Entrepreneurship and Innovation Report

Reports For many of your assignments, you will be asked to write a report. However, it is important to understand that the structure of a report depends on its purpose. Therefore, any general advice about report writing needs to be balanced with the specific requirements of your assignment, as presented in the course outline, and any instructions given by your lecturer.

A sample report has been included in the Appendices.

The Purpose of a Report The most common purpose of a report is to provide comprehensive information and analysis about a situation. Quite often – but not always – you will be asked to provide recommendations based on that analysis. In a real world context, this information and analysis would provide management with a foundation to making decisions, planning future strategies, evaluating current strategies, or measuring the progress of existing plans. In writing for your lecturer, keep this approach in mind.

The Difference between a Report and an Essay There are some identifiable differences between a report and an essay, which can give you a general idea about what a report should look like. The differences are summarized in this table:

Report Essay Purpose Presents information and analysis about a problem, and often suggests a solution. Argues a position in response to an issue or a proposition, drawing conclusions about it. Structure & Format Has Preliminary pages, including an executive summary & table of contents (see below); Has Clearly divided sections with numbered headings (and often sub- headings); cohesion (“flow”) of ideas is often achieved by the logic of these headings; Brief paragraphs and dot points are acceptable so the reader of a report can extract information quickly; Tables and figures are often included as a way of showing information quickly and easily; Often makes recommendationsHas Introduction, body and conclusion; sometimesyou may be asked to provide headings for these; Cohesion is achieved by the flow between paragraphs, and strong paragraph structure; Dot points are not appropriate because an essay aims to provide a more reflective reading experience.

Essay discussions may sometimes include a table or figure, but not usually. Page 50 General Report Structure The structure of a report is generally divided into sections. Preliminary Pages Check with your lecturer about whether all of these items are necessary for your assignment.

The convention is to use small case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv) for page numbering in this section. xLetter of Transmittal (if required) xAssignment cover sheet xExecutive summary (or abstract) xA contents page xA list of tables (if relevant) xA list of figures (if relevant) Main Text Use decimal outlining for numbering sections in the main text.

Number the pages of your assignment using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…) xIntroduction xBody sections xConclusion xRecommendations (usually, but not always ) Appendices Must be referred to within the main text xAppendix A, Appendix B etc. References xAll references must have in-text citations The Preliminary Pages Letter of Transmittal The letter of transmittal is a cover letter for a report. This letter is addressed to the person who requested or authorised the report. Its purpose is to formally state that the report is completed and it mentions when it was authorised, and the report’s purpose and scope. Additionally, it highlights points of special interest in the report and whether further research is required. A letter of transmittal is not part of the formal report. (First check with your lecturer to see if this is required).

Assignment Cover Sheet An assignment cover sheet includes the title of the assignment, the name of the lecturer and course along with the student’s details. The NBS provides an assignment cover sheet that is available through Blackboard. Table of Contents The table of contents is essential to a report. Its purpose is to list the information contained in the report and indicate where it is located. It also demonstrates the structure of the report. It should:

Page 51 xBe on a separate page.

xHave sections that include headings and subheadings which match the headings and subheadings in the text.

xHave the page numbers clearly placed alongside the headings and subheadings.

xHave the sections with a corresponding numbering system to the text. There are several different ways of numbering the sections of a report but the one adopted almost universally in Australia is the decimal system. Under this system, each chapter bears a major number, each section bears a decimal point of its chapter, each subsection a lower decimal point, each paragraph another point lower. 1. First-degree heading 1.1. Second-degree heading 1.2.

1.2.1 third-degree heading 1.2.2 2. First-degree heading 2.1. Second-degree heading 2.2 N.B.Avoid using more than 3 subsections. i.e. 1.2.2.1 List of Tables and List of Figures If you only have one or two tables and/or figures list them on the table of contents page. If there are a large number of tables and figures use a separate page and have a different list for tables and figures. The style of these lists should match the table of contents page.

Executive Summary (or Abstract) An executive summary, or abstract, provides the essential information from the whole report. In a real world context, the executive summary may be the only part of a report that the time-poor executive/manager has time to read.

As such, it:

xSummarises the purpose, context, (including methodology, if that is relevant to your report) key issues and/or main findings, conclusions and recommendations.

xDoes not include quotations, extensive background, or detailed evidence.

xIs usually at least half a page, but no more than one page in length. Page 52 The Sections of the Main Text The main text consists of the introduction, body sections, the conclusion and the recommendations. Each section has a distinct structure and purpose.

The Introduction xThe introduction identifies the purpose and background of the report.

