978-0073403267 Chapter 24 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Type

Quiz

Book Title

Business Communication: Building Critical Skills 6th Edition

ISBN 13

978-0073403267

April 6, 2019

Module 24 - Long Reports

Module 24

Long Reports

LO 24-1 Organize time for report writing.

LO 24-2 Apply strategies for report section writing.

LO 24-3 Compare and contrast formats and styles for long reports.

Module Overview

Module 24 introduces students to long reports. Long reports are generally considered more

formal than short reports, which may be written in memo or letter formats. By contrast, long

reports usually are not formatted as memos or letters but have their own specific formats. While

these formats may differ somewhat from organization to organization, they generally share

features. Most long reports in business are also problem-solving in nature, so this is the type

Kitty and Steve focus on in this module.

While long reports can be several hundred pages in length, Kitty and Steve use as an example a

report shorter than that. By studying the techniques for completing a 20- to 30-page report,

students can learn most of the applicable skills that will help them adapt to writing a longer

report. If you choose to teach long report writing in your class, this is about the maximum length

you can probably expect students to complete during the term.

Module 24 also builds on information discussed in Module 23 (“Short Reports”). A good

approach to reports is to teach these modules sequentially.

 Teaching Tip: Should you decide to assign a long report, start your students early in

the course. An excellent approach is to require students to submit a series of reports

mimicking what would be done in the business world. For instance, for a 10-week

course, students would submit a proposal for a problem-solving report by week four,

then progress reports on research during weeks five and six. A draft of the formal

report could be submitted by week eight and returned to the student with feedback

by week nine. The final draft of the problem-solving report would be due week ten.

As PP 24-3 shows, a typical long report can contain the following components:

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Module 24 - Long Reports

Cover.

Title Page.

Letter of Transmittal.

Table of Contents.

List of Illustrations.

Executive Summary.

Report Body.

Conclusions.

Recommendations.

Notes or Works Cited.

Appendixes.

 Teaching Tip: Locate good “real world” examples of reports to share with your

students. These can include reports you’ve completed on the job, long reports on file

in your academic department, or reports posted on the web. Block out any

confidential information. Use these examples with the report examples in the

textbook to show students a range of possible reports and report topics.

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 24. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 392

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 412

Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 415

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

I’ve never written anything so long. How should I organize my time? LO

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Write parts as soon as you can.

Spend most of your time on sections that support your recommendations.

Many students are intimidated by the thought of writing a document that could be 10 pages or

more in length. To complete the process with as few headaches as possible, writers should break

it down into component parts, completing those components which are possible, in the order that

works best for them.

 Teaching Tip: While it’s admirable to want to teach students everything possible

about business communication, you may get more “mileage” out of your course by

focusing on a limited number of specific assignments—quality versus quantity. If

you teach long reports, give students enough time in the term to adequately complete

the tasks required. While you’re not responsible for how they juggle the

responsibilities in their lives, you will likely get better results from students who can

approach long assignments in a way that seems manageable to them. (Examples of

syllabi focusing on different kinds of assignments are included at the beginning of

this supplement.)

 Teaching Tip: Help reduce student apprehension about writing a long report by

giving them a quick overview of the report-writing process. Many of the report

sections—such as the executive summary and appendixes—can be written before the

body of the report. In some cases, as with the executive summary, information is

repeated or condensed from other report sections. In addition, research and the

purpose statement may come from the proposal. By showing them that writers can

synthesize information from other sources, you’ll reduce the pressure your students

may feel.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

When writers write a long report, they should list all the sections

(headings) that the report will have. They should mark those that are

most important to the reader and their proof and spend most of their time

on them. Lastly, they should write the important sections early.

As PP 24-4 through PP 22-7 suggest, an effective approach writers take

could be to

Think about the parts of the report before they begin writing.

Much of the Introduction comes from the proposal with only

minor revisions: Purpose, Scope, Assumptions, and Methods.

The bibliography from the proposal can form the first draft of the

list of Works Cited.

Save a copy of their questionnaire or interview questions to use as

an appendix. As they tally and analyze the data, prepare an

appendix summarizing all the responses to the questionnaire,

figures and tables, and a complete list of Works Cited.

Write the title page and the transmittal as soon as they know what

their recommendation will be.

After they’ve analyzed the data, write the Executive Summary, the

body, and the Conclusions and Recommendations. Prepare a draft

of the table of contents and the list of illustrations.

How do I create each of the parts of a formal report? LO

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Follow the example here.

This section takes students step-by-step through the process of writing each section of the report.

By following these directions, they can learn the basic techniques of developing each section

fully and appropriately.

Use PP 24-3 again to show students the individual parts of the report. For information on using

visuals, students should read or review Module 25.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

 Teaching Tip: Have students get into groups of 3-5 students each and assign one of

the report sections to each group. Have them provide a “mini-lesson” to the rest of

the class on how to create the section they’ve been assigned. Where possible, have

them illustrate concepts using the example in the appropriate section of this module.

