1. 11 LB160 – Book 3 Producing Influential Documents 1 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book 3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1: What is an Influential Document?

2. 22 1.1. Introduction 1.2. Documents in Different Environments 1.3. Comparing Reports and Essays 1.4. Workplace Reports 1.5. An influential document checklist 1.6. Organisation and structure of a report 1.7.-1.8. An Academic Report: Writing with two audiences in mind 1.9. Time frames, actions, and verbs Session 1: What is an Influential Document? Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document?

3.  So far you have become familiar with writing an academic essay, one that addresses an assignment title or prompt and constructs a document that has: ◦ a title, ◦ an introduction (including the central claim), ◦ several body paragraphs (which support their claims by providing a basis, such as evidence and data), ◦ a conclusion (a restatement and additional guiding comments), and ◦ a reference page (following the HARVARD style of referencing)  A business essay can be considered an influential document because it can communicate effectively (that is, it is appropriate for its purpose and its audience); for example, it can change the way people think or it can propose a solution to a problem, or it can break down and clarify a winning strategy. Session 1. What is an influential document?

4. 444 1.1. Introduction: what is an influential document? An essay, however, is certainly not the only document that can be written in a business environment. In general, any document you write may be an influential document– from the shortest email to the longest academic essay or business report. An influential document is simply any document that influences its readers. The texts you will be working with in this part of the course are another type of influential documents called “reports.” They are of two kinds: workplace and academic. A report can be a document you write in response to your boss asking you to sum up your work activities and the condition of your department in the organization or business. There are many types of reports: some describe and analyze, and others assess and propose solutions to problems at work, such as how to be more efficient. Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document?

5. 55  As you will have noticed, different documents appear in different environments, and so readers need to be aware of how their designs, purposes, and audiences differ accordingly.  Activity 1.1 p. 8  Purpose: to raise awareness of texts you have read or written.  Task: From the list below the table on the next slide, choose types of documents that you have read or written and specify in which environments you’ve done these activities. 5 1.2. Documents in Different Environments Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document?

6. 666 1.2. Documents in Different Environments (cont’d) 1.2. Documents in Different Environments (cont’d) Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Academic Environment Work Environment Private Environment ReadWrittenReadWrittenRead Written Agenda- STEP analysis- progress report- contract- evaluation of a report- recommendation report- proposal- medical report- school report- market research report- credit report- cost-benefit analysis- job application letter- minutes of a meeting- annual report- research report- presentation to a committee, etc. Session 1. What is an influential document?

7. 777 1.2. Documents in Different Environments (Possible answers) 1.2. Documents in Different Environments (Possible answers) Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Academic Environment Work Environment Private Environment ReadWrittenReadWrittenRead Written STEP analysis Market research Cost benefit analysis STEP analysis Research report Agenda Contract Market research report AgendaMedical report Credit report Job application letter Agenda- STEP analysis- progress report- contract- evaluation of a report- recommendation report- proposal- medical report- school report- market research report- credit report- cost-benefit analysis- job application letter- minutes of a meeting- annual report- research report- presentation to a committee, etc. Session 1. What is an influential document?

8. 88  There are similarities and differences between workplace reports and academic reports and between reports in general and essays.  Essays are written in academic (university) environments, whereas Reports are written in both academic and work environments. Further differences between the two types of documents are the following: ◦ An essay is a continuous text usually uninterrupted by section divisions, pictures, tables, graphs, etc. Reports, on the contrary, are divided into headings and subheadings and contain pictures, tables, etc. ◦ Reports are much more objective and drier than essays which may contain a subjective opinion. ◦ Reports are written in shorter paragraphs, while essays develop longer paragraphs. The next activity will highlight the differences between reports and essays. 8 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties 1.3. Comparing reports and essays 1.3. Comparing reports and essays Session 1. What is an influential document?

