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

subject Type Homework Help
subject Pages 8
subject Words 2474
subject Authors Kitty Locker, Stephen Kaczmarek

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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:
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-1
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 Instructors Test Bank. For student
practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-2
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
24-1
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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-3
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
24-2
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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-4
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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-5
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 writers 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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-6
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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-7
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.
© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
24-8

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