Fillable Printable Business Report Template Guide
Fillable Printable Business Report Template Guide
Business Report Template Guide
ANALYSING A BUSINESS REPORT
Here is an example of a business report question from the
2001 HSC exam. There is a sample answer with comments on
the following pages.
Question:
In your answer, you will be assessed on how well you:
use your knowledge and the information provided
communicate using relevant business terminology and
concepts
present a logical, well-structured answer to the
question in the form of a business report
‘Taking the fast lane to successes is a goal of a
business called Spatial Internet. This information
technology business has been operating as a
partnership for two years and has achieved rapid
growth.
It is now finding the competition stronger, threatening
its market share. The business has another problem
in retaining its mostly young, highly educated and
mobile staff.
Spatial Internet wants to expand into e-commerce.
The question always
gives you hints which
steer you in a certain
direction in terms of
what to write about. You
could reasonably assume
that an information
technology business
would sell products such
as internet connection
facilities, computing
packages and other
accessories.
If the question gives you
information about the
business like this, it is
usually for a reason. You
should underline or
circle important words
like these and think
about how you could
comment on them in
your report.
You need to know your
work well!
E-commerce is buying
and selling over the
Internet and requires a
business to set up a
website, online payment
facilities and
distribution channels for
getting the products
purchased to the
customer.
What could you make
from these points?
- Young staff may want
flexible working
conditions.
- being highly educated
they are very
employable, in demand
and could leave if they
do not like working for
Spatial Internet.
So to achieve effective
employment relations
what strategies could be
used to address these
issues?
This part of the question is a great place to look for
phrases that you can use as the major headings of
your report. A basic report structure could be built
out of these:
Situational Analysis (which all reports have -
sometimes called an
Executive Summary)
Funding Options for E-commerce Proposal
Managing Change Strategies
Achieving Effective Employment Relations
Achieving Effective Social Responsibility
Report Summary (in other words a conclusion)
For the major headings you could then make
up sub-headings which cover each point or
issue you are going to explain.
Funding Options for E-commerce Proposal:
1. Owners Equity or Retained Profits
2. Bank Loan
3. Leasing
4. Overdraft
It’s a good idea to spend 5 minutes at the
start planning your report in this way.
Make sure you highlight or circle the directive word in the question – are you being asked
to explain, analyse, evaluate etc. Explain requires you to make the relationships between
things evident, providing how and/or why.
These are the broad
assessment criteria.
The best answers not only
include your own detailed
knowledge, but make links
between it and the
information provided.
SAMPLE BUSINESS REPORT – 2001 HSC
Situational Analysis
Spatial Internet, a computer and internet company, has been
in operation for 2 years, and despite rapid initial growth while
in the growth stage of its business life cycle, stronger
competition has been experienced resulting in a threat to the
business’s market share.
Furthermore, troubles retaining its staff, existing mostly of
young, highly educated and mobile staff have been
experienced, resulting in high levels of staff turnover. A
strategic goal of Spatial Internet is to expand in the internet-
aided facility of e-commerce.
Funding options for E-commerce proposal
Funding for this venture could come through –
1. Owners Equity or Retained Profits : By reinvesting
this money into the business Spatial Internet will be
given the ability to finance its proposed e-commerce
facility.
2. Bank Loan: Through borrowing, mainly from financial
intermediaries such as banks, larger amounts of
finance will be made available to the business,
however the duration and interest rate charged for the
loan will have to be considered.
3. Leasing : As this business is computing and internet
related, they would have excess products. By selling
their equipment, such as the store’s computer (i.e.
office and business use, not those for sale), and then
renting them back, the business will receive an
immediate injection of money. This can, in turn, be
used to finance the business venture of e-commerce.
While the business already sells such products as
internet connection facilities, computers, modems and
other accessories, Spatial Internet is already
connected to the Internet with their own website. As
the business only needs to develop the order form
and online payment aspects of the website, fewer
costs are needed.
