Page 246 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Unit 15: Business Report Writing

suggestions. However, if it is one being written by superiors, it would definitely have in Notes
the terminal section, a rather well developed part, comprising recommendations.

15.3 Types of Reports

Reports may be classified in different ways. Reports may be Long and Short Reports, Formal
and Informal Reports, Business/Technical Reports or Academic/Research Reports
1. Long and Short Reports: Long Reports are detailed analysis of a project or a problem at
hand. As indicated by the name, Long reports are lengthy and consume a lot of time in
making as well as presentation. On the other hand, Short Reports are a one to three page
presentation of a topic or an event. These are brief and precise in nature and contain only
the relevant facts.

Examples: Long Report: Feasibility Report of a Product.
Short Report: Report on Annual Exhibition of School.
2. Formal and Informal Reports: Formal Reports are those reports, which are to be submitted
to a higher authority for analysis or for approval. These are prepared by keeping in mind
all the technicalities of report writing. On the other hand, informal reports are those
which are prepared by the person, either for his own use or for keeping as a record, not for
the use of an organization for any formal purposes. Mostly, the reports prepared in the
organizations are formal reports. In formal reports, proper facts and figures, which can be
substantiated, are used. Informal reports may be based on guess work or approximation
of facts.

Examples: Formal Report: Report Submitted by Sales Manager to General Manager
regarding annual sale.

Informal Report: Report submitted by sales assistant to sales manager
regarding approximate number of customers entering the showroom.
3. Business Reports: Business Reports are the ones prepared in the organizations for formal
purposes. Research reports or Academic Reports are the ones prepared in the course of
study. They may be reports prepared after Summer Training or after completion of a
project of study or research. These are based on a research topic, which may be formulated
in the form of a research problem.

Business Reports may be classified as follows, on the basis of Purpose of preparation:
(a) Routine Reports: The reports which are prepared on a routine basis in an organization
are called routine reports. These are prepared in the normal course of business,
whether or not something extra ordinary takes place. The different routine reports
may be as follows:
(i) Progress Report: This is the report about the growth of an organization or any
department of the organization. It may even relate to the progress of an
individual in an organization.
(ii) Inspection Report: In case of a manufacturing concern, or even in case of other
organizations, regular inspections are held to check the compliance of the
products and services with the specified norms. These inspections may be
done by the Superiors in the organization. The report prepared by these
inspection teams is called inspection report.

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