Chapter 11: Creating the Right Type of Report

List the components of the most formal type of report, with the first component at the top.

1. Title fly 2 Title page 3 Transmittal message 4 Table of contents 5 Executive summary 6 Report proper

Hiroshi states in the introduction to a long, formal report that the survey he distributed was sent only to upper-level management in the Pacific Northwest region due to various constraints. Hiroshi is explaining the ______ of his report.

limitations

Which of the following would make the most appropriate final sentence of the report?

"In light of the blog's assets, I would recommend that the blog's authors be encouraged to continue but that we develop a social-media policy to guide such practices."

Which of the following navigational aids are required in short reports? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Brief introduction -Clear headings -Brief transitions

Which of the following statements about the title fly and title page of a report are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-First two pages -Includes the title fly and title page

Which of the following should be included on the title page? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Intended recipient -Report title -Report author -Date

Which of the following statements about the appendix are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-It always comes at the very end of the report. -It includes supplementary materials.

Which of the following are general characteristics of the letter report? (Choose every correct answer.)

-It is created for an external audience. -It is composed in a personal style.

Which of the following statements about the ending of a long, formal report are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-It should be clearly formatted to highlight main points. -The type of ending you write depends on the purpose of the report. -It should state the main takeaways of the report.

Ipolo is writing a problem-solving report about increasing efficiency in the company's manufacturing process. After careful analysis, Ipolo has reached the conclusion that the company is overstaffed on all levels and that efficiency and revenue would increase with automation and a significant reduction of the workforce. He realizes this conclusion will be met with resistance and likely displeasure. Ipolo's report should do which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)

-It should reveal Ipolo's recommendations at the end of the report. -It should state the purpose and topic at the beginning of the report.

When describing the sources and methods used to collect information in the introduction of a long, formal report, which of the following should you do if you used a large number of sources? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Provide a description of the types of sources used -Use footnotes to cite the sources as you mention them

Which of the following are reasons why the writing in shorter reports is likely to be more personal than in longer reports? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Shorter reports are generally handled not by teams but by individuals who are expected to express their opinions. -Shorter reports generally cover routine, everyday issues that do not require formality. -Shorter reports are usually distributed to staff who are familiar with one another.

Which of the following statements about the report body are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Sources should be accurately documented. -It should be easy to understand and interesting.

Which of the following should you keep in mind about the audience as you prepare the introduction of a long, formal report? (Choose every correct answer.)

-The recipients may not be very familiar with the problem addressed in the report. -There will likely be a large number of readers.

Which of the following statements about the portion of a long, formal report's introduction that explains the sources and methods of collecting information are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-The section can be brief if published research was used. -The purpose of the section is for the reader to view the research as competent and thorough.

Why do most shorter, informal reports require little, if any, introductory material? (Choose every correct answer.)

-The topic and purpose can be summed up in the title or even the subject line. -Recipients are generally aware of and awaiting delivery of the report.

What are some pointers to consider when using report templates? (Choose every correct answer.)

-There are many good templates available free of charge. -Changing the template elements may separate items that work well together. -You need to be sure to use a template that is appropriate for your audience.

Which of the following statements about email reports are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-They are usually written in a personal style. -They can include headings and visual support.

Which of the following statements about problem-solving reports are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-They include recommendations for action. -External problem-solving reports are usually authored by consulting companies.

Which of the following statements about external progress reports are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-They report progress made. -They may speculate on future progress.

Which of the following statements about the use of special terms and acronyms in long, formal reports are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

-They should be defined for the audience. -They can be defined in the text or as a footnote upon first appearance.

How should you number the pages in a report? (Choose every correct answer.)

-Use a header and footer if the report is more than one page. -Start numbering on the second page.

How do you get a report template? (Choose every correct answer.)

-You can search for it on Google. -You can open Word, click "New," and type "reports" in the search field.

Quiz

....

Click and drag on elements in order List the components of an executive summary written in the indirect order, with the first component at the top.

1. Identification of topic and purpose 2. Explanation of research involved 3 Presentation of key points, discoveries, and analysis 4. Recommendations for action

What type of business report should contain headings?

All business reports should have headings.

Which of these is a trait of a good title page?

Being informative

The ending of a long, formal report can take which of the following forms? (Choose every correct answer.)

Conclusions section Summary Recommendations section

Which of the following characterizes a typical problem statement?

Descriptive

True or false: Short reports require a detailed road map to help readers know exactly where they are in the report and where to go.

False

Siddhara is working on a report about a sensitive and complex issue. Her report will be distributed to the top executives and board members of her company. Which type of report is she most likely to write?

Formal report

Which of the following choices would not be a reader-friendly way to organize the report's information?

Go through the posts and evaluate them one by one.

A table of contents is likely to include which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)

Headings Page numbers

Which of the following statements about the transmittal message is true?

In most cases it should be conversational in tone.

Which of the following statements about the short report, as represented by the fourth and fifth levels of the formality stairway, is true?

It can be organized in either the direct or indirect order.

Which of the following is a common characteristic of the shorter report form?

It is a frequently produced working report.

Which of the following best defines the transmittal message?

It is a message that delivers the report to the recipient.

Which of the following statements about the executive summary is true?

It must be concise and cover each part of the report.

Which of the following statements about the title of a report are true? (Choose every correct answer.)

It should convey what the report is about. It should be concise but informative.

What is the scope of an investigation?

