Report Writing

Topic - 4

REPORT WRITING

INTRODUCTION

The term report can be used in a narrow or a wide sense. In the narrow sense, it implies carrying information to someone who was not present on the scene. In a broad sense a report would include letters, memorandums and news items.

The word ‘Report has originated from the French words ‘reporter' and 'report and Latin ‘Re' (back) plus ‘portare' (to carry). All these words mean 'give an account‘Report, thus, means ‘to give people information about something that you have heard, seen , done, etc? It is a very formal document that is written for a variety of purposes, generally in sciences, social sciences, engineering and business disciplines. However, reports are also written for various types of academic pursuits such as a research report, a book report and project report and include many other kinds of report writing as well.

Purpose of a Report

A report is an extremely official document that is written to serve a range of purposes. Reports play a crucial role in communication in all types of businesses, organizations and professions. They assist people not only in recording the important happenings but also in decision making at all the levels. People not only in recording the important happenings but also in decision making at all the levels. People are asked to write and present report in every type of profession for different objectives:

✓ To keep check and control over a business. 

✓ To execute new strategies and measures. 

✓ To keep a record of research work, events and happenings. 

✓ To meet the requirements of legal and governmental regulations. 

✓ To study a particular situation to find an effective solution. 

✓ To discuss, analyze and evaluate data.

✓ To make current and future planning and implement it. 

✓ To evaluate infrastructure, resources and manpower.

✓ To compare growth, profit, achievements of an organization with those of its competitors. 

✓ To give feedback, suggestions or recommendations on a particular problem. 

✓ To take vital decisions and actions.

Characteristics of a Good Report

An effective reporting calls for professionalism, profound knowledge of the subject, attentiveness and outstanding writing proficiency. A good report is essentially:

✓ Brief and accurate - facts and figures should be presented in an accurate manner. 

✓ Clear and logical in structure-indicates clearly where the ideas are leading. 

✓ Relevant and appropriate -- concentrates on the particular problem and includes no irrelevant details or misleading ideas. 

✓ Well-organized, systematic and definite in presentation of facts. 

✓ Rational, persuasive and specific in analysis and recommendations. 

✓ Comprehensible - covers all vital details and convey understandable information. 

✓ All inclusive-what is the main problem? Who is / are involved in it? When did it arise? Where will the report be presented? How can it be presented the best? 

✓ Highly objective- no place for prejudices, distortion of facts or personal opinions. 

✓ Written in good English- uses short sentences, correct grammatical structures and spellings (In report you don't get marks for writing correct language but you lose for writing wrong English) 

✓ Using appropriate layout and professional style. 

✓ Neat and attractive in style and appearance — should make a good first impression.

Types of Reports

Reports vary in style, subject matter and presentation. Reports can be classified on various parameters such as:

✓ Oral Reports - face-to-face communication about something seen, observed, experienced or investigated. 

✓ Written Reports - provide a permanent record; so, it is always preferred to an oral report. 

✓ Short Reports - can be presented in the form of a letter or a memo. 

✓ Long Reports - describe problems in detail.

✓ Informal Reports - written in the form of memo reports or letter reports.

✓ Formal Reports - is the result of thorough investigation of a problem or situation. They are generally detailed and elaborate. 

✓ Informational Reports - present facts, situations or problems required to take vital decisions. 

✓ Analytical Reports - present data along with an analysis of it. Project reports, feasibility reports and market search reports fall in this category. 

✓ Routine / Periodic Reports - record the progress of a task, evaluate the performance of its employees and to record the success or failure of a policy. They generally include laboratory reports, progress reports, inspection reports, production reports, monthly sales reports, annual confidential reports, etc. 

✓ Special Reports - written to convey special information related to a single condition, situation, occasion or problem. They include inquiry reports, research reports, thesis, dissertations, etc.

Structure of a Formal Report

Keeping the above guidelines in mind, draft your report, revise it, check it thoroughly and take some time to refine it; then, complete it under the following heads:

Το

The Chairman,

Sir,

Sub: Report on the fire accident. 

Ref: Your Memo dt. 20th October 20...

