A formal report in which you will analyze the business writing practices of a real-life Hawaii organization and offer recommendations for improvement. You will have to use your skills and understandings in organizing, writing and formatting the report itself. It will be extremely important that you read the instructions carefully
Use the correct usage of audience analysis, audience focus, positive emphasis, tone/power/politeness, non-biased language, and message patterns, your grade will also depend on your ability to edit and proofread your work to ensure correct spelling, grammar, syntax, punctuation, and paragraph and sentence unity.
As you go over the instructions, please pay strict attention to all content requirements. Begin to conduct your analysis of each of the five documents you collect, prepare the front matter of the report, complete the formatting and revise, edit and proofread.
Watch the following videos, which will provide you a good overview of the major types of business reports.
- Informal Reports:
- Formal vs. Informal Reports:
Project: Formal Report on Breast Implant Center of Hawaii
Length: 16-20 pages, single-spaced (not including appendix)
Produce a formal report that
- Thoroughly examines and evaluates the business writing practices of a real Hawaii-based organization.
- Provide that company with a comprehensive set of recommendations for improvement.
To start this project, select an organization that is based in Hawaii.
Topic Chosen: Breast Implant Center of Hawaii
Next, pretend that you have been hired as a business-writing consultant to examine and evaluate various internal and/or external communications produced by that organization and produce a 16-20 page (not including references and appendix) formal report detailing your findings and recommendations. You will need to obtain at least five (5) documents to examine. These may include:
- Letters
• Memos
• Emails (min. 150 words)
• Brochures
• News Releases
• White papers
• Annual report sections (do not analyze the entire report)
• Advertisements (min. 50 words of text)
• Flyers (min. 50 words of text)
• Web pages (no more than three)
• Transcripts of prepared speeches
Some documents you may be able to find online (be sure they are from the organization’s official site). In some cases, you may be able to get a sufficient number of samples by visiting one of your company’s locations. You can also call the organization’s community affairs or human resources departments to (very politely) request samples. If you are unable to obtain five documents from your chosen company, or if the documents you obtain are not substantial enough to analyze, you will need to select another organization. Each of the five documents you analyze (original or printed copy) must be attached as the appendix of your report.
Your report will consist of the following elements in order:
- Title page (1 page)
• Letter of transmittal (1 page)
• Table of contents (1 page)
• Executive summary (1 page)
• Introduction (1-2 pages) - Body (1-page company summary + 5 document analyses of about 2 pages each; total approximately 11 pages)
• Conclusion/Recommendations (1-2 pages)
• Appendix (not included in page count)
The body of your report must include:
1. A brief informational summary of the company you are examining, the range of audiences with whom they communicate, the various purposes for such communications, and the different channels through which these messages are transmitted
2. Detailed analysis of each of the five selected documents based on the main business writing concepts and skills covered this semester (including but not limited to criteria for
effective messages; audience focus; positive emphasis; tone, power and politeness; non-biased language; using audience analysis to adapt messages; identifying and developing audience benefits; patterns for internal and external positive/informative, negative and persuasive messages).
All observations and judgments must be supported by specific examples from the document that is being examined.
Each item should be identified by format (memo, letter, email, email memo), audience (external, internal superior, internal peer or subordinate), message type (informative, positive, negative, persuasive) and, if applicable, message pattern (positive, negative, sales, etc).
In the Conclusion/Recommendations section, be sure to include summary and discussion of overall strengths and weaknesses found in the company’s internal/external business communications. When analyzing and making recommendations, be sure to use the appropriate, specific terminology from your text. Recommendations should be presented as a set of specific solutions for problems that recur in the company’s business communications, ranging from general matters of organization, focus or logic in entire documents to sentence-level concerns like grammar, syntax and use of you-attitude/positive emphasis guidelines.
Your report must be formatted according to the guidelines and examples you will be provided and must be written with appropriate semi-formal business tone. Proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, organization, sentence and paragraph cohesion, audience focus, positive emphasis, and readability will all count toward your project grade.
— Select organization (Breast Implant Center of Hawaii) and collect documents
— Write Introduction and begin analyzing documents for Body
— Analyze documents for Body
— Finish Body and write Conclusion/Recommendations
— Do Title page, letter of transmittal, executive summary and table of contents
— Check formatting and revise, edit and proofread thoroughly before submitting
