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Understanding the characteristics of a good report is essential to communicate effectively in the business world. A good report helps to present data and information in a clear, concise, and engaging way, enabling readers to make informed decisions. In this blog, we will discuss the key elements of a good report that will help you create effective business communication.
A report is a document that presents information and findings in a structured format. It is used to convey information to a specific audience, such as managers, clients, or stakeholders. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the report is well-structured, easy to understand, and meets the needs of the audience.
Clarity is the most crucial element of a good report. A report should be written in clear and concise language that is easy to understand. Use simple words, and avoid jargon and technical terms that the audience may not be familiar with. Break down complex concepts into simple ideas, and organize the content logically. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make the report easy to navigate and read.
Accuracy is another essential element of a good report. Ensure that the data and information presented in the report are accurate and reliable. Verify the data and sources before including them in the report. Use graphs, charts, and tables to present the data in a visually appealing way, making it easier for the reader to understand.
Objectivity is the ability to present information in an unbiased and impartial way. A good report should be objective, presenting the facts and information without any personal opinions or biases. Ensure that the report does not contain any information that could be construed as discriminatory or offensive.
A good report should be complete, covering all the relevant information on the topic. It should include an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Ensure that the report answers all the questions that the audience may have and provides recommendations and suggestions if required.
Conciseness means using as few words as possible to convey the required information. A good report should be concise and to the point. Avoid using unnecessary words, and get straight to the point. Use bullet points, tables, and graphs to convey information quickly and efficiently.
In conclusion, a good report is crucial for effective business communication. It should be clear, accurate, objective, complete, and concise. Use simple language, avoid jargon and technical terms, and organize the content logically. Ensure that the report is visually appealing, uses graphs, charts, and tables to present the data. By following these key elements, you can create effective reports that convey information in a clear and concise way.
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1. Basics of Communication
2. Process of Communication
3. Types of Communication
4. Forms of Communication at Workplace
5. Listening and Reading Skills
6. Interpersonal Communication
7. Communication in Meetings
8. Presentation Skills
9. Basics of Written Business Communication
10. Short Business Correspondence
11. Long Business Correspondence
12. Communication for Employment
13. Technology and Communication
14. Cross Cultural Communication
15. Ethics in Communication
A report should contain all the information which are required by the interested parties. Hence, some principles are followed while drafting a report. These principles are simply guidelines.
The accountant should not feel that he has to conform to a set of rules that places him in a straight jacket. However, there are few guides that he should keep in mind. The rules will not be valid in all cases because of the difference in capabilities of top management to digest information and because of variations in the form in which management wants that information.
Therefore, a report is prepared by considering the following points.
Table of Contents
1. suitable title.
A suitable title has to be provided to each report according to the nature of contents. It should also highlight upon its origin and the person for whom it is being prepared.
A report should be readable by an ordinary layman and in known language. Such type of simple style of language is used in the report preparation. As far as possible, scientific or technical language is best left out of reports , unless it becomes unavoidable. In case the reports are of regular nature, it is preferable to get language more or less standardized.
A report should be prepared and submitted within short span of time or time stipulated by the request letter. Information delayed is information denied. At the same time, accuracy of information should not be given up at the cost of achieving objective of promptness. The following steps may be taken to collect the information as early as possible.
Sometimes a report is prepared with some comparative information. In this case, a standard information is compared with actual information. If not so, current year information is compared with last year information. In certain cases, the prospective information is prepared well in advance and the actual information is compared. The main objective of comparability is to highlight significant variations.
A report should be prepared for many years from the same type of information and statistical data . If so, there is a possibility of preparing a report in consistency. It is possible if same accounting principles and concepts are used for collecting, classifying, tabulating and presenting the information. The usage of report is increased through consistency.
A report should be precise, accurate and specific. It can be just a bad reporting practice to supply too much information which over whelms the order; as too little which leaves him guessing. If report is quite long or detailed, then a synopsis should be prepared to cover all significant facts and conclusions.
Relevant accurate data is alone included in the report. If not so, it will involve unnecessary expenditure and the reports will be a waste.
