Chapter 13

Problem statements in business reports are most effective when their matter-of-fact tone downplays the urgency of the problems.

• True

• False

Generally, an executive summary for a 50-page report should be about two pages long.

• True

• False

Which of the following aspects of writing business reports relates to the component of credibility known as caring?

• reporting information transparently

• providing facts that help decision makers

• reporting information honestly

• addressing the needs of decision makers

Which of the following aspects of writing business reports relates to the component of credibility known as character?

• reporting information transparently

• nvolving decision makers in the process

• addressing the needs of decision makers

• providing quotes from outside sources

Darl is in charge of facilities management at his company. He also believes in helping the environment. He knows the company can save tens of thousands of dollars in the long run by converting to energy saving bulbs and instituting energy saving policies across the whole corporation. After talking to CEO and board, he gets the go ahead to make the changes, but first they want him to write up a plan with a budget and plan for how he will use employees' time, also called a

• business report.

• business proposal.

• spreadsheet analysis.

• white paper

Vladimir is drafting a proposal to buy electric cars for the company fleet that his boss will review and make a decision on when he is done. Which of the following should Vladimir do to increase the likelihood of his proposal being accepted?

• focus mostly on the philosophy behind the idea

• use a factual rather than persuasive structure

• negotiate some details verbally with decision makers before writing the proposal

• avoid mentioning the budget until after the general idea is approved

To develop original reports, make sure that you avoid

• using cause-effect statements.

• using too many bar charts.

• relying on summaries and paraphrases.

• plagiarizing in any form.

Which of the following is most likely to be included on the cover page of a report?

• the date of submission

• the recipients' names

• a mission statement

• a preview statement

The table of contents in a report contains

• the introduction from each section of the report.

• all of the preview statements from each section of the report.

• all first-level headings and sometimes all second-level headings.

• topic sentences from each paragraph.

Shuai is writing a report with a great deal of complicated numerical information. To clarify and simplify this information for decision makers, she should put it into

• charts or tables.

• an executive summary.

• bulleted lists.

• appendices.