9. 999 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.3. Comparing reports and essays (cont’d) ReportsEssays 1. Written in academic environments and workplace environments 2. Based on data collected from company docs, surveys, questionnaires- i.e. from original sources 3. Continuous paragraphs 4. Sections have headings, points may be numbered 5. Do not contain tables or appendices 6. May include subjective opinion 7. Very little repetition of information 8. Paragraphs tend to be shorter 9. Do not include recommendations 10. Include description of writing methods used 11. Different writing style in different sections 1. Written mainly in academic environments 2. Based on other people’s research, theories and analysis- that is, on secondary sources written by academic experts 3. Divided into separate sections 4. Do not contain section headings or numbering 5. Contain tables, charts and appendices 6. Normally extremely objective 7. Information may be repeated in different places in the text 8. Paragraphs ten to be longer 9. Often recommend action 10. Do not refer to the research method or how the text was created 11.The same writing style throughout Activity 1.2 p. 9. Purpose: To introduce the characteristics of reports Task: here is a list of the characteristics of reports and essays, but they are mixed up and some are not in the correct column. Re-arrange the characteristics where they belong.

10. 10 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.3. Comparing reports & essays (Answers) ReportsEssays 1. Written in academic environments and workplace environments 2. Based on data collected from company docs, surveys, questionnaires- i.e. from original sources 3. Divided into separate sections 4. Sections have headings, points may be numbered 5. Contain tables, charts and appendices 6. Normally extremely objective 7. Information may be repeated in different places in the text 8. Paragraphs tend to be shorter 9. Often recommend action 10. Include description of writing methods used 11. Different writing style in diff. sections 1. Written mainly in academic environments 2. Based on other people’s research, theories and analysis- that is, on secondary sources written by academic experts 3. Continuous paragraphs 4. Do not contain section headings or numbering 5. Do not contain tables or appendices 6. May include subjective opinion 7. Very little repetition of information 8. Paragraphs ten to be longer 9. Do not include recommendations 10. Do not refer to the research method or how the text was created 11.The same writing style throughout Activity 1.2 p. 9. Purpose: To introduce the characteristics of reports Task: here is a list of the characteristics of reports and essays, but they are mixed up and some are not in the correct column. Re-arrange the characteristics where they belong.

11. 11 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.4. Workplace Reports Workplace reports are part of a larger effort to make business communication more effective, as communication is nowadays fast becoming the main commodity that businesses deal with. In a world of information flows, effective communication needs to go beyond the traditional model of communication, in which information is shot like an arrow from transmitter to receiver. It is not enough today that the information be clear, concise, and correct. The writer has to take into consideration the people involved in this transaction, and to think of the best ways to influence and persuade different types of people involved in the communication. A workplace report, therefore, needs to focus on exerting influence and persuading the readers about its message.

12. 12 Activity 1.3 (p.12) Purpose: to begin thinking about what makes business writing influential. Task 1: Read quickly texts 1.2 and 1.3 in Resource Book 3 (pp.5-7) and decide which text is more influential? Give reasons. Task 2: why has the title of the report in text1.3 been changed and why have other headings been introduced? Task 3: Why are paragraphs 4 and 5 in text 1.3 in a different order from text 1.2? Task 4: Why has the idea in line 16 of text 1.2 been moved to the end of the paragraph 4 in text 1.3? Task 5: Why have the words which doesn’t make sense been removed from text 1.3? (continue doing the rest of the tasks  no.16) Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.4. Workplace Reports

13. 13 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties 1.4. Workplace Reports Activity 1.3 (p.12): Answers Task 1: text 1.3 is more influential than 1.2 Task 2: the word situation has been change to service to make the subject of the report more specific. Other headings are used to make the report easier to read. Task 3: It is a more logical order. The conclusions should follow the summary of the findings section. Task 4: it is better to have the effect after the cause. Task 5: This is a judgment or opinion that is out of place, as the rest of the essay relies on facts. If insisted upon, it can be moved to the conclusion. It is also better to say exactly why it doesn’t work rather than that it doesn’t make sense. ( The rest of the answers are on pp.28-31).