4. Overdraft : As Spatial Internet already has a
mortgage, an overdraft could be used as a fast and
effective initial injection of cash into the business in
order to fund the e-commerce prospect.
Of these options, leasing would probably prove to be the most
effective method, or by reinvesting retained profits of the
business.
Managing Change Strategies
ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS
With its problem of high staff turnover, Spatial Internet needs
to carefully manage the proposed changes. The young, highly
educated and mobile staff feel that they are not appreciated to
their total value, and are thus leaving and seeking more
rewarding jobs. As young people, their lives are extremely
busy and they desire a flexible workplace.
Information given in the
question is used to
outline the situation the
business is in.
You could also call the
introductory paragraph
to your business report
an Executive Summary.
Headings have been used to
organise the report. The
student has also used
numbering to organise
points on the options for
funding.
It would have been best
for the student to have
defined
e-commerce in this
introduction to show
their understanding of
the term.
The student could
have shown a more
advanced
understanding by
looking at these
options as being
either internal or
external sources of
funds, and short term
or long term.
The student has not
simply listed or
described the types of
funding.
They have looked at the
strengths and
weaknesses of some of
the options.
I have highlighted the
strengths in blue.
Weaknesses are in red.
The student could have
mentioned some more
strengths and
weaknesses.
This is an excellent
way to tie this
section of the report
together. It finishes
with a sentence that
sums up the best
options.
The student could have
added another option:
5. Change Legal Entity:
From a partnership to a
public company through
a share float to raise
extra capital to fund
e-commerce venture.
That’s why the
examiners mentioned
the business was a
‘partnership’ in the
question – to see if
students would pick up
on this other option.
The report uses business
terminology throughout. I
have highlighted some of
the good business terms in
pink. They help to make the
report sound more formal.
The student has used
phrases from the
question to organise
the report in a very
effective way.
Similarly, staff overheard the proposed for e-commerce, and to
date, have not been informed by management. This
furthermore decreases their feelings of self-worth and
responsibility.
Strategies could include:
Increasing Employee Responsibility
This will result in employees feeling wanted and useful in the
business. Specified areas could be delegated, for example:
Internet, Computing Packages. Training the staff will also
result in the employees being knowledgeable regarding the e-
commerce facilities, and thus reducing the risk of inertia
towards the change.
Increased Financial Rewards
Staff could be provided with financial incentives, e.g. increased
pay, company car, shares in the business. As the possibility of
losing market share to competitors is evident, rewards and
benefits could be instigated. Thus, as profits increase, so do
the employee’s rewards. This will increase their sense of worth
in the business, decrease their likelihood of quitting from the
business, and thus, improve the employee relations.
Non-Financial Rewards
Non-financial rewards could be given to staff members as a
strategy of enhancing working conditions, thus increasing
employee satisfaction, resulting in more effective employment
relations.
ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Through its proposal for using e-commerce, Spatial Internet
must ensure they abide by, and fulfill its social responsibility.
Spatial Internet has the social responsibilities of:
* Ensuring Safe Work Practices
Spatial Internet has the social responsibility of abiding by work
safety regulations, in order to ensure employee’s safety is not
compromised. For example, while implementing the e-
commerce facilities, employees’ safety must be ensured to
minimise their rate of illness or injury. While in a computer and
internet store, technology plays a vital role, however electrical
cords must be stored properly, and the floor free from
hinderous items.
* Providing Career Prospects for Employees
This strategy acts in the best interests of both employees and
employers. With a high rate of staff turnover, employees would
be more likely to continue working for Spatial Internet if career
prospects were evident. By increasing employee knowledge
and responsibility through training and division of labour,
employees will feel as if they are appreciated by the business
and will therefore reduce the high rate of staff turnover. This
social responsibility is not necessary however it does increase
the employee’s sense of self-worth and thus their willingness
to continue working at Spatial Internet. By providing the
employees with career prospects, the business in turn gain
decreased staff turnover.
It’s good to relate
your answer to the
business, but be
careful about
assuming or making
up details like this.
