Deck 11: Preparing and Writing Reports

Question 1

Briefly describe the three types of informative reports.

Answer 1

Informative reports are divided into three report types: periodic, progress, and unsolicited.
a) A periodic report is prepared at regular intervals, for example, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. A quarterly sales report is an example.
b) A progress report gives the current status of a project, tells what has been completed since the last progress report, and states when the project will be completed. Progress reports usually are done for projects that require an extended period of time, such as three months or more. They are often done informally in memorandum format but can include details of the progress in separate documents created in project-management software. Progress reports may also include supporting documents to show the progress of the entire project or specific parts of the project.
c) An unsolicited report is, quite simply, one that you make on your own initiative rather than one you are asked to prepare or a periodic report that you are expected to prepare at regular intervals. In business, any idea for increasing efficiency, saving money, increasing productivity, or increasing profits will usually be welcome. Unsolicited reports usually also include a request to meet with the intended recipient to discuss any new ideas or products presented in the report.

Question 2

Discuss the types of analytical reports.

Answer 2

An analytical report examines a situation or problem, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations, in addition to providing information and data. Examples of analytical reports are justification reports, feasibility studies, and proposals. These three types of reports are somewhat similar.
a) A justification report is usually prepared for someone at a higher level of management; it gives the rationale for a recommendation or a decision. Sample subjects would include making a major expenditure for new equipment, expanding facilities, and hiring additional personnel.
b) A feasibility study describes the pros and cons of proceeding with a project in addition to giving the costs and a time frame for the project. This type of report would include recommendations on whether to go ahead with the project.
c) A proposal is a report that may be prepared for someone inside or outside your company. It is designed to persuade the reader to purchase your products or services, to adopt your idea or plan, or to provide or donate money or services for a worthwhile project. The proposal may offer a solution to a problem and usually gives the cost of the plan. Proposals usually include a plan of action, in which the author proposes the initial step or set of steps to be taken to get the proposed result.

Question 3

Define primary sources and secondary sources. Where do you obtain primary source data? Where are secondary sources found?

Answer 3

A primary source is a source from which information or data are obtained firsthand for your particular need. A secondary source is a document or other material that contains information gathered by someone else. Obtain primary source data through surveys using a variety of methods including: Internet surveys, telephone surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and observations. Due to the popularity of the Internet, you can reach many people with an online survey. Telephone surveys seek responses to your prepared survey by direct vocal contact. Questionnaires are printed surveys, which can be delivered personally, by mail, or by e-mail. Interviews are surveys that use the face-to-face method to get the needed responses. Observations provide data by having someone physically watch a practice or procedure.
Secondary sources consists of information published in books and periodicals or it may be found in company records and reports. Information may be gathered from databases, almanacs and yearbooks, encyclopedias, and periodicals. A database may include citations or references to where the article appeared originally, or the citations as well as the full text of the article in an electronic form. Almanacs and yearbooks contain concise information on important events that occurred during a given year. An encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference source containing articles on numerous subjects arranged in alphabetic order. Special subject-specific encyclopedias are widely accepted as appropriate sources for basic information in a field. Finally, periodicals include magazines, newspapers, and journals.

Question 4

Explain the three basic forms of presentation that are used in written reports.

Question 5

What does the introduction section in a business report include?

Question 6

What are the types of supplementary material included in business reports?

Question 7

What are the minutes and agenda of a meeting? How do they benefit organizations?

Question 8

List the general guidelines that a recorder must follow when preparing the minutes of a meeting.

Question 9

Discuss the function of news releases. In a company, who is responsible for news releases?

Question 10

Discuss some of the standards for preparing news releases.

Question 11

A(n) _____ report is one that you make on your own initiative rather than one you are asked to prepare.

Question 12

A(n) _____ is an analytical report that is designed to persuade the reader to purchase your products or services, to adopt your idea or plan, or to provide or donate money or services for a worthwhile project.

Question 13

A person collecting data from periodicals, company reports, almanacs, and yearbooks is said to be using _____ sources of information.

Question 14

_____ are journals, magazines, pamphlets, newsletters, and so on, that are published on a regular basis.

Question 15

A preliminary list of reference sources for a report is called the working _____.

Question 16

_____ are the methods that were used to collect and analyze the data gathered for a report.

Question 17

The _____ of a report determines the extensiveness of the research; that is, it specifies boundaries that keep the research within reason.

Question 18

The _____ of a business report is the actual text of the report.

Question 19

A _____ is the number of group members required by the group's bylaws to conduct business.

Question 20

If there is more than one page to a news release, type the word _____ in parentheses at the end of each page but the last one.

Question 21

A specially selected team has been working on a high revenue project at their company. They are responsible for releasing a new product and have extended the deadline by three months, already. The team has been called for a meeting by James, the team manager. James has prepared a report on the current status of the project. Referring to the report, he announces that if the team members maintain the same speed, the product will be released a week before the new scheduled date. In this scenario, which type of informative report has James presented?

A) A progress report
B) A periodic report
C) A feasibility study
D) A proposal

Question 22

Which of the following accurately describes a periodic report?

A) A report that describes the pros and cons of proceeding with a project in addition to giving the costs and time frame for the project
B) A report prepared by a human resource manager, which gives reasons to justify investment in employee training programs
C) A report prepared weekly to provide details about the number of product units manufactured
D) A report that is prepared by an employee to backup his new idea

Question 23

Gary is a junior member of the human resource team at Big Mills Inc. After his first month at work, he prepares a report for his manager that details his ideas about how a worker's productivity and efficiency can be increased. Gary's job does not require him to prepare any reports, yet he has taken the initiative to create such a report. In this scenario, which of the following types of informative reports has Gary prepared?