Its boundaries

A report writer must first consider which of the following when planning a report that meets the reader's needs? (Choose every correct answer.)

Length Degree of formality

Which of the following items are data-based visuals? (Choose every correct answer.)

Pie charts Bar and column charts

Busarakham works at a factory that makes embroidered patches for the fashion industry. One of the custom embroidery machines, a critical piece of equipment, continually breaks down, slowing production and causing the factory to fall short of quotas and delivery deadlines. Busarakham needs to write a short report to the management team about the faulty machine. Which type of report would be most appropriate?

Problem-solving report

Of the following, what is the best overall plan for the transmittal email to your boss?

Refer to the attached report, answer her main question, and offer to answer any further questions.

Which of the following is essentially the report itself?

Report body

Johan distributes weekly internal reports about his department's sales targets to the management team. He has a standardized template he uses in which he inputs current data. Which of the following types of short report is Johan creating?

Routine operational report

Samira is working on the introduction to a long, formal report. She and her team faced a number of limitations during the research phase, and she is wondering how to address these in the introduction. Which of the following should she do?

Samira should explain the limitations honestly.

Jonquil explains in the introduction to a long, formal report that she analyzed the usage of workplace gyms for companies of a similar size but not for companies in the same industry or for those not located in large metropolitan areas. Which of the following is Jonquil describing?

Scope of her investigation

A problem-solving report would be most appropriate for which of the following situations?

Staff turnover has been very high for the last three years and is affecting the bottom line as well as morale.

Which of the following must be included in a one-page memo report?

Subject line

Of the following, what is the best subject line for the transmittal email to your boss?

The Best Email Marketing Software for Jed & Jack's

Which of the following distinguishes the internal progress report from a routine operational report?

The internal progress report is produced as needed.

Which of the following are traits of meeting minutes? (Choose every correct answer.)

They are an organized summary of a meeting. They are objective and factual.

How are data-based visuals related to reports?

They are more likely to be used in reports than in other genres.

Which of the following statements about letter reports is true?

They should include a salutation.

Which of the following components of a report is challenging to compose appropriately and, on a per-word basis, is likely to take more time than other parts of the report?

Title

Which of the following is included in the most formal of reports and is generally not a component of other reports?

Title fly

Which of the following are components of the short report, as represented by the fourth and fifth levels of formality in the report-components grid? (Choose every correct answer.)

Title page Combined transmittal message/summary

Why should you use headings in a business report?

To break up the text

True or false: A short report should contain a title page.

True

True or false: A short research report for helping solve a company problem may need to include a good analysis but not a recommended course of action.

True

Which of the following is a good writing strategy for this report?

Use a personal style ("I," "you") in the transmittal email but avoid these pronouns in the attached report.

Of the following, which would be the best formatting decision for this report?

Use two levels of informative headings.

Which of the following describes the correct usage of page numbers in a business report?

Using Arabic numerals for body text

When should a business report generally include a table of contents?

When the report is longer than five pages

The most appropriate ending for this report is

a "Recommendation" section that summarizes the key findings and recommends which product to purchase.

A report that introduces and describes a particular issue, discusses various options for dealing with the issue, and offers some suggestions for how to act on the issue is most likely ______.

a problem-solving report

Email reports are generally intended for ______.

an internal audience

If you provide definitions for special terms and acronyms in a separate section of the introduction of a long, formal report, you should include ______.

an introductory statement

The item that comes attached at the end of the main report and includes supplementary information is the ______.

appendix

Jaime has worked in the head office of Donut Delight for five years. He has had the same manager for the duration, and they have a congenial working relationship. Jaime is writing a weekly sales report that he will email to his manager. Jaime's report is most likely to ______.

be written in a personal style

Which of the following could be a helpful and appropriate appendix to the report?

both a representative post from the blog and a sample social-media policy

You could argue that it would be appropriate in this case to state your assessment of the blog up front but make your recommendation for action only after presenting the information about the blog. Your reasoning would be

both that you want to avoid seeming pushy and that you want to build support for your recommendation before presenting it.

Most shorter reports will divulge key points such as the conclusion and recommendations for action before providing details about the research conducted and the findings. These reports are thus written in the ______ order.

direct

Which form of report would be appropriate for this situation?

either an email report or a short report attached to an email message

The main purpose of the introduction of a long, formal report is to ______.

prepare the recipients to receive the report

A statement that describes the situation that created the need for a report is known as the ______ statement.

problem

The purpose of meeting minutes is to ______.

provide a record

The type of short report that is regularly produced, uniformly formatted or uses a prescribed format, and designed to keep relevant internal employees up-to-date on company actions and activities is the ______.

routine operational report

The type of business report that is most common in business is the ______.

shorter report form

When a short report is written for an internal audience, the direct order is generally used except in cases where ______.

the audience is likely to disagree or be unhappy with the conclusions

The following statements about the letter report are true except ______.

the letter report is typically around twenty pages and has a bibliography

Both the title fly and the title page contain ______.

the report title

The main reason shorter business reports are usually written in the direct order is because ______.

they usually cover everyday issues that do not require a lot of preliminary explanation

The first component to be eliminated from a report as it decreases in level of formality is the ______.

title fly

The main reason for using a title fly in a report is ______.

to make the report as formal as possible

Considering what the reader needs to know in order to understand the information in a shorter business report will help you determine ______.

what introductory material to include