HR Report
Good and poor examples of executive summaries
This is a GOOD example from an Accounting & Finance assignment.
Footnote
Executive Summary This report provides an analysis and evaluation of the current and prospective profitability, liquidity and financial stability of Outdoor Equipment Ltd. Methods of analysis include trend, horizontal and vertical analyses as well as ratios such as Debt, Current and Quick ratios. Other calculations include rates of return on Shareholders’ Equity and Total Assets and earnings per share to name a few. All calculations can be found in the appendices. Results of data analyzed show that all ratios are below industry averages. In particular, comparative performance is poor in the areas of profit margins, liquidity, credit control, and inventory management. The report finds the prospects of the company in its current position are not positive. The major areas of weakness require further investigation and corrective action by management. Recommendations discussed include: improving the average collection period for accounts receivable· improving/increasing inventory turnover· reducing prepayments and perhaps increasing inventory levels
The report also investigates the fact that the analysis conducted has limitations. Some of the limitations include: forecasting figures are not provided nature and type of company is not known nor the current economic conditions data limitations as not enough information is provided or enough detail i.e. monthly details not known results are based on past performances not present | Subject matter methods of analysis Findings Conclusions
Recommendations (note that conclusions and recommendations can be bulleted) Limitations of the report. |
Excerpt from Woodward-Kron, R. (1997) Writing in Commerce: a guide to assist Commerce students with assignment writing, (Revised edition), Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, The University of Newcastle.
This is a GOOD example of an executive summary from a marketing report.
This is a POOR example of an executive summary from a marketing assignment
Executive Summary Every time a business or consumer purchases products or services they display forms of buyer behavior that are influenced by many factors. The following report looks at the fast food industry and will analyse four McDonalds’ key products and services. It highlights what type of consumer buying or business buying behaviors are displayed in the purchase of a product or service and explains why each behavior may occur. This enables a conclusion to be drawn from applying theory to reality. Although a full comprehension of buying behavior is impossible, since everyone is an individual, it is useful to reflect on common behaviors and attempt to divide behaviors in types and stages. Even McDonalds, a leader in marketing cannot always predict consumer behavior. | Background to problem Report’s aims Outlines what information the report deals with but FAILS to provide a summary of the results gained, conclusions drawn and recommendations made. These are the functions of an executive summary and are absent in this example. The information in this executive summary is vague rather than summarizing what the report found. |