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Writing a business report



The purpose of a report is to inform someone about a particular subject. Reports are made up of facts and arguments on a specific subject. Reports allow information to be presented in an ordered way. You can write reports for business, psychology, health and safety. 


Reports are different from essays insofar as they present findings and make recommendations, rather than consisting in a critique of a subject. 
There are three types of report: short formal report, informal report and extended formal report. 

 

Ø  Informal Report

Informal reports are used for internal use, particularly within departments and for dealing with routine issues. Memorandum format is often used for these reports. 
The structure for an Informal Report is as follows: 

  1. Introduction
  2. Main Section: findings
  3. Final Section: conclusions and recommendations

Ø  Short Formal Report (see example here)

A Short Formal Report is for internal use in companies. 
The structure of a Short Formal Report is as follows: 

  1. Title Page
  2. Terms of reference
  3. Procedure
  4. Findings
  5. Conclusions
  6. Recommendations
  7. Appendices

Ø  Extended Formal Report

Companies and governments use extended formal reports when reports are going to be seen by the public. 
The structure of an Extended Formal Report is as follows: 

  1. Title Page
  2. Contents
  3. Synopsis
  4. Terms of reference
  5. Procedure
  6. Detailed findings
  7. Conclusions
  8. Recommendations
  9. Appendices

* * *

Details of each section


Title Page
A title page is the front page of the report. The title page should include the author's name and the date. 

Contents Page

The contents page is a list of the sections in the report with the related page numbers. 

Introduction

The introduction is where you give the reader of the task set and what you intend to cover. 
The introduction is a good time to include the statement of aims and objectives; this is when you say what you are planning to do and how you are going to do it. 

Terms of Reference

This is an introductory part of the report and should clearly say: 

·         Who the report is for (e.g. OCR Certificate in Administration Group)

·         What the report is about (e.g. Following office procedures)

·         When the report needs to being presented by (e.g. to be presented to the Administration Group by 20 January)


Procedure

This is where you explain how the information was gathered. You also need to say exactly where you got your information from, and how you got the information. This is where you would also include your methodology if relevant. 

Findings

This section of the report should contain the information that you found out as a result of your procedure. You will need to include the facts and figures that have been collected during your report. You can use tables, graphs and charts, if you do, you must remember to describe them (e.g. Chart 8 or Appendix 3 shows that 28% of offices do not meet safety requirements). 

Conclusions

The conclusion is made up of the main findings. This is where you show what you think of the information you have found. Make sure that you clearly show how you came to your conclusions, and that they are based on your findings. Everything in this section is based on the findings and you should not introduce new points at this time. 

Recommendations

This is where you must say how the problem can be solved. This must be based on the findings of the report. You can have short term and long-term recommendations; you need to be aware of the implication of your recommendations (financial etc). 

Appendices

An appendix is the additional information you refer to in the report and wish to conclude as evidence or demonstration of the full findings. 
Graphs, tables etc, should be within the findings section if they need to be looked at whilst reading the report. The appendices should only include information that may possibly be referred to out of interest or is needed as evidence. 

* * *

Things to remember when writing a report



Language and Style

·           Your writing must be clear and precise in meaning. 

·           The style of writing should be factual and objective. 

·           The language must be formal. Do not use slang.

·           Do not use 'I', 'you' or 'me' in a formal report. Use third person language such as “The personnel committee requested a report on…”



Layout/ Headings

 

·           The main parts of your report should have headings. 

·           Important points inside these main areas should carry sub-headings. 

·           If you want to draw attention to a specific word or section, underline that word or heading. 

·           Numbers can be used to help list points of importance in order. 

·           You can use letters to distinguish between different parts of the report (e.g. section 3ii or Section A part 3b, etc…)



based on:
Lesley Jefferson – Administration Procedures for Higher Secretarial Diplomas – Oxford (1990)
Shirley Taylor – Communication for Business – Harlow (1999)