1. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 1 Planning Reports and Proposals

2. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 2 Learning Objectives Adapt the three-step writing process to reports and proposals Describe an effective business research process and learn the difference between primary and secondary research Provide five guidelines for conducting an effective online search

3. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 3 Learning Objectives Describe the major tasks involved in processing and applying your research results Explain how to organize informational reports and website content Discover three ways to organize analytical reports, and how to plan proposals

4. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 4 Effective Reports and Proposals Informational reports Analytical reports Proposals

5. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 5 The Three-Step Process WritingCompletingPlanning Analyze Situation Gather Information Select Medium Get Organized Revise Produce Proofread Distribute Adapt to the Audience Compose the Message

6. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 6 Analyze the Situation Define purpose –To inform –To identify –To analyze Create work plan –Determine tasks –Create outline –Set schedule

7. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 7 Gather the Information What is your purpose? Who is your audience?

8. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 8 Select the Medium Media requirements Media preferences Feedback preferences Subject matter

9. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 9 Organize the Information Direct approach –State conclusions and recommendations –Introduce findings –Include support Indirect approach –Introduce findings –Discussion and support –State conclusions and recommendations

10. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 10 Supporting Your Messages 1.Plan your research 2.Locate data and information 3.Process data and information 4.Apply your findings 5.Manage information

11. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 11 Plan Your Research Learn about the subject Develop a problem statement Understand your research purpose

12. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 12 Ethics and Etiquette Do not force a specific outcome Respect privacy of participants Document and credit your sources Respect intellectual property rights Do not distort information Do not misrepresent your intentions

13. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 13 Data and Information Secondary research Primary research

14. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 14 Evaluating Your Sources Is the source honest and reliable? Is the source potentially biased? What is the purpose of the material? Is the author credible?

15. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 15 Evaluating Your Sources What is the source of the information? Can you verify the material? Is the material current? Is the material complete?

16. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 16 Secondary Research Inside the company –Reports and memos –Other documents Outside the company –Print resources –Online resources

17. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 17 Using the Library Newspapers and periodicals Business books Directories Almanacs and statistical resources Government publications Electronic databases

18. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 18 Internet Search Tools Search engines –Web directories –Online databases –Metasearch engines

19. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 19 Search Techniques Keyword searches Boolean operators Natural language Forms-based searches

20. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 20 Fine Tune Search Methods Read the instructions Observe the details Review search and display options Vary the search terms Adjust the scope of the search

21. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 21 Innovative Search Tools Desktop search engines Enterprise search engines Research and content managers Social bookmarking sites Newsfeeds

22. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 22 Documenting Sources Credit research sources Build your credibility Help your readers

23. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 23 Primary Research Surveys Interviews Experiments Observations

24. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 24 Conducting Surveys Avoid sampling bias Obtain a representative sample Make sure the sample is reliable and valid

25. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 25 Effective Questionnaires Provide clear instructions Keep it short and easy to answer Seek easy-to-analyze answers Avoid leading questions Avoid ambiguous questions Ask one question at a time Make the survey adaptive

26. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 26 Internet Surveys Save time Minimize cost

27. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 27 Conducting Interviews Selecting the questions –Open-ended –Closed Asking the questions –Set the sequence –Be proactive

28. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 28 Types of Interviews Face-to-face E-mail Focus group

29. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 29 Data and Information Quoting Paraphrasing Summarizing Analyzing Concluding Recommending

30. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 30 Analyzing Numeric Data Mean, median, and mode Overall trends Cross-tabulation

31. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 31 Processing Information Quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing –Avoid plagiarism –Cite sources –Observe context

32. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 32 Apply Your Findings Drawing conclusions Making recommendations

33. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 33 Planning Informational Reports Monitor and control operations Implement policies and procedures Demonstrate compliance Report progress

34. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 34 Organizing Informational Reports Comparison Importance Sequence Chronology Geography Category Spatial orientation

35. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 35 Organizing Websites Users are demanding Reading online is difficult The format is non-linear The medium is multidimensional

36. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 36 Information Architecture Vertical hierarchy Horizontal division Hyperlinks

37. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 37 Planning Analytical Reports Assess opportunities –Market analysis and due diligence Solve problems –Troubleshooting and failure analysis Support decisions –Feasibility and justification

38. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 38 Challenges of Analytical Reports Investigation Persuasion Responsibility

39. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 39 Defining the Problem What needs to be determined? Why is this issue important? Who is involved in the situation? Where is the trouble located? How did the situation originate? When did it start?

40. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 40 Methods of Organization Focus on conclusions Focus on recommendations Focus on logical arguments

41. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 41 Focus on Conclusions Advantages –Ease of use –Bottom-line driven Disadvantages –Possible resistance –Oversimplification

42. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 42 Focus on Recommendations 1.Establish the need for action 2.Introduce the overall benefits 3.List the required steps 4.Explain each step more fully 5.Summarize the recommendations

43. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 43 Focus on Logical Arguments 2 + 2 = 4 approach Yardstick approach

44. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 44 Planning Proposals Internal –Management support –New equipment or research projects External –Investments and grants –Sales

45. Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice HallChapter 11 - 45 Types of Proposals Solicited –Requested (RFP) –Audience initiated Unsolicited –Not requested –Writer initiated