Planning the Business Report and Collecting Data

Planning the Business ReportPlanning the Business Reportand Collecting Dataand Collecting Data

OBER, FUNDAMENTALS OF CONTEMPORARY BUSINESS COMMUNICATION. COPYRIGHT © HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 9.1

Identify the three major purposes of business reports.

Analyze the audience for business reports.

Evaluate the quality of data already available.

Develop an effective questionnaire and cover letter.

Construct effective tables and charts.


Achieving AccuracyAchieving Accuracy

Report all relevant facts.

Use emphasis and subordination appro-priately.

Give enough evidence to support your conclusions.

Avoid letting personal biases and unfounded opinions influence your interpretation and presentation of the data.


Purposes of ReportsPurposes of Reports

Informing:

Nearly 2,400 viewers and organizations pledged a total of $213,000 during our recent drive.


Analyzing:

This amount represented an increase of 11% from last year’s total.

Recommending:

As a result of the success of this effort, I recom-mend we delay our fall drive for two months.


Audience AnalysisAudience Analysis

Internal or external audience

Authorized or voluntary report

Level of knowledge and interest


Types of Secondary DataTypes of Secondary Data

Published Internet resources Journals and magazines Newspapers Books Brochures Pamphlets Technical reports


Unpublished

Company records

Legal documents

Personal records

Medical records


Evaluating Secondary DataEvaluating Secondary Data

What was the purpose of the study?

How was the data collected?

How was the data analyzed?

How consistent is the data with that from other studies?

How old is the data?


Constructing Questionnaire ItemsConstructing Questionnaire Items

Necessary

Not: What percentage of new start-up com-panies failed in Michigan last year? (question of fact)

But: What percentage of new start-up com-panies do you think failed in Michigan last year? (question of opinion)


Questionnaire Items Questionnaire Items (cont’d)(cont’d)

Unbiased

Not: Do you think new companies fail primarily because of a lack of adequate funding?

But: What do you think is the major reason that new companies fail?



Unambiguous

Not: Do you think it takes a long time for the average start-up firm to secure financing?

But: How many months do you think it takes the average start-up company to secure financing?



Exhaustive and mutually exclusive

Not: How many months did it take you to secure financing for your new company?__ 4 months __ 4-6 months __ more than 6 months

But: How many months did it take you to secure financing for your new company?__ 0-4 months __ 5-6 months __ more than 6 months



One idea

Not: Banks should set aside more funds for start-up companies because they are so important to the economy.__ agree __ no opinion __ disagree

But: Banks should set aside more funds for start-up companies.__ agree __ no opinion __ disagree


Format of a TableFormat of a Table

Table 3

HASCO EMPLOYMENT LEVELS

As of December 10, 2002

Employee Type Total

By Department Annual

Admin Prod Sales Change

Full-time nonexempt

389 27 345 17 -3.0%

Full-time exempt 143 19 15 109 13.5%

Temporary 31 4 22 5 5.3%

Othera 21 13 0 8 -1.6%

Total 584 63 382 139 5.9%

Source: Madison County Facts—2001, Metropolitan State University Press, St. Louis, MO, 2001, p. 183.

a Includes all special-project and work-for-hire employees.

Table Number

TitleSubtitle

Footnote (optional)

Source (optional)

Column Headings

Cross-tabulations


Line ChartLine Chart

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Nonexempt

Exempt

No

. o

f E

mp

loye

es

Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 1998-2004


Bar ChartBar Chart

050

100

150200250300350

400450500

Nonexempt Exempt Temporary Other

2002

2003

No

. o

f E

mp

loye

es

Figure 1. Employee Distribution: 2002–2003


Pie ChartPie Chart

Figure 1. Employees by Type


Key TermsKey Terms

bar chart line chart primary data secondary data

pie chart questionnaire table survey

Planning the Business Report and Collecting Data

Technology

Transcript of Planning the Business Report and Collecting Data