Business Report Part 2
Use the Formal Business Report Style Guide (module 7) to help you write and format all the sections of the business report.
Deliverable:
Prepare the Report Body of this business report (in a Word document) with the following content:
Introduction
Findings
Recommendations
Reference Page – Complete a properly formatted reference page.
Reminder:
Include the business report figure (chart, graph, or diagram) from Part 1 in the findings or recommendation section.
Include your company name (and/or you can also create a logo if you like).
Use APA 7 format for citations and the reference page. Include the page or paragraph number with your citation as completed in Part 1.
Instructions:
Plan
How do you use the information you prepared in Part 1?
Findings Research: your findings section is 300 – 500 words. When you look at the information you have gathered, you will see that one of the questions likely has better information, will be more impactful to the company, and will tie in better with your recommendations. For example, if I had two questions in the findings, such as, (1) How has the increased competition affected your company and, (2) how has the employee morale been affected? and I was able to determine that question 1 was better related to my company problem, had excellent research material, and aligned with the recommendations, I would develop the findings section based on question 1. Note that I still mention that employee morale has declined (question 2) within the findings section, but I don’t elaborate on the content from question 2 in the findings section. As you have just a few paragraphs (300-500 words), developing just one idea is important.
Recommendations Research: As per the report instructions, your recommendations section is 150 – 300 words. When you look at the information you have gathered, you will have to determine the most important recommendations and place them in order from most important to least impactful. Elaborate on the most important items (2-3 items) for your business. State the others in a sentence or two. You are now ready to begin writing your draft of the business report.
Write
Use Microsoft Word, follow the Formal Business Report Style Guide for detailed instructions, and create the body of the report as follows:
Introduction: Explain the purpose of the report and what led up to the current problem (less than ½ page). Do not discuss the problem (this is in the findings) or solutions (recommendations). See page 3 of the Formal Business Report Style Guide.
Findings: This is the largest section of your report in which you present your research of the problem. You will summarize the current problem your company is having, followed by current research demonstrating the effects of this issue (short and long term) if not dealt with. Do not include any recommendation in the findings. See page 3 and 4 of the Formal Business Report Style Guide. For example:
Introduction paragraph
start with a story, quote, question or something interesting related to the problem.
State the problem
Provide some history to the problem
Thesis (purpose statement)
Body section (1 paragraph)
Extent of the problem (how bad is it? What happened? Why should we be concerned? Is there research to back up this concern?)
Who is affected or how are they affected? (stories, examples)
Body section (1 paragraph)
Cause/Effect (because of this problem, this has happened)
Repercussions of the problem (if we don’t solve, this will happen) (is there research to add credibility to your situation?)
Recommendation(s) (Next Steps): The recommendation(s) are action items to resolve the problem identified in the findings. See page 4 and 5 of the Formal Business Report Style Guide. The recommendation(s) should:
Demonstrate what will work to fix this problem, what will not work or possible oppositions, and why your recommendation is the best solution.
Include any costs, resources, and/or timelines that are required to implement your recommendation. Remember, you have not yet implemented the recommendations.
Be presented in paragraph format. However, if there is a list or steps required, present this in a bulleted format (use numbers only if there is a sequence to be followed or an order of importance for your recommendation
Reference Page: Include a list of the sources used in the report following APA 7 formatting.
Review
Revise your written draft using topic sentences, transition words, and simple, yet business professional language.
Follow the Formal Report Style Guide pages 6 to 10 (Module 7 Resources) to see the proper document requirements of a formal business report including headings, page numbers, alignment and spacing, fonts and font size, and language.
Use APA 7 format for citations and the reference page. Include the page or paragraph number with your citation.
In-text citations can include direct and paraphrased quotes. No quote will be over 40 words. Citations are specific to a sentence within your source. Do not paraphrase or make assumptions on an entire paragraph or abstract.
Submit in the D2L Dropbox, Business Report Part 2.
Your assignment will be evaluated in accordance with the Rubric in D2L.