1. PROPOSAL & REPORT WRITING

2. Learning Outcomes
At the end of this unit the students should be able to:
Choose appropriate topics for proposals and reports.
Formulate relevant problem statements for proposal and report.
Design effective questionnaires and interview questions for compiling a report.
Distinguish between the features and organisation of a report and a proposal and apply the skills in the preparation of proposals and reports.
Assessment Methods: assignment and project
Performance Criteria: each group/individual should score not less than 3.5 out of the 4 marks allocated to each of the items in the marking rubric for their proposal and report.

3. Introduction
Proposals and Reports play important roles in the business and academic spheres.
They induce improvements in one’s chosen career, new additions to services provided and eventual enhancement of any organization.
Proposals and reports are persuasive and informative at the same time.

4. Proposals
A proposal is intended to persuade someone. It is defined as a ‘persuasive report (Pinner & Pinner, 2006, P.173) designed to get products, plans or projects accepted by others’ (Bovee & Thill, 2005, p.315).
A good proposal requires plenty of preparation and work. It needs understanding of the client‘s business, industry and challenges.
Effective proposals require information about the client or subject, the problem to be solved and the intended solutions.
A point of notice: a proposal will be judged in direct comparison with those submitted by other competitors-side by side (Foster, 2002, p. 109)

5. Types of Proposal
A proposal may be internal or external, solicited or unsolicited.
An internal proposal is written to management of your company seeking approval for tasks, e.g., proposal to ask for extra funding to complete a task.
An external proposal is written to other organizations. Your organization is bound to benefit from such a proposal when accepted and it is usually formal and legal bounding.
Solicited Proposal is written in response to a request for a proposal. Can be internal or external. External solicited proposal must be competitive and persuasive.
Unsolicited Proposal involves the writer approaching another organization offering a new or to better existing services. It must be persuasive about the benefits to the organization.
Barnett and O’Rourke, 2006.

6. Purpose of proposal A proposal serves the following purposes:
Can impress and attract other companies to join hands with your business/organization/ideas.
Responds to a company's Request for Proposal.
Helps create awareness of your work’s quality
Helps introduce you to other organizations or your field. A good proposal will reflect your commitment to quality and will also convey the services being offered.
Paces you and your potential client on the same playing field - so that you are both well aware of the project's concepts and what to expect throughout the project or relationship.
Identifies a problem and suggests a practical way of dealing with the problem.

7. Advantages of Proposal
Some of the advantages of a proposal are:
Offers solutions to your client’s problem
Introduces a new idea or concept in addressing a problem.
A well-written proposal can strengthen relationships and guarantee that your company gets more business and revenue.
Customizing your proposals to each particular client places that extra touch of professionalism that is sure to help you get that project - and give your business the edge in today's competitive business world

8. Important Elements of a Proposal
The following elements are important in a proposal:
Solutions: The key here is to promise solutions you can deliver.
Benefits: should outline the benefits to be gained from accepting your solution.
Credibility: they should trust or believe in you
Samples: A small sample of your work can show your ability to do the job.
Targeted: A winning proposal is all about communication. Speak in a language spoken by your intended audience.

9. Questions that a proposal answers
A good proposal must answer the following questions:
Who: who will do the work? Who is responsible for what?
What: what needs to be done? Cost?
Where: where will the work be done; where will it be delivered ?
How: how will the work be done, its management, risks and benefits to customers?
When: when will you start, complete, pay.etc?
Why: why have you chosen the approaches and alternatives you have selected? why should your proposal be selected?

10. Proposal Format A proposal has an introduction, a body and a close.
Introduction – the writer provides a background to the problem that s/he can help solve; solution to the problem identified and the benefits of the solution are stressed; the scope provides information on what is offered and what is not included.
Body- involves a description of the proposed services and it’s overall benefits over other competitors; a suggested work plan including the work stages, timing and resources; the qualification for the task and the costing.
Close- a brief summary of the main points emphasizing the benefits of your proposal over others.
It is what is on the paper that will determine whether you win the business or not (Foster, 2002, P.109).

11. Content of a Proposal
Title- Write a brief, precise phrase that captures the main emphasis of the proposal.
Introductory paragraphs-with the following sub-headings:
Statement of the Problem -the problem is what needs to be researched or studied. State the problem of your research. Then write several paragraphs that say more about the problem.
Purpose-briefly explain what your proposal hopes to accomplish.
Significance of the study-clearly explain how your proposal relates to the larger issues. Use persuasive rationale to justify the reason for your proposal.
This section answers the questions:
• Why is this proposal important? • To whom is it important?
• What benefits will occur if the proposal is done?

12. Content of a Proposal Contd.
Background -present your literature review - that is, a critical review of all the books, articles, etc., written on the topic that you are proposing to present as a proposal. Show what other businesses/people have found out about the problem/topic you are trying to investigate and what gaps in knowledge still remain. Your proposed proposal will aim to fill any of the gaps identified.
Methodology and Design - describe the actions you will carry out to answer your main research questions. This section consists of the following:
Methodology - describe your chosen methodology or approach.
Procedures and Time Frame-state the time frame for the entire proposal to be prepared. Explain/describe every procedures to be followed.

13. Content of a Proposal Contd
Budgeting - itemize and account for the costs of everything (Hint: Don‘t overestimate or underestimate resource needs).
Data Collection - includes site description and method of information collection
Data Analysis - explain how you plan to analyze the data in order to generate answers to the research question. Include the statistical or other techniques and the tools.
Interpretation - explain how you will interpret the anticipated outcomes to answer the research question.