It usually outlines the areas of analysis that will follow in the body.

xPurposestatements generally include the aim of the report, e.g. “the report analyses and evaluates the current marketing plan in order to recommend future strategies”. This may also include who authorised the report if the assignment requires you to take on a specific “real world” role.

xBackgroundstatements provide information on the history of the report topic, e.g. an overview of the organisation that requires the report, or the history of the problem that the report is going to address. However, this should be a summary, not a story. You need to judge how much information is enough to enable the reader to understand your analysis. xYou may also include terms of reference, such as any limitations or timeframes imposed on your analysis. xIf your report is based on empirical research conducted by you,(e.g.

you surveyed actual people, or conducted tests of some kind), your introduction could include a summary the type of data collected, and how it was collected. You would also outline your theoretical framework, and the analysis in the body of the report would be based on this theoretical framework. The Body Sections The body of the report expands and follows the outline that was stated in the introduction. Generally the body is developed in sections with clearly defined headings. The topic of each section depends on the purpose and content of your report. It is therefore not possible to prescribe this, but the following examples demonstrate some logical section organisation: Example from a Management report: 1. INTRODUCTION 2. ISSUES 2.1 Leadership 2.2 Decision-making 2.3 Motivation 2.4 Conflict 2.5 Stress 3. CONCLUSION 4. RECOMMENDATIONS Page 53 Example from a Marketing report: 1. OVERVIEW OF COMPANY 2. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS 2.1 Internal Factor Analysis 2.2 External Factor Analysis 3. SWOT ANALYSIS 3.1 Internal Strengths and Weaknesses 3.2 External Opportunities and Threats 4. OBJECTIVES 5. STRATEGY AND POSITIONING 6. ACTION PLAN 7. MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION The analysis in the body sections should be:

xlogically argued, using appropriate academic language (see Academic Writing).

xwell supported with evidence.

xreferenced correctly according to APA 6 th style.

xrelevant to the purpose of the report. The Conclusion A conclusion should:

xBriefly summarise the key points of the analysis.

xDraw conclusions from this analysis.

xNever introduce new material.

Recommendations The purpose of the recommendations is to propose a course of action to resolve the problems that were raised in the report. The conclusion refers to the past (what has been done or found) or the present (what is being done or is the current situation) while the recommendations refer to the future (what can be done or changed).

The recommendations should:

xBe logically derived from the analysis and its conclusions.

xAs such, recommendations are actions that might be reasonably expected.

xBe focussed on the future of the situation.

xBe concise and to the point.

xBe realistic and achievable. Page 54 Appendices The appendices contain the supporting material that could not be placed into the body of the text. For example, statistics, tables, figures and charts that were too numerous to be placed in the text. Or, if surveys or texts were used in the data for the report you may need to include a copy as an appendix.

Appendices are useful for any documentary evidence that is too technical or too long for the body of the report. Notably, appendices do not count in the word count of your assignment. However, appendices are ineffective if they are not referred to in the body of the report. If you have more than one appendix, for example a copy of a survey, some statistics and charts, refer to them as Appendix A, Appendix B and so on.

References All sources, for example, books, journals or websites used in the report must be referenced in the text and a full reference list should be presented. Do not include material in the reference list you have not cited in your report.

Tables, Charts and Figures Tables, charts and figures can be useful in a written assignment and can be used for various purposes:

xTo clarify and simplify complex material, for example, statistics that are referred to in the text xTo summarise information xTo illustrate or reiterate a point made in the text xTo highlight the trends and relationships of data xTo assist the reader to remember the main points emphasised in the text.

Using graphics can often be a very effective method of conveying information to the reader. It instantaneously conveys information in a simple and efficient way. There are numerous and different ways of presenting information graphically:

xColumn and bar charts xLine graphs xScatter graphs (XY) xPie charts xMaps xDiagrams and figures xPhotographs.

Page 55 Column, bar and pie charts, line and scatter graphs can be constructed using Microsoft Excel ( ITskills modules can be accessed from your Blackboard homepage.) Points to remember when using graphics: xIf you scan or copy any chart or graphic from another source it must be referenced.

xKeep all graphics simple – cluttered charts, tables or figures can lead to confusion or distortion of the information.

xA graphic should only elaborate upon one idea.

xIf you are using many graphics place them in an appendix – too many graphics in the text can break up the text and ruin the smooth flow of the text.

xEnsure that the graphic is relevant to the purpose of the written assignment xThe graphic should have an explanatory and numbered caption, these captions are placed under the graphic and referred to in the text by their number, for example, Figure 1 or Table 3 xEnsure that your word processing and graphics software programs are compatible before you develop your graphics. Presentation Guidelines xThe report should be typed and a file copy kept.

xEnsure that your report conforms to the word count that your lecturer specified. Use the Microsoft Word function –from the Reviewtab select Word Count.

xLeave a three-centimetre margin at the left of each page, except preliminary and title pages.

xAssignments should be double-spaced.

xInsert a line space between paragraphs, and do not indent the first line of the paragraph. Page 56