Business assignment report 2
MGMT1201: Business Communication Business Report Part 2: Report Body (17%) {Individual Assignment} Use the Formal Business Report Style Guide (module 7) to help you write and format all the sections of the business report. Deliverable: Prepare the Report Body of this business report (Word document) with the following: · Introduction · Findings · Summary · Recommendations · Reference Page - Complete a properly formatted reference page. · Include the business report figure (chart, graph, or diagram) from Part 1 in the analysis or recommendation section. · Include your company name and logo on the report that your team designed earlier. · Use APA 7 format for citations and the reference page. Include the page or paragraph number with your citation as completed in Part 1. Instructions: Plan 1. How do you use the information you prepared in Part 1? · Findings Research: your findings section is 300 – 500 words. When you look at the information you have gathered, you will see that one of the questions likely has better information, will be more impactful to the CEO when reading your report, and will tie in better with your recommendations. For example, if I had two questions in the findings, such as, (1) How has the increased competition affected your company and, (2) how has the employee morale been affected? and I was able to determine that question 1 was better related to my company problem, had excellent research material, and aligned with the recommendations, I would develop the findings section based on question 1. Note that I still mention that employee morale has declined (question 2) within the findings section, but I don’t elaborate on the content from question 2 in the findings section. As you have just a few paragraphs (300-500 words), developing just one idea is important. · Recommendations Research: As per the report instructions, your recommendations section is 150 – 300 words. When you look at the information you have gathered, you will have to determine the most important recommendations and place them in order from most important to least impactful. Elaborate on the most important items (2-3 items) for your business. State the others in a sentence or two. You are now ready to begin writing your draft of the business report. Write 2. Use Microsoft Word, follow the Formal Business Report Style Guide for detailed instructions, and create the body of the report as follows: a. Introduction: Explain the purpose of the report and what led up to the current problem (less than ½ page). Do not discuss the problem (this is in the findings) or solutions (recommendations). b. Findings: This is the largest section of your report in which you present your research of the problem. You will summarize the current problem your company is having, followed by current research demonstrating the effects of this issue (short and long term) if not dealt with. Do not include any recommendation in the findings. For example: i. Introduction paragraph · start with a story, quote, question or something interesting related to the problem. · State the problem · Provide some history to the problem · Thesis (purpose statement) ii. Body section (1 paragraph) · Extent of the problem (how bad is it? What happened? Why should we be concerned? Is there research to back up this concern?) · Who is affected or how are they affected? (stories, examples) iii. Body section (1 paragraph) · Cause/Effect (because of this problem, this has happened) · Repercussions of the problem (if we don’t solve, this will happen) (is there research to add credibility to your situation?) c. Summary: The summary relates back to the introduction, restates the thesis (purpose statement) and summarizes the key points from the findings. No recommendations are included in the summary. There is no new information presented here. This is summary of the key points of the findings and is not more than one-half page in length. If the summary of information includes lots of data, a table or chart format would be recommended to ensure easy readability. Note that the summary section comes before the recommendations section. d. Recommendation(s) (Next Steps): The recommendation(s) are action items to resolve the problem identified in the findings. The recommendation(s) (solution to the problem) should: · demonstrate what will work to fix this problem, what will not work or possible oppositions, and why your recommendation is the best solution. · include the costs, resources, and/or timelines that are required to implement your recommendation. Remember, you have not yet implemented the recommendations. · be presented in paragraph format. However, if there is a list or steps required, present this in a bulleted format (use numbers only if there is a sequence to be followed or an order of importance for your recommendations) e. Reference Page: Include a list of the sources used in the report following APA 7 formatting. Review 3. Revise your written draft using topic sentences, transition words, and simple, yet business professional language. 4. Follow the Formal Report Style Guide (Module 7 Resources) to see the proper document requirements of a formal business report including headings, page numbers, alignment and spacing, fonts and font size, and language. 5. Use APA 7 format for citations and the reference page. Include the page or paragraph number with your citation. 6. In-text citations can include direct and paraphrased quotes. No quote will be over 40 words. Citations are specific to a sentence within your source. Do not paraphrase or make assumptions on an entire paragraph or abstract. 7. Submit in the D2L Dropbox, Business Report Part 2. Your assignment will be evaluated in accordance with the Rubric attached. Rubric 7 C’s of Effective Communication and the Formal Business Report Style Guide Complete: · The information provided is specific to the company and management role, follows the Formal Business Report Style Guide, and effectively answers the questions with relevant information as follows: · Introduction – includes the purpose of the report and the scope (125 to 250 words). · Findings –evaluates a current problem (based on role) and its effect on the company, and repercussions if not resolved (300 to 500 words). · Summary – summarizes the findings only (125 to 250 words). · Recommendations – recommendations solve the problem in the analysis, includes costs/timeline, and how this will fix the problem (150 to 300 words). · Business figure – a minimum of one original, visual image · Reference Page – a properly formatted reference page · APA citations and references are used to build credibility and are directly from the source (pg. or paragraph number included) · The audience needs, values and priorities have been considered (pg. 149) · All questions or constraints that the audience may have are answered (pg. 149) / 10 Concise: · Message/words are to the point (extra words removed) (pg. 179) · Appropriate length (350 - 550 words) · Paragraph length is controlled (20-30 words for small paragraphs/ 40 -80 