A) A memo report
B) A progress report
C) A periodic report
D) An unsolicited report

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a type of an analytical report?

A) A proposal
B) A periodic report
C) A justification report
D) A feasibility study

Question 25

Which of the following is a secondary source of information for a report?

A) Periodicals
B) Telephone surveys
C) Interviews
D) Direct observations

Question 26

_____ are best described as automated services that send out electronic messages on a given topic to a list of recipients.

A) Web browsers
B) Search engines
C) Usenet newsgroups
D) Listservs

Question 27

What is a bibliography in a report?

A) It is a list of all the names of people who helped the writer with the report.
B) It is a list of all the sources used as references in the report.
C) It is a list of all the chapters in the report along with their page numbers.
D) It is a list of all the graphs and figures in the report along with their page numbers.

Question 28

In the context of documenting sources of information, _____ uses consecutive raised numbers to identify quoted or paraphrased ideas throughout a report.

A) The Chicago Manual of Style
B) The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
C) The Modern Language Association Style Manual
D) The Organized Press Stylebook

Question 29

Which of the following examples illustrates the citation style of the Modern Language Association (MLA)?

A) With the evolution of the Internet, the world has become smaller (James).
B) With the evolution of the Internet, the world has become smaller. (James, 156)
C) With the evolution of the Internet, the world has become smaller (James 156).
D) With the evolution of the Internet, the world has become smaller (James; 2004; 156).

Question 30

Which of the following practices should be followed when writing an informal report?

A) The same format as a memo form should not be used.
B) The information should be presented using as many words as possible.
C) A copy of the report should be made.
D) The paragraph form should be used for the presentation of complex facts.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is True of the outline form of informal reports?

A) It is used for the presentation of simple facts only.
B) It uses the systematic presentation of data, usually in rows and columns.
C) It requires extensive research, documentation, investigation, and analysis.
D) It uses the format of a framework to list information.

Question 32

Which of the following sections of a formal report tells the reader why the report was written, what its scope is, and how the data were gathered?

A) Introduction
B) Appendix
C) Bibliography
D) Conclusion and recommendations

Question 33

A business report prepared by Elena has a two-page section that contains the most significant information of the report in succinct form. This section has been included right after the report's introduction to help senior management get a brief review of the report quickly. This section of the business report is referred to as the _____.

A) statement of purpose
B) executive summary
C) bibliography
D) appendix

Question 34

Which of the following practices is best avoided when preparing a business report?

A) Placing the executive summary after the introduction section
B) Including the name of the person for whom the report is prepared in the title page
C) Drawing conclusions for the report from personal observations
D) Including information in the body of the report, about how the research was done

Question 35

In a report, when you want to visually display the relationships between parts and a whole, you should use a:

A) pie chart.
B) histogram.
C) line graph.
D) flow chart.

Question 36

In which of the following sections of a business report would a reader find supporting material, such as questionnaires, letters, and photographs?

A) The introduction section
B) The executive summary
C) The bibliography
D) The appendix

Question 37

Which of the following statements accurately describes a letter or memo of transmittal?

A) It is a certificate that authorizes the use of information from other sources.
B) It is a document that states you have completed a business report and are submitting it to the concerned person.
C) It is a letter sent to the Copyrights office to secure protection against infringement.
D) It establishes your right over your business report and restricts transfer of ownership to others.

Question 38

In preparing a good manuscript for a business report, which of the following practices should be avoided?

A) Using double spacing for long quotations
B) Printing on only one side of each sheet
C) Placing the page number in the upper-right corner of a page
D) Printing all reports on standard 8½- × 11-inch paper

Question 39

Which of the following practices should be avoided when preparing the minutes of a meeting?

A) Recording the date, day, time, and place of the meeting
B) Making copies of the minutes and sending it those who would be interested in the business of the meeting
C) Paraphrasing the resolutions and motions passed in the meeting in your own words
D) Attaching the reports or papers read during the meeting to the final minutes of the meeting

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT an effective practice when preparing a news release?

A) Sending the release to the media before the event occurs
B) Leaving room in the margin of the news release form for further editing
C) Including a tentative headline in all-capital letters to help editors identify the story
D) Providing the summary of the story and the newsworthy information in the closing paragraphs

Question 41

A quarterly sales report is an example of an unsolicited report.

Question 42

An analytical report examines a situation or problem, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations, in addition to providing information and data.

Question 43

In the context of observations as primary sources of information, you should use opinions, not facts and statistics, to present your observations.

Question 44

When you conduct a pilot test for a survey, you survey a small group to check the quality of your survey.

Question 45

A blog, sometimes referred to as a web log, is a website at which one can maintain journals or logs, writing and updating entries at any time.

Question 46

A feasibility study is designed to persuade the reader to purchase your products or services, to adopt your idea or plan, or to provide or donate money or services for a worthwhile project.

Question 47

Formal reports are usually longer and more complex than informal reports.

Question 48

The format used for writing a memorandum is also used for writing formal reports.

Question 49

The tone of an informal report should be straightforward and factual.

Question 50

One disadvantage of using the table form for informal reports is that the reader cannot see the total situation at a glance, and has to read a lot of words.

Question 51

Using a consistent style for headings makes the organization and content of a formal report difficult for a reader to understand.

Question 52

The letter or memo of transmittal for a report contains a brief statement of the general purpose of the report.

Question 53

A quorum is a brief chronological list of the business to be transacted at a business meeting and acts as a guide to the person presiding at the meeting.

Question 54

A news release form usually contains the name, address, and telephone number of the person responsible for issuing the release to the public.

Question 55

Writing the tentative headline of a news release in all-capital letters is not a good way to identify the story.