With reference to the accident that took place a couple of days ago in our factory, the following report is submitted after a thorough analysis of the facts.

On the 18th October 20.., a fire broke out around 1.30 p.m in the electrical workshop. It spread so quickly that it engulfed a vast area consuming a large number of tools and spare parts in the process. Moreover, the electrical foreman, Mr. Y, sustained burn injuries. Fortunately, he was the only person who was working at that time, as the other workers had gone for lunch.

The firemen were summoned immediately and the fire extinguished after half an hour. Mr. Y was hospitalized with two percent burn injuries and is now recovering fast.

Under investigation, it is found that the fire broke out because of a short circuit in the switch box. As the machines were in operation and chlorine gas was being filled in the cylinders, the fire spread quickly. This devastating fire accident has resulted in a loss of about a lakh of rupees.

In order to avert such mishaps in future, the following are recommended: 

1. The worn out wiring should be immediately replaced and checked at regular intervals for leakages. 

2. It is necessary to install more fire extinguishers at vantage points. 

3. Proper fuses must be installed to avoid excess flow of current. 

4. Employees should be trained to handle the electric components safely along with fire extinguishers. 

5. Fire alarms should be installed in the electrical workshop, since lot of welding work is in progress.

If the above measures are implemented forthwith, such accidents can be prevented in future and thereby great loss to property and human resources can be averted.

Yours faithfully 

(Sd)………….

Chief Engineer

Sample Report - 2

A Report on the Feasibility of Flexible Working Hours

20.10.20..

To

The President 

Cauvery Industries Limited 

Tiruchirappalli

Sir,

Sub: Feasibility of Flexible Working Hours 

This report concerns the feasibility of allowing workers to start and stop work at the times that suit them best, a practice known as flex-time. Of course, we all understand that everyone would still work a total of 40 hours per week, as we do now. This idea of flexible working hours was first presented to the directors by some our workers, many of whom have young children in school.

The Personal Manager was asked to look into the question, and his study had two aspects. First, he looked at the experience of other companies, and second, he looked carefully at our own working arrangements.

After studying flex-time arrangements at four similar companies, the Personnel Manger reported several advantages

1. Parents of school-age children were able to fit their work hours to those of their children.

2. Workers could choose to work during hours they could be most productive. 

3. Worker attitude improved because of more choice in work time.

There were, however, some disadvantages as well: Sometimes there were not enough workers in some departments at crucial hours of the day, and it took a while to iron out confusion about schedules.

Next, we asked all employees of our company to predict the hours they would probably choose to work. This information was then circulated to all head of department for comment. The department heads were asked to look in particular at possible problems and their solution.

After studying all this information, a committee that included a representative from every department decided to try flex-time for a period of 3 months, starting November 1, 20... At the end of that period, the committee will make a final decision.

Yours faithfully

Committee Members

Sample Report - 3

Report decline of sales of tiles

20.12.20..

The Managing Director 

Glazed Tiles Pvt., Ltd., 

Tiruchirappalli

Sir,

Sub: Decline of Sales of Tiles

In accordance with your instructions I have enquired fully into the causes of the decline in company's business in the last two years till November 20.., and submit my report as follows:

Several new companies have put out glazed tiles in the market. Some of the companies have introduced artistically designed tiles in a variety of colours. Besides most companies make square tiles in four sizes and rectangular tiles in two sizes. We have limited our production of tiles to six standard colours without design, and to only two sizes. Tiles are used extensively in kitchens of homes and hotels but the demand is for designed tiles, and for sizes other than those we make. Hence, while the market for tiles as gone up, we have not been able to keep our share of the business.

Recommendations:

1. An experienced designer should be appointed to create new designs for our tiles.

2. A colour technician should be appointed to assist the designer.

3. Some of the more popular sizes and shapes should be introduced.

4. An intensive advertising and sales campaign should be launched in order to win back the lost market.

5. Follow-up correspondence should be maintained with all former customers in order to regain and build up old contacts.

Yours faithfully

Secretary

Sample Report - 4

Report on worker's discontent in Tiruverumbur Plant

Bansal Chemicals Limited

Sivaji Nagar 

Trichirappalli

15.12.20..