The reports should be specific and presented only to the person in need . Sometimes, reports are sent to various departments in a routine way, if so, the reports are prepared in such a way that includes common information.
Every report should contain the routine detail s like the period of time of preparing report, the period covered in the report, date of presentation of report, the units of information, the name of the person preparing and presenting it, names of persons to whom it is being submitted. etc.
A report should be prepared and presented within the stipulated time . If a report is received late, there is no meaning of preparing such report and no use for management. If the report is presented in time, necessary actions may be taken.
Obviously financial data are more valuable when the events are fresh in the minds of users. The element of time elapsing between the events and the report determines to a large extent, the value of financial reports. Timeliness is generally more important than a high degree of accuracy in the figures.
The format and contents of the report should be suitable to the person or group of person s who are going to use the report and the purpose for which it is required. A report can be adoptable if it is prepared and presented according to the needs of the different levels of management (top, middle and lower).
According to Welsch,
“In the design of reports suited to the principal user, consideration must be given to the method of presentation. Those executives, who are going to utilize the reports, have different backgrounds, working methods personalities and personal preferences. Executives having controller-ship background, generally prefer tabulated and detailed data, those having engineering backgrounds frequently prefer graphic presentations, highly summarized data”. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The reports should give full details of variances such favorable and unfavorable. In the case of unfavorable variances, the report should contain a massage about the unfavorable variances which are controllable at that point. If so, corrective controllable actions may be taken by the appropriate level of authority. Moreover, some unfavorable variances which are beyond the control of the executive receiving the report should be mentioned separately or highlighted in the report.
This cost of preparing and presenting the report should also be considered. This cost should not be more than the advantage derived from such reports. The cost of preparing the report should be reasonable so that reporting may be used by all types of concerns.
If the management executives have taken the action on the basis of report and the report influence decisions, there is an effective communication.
In order to be useful to management, accounting information must be communicated to managerial persona l. Communication implies that a person receiving the information understands the nature and significance of material contained in the reports he receives when communication is genuinely effective, management’s actions and decisions are likely to be based on the facts which they receive rather than on untested impressions and guesses.
However, there is a reason to believe that accounting reports to management have not always achieved their intended purpose because the reports were not understood, recipients lacked time required to grasp the meaning or contents of reports was not relevant to problems facing the persons who received them.
The principle of exception should be followed while preparing and presenting the reports. If so, trouble spots and/or illuminating priority areas are calling for management attention and action. In this case, some benefits are derived such as essential matters only included in the report to the user of the report, more concentration is possible and minimum data is included in the report. Even though, this principle has limited use.
The frequency of reports should be decided, well in advance according to the nature of information and its purpose. It means that the reports should be sent regularly when they are demanded or required. Therefore, some reports may be sent daily, some weekly, some once in ten days, some fortnightly, some monthly and so on.
A report may be prepared for presenting the same in several medias. Therefore, a report may be in written form or oral form or graphic form . An ideal report is presented in the form which carries successful blending of different media.
The style of presenting the report should attract the attention of the user of the report. In meeting this broad requirement for attractiveness in reporting, the accountant assumes the role of an artist . His task is to print a picture that will appeal to the eyes. His report should serve as panorama which is attractive in an artistic sense and therefore one that will be regarded and studied by the potential viewer.
All type of information are collected from various departments including accounting data while preparing the report. In this case, there is a need of coordination of data. It means that data used by different departments should not be unrelated , otherwise a lot of misunderstandings and confusions may arise which would defeat the very purpose of reporting .
A report should contain only latest information . Even though, excessive information cannot be included in the report. It means that report should be kept up to date which are necessitated by the changing conditions.
There is no ideal number of reports to be used in an organization. At the same time, a report should be an additional one and should not give birth to be a duplication. Therefore, reports should be prepared and used only for selective areas . The number of reports should be kept as minimum as possible .
The following points are to be considered while drafting a report.
On the other hand, a research report is a written document that describes an investigative work from beginning to end. The specific details in a report vary according to the type of inquiry.