14. 14 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties 1.4. Workplace Reports (cont’d) Activity 1.3 (p.12): Comments: Reports such as the report on the staff restaurant are designed to be read quickly and efficiently. They must be understood accurately, as decisions are based in what they contain. To ensure that they are effective, their organisation and language style is clear, concise and impersonal. It is methodically organised to showcase the facts and highlight the logical conclusions that can be derived from them. Texts 1.2 and 1.3 are at two extremes. The language style of text 1.3 is perhaps too formal and impersonal, while text 1.2 is not clear and wholly informal. The general trend in modern business communication is towards more informal and more personal styles of communication. Some observers call this trend the conversationalisation of official discourse. The key for any writer is find the right balance between formality and informality.

15. 15 1.5. An influential document checklist Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? The checklist deals with five aspects of an influential document: research, text organisation, language style, efficiency and presentation. A The research process: Were the research procedures appropriate for the task, carried out correctly, and have they produced relevant information? B Organisation of the text: Is the structure of the text clear and appropriate to the task and the context? C Language of the subject: Is the language appropriate for the subject of the text? D Language of the relationship with readers: Is the language appropriate for the audience and the reader-writer relationship? E Language of text organisation: Does the language reinforce the organisation of the text? F Clarity, accuracy, conciseness: Is the document efficient? G Qualities of presentation: Are grammar, spelling and word choice processing accurate?

16. 16 1.6. Organisation and structure of a report Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? The following activity introduces the structure of the research-based report. It deals with both workplace and academic reports. Activity 1.5 (p.15) Purpose: to become familiar with the more common sections of a research-based report. Task: Read text 1.5 in Resource Book 3 (pp.8-9), which lists all the possible sections of a research-based report. Not every report includes all these sections, but many reports include some of them. Use the knowledge in the list to identify how text 1.3 is organised. Tick the appropriate sections in the grid below accordingly.

17. 17 1.6. Organisation and structure of a report Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? Element of a reportText 1.3Contains information suggested in 1.5? Memo or covering letter Title page Executive summary Contents page Terms of reference or Introduction Review of literature Method Measurement criteria Results of Findings Discussion Conclusions Recommendations Bibliography Appendices Glossary

18. 18 1.6. Organisation and structure of a report Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? Element of a reportText 1.3Contains information suggested in 1.5? Memo or covering letter Title page Executive summary Contents page Terms of reference or Introduction Review of literature Method Measurement criteria Results of Findings Discussion Conclusions Recommendations Bibliography Appendices Glossary

19.  Before moving on, we should summarise what has already been established about workplace reports:  Here is a useful definition: Workplace reports are texts which describe and analyse a situation, on the basis of research, in response to a need or request. They probably include recommendations and are structured for efficiency. Academic reports, on the other hand, are more likely to be in response to an assignment title, which encourages students to learn more about an area of business studies. The next activity will introduce you to the organisation of an academic report. Activity 1.6 (p.16) Purpose: to identify the structure of an academic report Task: read the assignment title at the beginning of Text 1.6 in Resource Book 3 (p.10), and tick any sections of a research-based report structure you can see in the grid on the next slide. Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document?

20. 20 1.7. An Academic Report (cont’d) Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? Element of a reportIn Text 1.6? Title page Executive summary or abstract Contents page Terms of reference or Introduction Review of literature Method Measurement criteria Results of Findings Discussion Conclusions Recommendations Bibliography Appendices Glossary

21. 21 1.7. An Academic Report Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? Element of a reportIn Text 1.6? Title page Executive summary or abstract Contents page Terms of reference or Introduction Review of literature Method Measurement criteria Results of Findings Discussion Conclusions Recommendations Bibliography Appendices Glossary

22. 22 1.8. An Academic Report to influence two audiences Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? As students, you will often write for your tutor. However, what convinces a tutor is not exactly the same as what would convince a workplace audience. Therefore, in this section, you will look at a report that is written for two audiences: the tutor and an imagined workplace audience, as if the student were working for the particular organisation. In the following activity, you are given a short case study of an organisation which runs theme parks and leisure activities called Grand Days Out plc. After you read it, you are asked to outline the introduction (terms of reference) of a report as though you were going to write it within the actual context of the Grand Days Out company, and not just for your tutor.

