BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

REPORT WRITING
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF TRIMESTER-II

INSTITUTE FOR TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT BUSINESS SCHOOL

FACULTY:
PROF. SHRIMI SRIVASTAVA

SUBMITTED BY:
TANYA KAPOOR ( 121 )

NIKHITA SHARMA ( 156 ) SOUNDARYA SAGAR THAREJA ( 171 ) ( 179 )

SOURABH DUTTA ( 175 ) PIYUSH KUMAR ( 184 )

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. REPORT....3 2. REPORT STRUCTURE3 3. KINDS OF REPORT..4 4. PURPOSE OF REPORT WRITING...6 5. A SUGGESTED FORMAT....8 6. DISCRIPENCIES IN THE SAID REPORT.12 6. SOURCES...20

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What is a Report?
A report is a clearly structured document in which the writer identifies and examines issues, events, or findings of an investigation. Information obtained from research or from undertaking a project is delivered in a precise, concise writing style organised under a set of headings and subheadings, which enable the reader to find data quickly. Graphs and tables can also be used to present data in the body of the report. Rather than commenting upon, comparing or evaluating ideas, as an essay does, a report frequently offers recommendations for action based on the information it has presented.

The report we are presenting is a GOI report on Education of Tribal Children in India

Report Structure
The structure of a formal report may vary between institutions, organisations, disciplines, units and even between lecturers. Reports are generally organised into sections using clear headings. A guide is provided on the next page to some of the headings that are commonly used in report writing. However, it is advisable that you ask your tutor or unit coordinator for clarification on the headings you must include in your report.

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Kinds of Reports
There are different types of reports based on the following 3 parameters: 1. PURPOSE: - Informative - Analytical 2. FREQUENCY: - Periodic - Special 3. MODE OF PRESENTATION: - Oral - Written

PURPOSE
INFORMATIVE REPORTS: It is raw data that has been verified to be accurate and timely, is specific and organised for a purpose, is presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance and which leads to increase or decrease in uncertainty . ANALYTICAL REPORTS: They focus on investigations into events, organisations, situations, issues and processes. Their purpose is to provide the reader with information that can be used to make decisions and take further action. They are common in social sciences, business courses and engineering.

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FREQUENCY
PERIODIC REPORTS: Summary of events that presents essentially the same type of information updated at regular intervals such as day, week, month etc. SPECIAL REPORTS: In accordance with the accounting terms they are prepared on the guidelines given by the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards(GAAS). It attempts to elaborate, explain in a prescribed fashion the accounts or items of financial statements.

MODE OF PRESENTATION
ORAL REPORTS: In this an oral presentation takes place with the help of a projector. The stating of results and their analysis and discussions are done concurrently. Even if full discussions of results do not take place the audience gets to know a brief insight and the relevant significance of the report. WRITTEN REPORTS: A written document describing the findings of some individual or group.

Our report is Informative, Special, Written Report

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Purpose of Report Writing

While defining the purpose of Report Writing consider the following : 1. Who is it for? For example, are the readers engineers or lay people? 2. How much time do they have available? 3. What is the report to be used for? Convey information, persuade, help decision making? The basic purposes of Report Writing can be summarized as under : 1. To enable us to keep records The most important objective of report writing is to keep record of all relevant information and data, whether quantitative or qualitative, for future reference and guidance. 2. To inform all interested people Consider a situation where in an annual general meeting has been held in a company and few of its shareholders werent able to attend the same due to prior commitments. Now the only way to get hold of the important announcements and discussions of the meeting would be the Annual Reports of the company. Thus, Reports facilitate by serving the very significant purpose of communication of message to the interested people. 3. To tell about failures and successes for ourselves, to keep on knowing what we are doing The best example to quote here is the Annual Budget Report of GOI. Every year the report gives a detail insight of where the efforts of the government are going and what exactly are its results.

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4. To communicate to donors and funders (how the project progresses); so donors could be encouraged knowing what happened with their donations That is why the government has now made it compulsory for all the NGOs and NPOs to maintain proper reports and accounts. 5. To let other people know about the developments of a project It is a crucial Human Resource tool to keep the employees motivated by letting them know where the project, they are working on, is heading to. And this could be easily done by supplying them with periodic developments reports on the same. 6. To help researchers to do their work Research is extensively based on past data and experiences. Report helps people consolidate their experiences and help further analysis. 7. To determine further actions We can only determine the further course of action by analysis of the current status and for that we need a detailed comparative statement showing our lacking areas and potential for further development. 8. To use for evaluation

Our report justifies all the above stated purposes.

