MGMT1201: Business Communication
Business Report Part 3: Report Front Matter (11%)
{Individual Assignment}
Use the Formal Business Report Style Guide (module 7) to help you write and format all the sections of the business report.
Deliverable:
Prepare the Front Matter of this business report (Word document) with the following:
· Transmittal document (letter format)
· Title page
· Table of contents (list of illustrations)
· Executive summary
· Include all the contents from Part 2 (body of report). This will not be marked for content, but will be marked on formatting as an entire document.
Instructions:
Plan
1. Use the letter template in the “Format Examples – Letter, Email, and Memo” Word document in Module 7.
Write
2. Use Microsoft Word, follow the Formal Business Report Style Guide for detailed instructions, and create the front matter of the report as follows:
a. Transmittal document: The letter is not more than one page in length, and it is to be addressed to the individual who requested/authorized the report.
. Title page: This contains the report title (descriptive title), the report audience (who the report is for), the report author or authors (who wrote the report), and the release date.
c. Table of contents: The table of contents must list the headings as they appear in the report; however, no emphasis techniques (i.e. bold, underline, bullets) are used in the table of contents.
d. Executive Summary: This is a
ief summary of the key points in the report that tells the story of the report. The main function of the executive report is to give the readers an immediate understanding of the report without having to read the report in its entirety.
e. Report body: Add the sections from Part 2 (introduction, findings, summary, recommendation, and reference page) in with the front matter.
Review
3. Revise your written draft using topic sentences, transition words, and simple, yet business professional language.
4. Follow the Formal Report Style Guide (Module 7 Resources) to see the proper document requirements of a formal business report including headings, page numbers, alignment and spacing, fonts and font size, and language.
5. Submit in the D2L Dropbox, Business Report Part 3.
Your assignment will be evaluated in accordance with the Ru
ic attached.
Ru
ic
7 C’s of Effective Communication and the Formal Business Report Style Guide
Complete:
· The information provided is specific to the company and management role and follows the Formal Business Report Guide in the following:
· Transmittal document – appropriate information, describes purpose and what’s included in the report, effective call to action
· Title page – includes descriptive title, the report audience, report authors, release date
· Table of contents – includes headings as they appear in the report, no emphasis techniques, indenting for each level, properly aligned
· Executive summary – appropriate information (not copied directly from the body of the report) that effectively summarizes report including what the report is about, overview of findings, and overview of recommendations XXXXXXXXXXwords)
· Includes the body of the report (Part 2)
· APA citations and references are used to build credibility and are directly from the source (pg. or paragraph number included)
· The audience needs, values and priorities have been considered (pg. 149)
· All relevant information is included
· All questions or constraints that the audience may have are answered (pg. 149)
/ 10
Concise:
· Message/words are to the point (extra words removed) (pg. 179)
· Appropriate length XXXXXXXXXXwords)
· Paragraph length is controlled XXXXXXXXXXwords for small paragraphs/ XXXXXXXXXXwords for typical paragraphs) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Short and simple sentences (in most cases) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· No redundancy (i.e. same content/words repeated in sentences) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Avoids empty phrases or wordy prepositional phrases (pg. 182)
· Avoids adve
s
/ 7.5
Concrete:
· Key ideas are effectively supported with strong evidence and recommendations are logical and based on report analysis
· Logic and reason are provided and build credibility in the message (no faulty logic, weak analogies, exaggeration, and unsupported generalizations) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· The information is well-organized (structured) and in a logical order (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Uses concrete and specific words to clarify the meaning (not vague and abstract) (pg. 178).
/ 5
Considerate:
· Positive in tone (can-do, confident, positive traits, constructive terms) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Shows concern for others (avoids “I-voice”, respects time and autonomy, and gives credit) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Written to the audience (“you approach”) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Includes benefits that are important to the audience, and considers readers values and priorities (pg. 149)
· Culturally sensitive showing respect, recognizes and appreciates differences, uses gender neutral wording, avoid stereotypes, and shows empathy and trust (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
Courteous:
· Professional and business appropriate (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
o Avoids slang or unprofessional tone
o Avoids emojis
o Avoids technical words
o Spells out acronyms
o Uses greetings and names (appropriate salutation).
· Expresses goodwill through kindness and friendliness to maintain good relationships (pg. 276 & 350)
/ 2.5
Co
ect:
· Written in third person (only first person in the transmittal document)
· Uses proper punctuation (see Bonus Appendix BA 1 in eBook)
· Uses co
ect spelling and capitalization
· Uses co
ect grammar including pronoun agreement, and avoids comma splices
· No incomplete or run-on sentences
· Proper ve
tense (present tense for analysis and future tense for recommendations)
· Co
ect use of pronouns
· APA references and citations are co
ectly formatted (APA 7)
/ 5
Clarity (Written):
· The main objective of the message is clear (only one purpose) (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Introduced figure or tables before the placement of the figure/table
· Acronyms are introduced first, followed by parentheses and the acronym
· Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Uses action ve
s where possible (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Uses active and passive voice appropriately (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Uses short and familiar words and phrases (plain, familiar language) (pg. 185)
· Uses parallel language (consistent grammatical pattern) (pg. 186)
· Avoids cliches, buzzwords and figures of speech (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Avoids “It is” and “there are” statements (pg XXXXXXXXXX)
· Uses articles (a, an & the)
· Co
ect use of acronyms, dates and times Date format – January 12, 2021
Time format – 11:00 a.m. or 11:00 AM
/ 5
Clarity (Visual) (as per Formal Business Report Style Guide):
· Transmittal letter uses co
ect letter formatting
· Double-spacing only on the reference page
· Text alignment is left justified (no indentation for paragraphs).
· Appropriate white space and margins around text and images
· Appropriate font, font size and colour are consistent throughout the document
HEADINGS
· First-level headings are "all-caps" and centered on the page, Second level headings are left aligned and the first letter of each major word is capitalized (no punctuation)
· One line space between paragraphs and following a heading and two line spaced preceding a heading.
· Headings are used (as required) to help readers identify information
· Headings have consistent, parallel structure (font and formatting)
· Headings of the same level must have the same placement on the page and the same formatting (i.e. alignment is left or center justified and consistent throughout the document)
· Headings have the same grammatical, parallel structure (i.e. all questions, or all start with a ve
)
LISTS
· Bullets/lists are spaced evenly between the items and have one line space after the list
· Bullets/lists are typically indented from the left margin. Each sub-level is further indented
/ 5
Total points
/ 40
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