Report Planning & Research: Institute of Business Management

CHAPTER 11
Report Planning
& Research
Institute of Business Management

Group # 3
Presentation Roadmap
Haseeb Ahsun
• Introduction
• Types of Report
Ali Zulfiqar
• Report Functions
• Report Patterns
• Report Formats
Kashif Sami
• Writing Styles
• Researching Secondary
Data
Aqeel
• Generating Primary Data
• Documenting Data
(Formats)
Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 2

Business Reports
Business reports are systematic attempts

to answer questions and solve problems

Reports are different because of ….
• Abundance and diversity
• Range from informal half page trip to formal 200 page

financial forecast
• Presented orally in front of a group or electronically on a

computer screen
• Appear as words on paper in the form of letters and memos

or numeric data such as tax reports / profit loss statements
• Aim to provide information only or to analyze and make

recommendations
BUT
they all have one common purpose

Systematic attempts to answer
questions and solve problems

Kinds of Business Report
1. Periodic Operating
2. Situational
3. Investigative /
Informational
4. Compliance
5. Justification /
Recommendations
6. Yardstick
7. Feasibility
8. Research
9. Proposals
Kinds of Business Report Contd…
1. Periodic Operating Reports
• Written at regular intervals to monitor

operations
Like
 Weekly activity reports from sales
representatives
 Customer service, shipping and
production operations monitoring and
control reports
 Weekly / fortnightly attendance review
reports

2. Situational Reports
• Describe non recurring

activities
• More creative and
challenging than periodic
reports
• Dynamic in nature
Like
 Trips, seminars, conference
and progress reports

3. Investigation/Informational
Reports
• Examine situations / problems /

supply facts
• More analytical and classified
differently
Like
 Status of the independent
contractors working for your
company
 Internal employees satisfaction
evaluation
 PIA Fokker recent crash in Multan

4. Compliance Reports
• Comply with laws and regulations that

protect employees, investors and
customers
• More analytical and classified differently
Like
 Securities prospectus answers questions
from potential stockholders and finance
 CMMI (Capability Maturity Model
Integration) – Global standards for
software development firms
 Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) – Airline
Industry Standard

5. Justification /
Recommendation
Reports
• Analytical in nature
• Travel upward to management
where recommendations are
approved / rejected
• Important tool encapsulating
findings,
• analysis and recommendations
Like
 Reengineering strategies
 Purchasing of new equipment
 Hiring of new employees
6. Yardstick Reports
• Helpful way to evaluate the alternatives

to establish a yardstick / criteria
• Criteria selection on discretion of
management or participating bodies
Like
 Continuation of outdated main frame
PCs
 Invitation to new and existing suppliers
 Relocation of employees

7. Feasibility Reports
• Use analysis to predict the

practicality
• Examine the benefits and problems
connected with the project
• Cost and scheduling the strategies
or implementation
Like
 Opening of new Hajj terminal
 Kalabagh Dam
 Installation of new Air Traffic Radar
8. Research Reports
• Examine problems thoroughly and

scientifically
• Conducting objective research and
interpreting the findings
• Embodied in tabulations and graphs
Like
 Market Research against a specific
problem
 Crash Landings since 1980 in Pakistan –
Causes / Facts / Repercussions

9. Proposals
• Attempts to secure new business
• Solution offering / consulting services
• Investigation and research studies
• Organized to answer the receiver’s
questions regarding staffing, budget,
offers etc
• Persuasive in nature
Like
 Financial Proposal against
Parliament House renovation bid
 Technical Proposal for Unilever Call
Centre Installation

Periodic, Situational,
Investigative and Compliance
Reports often present data
Justification /
Recommendations,
Yardstick and Feasibility
Reports

Stakeholders of Report
Internally
• Organizations
• Managers
• Employees
Externally
• Customers
• Engagement / Business
bodies
• Government

Report Functions
• Informational
• Analytical

Report Functions Contd…
Informational
• Present data without analysis
• Recommendations are primarily informational
Analytical
• Provide data, analysis and conclusions
• May intend to persuade readers to act or to change
their beliefs
Like
• Extraction of consumer insights from market study