14. Content of a Proposal Contd.
Expected Outcomes- show what you expect to get out of the research. Link the data analysis and possible outcomes to the theory and questions that you have raised. Summarize the significance of the work.
Bibliography - this is a reference list of all the relevant sources that you have referred to or cited in the text
Appendices - these are any additional documents that support your research. May include questionnaires, interview protocols and questions, etc. Organize your ‘Appendices ‘according to the following order: Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Appendix 3, etc

15. Major Differences between Proposal and Report
Provides evidence in order to persuade.
Focuses on the future; activity yet to be carried out.
Solicited proposals may have many competitive proposals.
Only writer’s point of view and the advantages of writer’s solutions need to be present.
Analyses information in order to solve a problem.
Based on information from the past; research/activity that has been carried out.
Usually only one report on a situation.
Presents all information and all points of view in the ‘Findings’. Conclusions and Recommendations are written objectively.
Source: Barnett and O’Rourke, 2006 ; Pinner and Pinner, 2006

16. Report Writing
The main purpose of a report is to give management what it needs in a highly organized fashion, without bias. This involves a great deal of planning. The content must be orderly, set out with a logical progression of ideas and written in clear, easily understood English (Pinner and Pinner, 2006).
Purpose of Reports
Conveys information to assist in decision-making.
Contains a ‘Purpose Sentence’ which explains why a report is written. The purpose sentence could be written as either a statement or a question.
Usually written to inform.
Note: the secret of all good writing is sound judgment (Horace).

17. Elements of a Good Report
Style-to be completely successful, a report which makes recommendations must ensure that the persons for whom the report is intended:
Reads it without unnecessary delay.
Understands everything in it without undue effort.
Accepts the facts, findings, conclusions and recommendations.
Decides to take the action recommended.
Selectivity- words should be chosen carefully to convey many subtleties of meaning.
Accuracy- verifiable facts should be presented in a report.

18. Elements of a Good Report Contd.
Objectivity – a report should not be an essay reflecting personal emotions and opinions. A reader should be convinced through facts and logic. Be objective.
Conciseness – a report should be short but still contains all the essential details.
Clarity and Consistency- the report should easily be understood by the reader. Explain all technical terms. A report writer should allow some time to elapse between the first draft and its revision to ensure consistency.
Simplicity – applying the elements above will enable your report to be simple. Be simple yet don’t miss important information that the reader needs to fully understand what you want to convey.

19. Elements of a Good Report Contd.
Avoid pointless words- words and phrases like basically, actually, undoubtedly, each and every one and during the course of our investigation should be avoided as the report can stand without them.
Two Important Skills of a Report
Critical thinking- involves careful, strategic and analytical thinking that requires concentration, reflection and a deliberate decision to think about certain things. It involves questioning and searching for truth.
Problem solving- a mental process that requires identifying a problem and shaping it in a manageable way. Brainstorming, listing disadvantages and advantages/benefits and costs are some problem-solving strategies.

20. Types of Report
Report can be classified in various ways. Below is one major way of classifying report:
Informative Reports:
These reports provide information on a particular topic.
Process/Progress Reports:
These reports describe a process or operation to analyze the effectiveness of such a process. Progress report informs the management about the progress of a project regularly.
Investigative/Analytical Reports:
These reports investigate a topic or issue in order to solve a problem. Information is gathered, organized and analyzed to generate conclusions on which recommendations for future actions are made.

21. Schematic Report
A report can also be classified based on its format. Schematic report takes the format of a memo. It is -
An extended version of a memo of up to 2-3 pages. It begins with the headings ‗To, From, Date and Subject-. Its other sections are as follows:
Terms of reference: Who asked for it? When? What exactly is asked for? When is it due?
Procedure: What you did – read, interviewed, observed etc.
Findings: These are factual. They are what you observed and discovered during research. Not your opinions.
Conclusions: These are your own ideas that you deduce from the facts; your own interpretations. So they can be argued against. Conclusions explain what the problem is.
5. Recommendations- personal but honest opinions of the writer on actions to be taken. Recommendations are specific, clearly and simply written in numbered paragraphs, and based on the conclusions.
Pinner and Pinner, 2006.

22. Detailed Report-Content
Title Page
Letter of Authorization (if required)
Abstract and Summary
Table of Contents
Other Lists
Introduction
Statements of the Issue
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Recommendation
References
Appendix/Appendices

23. Steps in Writing a Report
These steps may be helpful in creating your report, :
Determine the Scope of the Report – consider the factors to be studied and limit gathering of information to important factors.
Consider your Audience – their age, education, attitudes, position, etc.
Gather Information- through survey or questionnaires for primary data and library/internet research for secondary data. Survey can be by telephone, filling forms or face-to-face.
Analyze your Information- try to make sense out of your data.
Determine the Solution-based on your analyses.
Organize your Report-first develop an outline using questions to get direction before your first draft.

24. Conclusion
Your report should be accurate and objective. Graphics can also be incorporated in the report to paint a clearer picture of what you want to say. Conclusively,
A proposal is intended to persuade someone. It can either be in response to a request for a proposal or voluntarily presented to a business.
A Report presents findings based on an investigation carried out, usually proposed initially as part of a proposal.
Writing effective proposal and report require sound critical thinking and problem-solving skills, understanding of formats and styles, and the audience. Being formal documents, reports and proposals should be edited before final submission. (Sample proposal and schematic report are included in the extra notes)
Barnet and O’ Rourke, 2006

25. References
Barnett, S., & O‘Rourke, S., Communication, Organisation and Innovation. Auckland: Longman. Ellis, M., & Johnson, C., Teaching Business English. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Foster, T.R., The Sunday Times better business writing. London: Kogan Page. Hildebrandt, H.W., Murphy, H.A., & Thomas, J.P., Effective Business Communication. New York: McGraw- Hill. Pinner, D., & Pinner, D., Communication Skills. Auckland: Pearson Education.