11 Organizing and Preparing Reports and
Proposals
IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL FIND:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
KEY CONCEPTS
KEY TERMS
CHAPTER OUTLINE
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
CASE ASSIGNMENTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1 Identify the parts of a formal report and the contribution each part makes to the report’s
overall effectiveness.
2 Organize report findings.
3 Prepare effective formal reports using an acceptable format and writing style.
4 Prepare effective short reports in memorandum, email, and letter formats.
5 Prepare effective proposals for a variety of purposes.
KEY CONCEPTS
The structure and the preparation of various types of reports are presented including formal
reports, letter reports, memorandum reports, and proposals. The problem-solving, research-based
orientation of reports is emphasized for each of the various types.
KEY TERMS
TERM
PAGE
TERM
PAGE
Addenda
184
Justification report
186
Analytical report
184
Preliminary parts
181
Executive summary
182
Short reports
189
External proposal
192
Solicited proposals
192
Form reports
190
Unsolicited proposals
194
Internal proposals
192
CHAPTER OUTLINE
11-1 Part of a Formal Report 181
11-1a Preliminary Parts of a Report 181
11-1c Report Addenda 184
11-2 Organization of Formal Reports 185
11-2a Writing Convincing and Effective Reports 185
11-3a Enhancing Credibility 189
11-4 Short Report 189
11-4a Memorandum, Email, and Letter Reports 190
11-5 Proposals 192
11-5b Proposal Preparation 199
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1
Identify the parts of a formal report and the contribution each part makes to the report’s overall
effectiveness.
Parts of a Formal Report
• Review with students that reports are made up of (a) preliminary parts, (b) the report text, and
(c) addenda. Emphasize that a report might include most or all of the parts shown in each of
the three categories.
• Show how a report develops from a simple memorandum to a long, formal report. Indicate
that short reports are presented as memo, letter, and expanded letter reports.
Preliminary Parts
• Emphasize that the need for preliminary parts is associated with the length and formality of
the report.
Executive Summary
• Refer to other names for this part: abstract, overview, synopsis, etc. Emphasize that the
executive summary gives the reader a “bird’s eye view” of the report and also serves the
distant reader who may want only an overview of the project. Stress the concept of no more
than is needed but sufficient for understanding.
• Many new MBA hires receive assignments to prepare for their supervisors abstracts of
business literature and condensations of professional meetings and seminars.
Report Text
• The “report text” can be compared to the events of a courtroom trial.
The “introduction” can be thought of as the opening statements.
The “body” can be thought of as the testimony and evidence phase.
Addenda
References
• Re-emphasize the importance of referencing to avoid plagiarism. Emphasize that although
numerous ways to reference exist, the important requirement is consistent use of the method
selected. Guidelines for preparing citations and references are covered in Chapter 9.
Appendix
• Emphasize the criterion for deciding whether to place material in the text or in an appendix.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 2
Organize report findings.
Organization of Formal Reports
• Use the following activities to emphasize the importance of organization.
✓ Display a jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces scrambled in the box. Show the cover of the
box, with the completed picture, and ask students to identify the difference between
the two. (Student comments may mention that the pieces lack order, arrangement, or
organization.)
Writing Convincing and Effective Reports
• Begin with the concept that report preparation takes place after the research has been
completed. Data have been gathered, tabulated, and converted into figures for a report.
Library research (printed and online sources) provided the report writer with information
about research methods and literature related to the subject.
Outlining and Sequencing
• Discuss the importance of outlining a report before writing. Remind students that their
outlines will grow into their final tables of contents. Also remind them that thinking through
the outline will help determine whether to use inductive or deductive organizational pattern.
• Make sure students can distinguish an informational report that presents objective
information and an analytical report that presents suggested solutions to problems.
Using Headings Effectively
• Reinforce the idea of using talking headings in parallel form throughout a report. Also
caution against placing two headings consecutively with no intervening text.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 3
Prepare effective formal reports using an acceptable format and writing style.
Choosing a Writing Style for Formal Reports
• Review the formal-informal continuum of reports. Discuss how formal writing, which is
Enhancing Credibility
• Lead a discussion as to the importance of appearing credible as a researcher.
