3.3 reports of different kinds - annual, status, survey, proposal

8/12/2019 3.3 Reports of Different Kinds - Annual, Status, Survey, Proposal

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Prentice Hall, 2007 Business Communication Essentials, 3e Chapter 10 - 1

Reports of different kinds

- Annual report- Status report- Survey report

- Proposal


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Basic Report Categories

Proposals

Analytical

Informational


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Planning Writing Completing

Analyze Situation

Gather Information

Select Medium

Get Organized

Revise

Produce

Proofread

Distribute

Analyzethe Audience

Composethe Message

Three-Step Writing Process


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Analyzing the Situation

Define the Purpose Prepare the Work Plan

Why It Is Being Prepared

What It Will Deliver

What Must Be Done

When It Will Be Done


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Elements of the Work Plan

Problem orOpportunity

Purpose andScope

Schedules andRequirements

Plans forFollowing Up

WorkingOutline

Tasks to Be Accomplished

Final Productsor Outcomes


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Gathering Information

Priorities

Audience

Purpose


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Selecting the Right Medium

DigitalFormat

MediaRequirements

DocumentUses

FeedbackPreferences

SubjectMatter

HardcopyFormat

Audience Members


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Organizing the Information

Direct Approach Indirect Approach

Conclusions andRecommendations

Overall Findings

Objective Support

Overall Findings

Discussion and Support

Conclusions andRecommendations


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Supporting Your Messages

1. Plan your research

2. Locate data and information

3. Process the data and information

4. Apply your findings5. Manage information efficiently


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Plan Your Research

Develop aProblem Statement

GenerateResearch Questions

IdentifyInformation Needs

PrioritizeInformation Needs


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Research Ethics and Etiquette

DocumentSources

ObserveProperty Rights

RespectParticipants

Dont Skew Results RespectPrivacy Rights


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Data and Information

PrimaryResearch

SecondaryResearch


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Evaluating Sources

Purpose of

the Material

Honesty and

Reliability

Potential

BiasCompleteness

IndependentVerification

InformationSources

Authors Credibility Timeliness


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Secondary Research

Inside the Company Outside the Company

Reports and Memos

Other Documents

Print Resources

Online Resources


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Finding Information

at the Library

Business

Books

Electronic

DatabasesNewspapers Periodicals

Directories Almanacs StatisticalResources GovernmentPublications


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Internet Search Tools

Search Engines

WebDirectories Meta-SearchEnginesOnlineDatabases


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Search TechniquesKeyword Searches

Boolean Operators

Natural Language

Forms-Based Searches


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Primary Information

Documents

Experiments

Observations


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Self-ContainedQuestionsUnambiguousQuestionsNo LeadingQuestionsEasy-to-AnalyzeQuestions

Short

Questionnaires

Easy-to Answer

Questions

Clear

Instructions

Develop Effective Surveys


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Effective Internet Surveys

Save Time

Minimize Cost

Boost Response


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Conducting Interviews

Types of Questions

Sequence of Questions

Culture and Language

Demographics


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Using Research Results

Quoting

Paraphrasing

Summarizing


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Applying the Findings

Drawing GoodConclusions

Making FeasibleRecommendations


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Planning

Informational Reports

Monitor andControl Operations

DemonstrateCompliance

Implement Policiesand Procedures

Report Progress


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Structuring

Informational Reports

Comparison Importance Sequence

Chronology SpatialOrientation Geography Category


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Planning Analytical Reports

Assess Opportunities

Solve Problems

Support Decisions


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Challenges of Writing

Analytical Reports

Who Is Involved?

When Did It Start?

What Must BeDetermined?

Where Is theTrouble Located?

Why is this issueImportant?

How Did theSituation Start?

Writing Quality Reasoning Quality Responsibility


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Focus on Recommendations

1. Establish the need for action

2. Introduce the overall benefits3. List the required steps

4. Explain each step more fully5. Summarize the recommendations


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An annual report is a comprehensive report ona company's activities throughout thepreceding year .

Annual reports are intended togive shareholders and other interested peopleinformation about the company's activities andfinancial performance.

Companies listed on a stock exchange are alsorequired to report at more frequent intervals.

Corporate social responsibility reports forcompanies with environmentally

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_exchangehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_exchangehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Companyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Report


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What are the Contents of an Annual Report?

The annual report is a document that enablessmall businesses with investors to report onthe operational and financial performance ofthe company.

Contents An annual report typically includes abalance sheet, an independent auditors

report, a statement of income and a reporton company operations.



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Letter to Shareholders - The letter outlinesmajor achievements, such as market success,launch of new products, customer wins andsignificant management appointments.

Operating ReviewAnnual reports can provide a detailed review ofoperations, including information on productionlevels, productivity initiatives, new product plans,investment programs and research anddevelopment activities.



