© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Planning Business Reports and Proposals

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Classifying Reports Source Frequency Audience Length Intent

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Informational Reports Monitor and control operations Implement policies and procedures Document compliance Report progress

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Monitoring and Controlling Operations Written plans Operating reports Activity reports

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Implementing Policies and Procedures Lasting guidelines Position papers

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Complying with Government Regulations Annual reports Interim reports

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Documenting Progress on Projects Interim reports Final reports

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Analytical Reports Problem-solving reports Business proposals

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Solving Problems Troubleshooting reports Feasibility reports Justification reports

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Writing Proposals Internal External Solicited Unsolicited

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter The Three-Step Process Planning Writing Completing

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Planning Reports Analysis Investigation Adaptation

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Analyze the Situation Informational reports Analytical reports

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Problem Definition for Analytical Reports Clarify the problem Ask the right questions Factor the problem Form a hypothesis

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter What is the Purpose of the Report? To inform To analyze To persuade To recommend To summarize

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Developing an Outline Parallel construction Consistent headings

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Preparing the Work Plan State the problem State the purpose and scope Discuss tasks to be accomplished Review final products or outcomes Review schedules and requirements Set follow-up plans Compose a working outline

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Gathering Information Do some preliminary research Clarify your assignment Start serious research

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Locating Secondary Sources A specific company An entire industry Statistics and trends Business issues

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Information at the Library Business books Electronic databases Newspapers Periodicals Directories Statistical resources Almanacs Government publications

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Information on the Internet Internet Public Library Company websites News release sites

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Fine-Tune Search Techniques Select appropriate databases Use short phrases and single terms Use multiple search engines Avoid stopwords Replace concepts with key words Avoid words in the database’s name

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Fine-Tune Search Techniques Use variations of search terms Use proximity operators Specify logical relationships Use wildcards Use Boolean operators Refine searches as needed

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Primary Information Documents Observation Experiments Surveys Interviews

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Sources of Primary Information Documents Observations Experiments

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Effective Survey Questions Reliable and valid –Ask easy-to-analyze questions –Avoid leading questions –Ask one thing at a time –Pretest all questions

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Internet Surveys Minimize cost Reach more people Boost response rate

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Planning Interviews Purpose Audience Main ideas Structure

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Types of Questions Close-ended Restatement Direct open-ended Open-ended

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Preparing Questions Think about sequence Rate the questions Ask smart questions Mix types of questions Limit the number Edit questions

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Processing Interview Information Write down your ideas Review notes Organize the material Transcribe recordings

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Evaluating and Selecting Sources Honesty and reliability Potential bias Purpose of the material The author Data collection methods Independent verification Timeliness Completeness Logic and good sense

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Presenting Information Direct quoting –Enhance the argument –Preserve the original text Paraphrasing –Enhance your understanding –Condense original text

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Documenting Sources Quotations Paraphrased material General knowledge Fair use doctrine

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Analyzing the Data Mean Median Mode Trend Correlation

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Interpreting the Findings Conclusions Recommendations

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Selecting the Channel and Medium Written reports –Complex information –Future reference Oral reports –Immediate feedback –Nonverbal communication

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Electronic Reports Advantages –Cost and space savings –Faster distribution –Multimedia features –Ease of maintenance

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Electronic Reports Disadvantages –Hardware and software costs –System incompatibility –Training needs –Data security

© Prentice Hall, 2005 Excellence in Business CommunicationChapter Audience Relationship You” attitude Positive tone Credibility Polite treatment Bias-free language Corporate image