This is a good
example of relating
your answer to the
question. It is logical
to assume that this
business would have
areas such as Internet
services, Computing
Packages, etc.
This time dot points or
bullets have been used
to organise this section.
Using a variety of
numbers, bullets,
asterixis, uppercase
letters and underlining
draws the markers
attention to the fact that
you are using the
‘report style’ of writing.
This point could have
been explained a little
further. By offering
financial rewards the
employees will have a
stronger stake in the
financial performance of
the business which will
motivate them to be
more productive, e.g.
offering an employee
share ownership scheme
(a possibility if legal
entity is changed from a
partnership to a public
company).
A strength of this report
is that the student keeps
relating their answer
back to the question by
using phrases actually
taken from the question.
The student mentioned
examples of financial
rewards but has not
mentioned any examples
of non-financial ones,
e.g. extra time off,
provision of childcare,
etc.
‘Multi-skilling’ would
have been a better
business term to have
used here. This is where
employees are given
variety in their jobs. It
reduces boredom and
increases motivation
which would have tied
in well with the point
being made here about
trying to retain staff.
The question mentioned that Spatial Internet’s market share is under threat. A good way to
improve market share is to be more socially responsible than your competitors. It would have
been good for the student to have commented on this within this section on ‘Achieving
effective social responsibility’ – that way the hint in the question about market share would
have been included more effectively in this report.
The student should
ideally have mentioned
OH&S legislation here
to include more business
terminology in the
report.
* Responsibility to the Environment
With e-commerce facilities, Spatial Internet will be responsible
for delivery of the items. By packaging the product in
cardboard boxes instead of polystyrene, ecological
sustainability is enhanced.
Report Summary
It is these prospects and options that are recommended for
your business, Spatial Internet.
Yours sincerely,
ABC Managing and Business Advice Company
A little more detail
about how the business
could be
environmentally
responsible would have
been good,
e.g. only purchasing
computers from
companies that have
environmentally
responsible methods of
production themselves.
The student has brought the report to a
conclusion by noting that the points made in the
report are recommended for Spatial Internet. It
then finishes off just like a report, by using,
‘Yours sincerely,’ and by making up a pretend
name for a business advice company (in other
words a consultancy). These companies are
the ones that mostly write business reports like
this one. Make up your own pretend name that
you can use in the HSC exam when you have to
write a business report of your own.
Another aspect of social
responsibility covered in
the BM&C topic is ‘E-
commerce’. Some
comment on this should
have been included since
this was a major concept in
the question.
Points that could have
been included:
- consumers cannot
actually look at goods
advertised on the Internet,
they buy based on trust.
- Spatial Internet would
have to make sure that
their advertising is
accurate and not
misleading.
- the business would need
to ensure that paying by
credit card is secure and
that the privacy of
consumers is protected in
order to be socially
responsible.
Overall comments:
This is a very good report considering it was written under
exam conditions.
It is a borderline Band 5/Band 6 response. It would have
received a mark of about 17/20.
The student clearly recognised what topic knowledge was
being tested in the question. The topics tested were:
- Business Management & Change
- Financial Planning & Management
- Employment Relations
The answer uses 3
rd
person narrative which is necessary in
a business report. The student has avoided using, ‘I’,
‘you’, ‘us’, ‘we’. That is why the report sounds formal and
professional in the way it is written.
The answer could have mentioned more points, e.g. in the
options for funding section it could have been noted that,
“in managing change a business needs to be careful to
maintain the right balance of debt to equity finance.”
However, for a report written under exam conditions it was
written in-depth and is well structured and easy to follow.
Another aspect of social
responsibility covered in
the Business Management
& Change topic is
‘Globalisation’. It would
have been good to have
included a another point
about this here, e.g. that
the business should not
purchase computer
hardware and equipment to
sell from companies that
make their products in
low-wage countries where
workers are exploited. A
sub-heading for this such
as ‘Responsible sourcing’
could have been used.