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Financial Statements An annual report provides a detailed

account of financial performance over theprevious accounting period. It typicallyincludes a balance sheet, income statement,cash flow statement; and equity statement.

Market Conditions Information on a companys marketing

strategy is an important indicatorParticipation in market sectors that areexpanding highlights future growthopportunities.


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Digital Content Small businesses that produce online

versions of their annual report rather thanprinted copies can take advantage of digitalcommunications technology to add furthervaluable content to the annual report andmake it easier for readers to understandcomplex financial information . For example,designers can include links to videos or

audio recordings.



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Who Benefits from Status Reports?

Employees Status reports help employees plan and prioritize their effortsagainst their goals, while also providing a platform to share their

perspectives. Status report benefits for employees include: Gives them a voice Aligns focus with manager expectations Helps address workplace dependencies Provides a record of efforts and outputs Offers an opportunity for recognition


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People Managers Status reports provide managers with the information they needto manage the team more successfully. Status report benefits formanagers include: Gives planning and forecasting insights Creates a catalog of employee activity Opens new views into the business

Provides a minimalist approach to management Offers quick access to urgent matters Allows for the recognition of great work


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Owners and Executives Status reports help business owners and executives see trendsacross their business. Status report benefits for owners andexecutives include: Gains insights across departments Captures a bottoms-up view of the business

Increases company transparency Makes for a happier workforce with a voice Creates a powerful motivation and tracking tool


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Daily Status Report Examples

Sales teams, particularly those with higher transactionvolumes, use a daily sales status report to improverevenue forecasting and focus the team on what mattersmost: closing the next deals in the pipeline.


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Survey report



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41

REPORT PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION PROCESS

Pre-reportWriting

Activities

ReportWritingActivities

PostReportWriting

Problem Definition,Research Designand Methodology

DataAnalysis

Interpretation ofResearch

findings

ReportPreparation

OralPresentattion

Reading of theReport by the

client

RESEARCHFOLLOW-UP


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It depends on the depth of your project, your subject matter and theway you carried out your survey.

Surveys are some of the most useful research tools you could ask for.Surveys are relatively easy to conduct and, depending on the subjectmatter, can be fun for participants to complete.The more challenging part of survey research is the analysis

component. Not only do survey results need to be computed and added up, theyalso need to be analyzed against the respondent pool's demographic

information.


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Most research reports include the following elements:

I. Title pageII. Letter of transmittalIII. Table of contents

IV. List of tablesV. List of graphsVI. List of appendicesVII. List of exhibitsVIII. Executive summary

a. Major findingsb. Conclusions

c. RecommendationsIX. Introduction

a. Background to theproblem

b. Statement of the problemX. Approach to theproblem

XI. Research designa. Type of research designb. Information needsc. Data collection from secondary sources

d. Data collection from primary sourcese. Scaling techniquesf. Questionnaire development and pretestingg. Sampling techniquesh. Field work

XII. Data analysisa. Methodologyb. Plan of data analysis

XIII. ResultsXIV. Limitations and caveatsXV. Conclusions and recommendations

XVI. Appendixa. Questionnaires and formsb. Statistical outputc. Lists


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Project proposal


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Project proposal

A project proposal is a detaileddescription of a series of activitiesaimed at solving a certain problem.

The proposal should contain adetailed explanation of the: justification of the project;

activities and implementationtimeline; methodology; and human, material

and financial resources required.25 August, 2003 Lynda Bourne - 3024113 47

R h P l


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25 August, 2003 Lynda Bourne - 3024113 48

Research ProposalPresentation

Supporting Project Managers inbuilding sustainable

relationships for project success.


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Topic description

Background Statement of problem Objectives Research question Research Method

approach

sampling strategy timeframe

Scope and location of research


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The Problem

How can a project manager ensureall stakeholders are identified andassessed for importance to theproject

How can the PM fulfil responsibilitiesin: inspired leadership relationship (stakeholder) management knowledge management HR management


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Research questions

1. How effective is the use of avisualisation tool for project

stakeholder management?

h h d


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Research Methods -approach

Deductive Approach testing theory through observation and data

Exploratory Study Purposive, self-selection sampling

Longitudinal projects must be around 6 months in length

In-depth interviews at beginning and end

with PM Group interviews with key team members

Self-completion diaries to track issues and changes in stakeholder relationships

with project

R h M h d


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Research Methods -Timeframe

Research Project

Develop Research Proposaland obtain approval

Develop and test questions

Develop and test tool

Obtain participants

Administer instrument(s)

Ongoing data collection and analysisFinal collection of data

Research Report

Day 1 Day 344


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Referenceshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXszI16k

CGM

http://www.statuspath.com/daily-status-report-examples/

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