In this lecture I'll be explaining the basic features of business reports in terms of their format or layout, the kinds of common topics for business reports, and the kind of language readers expect to find in a report. So, by the end of this video and lecture you will be able to describe the basic layout, the topics, and the language typically used in business reports. A business report is really something you write which provides information to a business so it can make decisions. Formal business reports can often be an integral part of the decision making process for a business. So the information that's contained in a report really needs to be easy to locate so all readers can access this crucial information easily. This means that it's important to follow the standard layout or expected format for any report you write, especially if it's a formal report. Formal reports tend to be divided into sections, each of which is clearly labeled with headings and subheading The typical format of a business report has 8 different sections, each labelled clearly. Let's go over each of these sections now. The first section in a formal business report would be the title page, where the report title, the author's name, and the submission date would be found. The second part of a business report would have the executive summary. And the executive summary would really provide an overview of the subject being written about, the methods that were used to analyze any data, the findings, and any recommendations that are going to be made. The next of the 8 different parts of a business report would be the table of contents. So after the executives summary readers expect to find the table of contents for their report, which is essentially a list of the sections in the report and their page numbers. So the readers can easily jump to the information that they really feel they need to look more closely at. After the table of contents we'd expect to find the introduction for the report, where any specific terms of reference used will be explained, and the outline of the report's format will be provided. In this section the writer should also define the purpose of the report and the scope of the report as well. Next we would expect to find, after the introduction, we should find the body of the report. This should be the longest section of the report. It might contain numbered headings and subheadings which would be in sequential order, which reflect the content of each section of the body. The actual content of the information in the body of the report typically includes information on how the data was collected for the report, if this is applicable, any findings as a result of the report, and definitely a discussion of these findings. Finally, we come to the report's conclusion. This section should state the major inferences that can be drawn from the discussion in the previous body section, and a discussion of any recommendations that are made. So after the conclusion a typical report format is to end with first, a reference list, then an appendix where any technical information would be provided that would have cluttered up the body of the report. The reference list should contain a list of any of the reference material you use when researching the report. And the appendix should contain any information that supports the analysis you provided in the body of this report. But this information in the appendix would be what is not essential to the explanation of the analysis itself. Sometimes this might be technical information, figures, or material that would clutter up the body of the report. But what do we actually write about in a business report? There are a wide, wide range of topics or subjects that reports are written on. For example, you could write a progress report on the status of a project. You could write a feasibility report that assesses potential solutions to a problem or opportunity, and determines which of these potential solutions are viable for further analysis. You could also write, perhaps, a recommendation report that actually recommends which, after you've analyzed potential solutions, then you recommend the solution which would be best. But as I've said, business reports are a genre which are very widely used in the business community. But since business reports are written to provide important information to managers, sometimes this information can be crucial to the information or decision making process. And this really needs to be information that's somewhat formal. But more importantly, it must be factual and timely, not dated or subjected to the writer's personal opinions. Instead the language or register used needs to be precise and concise, making it easy to read and to really objectively understand the information in order to make a decision. Actually, the information needs to be factual, so the language needs to simply present the information in a direct and accurate way. No strong personal opinions are expected in this genre of business writing. In contrast to all the detailed headings in a formal report, informal reports will often be simply a short summary in letter or memo format, neither of which will use detailed headings. They tend to be about more routine issues, not the complex problems dealt with in formal reports. As such, informal reports don't have detailed analyses or any specific recommendations about how the reader should proceed. Since informal reports tend to be written for an audience within the same business or organization, the writing style can be more personal, using pronouns I and you rather than the more formal, impersonal style expected in longer, complex formal reports. Well, that was a lot to cover, so here's a recap. There's a basic expected layout for business reports that's usually expressed in 8 sections, each of which has a heading, especially if you're writing a formal report. There's a wide variety of topics you might write a report for such as a financial report, recommendation report, feasibility report, etc. But all the information provided in the report should be factual, timely, direct, and accurate, because it's important information for its readers. I hope today you're more familiar with business report writing and that you feel a bit more comfortable in your ability to describe the basic layout, the topics, and the language expected in this specific business genre. Thank you very much.