In addition, specific conventions for writing in each of the scientific disciplines must be taken into account.
Clarity of thought and language.
Clarity of thought and language are among the most essential characteristics of a research report. It is important to highlight that research is a thought process that begins even before choosing the topic of study.
The reasoning power of the researcher is the effective tool for the decisions that must be made throughout the process. This process demands a patient, deep and alert thinking.
In this way, clear thinking results in clear writing. As far as possible, sentences should be simple and important points should be highlighted in small paragraphs. This clarity will make the reader easily understand what the author of the report wants to say.
Another characteristic of a research report is its conceptual clarity. The concepts in a study must be defined and explained. In general, the explanations of a dictionary are almost never adequate for research purposes.
Therefore, it is important to be very explicit, even with that terminology that seems to be very simple. It must be taken into account that the same term may have different definitions in different areas of knowledge.
The research report must establish the problem studied explicitly and unambiguously. In the case of Quantitative investigation , the problem statement must specify the variables and the population subject to study.
This approach can be made in declarative or question form. For its part, in qualitative research, the approach is much broader and indicates the general purpose of the study.
Research reports must observe certain standards of format and organization. The details of the format (type and size of source, margins, form of citing sources, presentation of the list of references, among others), are regulated by each institution.
On the other hand, other characteristics, such as the general organization, reflect the expectations of the scientific community. In this way, it is expected that the report contains a general summary, introduction (with the background and motivation of the study), materials and methods, results and the analysis of results.
It is very common that when conducting an investigation the intellectual property of another author is used. In research reports, an appointment should be suitably included when referring, summarizing, paraphrasing or quoting from another source. There are multiple formats for dating styles, and they vary according to the academic discipline.
In addition, the report must contain the list of references. These offer all the necessary information to locate the sources.
A subsidiary guide to study with business
We know that a report is a written document that shows information in an organized way using a specific format and presentation. The audience and objective are specific for a report.
So, writing a qualitative report may be a hard nut to crack. But not for those who know the essential characteristics of a good report. Because it helps to judge them what the qualities are present in their report.
Reader's knowledge and level of understanding should be considered by the writer of the report. Well, reader-oriented information qualifies a report to be a good one.
5. Simple Language
Simplicity is the best for anything. It is just another essential feature of a good report. A good report is written in simple language avoiding vague and unclear words.
The language of the report should not be influenced by the writer's emotion or goal. The message of a good report should be self-explanatory.
A good reporter should be careful of using simple sentences instead of using a complex sentence in the narration of facts.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Characteristic # 6. Approach: There are two types of approaches: (a) Person—When a report is written based on personal enquiry or observations, the approach shall be personal and the sentences shall be in the first person and in direct speech, (b) Impersonal—When a report is prepared as a source of information and when it is merely factual (e.g. a report on a meeting), the approach ...
The following paragraphs outline the characteristics of a good research report. 1) Accuracy. Report information must be accurate and based on facts, credible sources and data to establish reliability and trustworthiness. It should not be biased by the personal feelings of the writer. The information presented must be as precise as possible.
Your research report should include illustrations and other visual representations of your data. Graphs, pie charts, and relevant images lend additional credibility to your systematic investigation. Choose the Right Title; A good research report title is brief, precise, and contains keywords from your research.
Abstract. This guide for writers of research reports consists of practical suggestions for writing a report that is clear, concise, readable, and understandable. It includes suggestions for terminology and notation and for writing each section of the report—introduction, method, results, and discussion. Much of the guide consists of ...
A research report is a collection of contextual data, gathered through organized research, that provides new insights into a particular challenge (which, for this article, is business-related). Research reports are a time-tested method for distilling large amounts of data into a narrow band of focus. Their effectiveness often hinges on whether ...
4. Accuracy and Precision. Precision is key in a good report. Facts, data, and information must be accurate and presented with precision. Any errors or inaccuracies can undermine the credibility of the report. Cross-verification of data and thorough fact-checking are imperative. 5.
