Presentation name or heading here MIS770 Report writing Deakin University Academic and Peer Support Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Overview Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code:...

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Presentation name or heading here MIS770 Report writing Deakin University Academic and Peer Support Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Overview Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B • Purpose of a business report • Report structure • Title page • Executive summary • Table of contents • Introduction • Body of a report • Conclusion • Recommendations The purpose of a business report Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B The purpose of your report should reflect the assignment task. In general, the purpose of a business report is: • to communicate information as clearly as possible to an imagined client in the business world. The report should address the readers’ needs (eg. General Manager: Paul Anderson). • to analyse a situation/document and evaluate information • to apply relevant theories and concepts in the evaluation and discussion of the issues if necessary. It has to be written succinctly in plain language. Any technical terms should be explained. Again think about your reader! Executive summary Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B An executive summary usually contains a summary of each major section of the report: • Statement of a problem/topic • Report’s aim/subject matter) • Main findings • Conclusion/s • Recommendation/s Example: Executive summary (Good example) Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Executive Summary This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the current and prospective profitability, liquidity and financial stability of Outdoor Equipment Ltd. Methods of analysis include trend, horizontal and vertical analyses as well as ratios such as Debt, Current and Quick ratios. Other calculations include rates of return on Shareholders Equity and Total Assets and earnings per share to name a few. All calculations can be found in the appendices. Results of data analysed show that all ratios are below industry averages. In particular, comparative performance is poor in the areas of profit margins, liquidity, credit control, and inventory management. The report finds the prospects of the company in its current position are not positive. The major areas of weakness require further investigation and remedial action by management. It is recommended that the company take measures to improve the average collection period for accounts receivable, inventory turnover, and reduce prepayments and perhaps increase inventory levels. Excerpt from Woodward-Kron, R 1997, Writing in commerce: a guide to assist commerce students with assignment writing, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, The University of Newcastle. Subject matter Methods of analysis Findings Conclusion Recommendation Example: Executive summary (Poor example) Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Executive Summary Every time a business or consumer purchases products or services they display forms of buyer behaviour that are influenced by many factors. The following report looks at the fast food industry and will analyse four McDonalds’ key products and services. It highlights what type of consumer buying or business buying behaviours are displayed in the purchase of a product or service and explains why each behaviour may occur. This enables a conclusion to be drawn from applying theory to reality. Although a full comprehension of buying behaviour is impossible, since everyone is an individual, it is useful to reflect on common behaviours and attempt to divide behaviours in types and stages. Even McDonalds, a leader in marketing cannot always predict consumer behaviour. Source: UniLearning 2000, Report writing, retrieved 08 July 2019, . Background to the problem Report’s aim Outlines what information the report deals with but FAILS to provide a summary of the results gained and conclusions drawn. The information is vague rather than summarising what the report found and what the recommendations were to improve the problem/situation. Common mistakes students make in executive summary Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B • Don’t summarise all sections of the report • Too short (2 sentences only) or too long (more than 10% of the total number of words) • Cutting and pasting (don’t cut and paste sentences from the main document into the executive summary) • Similar to the introduction • Vague information/irrelevant information Table of contents Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Table of contents: • indicates the organisation of the report • outlines the sections and subsections • outlines headings and subheadings with relevant corresponding page numbers Table of Contents Executive summary 1 1. Introduction 2 2. Heading 2 2.1 Sub-heading 3 2.2 Sub-heading 4 3. Heading 5 3.1 Sub-heading 5 3.2 Sub-heading 6 4. Heading 7 4.1 Sub-heading 8 4.2 Sub-heading 9 5. Conclusion 6. Recommendations 9 Reference list Appendices 10 Introduction Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B The introduction section of a report may include some or all of the following points: • Gives some background information for the report (ie., introduction to the report topic, what was the problem/issue etc.) • States the purpose of writing the report • Outline how you will present your information in the report Body of a report Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B Divided into sections and possibly subsections, each with an appropriate heading and sub-heading: • It is the longest section of the report • It analyses the issue, defines key concepts, explains and interprets information and applies theories if necessary • It provides examples and evidence • It should be critical and evaluative • It should not include final opinions, conclusions or recommendations Example: Body of a report with headings Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B 2. An overall view of gross profit 2.1 Gross profit and a bonus allocation for managers 2.2 Stores with “unusual” instances in regard to gross profit 3. Descriptive measures and insights 3.1 A gross profit comparison of stores based on their opening days 3.2 Success of Malls with online stores 3.3 Overall breakdown of stores’ wastage across different States etc. Building a PARAGRAPH in the body Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B A topic sentence that introduces a main idea/key result Elaborates, explains or interprets the idea with examples and evidence Concluding sentence (‘clincher’) or a linking sentence Example: Body paragraph Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B The productivity of the 48 employees surveyed ranged from between 91.2% to 107%. The lowest performing ¼ of staff are about 5 - 9% (i.e. percentage points) below the target of 100% (from 91.2% to 95.4%). The best performing 10% of staff are about 5 - 7% above expectations (from 105.1% to 107%). The average (mean) performance was about 98.9%. However, there was quite a variation in the productivity performance of the employees who were surveyed. The difference from the worst to the best employee was almost 16%. Furthermore, there was a 4.4% average spread away from the mean productivity of 98.9%. While there were extreme performances at both the bottom and top end of those surveyed, they were not so distant from the rest of the data that they could be considered to be highly unusual results. Topic sentence Elaborates and explains Concluding sentence (‘clincher’) or a linking sentence Common mistakes students make in business reports Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B • The purpose of the report in unclear • Lacks structure (doesn’t look professional) • Doesn’t follow assignment guidelines • Doesn’t directly answer the questions • Uses insufficient and inaccurate information • Uses industry jargons • Doesn’t explain industry jargons when used • Recommendations are not justified in relation to the findings • Grammatically inconsistent • Redundant phrases and words • Submitted without proofreading Conclusion Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B • Reflection on the main points of the report • Overview of the most viable options available specific to questions being asked • You may need to mention any unresolved/remaining issues Recommendations Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B List of numbered recommendations • Brief persuasive statement based on the findings • At least one recommendation/suggestion/solution for each issues analysed Study Support Deakin University CRICOS Provider Code: 00113B https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study- support/academic-skills http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study- support/ask-us MIS770�Report writing Overview The purpose of a business report Executive summary Example: Executive summary (Good example) Example: Executive summary (Poor example) Common mistakes students make in executive summary Table of contents Introduction Body of a report Example: Body of a report with headings Building a PARAGRAPH in the body Example: Body paragraph Common mistakes students make in business reports Conclusion Recommendations Study Support Please note that the suggested written answer is not a definitive response but is meant as a guide only. Exemplar 1 Question: Provide a summary of the hours that students are working per week. Analysis of Survey of university students Variable: Hours that students are working per week Frequency Table Histogram Ogive Hours Count Percent 12 30.0% 9 22.5% 6 15.0% 4 10.0% 3 7.5% 5 12.5% 1 2.5% 40 100.0% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Hours P e rc e n t 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Hours 5.3 2 43 Q ,1040 100 25 :Q 11    i 18 2 1818 Q ,3040 100 75 :Q 33    i Report  Based on a sample of 40 students, approx 50% work less than 10 hours, 25% work between 10 and 20 hours and 25% work for more than 20 hours.  There appears to be two groups in the data. One centred around 0 – 5 hours and a smaller group centred around 25 – 30 hours. This may indicate some students are working casually and some are permanent part time.  Finally, 82.5% of students do some form of paid work.  The 40 students surveyed worked between 0 and 34 hours with an average (median) of 9 hours.  18.5% of students in the survey did no paid work; 25% of students do no more than 3.5 hours a week; and 25% of students work at least 18 hours a week.  There was quite a bit of variation in hours worked amongst those students surveyed. The ‘middle’ 50% of students were spread over a range of 14.5 hours (or almost two full days worked).  There was an unusual amount of hours (34) worked by a student that would require further investigation. -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 Hours 5.145.318IQR  Exemplar 2 Question: Are the number of hours worked different for male and female students? Analysis of Survey of university students