Fillable Printable Basic Business Report Template

Basic Business Report Template

Business Report Template

1. Title Page

The essential information here is your name, the title of the project, and the date. The title

of a report can be a statement of the subject. An effective title is informative but

reasonably short. Ornamental or misleading titles may annoy readers as will excessive

use of graphics.

2. Table of Contents

If your report is more then 3 pages you must include a Table of Contents

3. Executive Summary

This section states the report in abstract. It summarizes the whole report in one, concise

paragraph of about 100-200 words. It might be useful to think in terms of writing one

sentence to summarize each of the report divisions: problem, background/current

situation, discussion, alternatives, recommendations and conclusions. Emphasize the

objective (which states the problem) and the analysis of the results (including

recommendations). Avoid the temptation to copy a whole paragraph from elsewhere in

your report and make it do double duty. Since the executive summary condenses and

emphasizes the most important elements of the whole report, you cannot write it until

after you have completed the report. Remember, the executive summary should be a

precise and specific summary -- give details. A business document is not a mystery novel

-- give your conclusion right away. Support it later.

Examples:

This report considers three possible methods to diversify Canada’s international trade.

(Too general)

This report seeks to address Canada’s reliance on the U.S. as a trading partner. This

report compares closer integration with the EU, withdrawal from NAFTA, and taking a

more prominent role in the Doha round of trade talks in order to determine which

approach will allow for greater diversification of Canada’s international trade. The

criteria for comparison were the economic, social, and political effects of each

alternative. The study concludes that taking a more prominent role in the Doha round of

trade talks is the best of these options, because the EU is not prepared to accept closer

integration with Canada without unrestricted access to our fossil fuels. In addition, the

United States is currently Canada’s largest trading partner and withdrawal from NAFTA

would have a disastrous impact on Canada’s economy. Although the Doha round of trade

talks has been stalled, Canada can become a third voice between the developed and

undeveloped world and help generate a compromise solution.

(Specific & detailed)

4. Introduction/Problem Statement

a.) Whereas the Executive summary summarizes the whole report, the introduction of a

business report identifies the subject, the problem (or objective), and the plan of

development of the report. The subject is the "what", the purpose is the "why", and the

plan is the "how." Together these acquaint the reader with the problem you are setting out

to solve.

Example:

Subject: Canada’s international trade

Problem/Objective: Most of Canada’s trade is with the United States and any problems in

the U.S. have a dramatic impact on Canada. How can Canada diversify its trade?

Plan: courses of action to diversify Canada’s trade

b.) State the subject and purpose as clearly and concisely as possible, usually in one/two

sentence(s) called the thesis or problem statement:

Example:

This report describes the plan to diversify Canada’s international trade by taking a

prominent role in the Doha round of trade talks. This will limit the effects of economic

downturns and political turmoil in the United States on Canada’s economy and provide

access to many more markets for Canadian goods and services.

c.) Use the introduction to provide the reader with any special information which the

reader will need before you can launch into the body of your paper (uncommon

terminology etc.). Avoid the tendency to use the introduction merely to fill space with

sweeping statements that are unrelated to the specific purpose of your report

("Throughout the ages, human beings have looked up at the stars and wondered about

[your topic here].").

4. Background/Current Situation

This section includes a brief history of the subject and an overview of the current state of

affairs.

5. Discussion

a.) This section is the most important part of your report. It takes many forms and may

have subheadings of its own. Its basic components may include: methods, findings (or

results), and evaluation (or analysis). A business report should emphasize evaluation of

the data. Most academic assignments should also focus on your evaluation of the subject.

b.) Before you begin writing, ask the journalist's questions: who? when? where? what?

why? how? The last three in particular will help you focus analysis. Beyond asking these

simple questions, you also need to make decisions such as: How do you interpret the

data? What is the significance of your findings?

6. Recommendations / Conclusions

What actions does the report call for? The recommendations should be clearly connected

to the results of the rest of the report. You may need to make those connections explicit at

this point--your reader should not have to guess at what you mean. This section may also

include plans for how further research should proceed. In some professional business

writing, this section often comes immediately after the introduction.

7. References/Bibliography/Attachments

These will include references and may include appendices. Any research that you refer to

in the report must also appear in a list of references at the end of the work so that an

interested reader can follow up your work.

Appendices may include raw data, calculations, graphs, and other quantitative materials

that were part of the research, but would be distracting to the report itself. Refer to each

appendix at the appropriate point (or points) in your report. In industry, a company

profile and profile of the professionals involved in a project might also appear as

appendices.