Chapter 9: Proposals and Formal Reports

Question 1

are short, and often formatted as memos or letters

Answer 1

informal proposal

Question 2

are more complex reports ranging from 5-200 pages

Answer 2

formal proposal

Question 3

may resemble justification or recommendation reports (may be addressed to a boss)

Answer 3

internal proposal

Question 4

are addressed to clients, customers, or stakeholders

Answer 4

external proposal

Question 5

often in the form of requests for proposals

Answer 5

solicited proposal

Question 6

often sent by companies looking for work

Answer 6

unsolicited proposal

Question 7

6 components of informal reports

Answer 7

1. introduction
2. background
3. plan
4. staffing
5. budget
6. authorization

Question 8

states the reason for the proposal, highlights writer’s qualifications, and contains a “hook”

Answer 8

introduction to proposal

Question 9

identifies the problem and discusses the goals/purpose of the project

Answer 9

background of proposal

Question 10

discusses your methods for solving the problem

Answer 10

plan

Question 11

describes the credentials and expertise of the project’s leaders and company as a whole

Answer 11

staffing

Question 12

provides a list of project costs, and is considered the most important part of a informal proposal

Answer 12

budget

Question 13

requests permission and reminds reader of benefits and motives for action

Answer 13

authorization

Question 14

a research-based, written solution to a business issue/problem

Answer 14

formal business report

Question 15

3 overall characteristics of a formal business report

Answer 15

formal tone, traditional structure, and considerable length

Question 16

provides management with the vital data/info analysis, and recommendations for decision making

Answer 16

formal business report

Question 17

3 steps to the business writing process

Answer 17

1. Rewriting
2. Writing/Drafting
3. Revising

Question 18

what is the purpose or goal of this report? is called a

Answer 18

purpose statement

Question 19

who is your client?
what is their business context?
what is the question/need/problem that motivated this research?
why are the findings so important to your client’s business?

Answer 19

prewriting stage

Question 20

what do formal reports begin with

Answer 20

purpose statement

Question 21

what areas will be included in the research

Answer 21

• key competitors

- social media preferences of company’s target market

Question 22

• detailed financial analysis of the options
• a comprehensive analysis of the industry
• analysis of more than 3 social media options

Answer 22

will not be included in a formal business report

Question 23

firsthand collection of data through surveys, interviews, observations, experiments

Answer 23

primary data

Question 24

data collection that has been completed by others and published in the form of articles, books, web sites, statistics

Answer 24

secondary data

Question 25

research projects almost always begin with an exploration of

Answer 25

secondary data

Question 26

formal report writers conduct most of their research using

Answer 26

secondary data

Question 27

criteria for assessing credibility when searching the internet

Answer 27

currency, authority, content, and accuracy

Question 28

data collected from groups of people

Answer 28

surveys

Question 29

gathers data economically and efficiently

Answer 29

surveys

Question 30

gets info from experts or veterans in their field

Answer 30

interviews

Question 31

produce rich data, but can be subjective

Answer 31

observations

Question 32

produces data suggesting cause and effect

Answer 32

experimentation

Question 33

3 internet search tips/techniques

Answer 33

- use quotation marks - omit articles and prepositions - proofread your search words

Question 34

the act of showing where your info comes from

Answer 34

documentation

Question 35

taking phrases someone else has written without acknowledgement

Answer 35

plagiarism

Question 36

why document your data properly

Answer 36

- to strengthen your argument - to protect yourself - to instruct the reader/audience

Question 37

give credit when you use

Answer 37

- another person's ideas - any facts, graphs, drawings - quotations - paraphrases

Question 38

to restate an original passage in your own words and style

Answer 38

paraphrasing

Question 39

4 steps/process to paraphrasing

Answer 39

1. read the og material to understand the meaning 2. write your own version without looking at the og 3. avoid repeating grammatical structure and replacing words with synonyms 4. re-read the og to be sure you covered main points

Question 40

conclusion/recommendation followed by data/analysis

Answer 40

direct

Question 41

what order or where should you place the conclusion/recommendations in an indirect proposal

Answer 41

data, analysis, conclusion, recommendation

Question 42

ways to organize findings

Answer 42

chronology, geography, topic or criteria

Question 43

steps in the report process

Answer 43

organize, analyze, and conclusion

Question 44

these clarify the reports message and can draw attention and add interest

Answer 44

graphics/visual elements

Question 45

pay attention to these 6 elements when editing a formal business report

Answer 45

``` format consistency graphics heading levels accuracy mechanics ```

Question 46

how to clearly identify the contents of a visual aid

Answer 46

with meaningful titles and numbers

Question 47

where to locate the visual aid

Answer 47

close to its reference in the text

Question 48

what type of placement should you want for visual aids

Answer 48

vertical placement

Question 49

creating effective graphics can

Answer 49

1. clarify data 2. make numerical data meaningful 3. create visual interest

Question 50

simplify complex ideas and make concepts easier to remember

Answer 50

effective graphics

Question 51

present quantitative info in systematic order of columns and rows

Answer 51

tables

Question 52

used to make emphatic visual comparison, illustrate changes in data, and show segments as parts of a whole

Answer 52

bar charts

Question 53

show changes over time, indicate trends, and don't give precise data but an overview of it

Answer 53

line charts

Question 54

helps reader visualize a whole and the proportion of its components, useful in showing percentages

Answer 54

pie charts

Question 55

useful for clarifying procedures

Answer 55

flow charts

Question 56

in flow charts, what do they designate the beginning and end of a process with

Answer 56

ovals

Question 57

in flow charts, how do they denote the decision process

Answer 57

diamonds

Question 58

in flow charts how do you represent major activities or steps

Answer 58

rectangles

Question 59

shows a chain of command

Answer 59

organizational chart

Question 60

formal business reports are organized into 3 major parts

Answer 60

front matter, body, back matter