Chapter 13 Business Communication

In which type of business report is the executive summary usually replaced by a letter from the CEO to the company's stockholders?

Annual report

Excellence in thinking leads to reports that

Are accurate, and document all facts

What are the last steps in preparing a report?

Proofread the document; check for fairness; seek final back from colleagues

Headings are most effective when they feature

Common business terminology; Familiar story lines for a business report

To improve headings in a business report, the writer should make them more

Efficient; descriptive

Ferdinand discovers that two authors have already produced reports that are very similar to the one he is assigned to complete. He does a small amount of his own research, then borrows heavily from both reports to compile his own document. He rewords most of the text and attributes some of the information to the original authors. Which of the following best describes his final report?

Essentially plagiarized

In a world of business, "positivity" means?

Having a can-do attitude or tone

Tom is preparing to write a business proposal for an important project. Which of the following should he do to improve his chances of success?

He should talk to decision makers before writing the proposal

Which two of business reports would typically include marketing strategies?

Marketing plan; business plan

Which of the following recommendations is the MOST specific and actionable?

Our company should expand delivery capability by purchasing a new tanker truck, and hiring three additional drivers

The appendixes of a business report commonly include

Reference materials

To maintain precision while compiling a report, the researcher should

Study the facts from various perspectives before coming to a conclusion

Which two of the following does a writer need to do to paraphrase material in a business report?

Substantially alter the wording of the original text keep the original meaning intact; give credit to the original author or speaker

In reviewing a business report that you are producing, you should

Take several days to complete the review; read the entire document repeatedly, considering it from various viewpoints

Which of the following headings is most effective in helping readers to identify the contents of a section?

The Current Retail Climate for Business Apparel Stores

Which of the following can be used to document sources in a business report?

The MLA documentation system, and the APA documentation system

Ryan has conducted a survey for the report he is writing. He wants the report to include the list of survey questions. This information should be placed in

The appendix section

Which of the following are examples of what needs to be documented to avoid plagiarism?

The exact wording of the text you quote, other people's ideas that you borrow or reference, text you reference

Why might researchers make vague or superficial recommendation in a business reports?

They do not want to state a clear opinion on the subject; they are tired and in a hurry to finish

In a business report, bulleting is used for which of the following?

To break dense blocks of text, to group information visually for easier comprehension

What is the primary purpose of charts and tables in a business report?

To fit into the story line of the report

True or False: Citations should be used throughout your business report?

True

True or False: Researchers should clearly show how their recommendations are connected to the facts in the report?

True

A document that explains why a business goal is beneficial and details how resources and funds will be allocated to the meet the goal of the business is known as a business __________

A business proposal

Which of the following are typically included in the front matter of a formal report?

A title page; a cover page; a table of contents

Which of the following actions are plagiarism?

Any literary theft, copying a text word for word and passing it off as your own, stealing and passing off the ideas of someone else as your own.

When designing a business report for a business report, you should

Assume that the executive will not read all of the text, make it easy for the executive to navigate quickly through the document

Where does the executive summary appear in most reports?

At the beginning of the document

Reference lists should be placed

At the end of the report

In a report on the real estate in Florida, which of the two following charts would be most useful?

Average incomes in Florida Metropolitan Area; Home ownership rates in Florida

A report without a problem statement is likely to

Be considered unimportant, wander aimlessly

Text taken word-for-word from a source is called

Direct quotation

Which of the following are essential features of a thorough, detailed approach to research?

Documentation of sources, methodical analysis

To support the story line of a report, you should

Include charts only for statistics that are directly related to the central theme; make space for charts that convey essential information

A table of contents is usually included in a business report if the document is

Is more than 10 pages long

Documenting sources and including data to support your conclusions will to make a business report which of the following?

More credible

What are several advantages of using tables in a business report?

Notes can be attached to a table to provide further information; tables organize information for readers to analyze and judge for themselves

In general, how long should an executive summary be?

One page for every pages in the report

How long are most business report problem statements?

One to three paragraphs

In which of the following cases could a sentence that a writer takes directly from someone else's writing could be considered plagiarism?

Only half of the sentence is placed within quotation marks, and no words are altered; None of the words is placed within quotation marks, and no words were altered; None of the words are placed within quotation marks, and a few words are altered

Which of the following preview statements is MOST effective?

Our research shows that the restaurant is gradually losing customers, primarily because menu items are overpriced

While compiling a business report, Mary finds the discussion of a survey in a scholarly journal. She does not copy the text exactly but conveys the meaning of the material in her own words in her report. She also cites the source of the information. This is called

Paraphrasing

When you design a business report, you should bear in mind which of the following?

People will read the document in various ways, the document is easy to navigate, some readers will not have enough time to ponder everything in the document

What are several of the key features that should be included in all business reports?

Precision, Documentation, and value to decision makers

Which component of a business report frames the overall message in order to help decision makers follow the direction of the text?

Preview Statement

As a general guideline, a report is fewer than that 5 pages

Requires at least first-level headings

Headers are in used in reports to

Reveal the basic logic of the document, help readers navigate rapidly through the document, indicate the contents of each section

Business reports are flawed when their recommendations are

Unrealistic; vague

Which of the following are examples of plagiarism?

Using your own language to express someone else's ideas without giving credit to that person; Using someone else's exact words without quotation marks but giving credit to that person; using someone else's text without giving credit to that person but using quotation to show that the text is not your own language

Which of the following sentences should be revised to strike a better balance between objectivity, and positivity (in other words, which of the following would benefit from a more objective tone?)

We will never find a better location than this, it even includes an amazing inventory; This is a fabulous opportunity that will surely triple our profits if we drop on it before someone else does.

In which of the following situations are cover pages typically used?

When the report is more than 10 pages long; when the report will be submitted to decision makers outside the organization, when the report is formal