Business Communication Today, 12e (Bovee/Thill)
Chapter 14 Planning Reports and Proposals
1) 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.
2) In addition to offering information and analysis, ________ can also include recommendations.
A) indirect reports
B) analytical reports
C) informational reports
D) directive reports
3) 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
4) 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
5) With an internal audience for your report, you
A) must avoid discussing sensitive information.
B) are more free to discuss sensitive information.
C) must avoid analysis.
D) must include analysis.
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.
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
8) Which of the following is the least clear statement of purpose?
A) “To determine which of four alternative investments will have the highest return.”
B) “To analyze four potential investments.”
C) “To answer the question, ‘Which of four investments will provide the highest return?’ ”
D) “To evaluate and make recommendations based on data.”
9) All of the following except ________ are categories of informational reports.
A) reports to monitor and control operations
B) reports to demonstrate compliance
C) reports to document progress
D) reports to assess opportunities
10) When you’re writing a business plan, you must include a ________ section to explain the
purpose of your business and what you hope to accomplish.
A) mission and objectives
B) design and development
C) products and services
D) financial projections and requirements
11) A writer who wants to use a ________ to build an informational report can choose from a
number of arrangement patterns, such as geography, sequence, chronology, category, or
importance.
A) talking pattern of organization
B) topical pattern of organization
C) demonstrative pattern of organization
D) representative pattern of organization
12) A formal work plan includes all of the following except
A) a statement of the problem or opportunity addressed in your report.
B) plans for what will happen if funds for the project are cancelled.
C) plans for following up after delivering the report.
D) a statement of the purpose and scope of your investigation.
13) Which of the following is not a typical element in a formal work plan?
A) Statement of purpose
B) Statement of the scope of the investigation
C) Discussion of tasks to be accomplished
D) Conclusions and recommendations
14) 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.
15) Answering the question, ________, will help you define the problem that you need to
address in an analytical report.
A) What needs to be determined?
B) Why is this issue important?
C) Who is involved in the situation?
D) All of the above
16) 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) do all of the above.
17) Which of the following is not 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 short as possible.
D) All of the above are useful strategies.
18) 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.
19) The CEO of a pharmaceutical company asks you assess the company’s adherence to laws
governing television ads for prescription drugs. The CEO has requested a
A) personal activity report.
B) work plan.
C) compliance report.
D) policy report.
20) Compliance reports are generally required by
A) parent companies.
B) accounting departments.
C) government agencies.
D) marketing departments.
21) A public corporation filing a quarterly tax report would be providing
A) a progress report.
B) a compliance report.
C) a justification report.
D) a periodic operating report.
22) A contractor submitting a weekly report on work done to date would be providing the client
with
A) a progress report.
B) a compliance report.
C) a justification report.
D) a periodic operating report.
23) Topical organization strategies for informational reports include all of the following except
A) complexity.
B) sequence.
C) importance.
D) comparison.
24) A business plan
A) is useful only before a company is launched.
B) always contains the same elements.
C) should not identify risks and problems, since these might discourage potential investors.
D) is sometimes prepared after a company is up and running.
25) A ________ outlines an organization’s official position on issues that affect its success.
A) policy report
B) position paper
C) feasibility report
D) business plan
26) As it relates to a formal business plan, the ________ defines how the company will generate
revenue and produce a profit.
A) marketing strategy
B) business model
C) action forecast
D) financial projection
27) Unlike proposals, justification reports
A) are designed to affirm decisions after they have been made.
B) are internal as opposed to external reports.
C) are always in memo format.
D) do not require a great deal of supporting data.
28) The problem-factoring process involves
A) looking at a problem from multiple perspectives.
B) considering how to allocate blame for a problem.
C) creating problems instead of solving them.
D) dividing a complex problem into a series of logical, connected questions.
29) Analytical reports for skeptical audiences should generally follow the ________ approach.
A) direct
B) indirect
C) hypothetical
D) aggressive
30) Which of the following is not a common organizational format for analytical reports?
A) Focusing on conclusions
B) Focusing on recommendations
C) Focusing on information
D) Focusing on logical argument
31) One potential drawback of focusing immediately on conclusions in a report is that you may
A) reveal information you know about that has not been included in the report.
B) make everything you say seem too simple.
C) offend your audience.
D) do all of the above.
32) A report focused on recommendations should
A) first establish or verify the need for action.
B) not include conclusions.
C) avoid mentioning any potential risks.
D) outline costs, but not in detail.
33) If the audience for your report is likely to accept what you have to say, focus on
A) the logical arguments in your report.
B) your conclusions and recommendations.
C) the benchmarks used to compile your results.
D) the criteria used in your decision-making process.
34) If your readers will want to know what they ought to do in a given situation, then your report
should focus on
A) your conclusions.
B) your writing process.
C) your recommendations.
D) your sources of information.
35) A group of managers who must make an important decision can request a ________ to
explore the implications of that decision.
A) failure analysis report
B) due diligence report
C) market analysis report
D) feasibility report
36) Any risks involved with your recommendations should
A) not be addressed, since they may discourage your audience.
B) be discussed in your report, but only in vague, general terms.
C) be addressed clearly in your report.
D) be outlined before you reveal the benefits that can be achieved.
37) A ________ suggests an individualized solution for a potential customer and requests a
purchase decision.
A) grant proposal
B) sales proposal
C) solicited proposal
D) project proposal
38) Unlike reports focused on conclusions or recommendations, reports focusing on logical
arguments
A) use an indirect approach.
B) are not very convincing.
C) emphasize the positive.
D) do not include outside evidence.
39) Which of the following is not a strategy for structuring reports focused on logical arguments?
A) 2 + 2 = 4 approach
B) Direct approach
C) Yardstick method
D) An approach that compares a solution to a set of predetermined standards
41) Because of its natural feel and versatility, the ________ approach is generally the most
persuasive way to develop an analytical report for skeptical readers.
A) 2 + 2 = 4
B) yardstick
C) direct
D) hypothetical
42) One drawback of using the yardstick approach to structure business reports is that
A) you must discuss all the alternatives, even if many of them turn out to be irrelevant and/or
unproductive.
B) this approach is generally considered old-fashioned.
C) it forces you to ignore the fact that the problem may have multiple causes.
D) it is impractical in most business settings.
43) You’re writing an analytical report outlining the benefits of starting a recycling program. You
need to explain how the program meets numerous criteria including reasonable cost, ease of
implementation, and long-term impact. The ________ approach will probably be the best way to
organize your report.
A) 2 + 2 = 4
B) scientific
C) direct
D) yardstick
44) A contractor receives a request from the owner of a company to bid on a large-scale
construction project. The contractor will prepare a(n)
A) unsolicited proposal.
B) solicited proposal.
C) blind proposal.
D) request for proposal.
45) If you’re writing an unsolicited proposal, you may have to
A) convince readers that a problem exists that must be addressed.
B) analyze the client’s business in light of the competition.
C) use a style approved by the American Association of Business Writers.
D) enumerate the client’s options regarding such business decisions as product-line expansion.
46) An analytical report often ends by presenting a recommendation.