written in letter form with numbered and sub-titled paragraphs. It does not need complete inside address as it is internal communication and is typed on the organization's letterhead. It is dated on the day of submission or a day earlier.

REPORTS BY COMMITTEE
A report by a committee is prepared by the members of the committee assigned the task. It is actually written by one person, usually the secretary or the Convener, with inputs from the others members. The style is formal and it may be written in the passive voice. The word we or our are not used; the committee is used when necessary. A report by a committee is never written in the form of a letter, it must always be presented in the schematic form with sub-headings. The report is typed on plain paper and submitted with a letter of transmittal.

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
It is typed on the organization's letterhead. It is addressed to the appointing authority and has the date of submission of the report. It is signed by the convener/chairperson of the committee. The letter states that work was assigned, that the work has been completed and the report is being submitted. It ends with a courteous message, offering to undertake further study, if required.

FORMATS
LETTER FORMAT: if the report has been assigned by one person to an individual, and the material is not too much, it can be presented in the form of a letter. The content is organized in the same logical form required for all the reports, but the layout is like a letter. It is addressed with an appropriate salutation to the person who assigned it. The subject line indicates the subject of the report. The paragraphs may be numbered and sub-titled. It is signed by the person who has prepared the report.

MEMORANDUM
Memorandum or memoranda also called memo, is used for short periods if the intended audience is several persons who all need the information. New schemes,ideas,situations or new processes emerge from time to time and have to be reported to the management for decision. A memorandum does not have any inside address,saluation or complimentary close, it has only the heading and the body. Many organizations use pre-designed memo format pads.

Scan diagram

Date: The month must be spelled out in full; that is, not in numerals and without abbreviations. To: Use the addressees full name and title, and department if required. If there are several recipients, list them in hierarchical order. From: Write your own name without courtesy title, if necessary add your job title or department to ensure identification. Subject: Statement of subject should be accurate and concise.

Organizing the content: A memo must be informative and concise. Clarify the objective by stating it in a single sentence. Book Report: This is used when the amount of information to be presented in large, and the subject or topic is of long term interest and important to a large number of people.

STRUCTURE OF A REPORT
A Report is divided into sections with headings so that the collected information can be presented in form that is easy to read and refer to. Reports are read by different persons for different purposes. Some are interested only in the findings and/or conclusions; some may want to know only the recommendations; yet others may want to check the procedure followed for data collection.

The report may be written by an individual or by a committee. Both are formal and must follow a logical order. A report by an individual may be a little more personal in tone, while a committee report is impersonal in tone.

PARTS OF A REPORT
A Report has several sections which enable the writer(s) to lay out all the complex information in an easy-to-read form. All reports do not require all the sections but long reports need to include all the parts. A Report generally sections marked with an asterisk(*);the other sections may be included depending on the type, length and purpose of the report.

Letter of transmittal Title page* Table of contents List of abbreviations and /or glossary Executive summary/abstract Introduction* Body* Conclusion* Recommendations Bibliography Appendices

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
It is typed on the organization's letterhead. This is a letter addressed to the person who commissioned the report. In this letter, you effectively hand over your report to that person. The letter includes: A Salutation(e.g; Dear Ms Bhatia) The purpose of the letter(e.g; Here is the final version of the report on Underwater welding which was commissioned by your company.) The main findings of the report Any important considerations An acknowledgement of any significant help An expression of pleasure or thanks(e.g., Thank you for giving us the opportunity to work on this report.)

EXAMPLE

TITLE PAGE
This must include: Report title which clearly states the purpose of the report. Full details of the person(s) for whom the report was prepared. Full details of the person(s) who prepared the report. The date of the presentation of the report. A short report of two to three pages does not need a little page, but is must indicate the subject of the study and the purpose of the study. The title appears at the top of the first page, before the text of the report as follows:

Example

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

Is given after the little page. It is used only if the report is long, say ten pages. It is a list of the headings and appendices of the report with the page number on which each begins.

If the report is long and complex, you can give a list of the tables, and a list of illustrations(or figures),separately. The correct page numbers must be shown opposite the contents. Word processing packages can generate a table of contents.

ABBREVIATIONS AND GLOSSARY

If the report includes abbreviations which may not be known to all readers of the report, an alphabetical list of them is provided. If there are many technical terms, a glossary is also provided. A glossary is an alphabetical list of the terms, with brief explanations of their meanings.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This is a list of names of persons who helped the writer of the report with information, collection of data,references,discussion and so on. It can be written in one paragraph or a few short paragraphs.