The Managing Director 

Bansal Chemicals Limited 

Tiruchirappalli

Sir,

Sub: Worker's Discontent in Tiruverumbur Plant

With reference to your letter No. 7345 dated 10th December, 20.. , I have been asked to find out the causes of discontent among the workers at Tiruverumbur Plant. I visited Tiurverumbur Plant and discussed the matter with the supervisors, plant operators and thirty workers selected at random. I came to know the following facts and reasons responsible for the discontent:

Observations:

The discontent is wide spread among the workers. The supervisors and authorities have complaints about their indiscipline, rash behavior and non-cooperative attitude. The workers had a long list of complaints in the following form:

✓ The supervisors are behaving like dictators and make no effort to solve the workers' problems.

✓ The food provided in the mess is of a very low quality and the charges are quite high. ✓ The work place is unhygienic and there is not facility of ventilation. The works have to work in such a worse environment. 

✓ The skilled workers mismanage the things and the labour have to put extra time and energy to arrange them. 

✓ The workers are not satisfied with the salary given to them. 

✓ There is no provision for the safety of the workers in the factory and some of them have met minor accidents.

Conclusions:

I found that all the complaints make by the workers were genuine and it was the outburst of their anger which made them non-cooperative undisciplined and furious. For the smooth functioning of the work, we should try to root out the problems faced by the workers in Tiruverumbur Plant.

Recommendations:

✓ The supervisors may be asked to be kind and compassionate. 

✓ Safety arrangement must be ensured. 

✓ Proper arrangements for sanitation and ventilation should be made.

✓ The mess contractor may be warned to provide good quality food at reduced rate otherwise the contract may be given to the other person.

I hope the management will consider the matter seriously and take the desired actions to improve the efficiency and productivity of the workers.

Yours faithfully

Human Resource Manager

Sample Report - 5

Recommendatory Report to increase the Daily allowance of your staff.

10.12.20..

The Managing Director 

Tamil Nadu Roadways

Tiruchirappalli 

Sir,

Sub: To increase the Daily allowance of the staff

I have been given a written request by my staff to increase the daily allowance of the staff. In their request they have mentioned the following points and I have found that their request is genuine. I in the light of following reasons recommend and forward their request.

✓ The continuous inflation in the economy has made it very difficult to live comfortable life. The prices of basic necessities like food grains, milk, petrol, clothes, vegetables etc. have been almost doubled but there has been no upward revision of the daily allowances.

✓ The education now a day is quite costly. To provide proper facilities of education and upbringing to the children, the staff needs better salaries. 

✓ The role of MNC's is increasing in India day by day and they are paying more to the qualified and experienced staff by giving DA as per the government norms while in our company it is half as per the government norms. This causes a high rate of dissatisfaction among the staff.

In view of the facts stated above, we call upon the management to take a sympathetic view of the situation and propose remedial steps at the earliest and favourable increase the daily allowance of the staff.

Head, Executive Branch

News Reports

‘News' is single new information about a happening presented by print, broadcasting, electronic and cyber media or by word of mouth to a third party or mass audience and report is a short account of the news. A news report is, thus, a version of the news sent to press media for circulation. A news report is written about a person, a thing or an event that is considered to be interesting enough to be reported. Reports appear in newspapers or magazines regularly and they are written in an impersonal formal style to attract the readers as well as to convince them.

Characteristics of Good News Reports

✓ News reports give facts briefly, precisely and accurately. 

✓ They deal with real and current happenings and are duly supported with right information.

✓ Reporting is done in an extremely clever and highly objective way. 

✓ Reports are written in a particular style to present the events in a clear and readable way. 

✓ Good news reports use suitable layout, appropriate vocabulary and correct grammatical structure.

✓ Parts of a News Report 

✓ Headline

✓ Byline 

✓ Main Body

Guidelines to write good news report

✓ You have to be accurate rather sensational, tell the truth not your opinion, no matter how strong your beliefs are.