• Have students identify why each of the suggestions in the slide is important to establishing
credibility.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 4
Prepare effective short reports in memorandum, email, and letter formats.
Short Reports
• Refer to the formal-informal report continuum to illustrate that short reports tend to appear
closer to the informal side of the model than do formal reports.
• Review the report-writing principles applied in the following reports:
✓ Short periodic report (memorandum format).
Memorandum and Letter Reports
• Review the short, periodic report in memorandum format.
• Lead students in a discussion of why such reports are frequently used in business settings.
• As an in-class writing assignment, assign a short report that may be written in about 200
words. The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate how a rapid writing style can produce a
rough draft in a short time. The report should contain two pieces of quantitative data that
must be converted to tables or graphs. Impose a one-hour or one-class-session time restraint.
The idea is for students to assemble the data and write the report as rapidly as possible
without bothering to make minor editorial changes. If at all possible, have students compose
the assignment using computers to simplify composing and revising. Have students prepare
rough tables from the quantitative data. Using these rough tables, they may prepare computer-
generated graphics outside of class to incorporate into their reports later. The following
suggestions will assist students:
✓ Develop an understanding of the problem.
✓ Assume you have conducted whatever research is necessary to gather the data
provided.
• At the end of the allotted time, have students save their work; if students are handwriting the
assignment, collect the papers to be kept until the next class meeting. Return the reports to
Form Reports
• Introduce form reports as tools for managerial and organizational control. Forms increase the
likelihood that repetitive information will be reported uniformly. Every piece of data has the
same place to be recorded on identical forms.
• Ask the class if they know of form reports (e.g., suggestions include inventory reports from a
variety of businesses, automobile sales and purchases reports to state governments, marriage
license requests, and income tax returns). All are forms used for repetitive occurrences.
• Lead a discussion as to why accuracy is so important on form reports.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 5
Prepare effective proposals for a variety of purposes.
Parts of a Proposal
• Review the definition of a proposal to make sure students understand the proposal is a
competitive instrument that attempts to convince the reader that the bidding party can do the
Proposal Preparation
• Discuss the steps to preparing proposals.
• Review examples of proposals in the text and slides.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Outlining an Analytical Report: In small groups, develop an outline for a report that would
explain the criteria for choosing a college major.
See resource or solution slide. A suggested solution follows:
Title: How to Choose a College Major
I. Introduction
A. Why choosing a major is important
B. Some common considerations in selecting a major
II. Student factors
A. Student interests
2. Critiquing a Report Outline: Analyze the following table of contents. What suggestions do
you have for improving it?
Contents
I. Introduction
II. Findings
A. What Is Retinal Scanning
B. How Is Retinal Scanning Used to Provide Accurate Identification
C. What Are Advantages and Disadvantages of Retinal Scanning
III. Analysis
A. Summary
B. Conclusions
C. Recommendations
IV. References
V. Appendix
REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1. How does a report writer decide the best organization for a formal report and
determine which preliminary or addenda parts to include in a report?
2. Briefly discuss the primary principles involved in writing an executive summary. What
is the significance of other names given to this preliminary report part?
The executive summary, also called the abstract, overview, or précis, summarizes the essential
3. What purposes are served by the findings, conclusions, and recommendations sections?
How are they related, yet distinctive?
4. Give two or three examples of emotional terms that should be avoided in a formal
report. Why is impersonal, third person style frequently used in formal reports? How is
it achieved?
5. Explain the relationship between the content outline of a report and the placement of
headings within the body of a report.
6. In addition to length, what are the differences between long and short reports?
7. How are memorandum, letter, and email reports similar? In what ways are they
different?
8. What is the primary purpose of a proposal, and what can the writer do to assure that
the purpose is achieved?
9. What is meant by RFP? Why is it important to the preparation of a proposal?
10. How does team preparation of a proposal differ from preparation by an individual?
How can technology assist in team writing?
Original writing of sections of a long proposal is typically divided among the members of a
11. How do diversity considerations impact the choices made in report style and and
format?
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
1. Researching Information Security: Use the selection of databases to which the campus
library subscribes to find three articles on firewalls as a means to secure a company’s
intranet. Mark the main points of each article and create a bibliographic citation for each.