ABSTRACT OR SUMMARY OR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

An abstract is a summary used for a scholarly, academic work and an executive summary is used for a business report. An executive summary is written for an executive who must likely does not have the time to read the original.

An executive summary: Gives readers the essential contents of the report document in 1-10 pages depending on the length of the report. Previews the main points of the report enabling readers to build a mental framework for organizing and understanding the detailed information in the report. Helps readers determine the key results and recommendations reported in your document.

The summary includes one or two sentences for every main section of the report. For example, it may include: The context of the research The purpose of the report The major findings(you may need several sentences for this ) The conclusions The main recommendations The summary is written after the report is completed .It is should be the last thing you write even though it is usually the first thing read by others.

TERMS OF REFERENCE OR INTRODUCTION

It is first section of the report. It gives (I)details of the assignment and (II)the purpose and scope of the study. Example:-

PROCEDURE
This is the second section of the body of the report and may be numbered II. Methods used for collecting information are stated in this section. It begins with the meetings held by the committee, for example:

FINDINGS
This is the most important section. It may be numbered III in a report that numbers the sections. The collected facts and information have to be organized into a presentable form with headings and sub-headings. The mass of collected information is analyzed and divided for easy and readable presentation. The units are joined by a numbering system.

USE

OF ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPHICS

A Report becomes much more readable, clear and effective if the findings are explained with Relevant illustrative data like diagrams,graphs,charts,plans or maps. There are several advantages in using illustrations. They clarify and support the verbal analysis. They can present a large amount of complex data in a compact form and with precision. Comparisons of data can be seen at a glance in a graph or chart. Pictorial representation is more attractive and interesting to most people.

RECOMMENDATIONS
This is the last section of the body of the report. Recommendations are proposals for action suggested by the report writer(s) to the appointing authority.

SIGNATURE,

PLACE AND DATE

A committee report must be signed by all members of the committee. The signatures are on the right. The place and date are on the left. The date is the day of submission of the report. Place: Kolkata Date:23 May 2003 R.B.Das Gupta,Convener C.K.Puranik J.J.Mitra

APPENDIX
It is supplementary material given at the end of the report. This may be a copy of a questionnaire used, or the plans of buildings, maps or other material which is referred to in the body of the report.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
It is the list of books and articles used by the report writer. It is arranged in alphabetical order of the surnames of the authors.

PRINCIPLES OF WRITING REPORTS

PREPARATORY STEPS:- A Report can be no better than the research that has gone before it. Accuracy is absolutely essential and the only way to ensure it is to be meticulous and painstaking in collecting and recording facts and, of course, to be honest in handling them.

ELEMENTS OF STYLE
The English Language is capable of many different styles. There is a style for the boardroom meeting an a style for a report. WORDS:- English may be described as a double language which has a set of strong, direct words and another set of charming and subtle words.

PHARSES:- A Phrase is a cluster of words which is a unit of meaning like in the first place", "take into consideration. SENTENCES:- Short sentences are easier to understand, it is less likely that the reader or the writer will lose his way in a short sentence. PHARAGRAPHS:- A Paragraphs is a group of associates sentences defining and developing an aspect of a subject. It is used for : Introduction Developing Defining Explaining Classifying Describing Comparing Summarizing Concluding

CHAPTERS
A Chapter is the main division. The length depends on several factors such as, Length of the report The number of aspects investigated The Layout Style of Presentation The modern trend is towards short chapters which are easy to assimilate.

WRITING THE REPORT

Writing imposes the hardest mental work that we have to do .In order to do a good job of report writing, we must understand what the difficulties are and find ways of overcoming them. Expression:- A Persons writing skills are influenced by several things like education,background,vocabulary,mental alertness, personality experience and enthusiasm for the task in hand.

PRINCIPLES

OF WORK

Working principles to be followed are: 1. Always keep the reader and his needs in mind. 2. Choose simple words, short sentences, short paragraphs. 3. Avoid adverbs and adjectives unless necessary. 4. Avoid emphatic words like very,extremely,highly 5. Be specific and precise 6. Never exaggerate 7. Write to inform, not to impress 8. Observe the three-Fys Simplify Justify Qunatify

Order of Writing:- Many report writers find it the best practice to write the main body of the report first. The writing may be taken up in the following order: 1. Main body 2. Conclusions 3. Recommendations 4. Introduction 5. Ancillary parts-Table of contents,acknowledgements,references,appendice s,bibliography,etc. 6. Summary or synopsis.

Considering the Readers Response:- No matter how well the report is written, it will succeed only if it gets the intended or desired response from the readers. The impact of the presented facts on members of the organization must be cosidered.

THANK YOU