REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 17 homework
---- Writing policies, procedures, and instructions
1: Q what is writing Policies, procedures, and instructions?
A Policies, procedures, and instructions can be difficult to write because language is easily misinterpreted. For that reason, these documents are often drafted, reviewed by experts, and revised many times before they are released. However, the basic guides for wriing these items are similar to those you followed for all reports discussed in previous chapters of this book: analyze your audience; identify the context; define your goal; and use a writing style and document design that complement the audience, context, and goal.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 14 homework
----Documenting data sources
Q: why you should acknowledge data sources?
A: the need to acknowledge data sources is often misunderstood. Any information that is common knowledge need not be documented. However, ethical experienced writers agree that you should acknowledge your unique sources of information for three reasons:
l The business and academic communities expect honesty in all transactions. When you indicate where or from whom you obtained unique information, you are following a standard academic and business practice.
l The business and academic communities appreciate the ability to build upon previous knowledge. When you indicate where you obtained your information, you are enabling others to find the data and use it in their business or academic research.
l The business and academic communities respect individual contributions. When you document the sources of data that you acquired from others, including direct quotations and paraphrased material, the readers may infer that any undocumented material is your contribution to the body of work.
In short, appropriate acknowledgement of data sources establishes your credibility as a writer and researcher.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 13 homework
----Using primary data sources
Q: What is acquiring primary data?
A: Primary data are data acquired at their source. Commonly used primary data sources for business research are company records; people, such as employees, customers, and suppliers; and phenomena, such as activities and processes. Methods to obta
in information from those sources are either active or passive. Passive data collection involves observation of characteristics of the people or that are the elements of analysis; the person collecting the data does not actively interact or communicate with those subjects. Active data collection involves questioning the subjects; the person collecting the data interacts with the subjects who actively supply the data to the researcher.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 12 homework
---- Using secondary data sources
Q: Locating secondary data?
A: To locate secondary data for business research, you may consult the Web, specialized databases, reference books, periodical indexes, and the catalog of holdings found in most libraries. Though online information services continually expand, you should expect to use a library’s printed sources and CD and databases subscriptions, as well as generally accessible Web sites.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 11 homework
---- Selecting data sources
Q: Determining data sources?
A: Defining potential data is part of the development of a research plan, as discussed in chapter 10. two questios should guide you as you determine possible sources for research data:
l What kinds of information do I need to answer the research question?
l Should I use primary or secondary data sources – or both – to obtain that information?
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 10 homework
---- Planning the research
Q: What is planning the research?
A: A report about a complex problem begins with a research plan, which becomes a guide for collecting data, analyzing data, and reporting the results of the analysis.
A research plan, as indicated in illustration 10.1, includes twelve parts: obtain or review authorization, identify the audience, define the problem, clarify the purpose, narrow the scope, state delimitations and limitations, plan data collection, plan data analysis, estimate time schedule, estimate resources needed, plan the presentation of results, and seek approval to proceed.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 9 homework
---- Planning and delivering an oral report
1 Q: Planning the presentation?
A: Effective oral presentation require extensive preparation. In many ways, preparing an oral report is much like composing a written report. The diagram given in illustration 9.1 will guide you through the preparation steps.
2 Q: Analyze the context?
A: The communication context encompasses the internal (psychological) environment and the external (physical) environment. Major aspects of context analysis for an oral report, therefore, are determining the characteristics of the intended audience and the characteristics of the place in which you will deliver the presentation. Those two factors tend also to define the appropriate degree of formality.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 8 homework
---- Writing nonroutine reports
Q: What is non-routine reports?
A: It is impossible to illustrate all nonroutine report that will encounter. However, among the nonroutine reports that you might send receive are interview reports, exception reports, justification reports, feasibility reports, staff reports, policy statements, press releases, executive summaries, and business proposals.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 7 homework
---- Writing routine reports
Q: Typical routine reports?
A: To illustrate every kind of report you will encounter is impossible; but the examples that follow illustrate the most common routine reports used in contemporary business: form reports, trip reports, production reports, progress reports, and meeting reports.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 6 homework
---- Formatting the report
1 Q: Formatting the report?
A: Most business reports are written in memorandum, letter, or manuscript format. Whichever of those formats you choose, you should apply the following general guides.
2 Q: General guides?
A: Applying these guides will help your resder scan the document, quickly determine its content, and focus attention on specific information.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 5 homework
---- Illustrating the report
Q: Purposes of visual aids.
A: Although many writers readily think of using visual aids in long reports, such aids can also increase the effectiveness of short reports. You should use visual aids to emphasize, clarify, simplify, and summarize information in both simple and complex oral or written reports. Further, visuals may be add interest, improve credibility, and increase the coherence of written messages.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 4 homework
---- Writing style and lapses
Q: Choose degree of formality.
A: When you write a report, you much choose the degree of formality you want to convey. Formality is conveyed by language and by inclusion or exclusion of certain parts of a report. You can decide what formal parts to include with your report after you have written the report body. You must , however, decide about the formality of language before you write the body of the report.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 3 homework
---- Producing the report
Q: Collaborative writing.
A: As documents and the techniques used to produce them become more complex, the degree of collaboration is likely to increase. The final product should be seamless. That is, the reader should not be able to tell where Joan’s work leaves off and Mark’s work begins.
In reality, collaborative writing often consists of a combination of collective and independent work, depending on the stage of the project.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 2 homework
---- Planning the report
Q: What is planning the report?
A: Effective report writers follow a six – step plan before beginning to write, as shown in illustration 2.1. although report writers sometimes follow those steps in the order listed, the dotted lines in the illustration indicate that the process is recursive, not linear. The elements are interdependent. For example, identification of the context may help to identify the audience, identification of the purpose may help to define the content, and identification of the content and audience should contribute to selection of the appropriate medium.
REPORT WRITING CHAPTER 1 homework
---- R eport characteristics
Q: Functions of business reports?
A: Business reports are organized, objective presentations of observations, experiences, or facts used in the decision-making process. To understand the functions of business reports, several words in the definition need further analysis: organized, objective, and decision-making process.
