Page 263 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes 16.1 Difference between Academic and Business Reports

How does a project report (academic report) differ from business reports? Following are some
of the differences:

1. Business/technical report writing usually forms an important part of business in normal
course, where as, an academic project report is an academic requirement. It is a compulsory
requirement for the award of post graduate diploma/degree in management/engineering/
IT at nearly all post graduate institutes of management/engineering.

2. A Business Report is written on an issue/ project pertaining to the working of the
organization, its sales, progress, etc. An Academic Report is written on a project completed
in an industry/business company under the joint supervision of an industry expert and
faculty of the concerned institute.
3. A Business Report is submitted to a Committee or to a Supervisor for evaluation or for
further action. Academic Report is submitted for evaluation under the guidance of the
project supervisor (from the industry) and the faculty (from the concerned institution).

4. A Business Report is written during the course of business, as and when the need arises for
it. The Academic project report is written at the end of summer term during which a live
project is done and successfully completed. But the report is preceded by a project proposal
which is to be submitted by all students.
5. A Business Report may be informational in nature; not necessarily based on a live research.
A summer project report records the findings and results of an actual project done within
done with in a given time.

6. Business Reports are more practical in nature as they are utilized by the management for
the progress of the organization or to study a prevailing problem in business. Academic
reports are more compulsive in nature, as they need not necessarily be used for future
reference or the suggestions given in them may not be considered with seriousness.
7. Not everyone in the organization may be asked to prepare a Business Report, but all the
students in the course of study are required to prepare an Academic Report.
8. A good Business report earns good name for the report writers and its suggestions are
considered by the management. A good academic or summer project report earns for the
student credit in terms of “Grade” (Excellent) and also the possibility of placement in the
same company/organisation or elsewhere.

9. Both summer project and business/technical reports have a standard format and structure
that consists nearly of the same parts –Introduction, Discussion, and Conclusion. However,
the summer project report/academic report, like a research dissertation carries a certificate
of approval for its submission and evaluation.

16.2 Guidelines for Writing Summer Project Report

Objective

A summer project report /academic report enables students to organize and report the experience
gained during the summer project. The report should be a substantive contribution to knowledge
through integration of the review of literature and methodology developed for the understanding
and resolution of management problem, and the empirical work done therein. The
recommendations made in the summer project report should be in quantitative (costs and

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