Report Patterns
• Direct
• Indirect

Report Patterns Contd…
Direct Pattern Informational
Informational
Report
Report
Intro
Intro/ /Bckgrnd
Bckgrnd
IfIfreaders -----------------------
-----------------------
readers Facts
are
areinformed
informed Facts/ /Findings
Findings
-----------------------
-----------------------
Summary
Summary
----------------------
----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers Direct
DirectPattern
Pattern Analytical
Analytical
are
aresupportive
supportive Report
Report
Intro
Intro/ /Problem
Problem
IfIfreaders -----------------------
-----------------------
readers
are Concl
Concl/ /Rcmdns
areeager
eagertoto Rcmdns
-----------------------
have
haveresults
resultsfirst
first -----------------------
Facts/Findings
Facts/Findings
-----------------------
-----------------------
Dscsn
Dscsn/ /Analysis
Analysis
-----------------------
-----------------------
Report Patterns Contd…
Indirect Pattern
IfIfreaders
readers
need Analytical
Analytical
needto tobe
be
educated Report
Report
educated
Intro
Intro/ /Problem
Problem
-----------------------
-----------------------
IfIfreaders
readers Facts/Findings
Facts/Findings
need
needtotobe
be Indirect
IndirectPattern
Pattern -----------------------
-----------------------
persuaded
persuaded Dscsn
Dscsn/ /Analysis
Analysis
-----------------------
-----------------------
Concl
Concl/ /Rcmdns
Rcmdns
IfIfreaders -----------------------
-----------------------
readers
may
maybe behostile
hostile
or
ordisappointed
disappointed

Report Formats
1. Letter
2. Memo
3. Manuscript
4. Printed

Report Formats Contd…
1. Letter Format
• Informal reports addressed
outside an organization
• Prepared on office
stationery
• Contains a date, inside
address, salutation and
complimentary close
• Longer and show more
careful organizations than
most letters

2. Memo Format
• Short informal reports
• Printed on plain paper

instead of letter heads
• Begins with DATE, TO,

FROM and SUBJECT main
headings

3. Manuscript Format
• Longer more formal reports
• Printed on plain paper

instead of letter heads
• Begins with title followed by

systematically displayed
headings and sub headings

4. Printed Format
• Prepared forms often used for
 Repetitive data
 Monthly sales report
 Performing appraisals
 Merchandize
inventories
 Personal and financial
reports
• Standardized headings save time

Reports – Style of Writing

Reports – Style of Writing Contd…
Reports can be formal or informal depending on:
-Purpose
-Audience
-Setting
Formal Reports:
From a Consultant to a
-Objective
Client
-Authoritative
-Impartial
From an Employee to his

Informal Reports boss about a trip to a
conference

Best reports grow out of a seven –step process

beginning with analysis and ending with proofreading
and evaluation
Step 1 Analyze the problem and the purpose
Step 2 Anticipate the audience and issues.
Step 3 Prepare a work plan
Step 4 Research the data

SIMPLE REPORT COMPLEX REPORT
-Brief work plan -Comprehensive

-Minor research -Extensive research
-No analyses of the data -Careful analysis of the data

Step-1 Analyzing The Problem and Purpose
Before beginning a report,

identify in a clear statement
the problem to be solved
Understanding the problem or assignment
Complex Reports –prepare a written
problem statement
Ask questions
Define problem statement
A simple purpose statement defines the focus of a report

as well as keeps the report on target

Scope
Incase of additional
focus three things to Significance
be kept in mind
Limitations

Step-2 Anticipating the Audience and Issues
Business writing is persuasive writing

A report writer should always keep in mind who will read the
report
A report to an outside client may first be read by someone who
is familiar with the problem and then be distributed to others
familiar with the issue
Candid statements to one audience cab be offensive to another
Common Mistake:
writer usually focuses on the
primary reader
Asking Questions
How much material to include
While considering How much detail to add

the primary and
secondary target Whether to include jargon
asking questions
helps to Method of organizing
Style of presentation and tone

FACTORING
Major report
problems should To break down a
be broken into problem into smaller
Sub problems or components and
factored to look for solutions to
highlight possible each one is called
solutions factoring

Step-3 Preparing a Work Plan
 Preparing a plan forces you to evaluate your resources

 Set priorities
 Outline a course of action
 Establish a time schedule
 A work plan gives a complete picture of its project
 Quality and usefulness of any report depends on its of
data
 First hand information –surveys ,scientific experiment,
interview people

Step-4 RESEARCH
How to find it and document it?
 One of the most important process of report writing is

research
 As you analyze a report purpose and audience, you will
analyze the kind of data needed to support or explain
your argument :
 Whether you need statistics
 Background data
 Expert opinions,group opinions,
 Or organized data

CATEGORIES OF DATA
Primary Secondary
Secondary
first hand data comes
experience from what
others have
experienced

RESEARCH SECONDARY DATA
SOURCES OF SECONDARY DATA

 Print resources
 Books
 Periodicals; magazines,
pamphlets, journals
 Journals are compilations
of scholarly articles
 Articles in journals are very
useful because they are
concise,limited in scope,
current, can supplement
information in books.
Research Secondary Data Contd…
Electronic database:
 A database is a collection of
information stored
electronically so that it is
accessible by computer and
is digitally searchable.
The internet:
 The world wide web is a
collection of hypertext pages
that offer information and
links.

