WRTTTNG
A
BUSINESS REPORT
wriring a business rep*rt is siniilar in mlny wiiys
ro wriring an €ssay. F'or exampre" both
'wi:iting s{y]es usually feature
an introcJuctiori. a d-iscLrssion oia body.
ancl a conclusion in their
structute' Also, they are wrjiten in sentence
form, and utilize paragraphs. among other features.
Brisiness rcports' hoi'vet'er. are different in
some other respects. fhe business report aims
ro
convey ol comlllunicate a rxessage, to a vely
busy person, i* tir" most efficient, interesting,
aa<l
straighr{crward nranner, by highlighting rhe'_co.";;il;;;n,-t'or
rhe repr:il. Techniques used for
this purpcse usilaily include sucir tningi as
Headings.'Bulters and Nunrbers, {Jnderlining points,
and Diaglams wberever appropr:iate.
A business rcporl usually, is structured into three
parts:
tr
n
n
Executive Sunrrnary/Synopsis
Discussic* rtr Body of the report
Summary or Conclusion
This is usually a very hrief section of the reporr,
which attempts r0:
a) outline lhe name of the busixess (s).ancl other particulars
b) Encaps'rate whar wilr be conrai:red in rhe ,*poiilrr.oin relevant to the question,
c) shows unr,erst;Lnding of, and relevan"* t" titi ,lrestion. poinrs),
2.
and
The Siscussi*n.<)r !3ody
In tiris section' the writer needs to provide
in a logical sequence, 1nl.l and relevant derails
that
specitically answe{ tr: the questiorrat harrrl.
To dJthis. the writer woulcl usually utilize
various
highlighring skiils. ?hese woulcl include (where
tr
I
o
n
n
u
o
^ppfir:i;it;;,
Headings and sub_headings
KeV terms
Builets and,/or numbers
Underiining major poinrs
l)iagranrs ancl/or chans
Relevant statistics
Ref-erence to exarnples ancl/or ceise
stuciies
The rnain aim of these techniques atrot'e
is to nrake the reporf easier to digest anri
as inter:esting
possible for the reader' A busi'essperson
usually f'ollows a very busy scheci'ie,
.
ancl
somerimes
has only minuies to 'skirn' over a
rcport that is trandeJ ,o rri*irr*. minutes
rr.ior.
o"
important
meedng' T'herefore' it needs tc capture
his&er attention-anJ^proui,i* hin/her with
the essential
elernents of the teport.
as
J. Ttlg Conclusion or
Sumlrarv
This is usr"rally a brief recapitulalion of the main points mentionecl in the report. ].{owevcr. some
conciuding points by the writer are encouragecl here that lvolid illustrate iris/her luil grasp of the
topic. These cotiid refer to- for example, futule prospects of the bi:siness, cir the likely state of
dre economy in a f-uture period, and how this rvill impact on the parricular business etc. Ary
statelxent that shows a higl:er level of understanding" or superitrity' in srvnthesizing complex
issues affecting ur business. is going to impress the teacherftnarker of the teport.
Erinal
+
hintgl
Alu'a;'s rise business terr:rinolcgy in yoLrr reports (languaee of business peopie!). Avaj<j
using 's1ang' w*rds or ter.ms
'l Do not use the 'first pelsott' in your rvriting {rve, myseli you, L,). Always use th*: 'third
perso*' {e .g. this repcfi rvill aritline.. . it can be conclude<J thai.. .etc...)
4' Always airn to ire notr.|ective' in your lvritings {i.c. make statenients bzrsecl on facts),
and avoid being 'subjectir.'e' (i.e. making stirccl'nents basecl on opinions or feelings etc...).
+ Fractiee writing reports i* class ancl by youlselI" Alsri look;riother: peoples' reports
rvhen handed back by your teache::. The Boarcl Of Stu<lies Website provides a lot of
insights into past HSC exams, which include solutions. Also HSC Markers' commentsi on
these exarns are also very useful.