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A Suggested Format
Title page Summary Table of contents Introduction Literature Survey Methodology Findings (Results & Discussion) Recommendations and/or Conclusions Appendices References/ bibliography

Title page
Clear title appropriate to purpose of report Make it attractive

Summary
The purpose of the summary (also called an abstract) is to provide those with little time the opportunity to quickly grasp the main points. Must only consider points contained in the report Make it short page maximum

Table of Contents
Decide on appropriate level of headings & sub-headings Use Insert function in Word to build Contents

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Introduction
Why has the report been commissioned? Who has asked for the report? Who is writing the report? Set the scene Aims and objectives State value of the report How is the report structured? Keep it brief

Literature Review
Not always needed in industrial reports A summary of previous research as reported in books, journals and other media Critical summary of current and recent research What is the current state of knowledge? What are the strengths & weaknesses of existing research? Where does your project fit in? Focus on major studies related to your topic rather than attempt a comprehensive review.

Methodology
How, when, where, (why?) did you collect the data/ information, e.g. Laboratory testing Interviews Survey Literature search You should try to give clear reasons for your choice of methodology
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Results & Discussion

The bulk of the report. Provide a logical flow, for example; 1. Audit of Machine CL205 a) Legislative and other requirements for machine use b) Review of machinery records c) Visual inspection of the machine d) Observation of the machine in operation e) Interviews with machine operatives and supervisors Use a Storyboard for preparation and logical structure Allocate word count at planning stage; most important section gets largest share Present your information, but also analyse it

Recommendations & Conclusions

Conclusions Draws your findings together Refer to your aims and objectives when writing this section (i.e. aims and objectives considered as questions, conclusion the answer) Recommendations: Now that all important issues have been considered, what do you think should happen now?

Appendices
Contains essential information but could be a distraction to the reader, e.g. copy of questionnaire used Allows the reader to decide if they should refer to this information

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References/ Bibliography
Difference between reference and bibliography: References have been directly used and cited in the body of the text Bibliography includes sources that have been consulted, but have not been directly used or cited often a guide to further reading In either case a full list in proper format should be provided Workplace reports may not expect reporters to use references cited within the body of a report However, good practice to use list sources at end of report i.e. to provide a bibliography For academic reports you should always include properly cited references. Information on referencing Follow the model for the Harvard system.

General Points
Headings & numbering Use third person Never introduce new material in conclusion ABC; accurate, brief, concise Proof read (use English spellchecker) Editing and printing takes time Adopt a consistent style, very important for team reports Label all diagrams, photographs, data presentation & refer to them in the text! Source all photographs etc. and so avoid accusation of plagiarism Word process, 1.5 or double line spacing

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Discrepancies in the Govt. Report

1) Title Page should contain name of the department / ministry
(For ex: Ministry of Human Resource Development/ Department of School Education and Literacy), place and month and year of the report.

2) Title Page should not be numbered.

3) Scope/Purpose of the report is missing.

4) The contents should be numbered with the corresponding page numbers

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5) Boxes and tables here should have been included within the Table of Contents as List of Tables and List of Boxes.

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6) The Background here is not related to the background of the report rather it is providing details about the tribe.

7) Acronyms and their details could be collectively described in the Acronyms or Abbreviations section.

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8) All references cited in the text-body should be there in the Reference list

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9) The report should have been properly arranged in chapters or sections instead of just highlighting the policies
i) Educational policies / programs initiated for uplifting tribal education ii) Activities involved in each program, etc iii) Provisions under each program

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10) The entire report contains many words in BOLD. Instead of this italic form can be used.

11) Learning Achievement is important for a report as it describes whether the purpose of making the study or report is met or not.
It should begin on a fresh a page.

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12) The numbering format must be uniform in the report.

13) The reference section is missing.

14) The conclusion is missing.

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Sources
1) India Education Report, 2002 2) Mishra, 2002 3) Jha and Jhingran, 2002 4) Selected Educational Statistics 2000-01). 5) Selected Educational Statistics 1999-2000. 6) Selected Educational Statistics 2001-02 7) Sujatha, 2000 8) Sujatha 1998 9) Sixth All India Educational Survey (1993) 10) DISE 2003, Durg 11) Zachariah, 2003 12) Sinha & Mishra, 1997 13) Ed. CIL 2001). 14) Govinda and Varghese 1993 15) Varghese 1994, 16) Prakash et al. 1998 17) Singh (1996) 18) Singh and Jayaswal (1981) 19) Mishra et al., 1996

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