words for typical paragraphs) (pg. 179-180) · Short and simple sentences (in most cases) (pg. 180-181) · No redundancy (i.e. same content/words repeated in sentences) (pg. 181-182) · Avoids empty phrases or wordy prepositional phrases (pg. 182) · Avoids adverbs / 7.5 Concrete: · Key ideas are effectively supported with strong evidence and recommendations are logical and based on report analysis · Logic and reason are provided and build credibility in the message (no faulty logic, weak analogies, exaggeration, and unsupported generalizations) (pg. 157-159) · Credible research and data (recent, reliable and relevant) support the message (pg. 397-398) · The information is well-organized (structured) and in a logical order (pg. 152-157) · Uses concrete and specific words to clarify the meaning (not vague and abstract) (pg. 178). / 5 Considerate: · Positive in tone (can-do, confident, positive traits, constructive terms) (pg. 161-163) · Shows concern for others (avoids “I-voice”, respects time and autonomy, and gives credit) (pg. 163-165) · Written to the audience (“you approach”) (pg. 163-165) · Includes benefits that are important to the audience, and considers readers values and priorities (pg. 149) · Culturally sensitive showing respect, recognizes and appreciates differences, uses gender neutral wording, avoid stereotypes, and shows empathy and trust (pg. 111-135) Courteous: · Professional and business appropriate (pg. 216-217) o Avoids slang or unprofessional tone o Avoids emojis o Avoids technical words o Spells out acronyms o Uses greetings and names (appropriate salutation). · Expresses goodwill through kindness and friendliness to maintain good relationships (pg. 276 & 350) / 2.5 Correct: · Written in third person (only first person in the transmittal document) · Uses proper punctuation (see Bonus Appendix BA 1 in eBook) · Uses correct spelling and capitalization · Uses correct grammar including pronoun agreement, and avoids comma splices · No incomplete or run-on sentences · Proper verb tense (present tense for analysis and future tense for recommendations) · Correct use of pronouns · APA references and citations are correctly formatted (APA 7) / 5 Clarity (Written): · The main objective of the message is clear (only one purpose) (pg. 152-156) · Introduced figure or tables before the placement of the figure/table · Acronyms are introduced first, followed by parentheses and the acronym · Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence (pg. 152-156) · Uses action verbs where possible (pg. 181-182) · Uses active and passive voice appropriately (pg. 183 -184) · Uses short and familiar words and phrases (plain, familiar language) (pg. 185) · Uses parallel language (consistent grammatical pattern) (pg. 186) · Avoids cliches, buzzwords and figures of speech (pg. 186-187) · Avoids “It is” and “there are” statements (pg. 187-188) · Uses articles (a, an & the) · Correct use of acronyms, dates and times Date format – January 12, 2021 Time format – 11:00 a.m. or 11:00 AM LISTS · Numbered lists are used to indicate the order is important. Bullets are used when the order is not important. · Lists are written in full sentences or point form –must be consistent for all items · Bullets/lists have the same grammatical, parallel structure (i.e. all items start with a verb in the same tense) (pg. 190) · Lists/bullets have more than one item / 5 Clarity (Visual) (as per Formal Business Report Style Guide): · Figures and tables are fully explanatory (proper labels) · Double-spacing only on the reference page · Text alignment is left justified (no indentation for paragraphs). · Appropriate white space and margins around text and images · Appropriate font, font size and colour are consistent throughout the document HEADINGS · First-level headings are "all-caps" and centered on the page, Second level headings are left aligned and the first letter of each major word is capitalized (no punctuation) · One line space between paragraphs and following a heading and two line spaced preceding a heading. · Headings are used (as required) to help readers identify information · Headings have consistent, parallel structure (font and formatting) · Headings of the same level must have the same placement on the page and the same formatting (i.e. alignment is left or center justified and consistent throughout the document) · Headings have the same grammatical, parallel structure (i.e. all questions, or all start with a verb) LISTS · Bullets/lists are spaced evenly between the items and have one line space after the list · Bullets/lists are typically indented from the left margin. Each sub-level is further indented / 5 Total points / 40 V3© Bow Valley College 20201 Business Report Part 1: Planning Your Business Report Complete the following and submit the D2L Dropbox folder: a. Company name: Crunchy meal special street food b. My role in the company: Marketing Manager c. Findings Research: Question (Objective) How has COVID-19 affected your company? Supporting Points: · Initial months the sales were $0 · Unable to manage monthly expenses, i.e., rent, salaries (more than 4 months) · Increase in wastage ($1,000 per month) · Job cuts: Decreased staff count from 15 to 10 · Drop in sales each month by more than 90% (From $100,000 to $10,000) Title: Impact of COVID-19 on restaurants Sentence: “Griffith University researchers in a recent report revealed that 90% of hospitality businesses had experienced a reduction in sales and customer numbers as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.” Page or Paragraph: Para #1 Link: https://blogs.griffith.edu.au/bsi-connection/2021/09/27/impact-of-covid-19-on-restaurants-report-on-findings/ Question (Objective) How has technology helped your company? Supporting Points: · Decrease in expenses incurred from $55,000 to $45,000 · Reduction in time taken to complete a work. Because of automation, the time used is reduced by approximately 10% · Less staff required · Automating manual task helped in reduction of errors by 20% Title: The Future of the Australian Restaurant Industry Sentence: 77% of the restaurants are optimistic about technology Page or Paragraph: Para #3 Link: https://squareup.com/au/en/townsquare/futureofrestaurants22-au Question (Objective) What is your social media marketing metrics? Supporting Points: · The current social media presence is low at 1,000 followers · No consistency is followed in engaging with customers over social media · No social media advertisements are running for the company Title: The American restaurants are coming: but who does this benefit? Sentence: If you take a walk down most British highstreets, you are now likely to come across big name US food chains that weren’t there just a few years ago Page or Paragraph: Para #1 Link: https://www.newfoodmagazine.com/article/170207/the-american-restaurants-are-coming-but-who-does-this-benefit/ d. Recommendation Section Research: Question (Objective) What action should the company take to revive its sales Supporting Points: · Introduce a new product line which will be unique to