(This task can be completed over several class periods.)

Students should also be aware of an additional type of correspondence—the letter or memo of

transmittal, which accompanies larger documents such as reports. Essentially, the letter or memo

is a positive or neutral message, announcing the publication of the report. As PP 24-13 shows,

the basic pattern of organization is

1. Release the report. (Tell when and by whom the report was

authorized and its purpose.)

2. Summarize your conclusions and recommendations.

3. Indicate minor problems you encountered in your investigation

and show how you surmounted them. Thank people who

helped you.

4. Point out additional research that is necessary, if any.

5. Thank the reader for the opportunity to do the work and offer

to answer questions.

 Teaching Tip: Use Figure 24.2 (p. 396) to show students an example of a letter of

transmittal. Have students critique it as a group. What elements of the letter work

best? Which could be improved? Does the pattern of organization suit the

information contained in the report?

The Introduction of the report contains a statement of purpose and scope and may include all

the parts in the following list. As a critical section of the report, it deserves a bit more attention.

As PP 24-16 shows, the Introduction can consist of such sections as

Purpose: Identify the organizational problem the report

addresses, the technical investigations it summarizes, and the

rhetorical purpose (to explain, to recommend).

Scope: Identify the topics the report covers.

Limitations: Limitations make the recommendations less

valid or valid only under certain conditions. Limitations

usually arise because time or money constraints haven’t

permitted full research.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

 Teaching Tip: Limitations often elude students, whose understanding of the business

world may be limited. Make sure that students take time to brainstorm limitations

after they’ve decided on recommendations. If necessary, have them research the

context of their recommendations thoroughly before submitting their limitations to

you in the report. This can include interviews with co-workers or experts in the

field.

Assumptions: Assumptions are statements whose truth you assume and which you use to

support your conclusions and recommendations. If they are wrong, the conclusion will be

wrong too.

Methods. Tell how you chose the people for a survey, focus groups, or interviews and

how, when, and where they were interviewed.

Omit Methods if your report is based solely on library and online research. Instead,

simply cite your sources in the text and document them in Notes or Works Cited.

The actual body of the report will, of course, differ according to the topic and purpose of each

report. In general the body presents and interprets data in words and visuals, analyzes the causes

of the problem, and evaluates possible solutions. As with short reports, information is divided

according to specific headings.

 Teaching Tip: Have students examine carefully the report body in the example

shown in Figure 24.2 (starting on p. 395). As a class, have them identify its

individual parts and speculate on why the write chose to include them. Do these

parts adequately address the topic the writer has chosen? Are any parts missing?

What are they? Ask the students how a writer should choose what content to include

in his or her report? What role does audience play in the selection? (Have them read

or review Module 2 for more information on audience.)

 Teaching Tip: Use Appendix 24-A through Appendix 24-FF to show students

another example of a long formal report. Have students compare it to the one in the

book. Which features are similar? Which are different? Which writer’s style do

they prefer? Why?

 Teaching Tip: Use PP 24-14 and PP 24-15 to show

students the basics of writing an Executive Summary.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

Conclusions summarize points made in the body of the report while

Recommendations are action items that would solve or partially solve

the problem, as shown on PP 24-17. Simple recommendations need

little explanation, but more complex ones may each need a brief

paragraph of rationale. Remind students that recommendations will

also appear in the Executive Summary and that they can be in the title

and the letter of transmittal.

Choosing a long report format and style LO 24-3

The problem-solving report format described in this module—or some

version of that format—is common in business, but many other types

of long reports exist in the workplace. Their formats and style can vary

greatly according to purpose, as well as the organization and discourse community.

For instance, corporate annual reports typically are printed on glossy stock, filled with color

photos, charts, and graphs, and focused on information important to investors, such as financial

statistics. They may have dozens of pages and often are “perfect bound,” like a slick magazine or

book. Many nonprofit organizations produce annual reports that share these characteristics, but

others may choose fewer colors and pages, as well as saddle stitch or other kinds of binding.

As PP 24-18 suggests, to decide on a good long report format,

Ask PAIBOC questions.

Review other reports the organization has written.

Consult texts on report writing, experts in your

organization, or a writing consultant.

Test your draft, wherever possible, on people similar to

your audience.

 Teaching Tip: While short reports are often written in memo form, long reports can

come in a wide range of styles and formats, and there is no “one size fits all.” To help

students understand the great diversity of options they may have for report formats,

locate copies of annual reports online or at a business school library. You might also

request paper copies from local companies.

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Module 24 - Long Reports

Last Word: Writing a long report may seem intimidating to your students, but like so

many large projects, writing a long report is simply a series of shorter, manageable

tasks. Encourage them to stay focused on the section they’re working on and not be

overwhelmed by thoughts of the largess of the task. Where possible, have students

provide regular progress reports or meet with you in conferences to learn how they’re

doing and what you can do to help.

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