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CHAPTER 15
Preparing and Presenting Your Research Report
EARNING OBJECTIVES
To appreciate the importance of the marketing research report
To learn about an online report writing tool, the iReportWriter Assistant, that will help you
write better reports
To know what material should be included in each part of the marketing research report
To learn the basic guidelines for writing effective marketing research reports
To learn how to organize the written report by making effective use of headings and
subheadings
To know how to use visuals such as figures, tables, charts, and graphs
To learn how to make pie and bar charts using XL Data Analyst and Excel
To understand there are ethical considerations in preparting visuals
To learn the basic principles for presenting your report orally
CHAPTER OUTLINE
The Importance of the Marketing Research Report
Improving the Efficiency of Report Writing
Organizing Your Written Report
Front Matter
Title Page
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Letter of Authorization
Letter/Memo of Transmittal
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Abstract/Executive Summary
Report Body
Introduction
Research Objectives
Method
Findings
Limitations
Conclusions and Recommendations
End Matter
Following Guidelines and Principles for the Written Report
Form and Format
Headings and Subheadings
Visuals
Style
Using Visuals: Tables and Figures
Tables
Pie Charts
Bar Charts
Ensuring Ethical Visuals
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Presenting Your Research Orally
KEY TERMS
Abstract/executive summary
Appendices
Bar charts
Body
Conclusions
End matter
Ethical visual
Figures
Findings
Front matter
Headings
Introduction
Letter of authorization
Letter of transmittal
Limitations
List of illustrations
Marketing research report
Memo of transmittal
Method
Online reporting software
Oral presentation
Pie charts
Recommendations
Research objectives
Subheadings
Table
Table of contents
Tables
Title page
Visuals
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
1. With the 3rd edition of our textbook, we introduce the iReportWriting Assistant. This is a
web-based set of resources for report writing including PowerPoint show, templates,
grammar help and quizzes, citations reference sites, entire marketing research report
example, and discussion on plagiarism. Previously, the plagiarism material was included in
Chapter 15; however, because it is covered in the iReportWriting Assistant, this material was
removed to avoid redundancy. Instructors should consider using this resource according to
the backgrounds and needs of their students.
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2. Although the comments in the chapter about good form, proper format, and professional
appearance of the research report are indisputable, a way to convince students of these
necessities of report preparation is to show them a report that does not possess these
characteristics. If an Instructor has had an experience where a student team or an individual
student’s report was especially atrocious, it may be useful to make visuals of selected “bad”
spots and show them to the class and thereby generate class discussion on the errors and how
the flaws should have been handled.
3. As Instructors review the various sections of a research report, an effective approach is to
show or give students examples of each one. Use student reports from previous classes, or
use professional reports that have been acquired from consulting, business contacts, or
colleagues.
4. A form of oral presentation that is not emphasized in the chapter, but one that is nonetheless
important is the use of PowerPoint or PowerPoint-like “slide shows.” With the use of such
graphics programs, effective and impressive bullet charts, tables, and visuals can be
produced. Animation or other display options can be used very effectively. Most students are
quite familiar with presentation software such as PowerPoint, and it works seamlessly with
Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word, so the expectation for any oral presentation is that it
will be done with a slide show.
5. If students are to prepare team research project reports for sponsors, there is a concern about
quality control. One way to gain uniformity in team reports is to provide students with copies
of previous reports and to tell them to use these as “templates” for form, format, flow, and
style. Some Instructors retain word processor files of finished reports and provide them to
students as “templates” or electronic examples. After all, this is the way practicing marketing
researchers prepare their reports.
6. We have included step-by-step instructions on how to create Excel graphs. If students are
familiar with word processing, other spreadsheet, graphics, or other software and can
produce professional quality tables and graphs with these, they have the option of using these
programs. Excel table output is transportable to other software as raw data tables.
7. With team projects, students sometimes fail to utilize specialization. That is, the team
members should identify members’ special skills and allocate the work of the project
accordingly. For instance, one team member may be the statistical analysis specialist, another
may be the graphics person, and another may be the report writer. It is also prudent to have
the team identify an “enforcer” or someone who makes sure that the specialists perform their
work on time.
8. The Advanced Automobile Concepts integrated case can be used as the basis for a complete
report because it has the problem statement, research objectives, research method, and
dataset. To do so, would be an extension of the Advanced Automobile Concepts case at the
end of Chapter 15.
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
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