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Excellence in Business Communication, 12e (Thill/Bovee)
Chapter 11 Planning Reports and Proposals
1) The ________ for a report describes what you plan to accomplish and outlines the boundaries
of your work.
A) mission brief
B) statement of purpose
C) outcome forecast
D) intention statement
E) scope
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
2) The basic purpose of informational reports is
A) to persuade the audience to act.
B) to present recommendations and conclusions to a superior for how to solve a particular
problem.
C) to present data, facts, feedback, and other types of information, without analysis or
recommendations.
D) to convince the reader of the soundness of your thinking.
E) to change the audience’s opinion on your topic.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Easy
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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3) In addition to offering information and analysis, ________ can also include recommendations.
A) indirect reports
B) analytical reports
C) informational reports
D) directive reports
E) socioeconomic reports
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
4) When you’re outlining your report, using ________ requires you to really think through the
content, whereas using ________ simply requires you to identify topic areas.
A) prescriptive headings; parallel headings
B) effective headings; ineffective headings
C) informative headings; descriptive headings
D) multilateral headings; unilateral headings
E) subjective headings; transitional headings
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Critical Thinking
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
5) When you’re preparing a formal work plan, include a ________ to clarify the problem you
face and a ________ to describe what you plan to accomplish.
A) statistical analysis; hypothesis
B) problem statement; purpose statement
C) yardstick; problem statement
D) descriptive standard; goal analysis
E) hypothesis; work plan
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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6) The best way to phrase the purpose statement of a report is with
A) complex language.
B) an infinitive phrase.
C) a controversial statement.
D) jargon.
E) compelling arguments.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Difficult
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
7) All of the following except ________ are elements in the planning phase of the three-step
writing process.
A) analyzing the situation
B) adapting to your audience
C) gathering information
D) selecting the right medium
E) organizing information
AACSB: Analytic thinking
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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8) When selecting the right medium for a report,
A) you should choose the ones that are most convenient.
B) you should choose the ones that are most economical.
C) your decisions should reflect your audience’s expectations.
D) you should always present your report in writing.
E) you should choose the one easiest to store.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
9) When outlining the content of your report,
A) it is preferable to use informative headings as opposed to descriptive ones.
B) you should use complex language for all headings.
C) keep in mind that you will have to use this same outline for your final report.
D) identify general topic areas.
E) start with vague ideas and build up to ideas with more depth.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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10) Which of the following is a useful strategy in preparing business reports?
A) Understand and meet audience expectations.
B) Use the same format for reports, regardless of topic.
C) Keep your report as detailed as possible.
D) Write the report for delivery through one media outlet.
E) Use an indirect approach whenever possible.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
11) An employee who describes the data she collected from six different plant managers without
drawing any conclusions is preparing
A) an analytical report.
B) an informational report.
C) a proposal.
D) a work plan.
E) a justification report.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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12) Whereas ________ reports focus on facts, ________ reports offer interpretation and can also
include recommendations.
A) internal; external
B) assessment; documentation
C) solicited; unsolicited
D) informational; analytical
E) direct; analytical
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
13) The direct approach and the indirect approach ________; therefore, businesspeople
________.
A) are unrelated; use them randomly
B) are both inadequate; never use them
C) both have merit; often combine them
D) both have merit; never combine them
E) are both unique; never combine them
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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14) When preparing content for mobile devices, a(n) ________ will help leadership easily locate
key variables and other report content.
A) intranet
B) hard copy report
C) email
D) chart or graph
E) executive dashboard
AACSB: Information technology
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
15) Internal reports are more likely to be misinterpreted than external reports.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
16) The statement of purpose for analytical reports will usually need to be more comprehensive
than one for informational reports.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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17) An executive dashboard is a customized online presentation of highly summarized business
information.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
18) The direct approach is the most popular strategy for business reports.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
19) In business reports, it is never appropriate to combine the direct and indirect approaches by
revealing conclusions and recommendations as you go along.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
20) Briefly explain the primary function of a statement of purpose, and then indicate the most
useful way to phrase one.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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21) How do executives utilize an executive dashboard?
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
22) Describe several benefits and one potential drawback of organizing business reports using
the direct approach.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
23) At the beginning of a research project, you need to
A) develop a formal outline that you plan to stick to throughout your researching and writing.
B) familiarize yourself with the subject.
C) just jump in by finding resources on the Internet and taking notes.
D) develop the conclusion you want to reach and start looking for evidence that supports that
conclusion.
E) try Google to see if it provides enough information, and if not proceed to databases and other
sources.
evaluate the credibility of an information source, and identify the five ways to use research
results.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
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24) Sources of secondary information include
A) first-hand observation.
B) in-person interviews.
C) newspapers and periodicals.
D) experiments.
E) an online survey designed specifically for your project.
evaluate the credibility of an information source, and identify the five ways to use research
results.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Conceptual
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages
25) Which of these documents would not qualify as primary research?
A) A recent survey of your company’s top clients
B) The most recent issue of a trade magazine in your industry
C) Notes from a conversation you recently had with a local government official
D) Your company’s latest balance sheet
E) Current budget figures
evaluate the credibility of an information source, and identify the five ways to use research
results.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Difficulty: Moderate
Classification: Application
Learning Outcome: Find and evaluate data to support business messages