Thesis. Thesis is a type of research report. A thesis is a long-form research document that presents the findings and conclusions of an original research study conducted by a student as part of a graduate or postgraduate program. It is typically written by a student pursuing a higher degree, such as a Master's or Doctoral degree, although it ...
This handout provides a general guide to writing reports about scientific research you've performed. In addition to describing the conventional rules about the format and content of a lab report, we'll also attempt to convey why these rules exist, so you'll get a clearer, more dependable idea of how to approach this writing situation ...
Research reports are recorded data prepared by researchers or statisticians after analyzing the information gathered by conducting organized research, typically in the form of surveys or qualitative methods. A research report is a reliable source to recount details about a conducted research. It is most often considered to be a true testimony ...
What are the implications of the findings? The research report contains four main areas: Introduction - What is the issue? What is known? What is not known? What are you trying to find out? This sections ends with the purpose and specific aims of the study. Methods - The recipe for the study. If someone wanted to perform the same study ...
A high-quality report is like a well-crafted symphony, where each element harmoniously blends with the others to create a masterpiece. The five essential characteristics of a good report are: Clarity. Accuracy. Conciseness. Coherence. Relevance. These components contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, allowing stakeholders to make informed decisions based on reliable ...
You may be given an assignment which is not called a report but shares many of the same features; if so, aspects of this guide will be helpful. It may help to know some of the key differences between reports and essays: Essays. Reports. Argumentative and idea-based. Informative and fact-based. Semi-structured. Formally structured.
Eliza Taylor 16 November 2023. Features of Report Writing explores key elements like clarity, accuracy, objectivity, structure, visual aids, evidence, and recommendations. These features ensure effective communication by presenting information, substantiating claims with credible evidence, and providing actionable recommendations.
Qualities of Good Research 1. Good research is anchored on a sound research question. A sound research question is one of the most important characteristics of good research. In fact, formulating one is embedded in the curricula of research-heavy programs like engineering and physics degrees and careers.In 2010, Farrugia et al. proposed that developing a research question is the most important ...
THE RESEARCH REPORT. This chapter gives attention to two primary topics, both of which present information about research reports. The first part deals with the many valuable things that can be found in research reports beyond the obvious—the results. In the second part we discuss what a research report is and what it is not.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES. Excellent research questions are specific and focused. These integrate collective data and observations to confirm or refute the subsequent hypotheses. Well-constructed hypotheses are based on previous reports and verify the research context.
The characteristic of a good research. A researcher should understand and have a clear understanding of the different. types of research design and select the type which apply best for the study ...
Research Report Definition. According to C. A. Brown, "A report is a communication from someone who has information to someone who wants to use that information.". According to Goode and Hatt, "The preparation of report is the final stage of research, and it's purpose is to convey to the interested persons the whole result of the study, in sufficient detail and so arranged as to enable ...
Clarity. Accuracy. Objectivity. Completeness. Conciseness. Understanding the characteristics of a good report is essential to communicate effectively in the business world. A good report helps to present data and information in a clear, concise, and engaging way, enabling readers to make informed decisions. In this blog, we will discuss the key ...
l identify the stages in preparation of a report, l explain the characteristics of a good report, l explain different parts of a report, and l distinguish between a good and bad report. 19.1 INTRODUCTION The last and final phase of the journey in research is writing of the report. After the collected data has been analyzed and interpreted and ...
Obviously financial data are more valuable when the events are fresh in the minds of users. The element of time elapsing between the events and the report determines to a large extent, the value of financial reports. Timeliness is generally more important than a high degree of accuracy in the figures. 11. Adaptability.
Clarity of thought and language are among the most essential characteristics of a research report. It is important to highlight that research is a thought process that begins even before choosing the topic of study. The reasoning power of the researcher is the effective tool for the decisions that must be made throughout the process.
To be an effective communication through report, A report must be clear to understand for making communication success. 10. Attractive Presentation. Presentation of a report is also a factor which should be consider for a good report. A good report provides a catchy and smart look and creates attention of the reader.
The Project 2025 report was unveiled in April 2023, but liberal opposition to the document has ramped up now that Trump has extended his polling lead. The Republican nominee himself has distanced ...
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