Solutions will vary; see Chapter 9 and slides for examples of bibliographic citations.
2. Practicing an Audit: Visit a computer lab on your campus. Through observation and
interviews, you should prepare an audit report of the lab’s offerings and include the
following items in your report: (1) the types of equipment available (e.g., PCs, Macs,
mainframe terminals), (2) the quantity of each type, and (3) the operating systems and
applications software available (product, version). Attach a table that summarizes their
analysis and submit their work as a letter report.
See example slides and textbook for examples of effective tables.
3. Experiencing Meetings: Attend a professional meeting of a campus or community
organization and take notes on the program presented, the issues discussed, and so on. You
should submit a short report summarizing the events of the meeting and include a section that
describes the benefits that might be derived from membership in that organization.
4. Obtain a copy of a report prepared by an organization and analyze it in the following ways:
a. Purpose
b. Intended audience
c. Degree of formality
5. Assemble a team of three to four students. Read the scenario below and then complete the
related exercise.
Your team plans to open a business establishment in your city. Do you obtain a franchise or
start your own independent restaurant? Select a franchise opportunity and research it. Include
in your findings the initial investment cost, start-up expenses, franchise requirements and
fees, and success and failure rate.
Exercise:
Using the information on team writing, prepare a report that compares the options of franchising
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Gathering Background Information for a Report: Using databases available through your
campus library, locate and read three articles on firewalls as a means of securing a
company’s intranet. Mark the main points of each article and prepare a bibliographic
citation for each.
Solutions will vary.
2. Developing a Report Outline: Think of and develop an outline for the described report.
Identify possible sources for locating the necessary information.
3. Summarizing a Professional Meeting: Attend a professional meeting of a campus or
community organization. Take notes on the program presented, the issues discussed, and so
on. Submit a short report to your instructor summarizing the events of the meeting, and
include a section that describes the benefits that might be derived from membership in that
organization.
Solutions will vary. Student outlines should be evaluated on knowledge of the topic, specificity of
report areas, conciseness of headings, and ideas presented.
4. Evaluating the Performance of a Stock Portfolio: Create a stock portfolio of ten stocks on a
financial website. Assume that you will purchase 100 shares of each of the ten stocks at the
prices listed at the market close on a particular day. The stock portfolio will record the
changes in each of the ten stocks for each trading day. Print this report for a one-week
period—five trading days.
Submit a memorandum report to your instructor on the purchase date reporting your ten
stocks according to the following format:
Name of Stock Price per Share Total Cost (X 100)
Solutions will vary.
5. Promoting International Understanding: Research the cultural differences between business
executives in the United States and China; write a memorandum report communicating this
information to U.S. managers working in China. Write another memo to Jeanne Pitman,
director of international assignments, persuading her to develop other ways to promote
international understanding in the company. You may vary this case by selecting a country of
your choice.
Solutions will vary.
6. Communicating Concern for Employees: Review research related to cell phone safety and
identify ways to solve businesses’ problems resulting from accidents among workers. Write a
short informational report. To make the case more meaningful, address the issue in an
employee group or environment with which you are familiar.
7. Communicating During a Crisis: Review research and write an informational report related
to crisis communication and the sharing of information with employees about a financial,
ethical, health, or environmental crisis. Your instructor may vary this assignment so that your
report will be directed to stockholders, the public, or another specified group.
8. Assessing the Feasibility of Constructing a Recreational Complex: Read the following
scenario then complete the exercise below.
Oakdale University has established a committee to study the feasibility of constructing a
recreational center for students, faculty, and staff. To help determine the interest of faculty and
staff, the committee has administered a questionnaire. The findings will be combined with other
aspects of the feasibility study in a presentation to the president. The committee believes the 668-
person sample is representative of the faculty and staff. The results of the survey follow:
1. On average, how often do you exercise each week?
2. During a week, in which of the following activities do you participate? Check all that
3. If you had access, in which of the following activities would you participate? Check all
4. If a recreation center were constructed for employees, what is the maximum amount you
would be willing to pay per month to provide use of the center to your immediate family
members?
9. Preparing an Analytical Report: In teams of three or four, prepare a short report on one of
the following cases. Make any assumptions and collect any background information needed