Research
secondary
data
Formal
Reports
Generate
primary
data

PRIMARY DATA
 Data collected by the

researcher for the first
time specifically for a:
• Research project
• Business problem
• Current scenario
 Collected when
secondary data
sources do not serve
the purpose.

GENERATING A PRIMARY DATA
Surveys Experimentation
Observation Interviews

Generating primary Data Contd…
1. OBSERVATION
A situation of interest is
monitored by a person or
a mechanical device for:
relevant facts
actions
behaviors
For example: What was a buyer’s response after reading the
price tag of a product?
Observation answers What but not why

2. SURVEY
Information is gathered from a group of people without

detailed verification
Advantages:
 Economical (mailed
surveys)
 Efficient
Disadvantages:
 Respondents might
not be truthful
 Exaggeration of facts

EFFECTIVE SURVEYS
• Explain why the survey is necessary

• Consider incentives (Coupons, gifts)
• Limit the number of questions
• Use quantifiable questions (check-off, MCQs)
• Avoid ambiguous questions
• Select the survey population carefully
• Conduct a pilot study

3. INTERVIEW
Gather information from experts of a subject:
Mail
Telephone
Computer
Personal

INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES
 Locate an expert
 Prepare for the interview
 Make your questions

objective and friendly
 Watch the time
 End graciously

4. EXPERIMENTS
 Researcher selects
matched groups, to check
cause and effect
For example:
How did people behave
after attending a
motivational lecture?

Research
secondary
data
Formal
Reports
Generate
primary
data
Document
Data

DOCUMENTING DATA
Revealing and crediting

information sources:
• Strengthens your argument
(adds credibility)
• Instructs the reader (to

pursue a topic)
• Protects you (from charges

of plagiarism)

Documenting Data Contd…
DOCUMENTATION FORMATS
1. Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)
2. Modern Language Association (MLA)
3. American Psychological Association (APA)

1. CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE
References cited with a small superscript referring to

the foot of the page
For example: In the text of your paper:

Among poets, Thomas is often the first who comes to
mind as a victim of alcoholism. John Berryman, too,
suffered from this affliction.1
In your footnote:
1. Paul Mariani, Dream Song: The life of John

Berryman (New York: Morrow, 1990).

2. MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION (MLA)
• Author’s name and page (John 100) placed in the text; complete
references in ‘Works Cited’ appendix.
The first gaming Web site appeared in 1995, and online

gaming has since become the most lucrative Internet business
(Will 92).
In your Works Cited list:

Will, George F. “e-Games." Newsweek 25 Nov. 2002:92.

3. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOICATION (ASA)
Author’s name, date of publication, and page number

placed near text reference (John, 2000, p. 99).
Complete references listed at the end of report.

"A lack of career success may lower men's value in
the marketplace of relationships" (Bell, 1991, p. 368).
In your bibliography:
Bell,Reinking. (1991, April 22). Career Success. Time,
p. 368.

AVOID PLAGIARISM (AP)
 Take excellent notes

 Know what should be documented
Statements that are not common

Direct quotations
Others’ ideas
 Use quotations sparingly

 Introduce quotations (gist of a long quotation)
 Cite sources properly (use a format consistently)

THE END

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CHAPTER 11

Institute of Business Management

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 2

Business reports are systematic attempts

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 3

• Range from informal half page trip to formal 200 page

• Presented orally in front of a group or electronically on a

• Appear as words on paper in the form of letters and memos

• Aim to provide information only or to analyze and make

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 4

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 5

1. Periodic Operating Reports

• Written at regular intervals to monitor

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 7

• Describe non recurring

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 8

• Examine situations / problems /

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 9

• Comply with laws and regulations that

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 10

• Helpful way to evaluate the alternatives

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 12

• Use analysis to predict the

• Examine problems thoroughly and

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 14

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 15

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 16

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 17

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 18

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 19

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 20

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 22

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 23

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 24

• Printed on plain paper

• Begins with DATE, TO,

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 25

• Printed on plain paper

• Begins with title followed by

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 26

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 27

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 28

From an Employee to his

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 29

Best reports grow out of a seven –step process

Step 1 Analyze the problem and the purpose

Step 2 Anticipate the audience and issues.

Step 3 Prepare a work plan

Step 4 Research the data

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 30

SIMPLE REPORT COMPLEX REPORT

-Brief work plan -Comprehensive

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 31

Step-1 Analyzing The Problem and Purpose

Before beginning a report,

A simple purpose statement defines the focus of a report

Institute of Business Management Chapter 11, Slide 32