Business Report
A report is written or oral message planned to convey
information or to present a solution. Under
this broad and simple definition, many letters, memorandums, telephone calls
and personal conversations are forms of reports. A report may also be a formal
written one of hundreds of pages, one which many persons have worked for months
or years.
Reports may consist of written or spoken words, columns of
figures, charts, computer printouts, or a combination of all these and other
forms. although any kind of report conveying business information’s a business
report, the definition must be narrowed as it pertains to the study and
discussion of reports prepared for business purposes.
Thus:
An effective business report is an orderly, objective
presentation of factual information with or without analysis, interpretation,
and recommendations, which is planned to serve some business purpose, usually
that of making a decision.
Another definition of a report is that it is an orderly and
objective message used to convey information from one organizational area to
another to assist in decision making and problem solving.
In general, most business people think of reports as written
factual accounts that objectively communicate information about some aspect of
the business.
CHARACTERISTICS OF REPORTS
The contents and quality of your reports can have a distinct
impact on your professional success because they show how you think, gather and
analyze data, draw conclusions, and develop and support your recommendations;
you will create more successful reports if your content is accurate, complete,
and objective and clear with logical arguments.
A business report must have documented properly with concise
data that show a complete picture of that project.
Here is detail of some characteristics reports especially in
business report writing.
Accurate:
Information presented in a report must be factually correct
and error free when writing reports, be sure to double check your facts and
references. Remember that incorrect sentences make the meaning ambiguous. If an
audience ever gets the inkling that your information is shaky, they will all
start to view all your work with a skeptical eye. Since reports invariably lead
to decision making, inaccurate facts lead to disastrous decisions.
Complete
The basic purpose of writing a report is usually to help
colleagues or supervisors make a decision, so include all the information
necessary for your readers to understand the situation, problem, or proposal.
Support all key assertions using an appropriate combination of illustrations,
explanations, and facts. But remember, time is precious, so tell your readers
what they need to know- no more, no less and present the information in a way
that is geared to their needs.
Objective
Reports stress objectivity. Because reports contribute to
decision making and problem solving, they should be objective and unbiased. You
should present in formation impartially. You should not let your personal
feelings and prejudices affect facts. When nonobjective (subjective) material
is to be included , you should make it known.
Clear and logical
Clear sentence structure and good transitions are essential.
Save your readers time by making sure your sentences are uncluttered, contain
well chosen world, and proceed logically. To help your reader move from one
point to the next, make your transitions clear and logical. Use understandable
sentences averaging 15 to 20 words in length, few adjectives, few adverbs, and
paragraphs whose length is about seven lines.
Documented properly
If you use primary and secondary source for your report, be
sure to properly document and give credit to your sources.
Concise
Business executives are very busy. They have not spare time to read
detailed reports. Therefore, a report should be brief. Sometimes the problem
being investigated is of such importance that is calls for a detailed
discussion of facts. Then this discussion should not be evaded. However, you
should include everything significant and yet be brief.
Considerate
You should focus on receiver’s needs in your report writing.
When writing a report, it is necessary to keep in mind the person who is going
to read it. A report meant for a layperson will be different from one meant for
technical experts.
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