CH 10- Preparing Business Reports

Which type of report has a goal of providing the reader with facts that are easy to understand?

Informational

Which type of report would be used to help the reader to solve problems or support a business decision?

Analytical

When choosing the best medium to use in transmitting a report, a writer should consider length, audience, and _____.

formality

The first key element one could expect to find in a report is _____.

identifying information

The first step in writing a report is to _______________.

identify the question you are answering

Which of the following is an advantage of an email report?

Can be distributed and received quickly

The section of the report that provides readers with a quick understanding of the purpose, structure, contents, and main idea of the report is considered to be _____.

the preview

Which of the following mediums for reports is appropriate only for internal audiences?

memo report

A(n) ________ is a separate, standalone mini-report inserted at the beginning of a formal analytical report that completely summarizes the report's main ideas and recommendations.

executive summary

What can a writer do to achieve a professional writing style that adds to the credibility of a report?

make the report easy to skim

When do experienced writers ask for feedback on their reports?

throughout the writing process

Reports based on outcomes and decisions arrived at during meetings are called _____.

meeting minutes

What type of report determines whether a plan can be implemented as proposed?

feasibility reports

What should always be included in a feasibility report?

criteria that decision makers can use to judge the proposal

An analytical report that considers options and identifies a course of potential action is a(n) _____ report.

recommendation

Almost 2 billion people speak English worldwide and ________ percent of those people speak it as a first language.

only 25

What part of a report allows an audience to preview the material?

Preliminary sections

In what section of a formal report would a reader find content-specific headings?

detailed discussion

Conservative fields typically use _____ style reports.

manuscript

Which of the following reports is designed to quickly inform others about the work you have done and to provide documentation for future use?

progress report

What type of report is often used in a sales or marketing environment?

white paper

A stand-alone visual display of data is called a(n) _____

infographic

PDF files are the most common format for distributing reports electronically because _____.

companies can track people interested in the information

Which of the following is an advantage of creating and distributing a web-based report?

reports can be updated frequently

A report is prepared using presentation software and much of the information in the report is conveyed through graphs, diagrams, and other visual elements. This report is created in the form of a(n) ________.

presentation report deck

Reports that are PowerPoint based are referred to as _____.

report decks

What is the most concise way to express an idea for discussion and decision making?

slide decks

To design report deck content that is easy to follow, what should be included?

an agenda

When a report deck is long, what design element can be incorporated to help the reader?

slide numbers

______ assess the success of a project or a decision.

evaluation reports

According to information designer Edward Tufte, what can be done to help a graph or table better communicate a message?

eliminate distracting content

The purpose of adding a graph in a report is to _____.

allow the reader to identify trends

When integrating a graph or table, what is the role of the text?

to interpret the data

Which of the following sections of a formal report contains detailed discussion that is always organized with headings?

body of the report

A(n) ________ is a mini-version of the report designed to communicate the most important ideas to an audience of decision makers.

executive summary

Which of the following elements of a report contains information that would interrupt the flow of the report but that readers may find useful?

appendix

If a report uses secondary research sources, a(n) _____ should be included in the report to list the secondary sources.

reference

Why is it important to cite sources when writing reports?

Sources help your audience locate information

The introduction to a report ________.

typically explains the problem or issue that motivated the report

How does citing your sources add credibility to your writing?

Citing sources shows your reader you are well informed

The ________ lists all the headings in the report, along with the page numbers where the report sections begin.

table of contents

PowerPoint report decks ________.

are designed to be read as well as presented

A(n) ________ has a hybrid status, which means that it is partly report and partly presentation.

report deck

When you use any phrase, sentence, or distinctive words from another source, how do you note the use of someone's source in the text?

use quotation marks

Inserting the author's last name, year of publication, and page number next to an exact quote is an example of _____.

parenthetical citation

Report decks ________.

can be used for any type of report

On average, how much of a report's content should consist of quotations?

10 percent

When is the best time to use a quotation instead of paraphrasing information?

When the exact wording is needed to allow you to be very precise

Which of the following is recommended for effectively designing a slide deck?

leave space for "road-signs" on the upper-left or upper-right corner of your slides

A "road sign" on the upper-left or upper-right corner of your slides that indicate the section of the deck, is analogous to a ________ on a word-processed report.

header

How do you use your own words to share someone else's opinion?

paraphrase

Slides in a report deck ________.

should each communicate a clear and complete point

________ arrange data in columns and rows, allowing you to read down or across to see different relationships.

tables

When you use someone else's original content, but put it in your own words, you are _____.

paraphrasing

While drawing a graph, you plot the independent variable on the x-axis and dependent variable on the y-axis. Then you add a trend line and start plotting the variables. Which of the following types of graphs is being created?

scatter plot

If you want to represent the percentage of respondents in a survey who preferred your product to products from four of your competitors, the best graph to use would be a ________.

pie chart

A _____ is a very brief version of another person's point of view.

summary

A ________ compares multiple items according to a single characteristic.

horizontal bar chart

How can a writer introduce cited material by explicitly referring to the source within the text?

Insert a text reference

If you are using parenthetical citations, how should you title your list of sources?

references

When using a visual from another source, where should the citation be placed?

in the caption

In business reports, verbal and visual elements should ________.

be integrated together

________, or citing your sources, is a key part of all writing in academia and most professional writing.

Documenting

Documenting or citing your sources ________.

gives your audience the ability to find information mentioned in your report

Presenting others' ideas as your own is known as ________.

plagiarism

________ are any phrases, sentences, paragraphs — even single, distinctive words — that you take from any of your sources.

quotations

When writing a report, information that is known to most people is considered to be _____.

common knowledge

Charts and graphics can be unethical when they _____.

show data out of context

What is the advantage of using an indirect format when producing a slide deck?

The author can explain reasons before making specific recommendations

If a writer wants to include web links or a video in a report, what format should be used?

PDF file