Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
Chapter 11
PREPARING TO WRITE
BUSINESS REPORTS
Report functions
 Informational reports
 Analytical reports
Report patterns
 Direct pattern
 Indirect pattern
Writing style
 Formal
 Informal
Report formats
 Letter
 Memo
 Manuscript
 Printed forms
 Digital
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Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
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Ten Truths You Should
Know About Reports
 Everyone writes reports.
 Most reports flow upward.
 Most business reports are informal.
 Three formats are most popular:
Memo format
Letter format
Manuscript format
 Reports differ from memos and letters.
 Today’s reports take advantage of
computer technologies.
 Many reports are collaborative efforts.
 Ethical report writers interpret facts fairly.
 Organization is imposed on data.
 The writer is the reader’s servant.
Lecture available in Instructor's Manual.
Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
The Direct Pattern
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Chapter 11 Acetates
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Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
The Indirect Pattern
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Chapter 11 Acetates
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Informational Report—Letter Format
[first page]
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Analytical Report—Memo Format
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Analytical Report—Manuscript Format
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Applying the
Writing Process to Reports
Step 1. Analyze the problem and purpose.
Step 2. Anticipate the audience and issues.
Step 3. Prepare a work plan.
Step 4. Implement your research strategy.
Step 5. Organize, analyze, interpret,
and illustrate the data.
Step 6. Compose the first draft.
Step 7. Revise, proofread, and
evaluate.
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Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
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Work Plan for a Formal Report
 Statement of problem
 Statement of purpose
 Sources and methods of data
collection
 Tentative outline
 Work schedule
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Chapter 11 Acetates
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Researching Report Data
Secondary Print Data
 Books -- card catalog, online catalog
 Periodicals -- print indexes, electronic
indexes
Secondary Electronic Data
 Electronic databases
ABI/INFORM LexisNexis Academic
Factiva
EBSCO
 Web search tools
Google
Yahoo Search
MSN Search AOL
 Evaluating Web sources
How current is the information?
How credible is the author or source?
What is the purpose of the site?
Do the facts seem reliable?
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Tips for Searching the Web
 Use two or three search tools.
 Know your search tool.
 Understand case sensitivity.
 Use nouns as search terms and up to eight
words in a query.
 Combine keywords into phrases.
 Omit articles and prepositions.
 Use wild cards.
 Learn basic Boolean search strategies.
 Bookmark the best.
 Keep trying.
 Repeat your search a week later.
 Evaluate your Web sources for
currency, authority, content, and
accuracy.
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Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
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Researching Primary Data

Surveys

Interviews

Observation

Experimentation
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Chapter 11 Acetates
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Documenting Data
Reasons for crediting sources

Strengthens your
argument

Protects you from charges
of plagiarism.

Instructs readers
Two documentation formats
 Modern Language Association
Author’s name and page
(Smith 100) placed in text;
complete references in "Works Cited."
 American Psychological Association
Author’s name, date of publication, and page
number placed near the text reference
(Jones, 2006, p. 99). Complete references listed
at the end of the report in “References.”
Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e
Chapter 11 Acetates
© 2008 South-Western/Cengage Learning
Illustrating Report Data
Functions of graphics




To clarify data
To create visual interest
To condense and simplify data
To make numerical data
meaningful
Forms and objectives
 Table
To show exact figures and values
 Bar chart
To compare one item with others
 Line chart
To demonstrate changes in quantitative
data over time
 Pie chart
To visualize a whole unit and the
proportion of its components
 Flow chart
To display a process or procedure
 Organization chart
To define a hierarchy of elements
 Photograph, map, illustration
To create authenticity, to spotlight a
location, and to show an item in use
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