BUS 251(Lecture 11)

Business Communication
Course Instructor: LkK
E-mail: looksina.khan@northsouth.edu
 Chapter 11
“Preparing Informative & Influential Business Reports”

 What is a business report?

“An orderly and objective (unbiased) communication of
factual information that serves a business purpose.”

 Different types:

Information
Reports Analytical Reports Recommendations
 Report Preparation Steps

Determine the report problem and purpose

Determining the factors

Gathering the information needed

Interpreting the findings

Step 1:Determine the report problem and purpose

 The preliminary investigation: the company files/

databases/ talk to experts/ external sources/ talk to
supervisors etc..

 Clear Problem: the situation that created the problem.

“Sales are decreasing at Company X”

 Purpose Statement: objective/aim/goal of the report,

question/infinitive phrase.
“To determine the causes of decreasing sales at Company X”/
“What are the causes of…..?”

*clear purpose or complex??? Example- “reducing employee

turnover”
 Step 2: Determining the factors

 Subtopics:
◦ Used for Information Reports
◦ Example: To review the performance of overall company
Subtopics- Production, Sales, Promotions, Financial status etc.

 Hypotheses:
◦ Used for Analytical Reports / Problem Solving
◦ Example: To determine the causes for decline in Sales
Hypotheses-
“Activities of the competitors have caused the decline”
“Changes in the economy of the area have caused the decline”
etc……
 Step 2: Determining the factors

 Bases of Comparison:
◦ Used for Evaluation Reports
◦ Evaluating something singularly or in comparison with
something.

◦ Example:
Purpose Statement: To determine whether Company X should
open its new branch in city A, city B or city C.
Comparison bases:
Availability of skilled workers- graphic designers, sales people etc.
Community Attitude
Transportation facilities- water/rail/truck/air etc. (each base has its
own factors)
 Step 3: Gathering the information needed

 Gather more information than you need

 Be resourceful (research method/ cross-check
resources etc..
 Keep accurate notes (don’t repeat the same search/
keep track of the resources)

Step 4: Interpreting the findings

 Use own expertise or software or both

 Keep it reader-based and connected to the purpose
statement
 Follow the advices (next slides)
 Step 4: Interpreting the findings

 Avoid Human Errors:

 Don’t modify facts.

 If the facts don’t offer any conclusion, just summarize.
 Don’t prove something false just because your findings could
not prove it true.
 Compare maintaining a common base.
 Do not turn correlated data into cause-effect relationship.
 Carefully use the data collected from groups that advocate a
certain position (political parties, social issues, special interest).
 Don’t settle for a simple and easy solution for complex issues
though it might look comfortable..
 Step 4: Interpreting the findings

 Use Appropriate Attitudes & Practices:

 Judicial Attitude:- look at all the sides of the facts without

emotion/prejudice.

 Consult with others without hesitation.

 Test your interpretation-

1. Experience

2. Negative test (Be Devil’s Advocate)

 Step 4: Interpreting the findings

 Use Statistical Tools for Data Analysis:

 Descriptive statistics: central tendency, dispersion,

ratios, probability etc.

 Inferential statistics: generalize about a whole

population based on a sample.

*Go beyond all these traditional methods and software!

 Organization of your Report

Few tips:

• Divide the report logically.

• Use conventional or Decimal style of division.

• Headings of Table of Content should be written in the same

way as it is inside the report.

• Make yourself Software literate - Horizon, Qlikview, Webfocus

etc… (depending on what your org. uses)

*Page 352- 363 (helpful for your group project writing)

*Page 376-380 (helpful for project/report format)