Page 253 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes (c) Questionnaire
(d) Indexing
(e) Mathematical derivations
(f) Appendices

A few important aspects regarding the various parts of the reports are briefly narrated below:
1. Summary: It is useful to all those who have little time to read the whole text. Business
executives mostly read summaries of reports. The report is organized on the assumption
that everyone will not like to read all the matter presented in the report. Consequently, a
report should unfold like a news paper article. In other words a summary of the most
important information appears first and the detailed story is given later on. The report
should begin with objectives, methodology, a brief summary of the findings of the study
along with conclusions and recommendations, which the presenter has made. The
remainder of the report should provide a detailed discussion of the analysis, interpretation
and survey process. The analytical issues are outlined.
2. Introduction: The purpose of the introduction is to discuss the background of the project.
This section introduces the problem at the macro and micro level. An explanation of the
nature of the problem and its history in terms of existing literature related to the research
problem. Firstly, it provides a total picture of the topic presented. This will also show how
the present problem fits into that topic. Secondly, it tells the readers what research has
been carried on the problem. Through that process, research gap may be identified.
Obviously, the investigator must show that this particular investigation has not been
done before. It should clearly indicate that work is not repeated.
3. Methodology: It broadly includes the objectives and significance of the study, description
of methodology, formulation of hypothesis, testing and tools of analysis and the technical
aspects and limitation of the study. It tells the reader what was done to solve the problem.
The purpose of this information is two -fold. First, it aims at satisfying the criterion of
reliability, in other words, it must provide the researchers requisite information to
reproduce another piece of research. Second, it aims at enabling the reader to review the
quality and worth of the study. For that, several questions can be raised. A few questions
to be answered are as follows:

(a) What are the objectives for the study?
(b) What sample or samples are used?
(c) What is the sample size?
(d) How are the sample selected, and why were they so selected?

(e) How was field data collected?
(f) What were the techniques for analysis used?
(g) How is the hypothesis formulated?

(h) Whether pilot studies and pretesting are done to try out the techniques? If yes, what
was their outcome?

(i) What method is used for testing the hypothesis?
(j) Whether the study is experimental or ex-post facto?

(k) How is the collected data verified?

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