✓ Include every relevant detail that your audience or readers are expected to know. For example, while reporting an accident, the report will be incomplete without mentioning the causes of the accident. 

✓ Start with an effective lead or introduction. Catch your readers' attention with the most fascination aspect of the news up front; otherwise, they will not bother reading the rest of it.

✓ Avoid the use of passive voice. Use simple declarative sentences with a variety of action verbs and eliminate needless words. Do not try to impress the readers with your learning either. 

✓Ensure correct and standard language usage across your text. If your software includes a style checker, use it to assure proper adherence to journalistic guidelines. 

✓ Avoid long, passionate descriptions. This is a news account, not a travel piece. As such, avoid excessive, flowing accounts of individual places and personalities. Keep your focus on the main event.

✓ Use short, concise sentences and paragraphs. News pieces work best when they run through quickly. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and sweet, with plenty of white space throughout the material. 

✓ You may include fiction elements like suspense and tension into your news piece, if it improves the work. But avoid creativity on the whole, and keep your focus on giving a clear description. 

✓ Be conventional without being ungrammatical. Make sure that you write in sentences and not in phrases with gerunds that go nowhere. Use adverbs when appropriate.

In a nutshell, your report should be composed of a catchy and powerful headline with a byline or the author's name, dateline, an effective introduction which starts with 'who' and 'whať, a body where ample explanations are given answering the questions-'where','when', 'why' and 'how' - and finally, a brief conclusion.

SAMPLE NEWS REPORT

Sample - 1

BBC, January 26

Tehran: At least 90 people died in south eastern Iran when a fuel truck lost control and crashed a police post, with the explosion engulfing other trucks, cars and buses, the Iranian Red Crescent said on Friday.

“Ninety bodies have been recovered but the death toll could rise further”, a Red Crescent official in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, told the student news agency ISNA.

He said 114 injured had also been evacuated from the scene of the accident, which occurred at a police post near Nosrat Abad, some 110 km west of Zahedan late Thursday.

The flames engulfed six buses and five other trucks, two of which were carrying tar, causing massive inferno, stage television reported. It also quoted the Red Crescent as saying that up to 200 people may have been killed. Zahadan's governor, Heydal Ali Nuraye, said it was impossible to immediately give an accurate toll as a number of bodies and blackened human remains had yet to be recovered.

According to the television the tanker caught fire immediately after crashing. 

Sample - 2

Indian Express, December 20..

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has called for mass awareness on environment protection by saying little drops of water make a mighty ocean.

Addressing a gathering at the screening and a photo exhibition on “Environment Protection” organized by Consulate General of France here on Tuesday, Khan said: “Every individual must be utmost cautious and not to waste natural resources, be it water or any other entity".

“I don't think we are cautious about such small things. But it is necessary to take notice. It might be possible that in our lifetime nothing happens, but as the new years come, I am sure some problems will definitely be there. Although there are talks that the world will end, universe will collapse but I think it might not collapse by some external factor but we ourselves will end up destroying it, like the way we have been doing it. So I think it's an important aspect”, he said.

Practice Exercises

I. Write a report on the following topics

1. A report on an accident you heard or witnessed.

2. A report recommending a new policy for your college or place of work.

3. A report on a lecture, TV documentary, or radio talk you heard.

4. A report, written either for the police or an insurance company, on a burglary, mugging, or accident that you saw or were a victim of.

5. Write a report on a project that you had undertaken and successfully completed under the guidance of a Senior faculty of your department.

6. Prepare a news report on ‘Technical Fesť organized by the technical society of your college.

7. A report on the progress of a journey that you made or of a historically famous journey, or of an imaginary journey. 

8. Draft a report for publication in a reputed newspaper on ‘Annual Sports Day', organized in your college.

9. A report on a meeting of an organization you belong to.

10. Write a report on the visit to a local textile industry by a group of students of your class. Include all necessary details such as purpose of visit, industry visited, observations made and your conclusion. The same is to be submitted to the training officer of your institution.

11. Your college participated in ‘Youth Festival, 2014”. Prepare a news report for a local daily. 

12. Write a news report on the ‘Blood Donation Camp' organized in your college.