23. 23 1.8. An Academic Report to two audiences Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? Activity 1.7 (p.18) Purpose: to establish the terms of a reference for a report. Task: read the guidance notes for the assignment title below and complete the table on the next slide. Guidance Notes/ Assignment title Produce a short report that will help the participants in a staff training day understand how older consumers are likely to decide to visit a Grand Days Out (GDO) theme park. For this assignment, you should concentrate especially on applying models and concepts from the course. An appreciation of how organisations maintain relationships and communicate with their customers (gained from your study of the course) will help produce a strong answer. Try to concentrate on what marketing can contribute to understanding the decision-making processes that customers go through. You need to keep in mind the audience for your work and ensure it is rigorously presented. You are required to write a short report. This may need one or more subheadings for clarity. Although the scenario involves a presentation to a group of colleagues, you can assume your audience would like to know the sources of any models, quotations and theories that you refer to, so include references in your report where appropriate. However, your tutor will expect clear information and explanations that non-specialists can use to understand the marketing and planning processes that affect them.

24. 24 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.8. An Academic Report to two audiences Terms of reference Subject matter Aim Audience

25. 25 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.8. An Academic Report… (Answers) Terms of reference Subject matter Generally: (1) an application of how organisations develop and maintain relationships and communicate with their customers; (2) an application of marketing concepts to the decision- making processes that customers go through. Particularly: how older consumers are likely to decide to visit a GDO theme park. Aim (1) To demonstrate your knowledge of how course concepts apply to real-life business situations; (2) to present this knowledge in a way that will inform and motivate staff in the GDO company. Audience The imaginary audience are the participants in a GDO staff training day. The real audience is business studies tutor who will read the report as if they are a member of the GDO staff.

26. 26 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.9. Time frames, actions, and verbs Correct grammar is a must when writing any document in a business environment. Pay attention to verb tenses and make the right choices. When you are trying to make a decision about verb tense, look for context clues to help you decide on the appropriate tense and form of the verb. For example, if the sentence you want to write is in the past and contains, let’s say, in 1902, then the verb tense to use would be the simple past (started) or past progressive (was/were working). e.g. The so-and-so business started in 1902. It was founded by two brothers who were working as engineers. Now, let’s say, you want to continue by mentioning what they did before founding the business, you would use the past perfect and say: e.g. They had done some market research before they set up the company. Further, let’s say that you want to mention their accomplishments, which are things that started in the past but are still valid today (not an action that ended), you would use the present perfect. e.g. The business has made several acquisitions since 1958. (NOTE that the word since (as a time frame) always requires a present prefect tense.

27. 27 Copyright Material © Arab Open University, Lebanon Branch LB160_Book3_Spring 2010_A joint effort between the Business and Language Faculties Session 1. What is an influential document? 1.9. Time frames, actions, and verbs If the time is at present, simply use the present simple or progressive tense. e.g. It now operates in several countries. Finally, if it is a prediction about the future or intentions of what will be done later, use the future tense. e.g. The business will continue to expand. Or, They are going to launch a sales campaign soon Or you may use the present tense with a time indicator such as next year, e.g. They are moving to a new factory next year. Remember, you can always use will+ verb to indicate the future, and note that with the conditionals, such as *if*, you need to put the effect in the future if the cause is in the present tense. e.g. If the mortgage crisis continues, the prices will soar. Review the explanation of verb tenses and usage from the book, pp. 24-25, and then DO ACTIVITY 1.15 and ACTIVITY 1.16. 9 (pp.25-26).