MGMT2100 Study Guide - Final Guide: Book Design, Creative Writing, Literature Review
Effective Business Writing
Different Types of Writing
• Business writing is succinct, clear and precise.
• Academic writing is more formal, usually more word.
• Creative writing is more wordy, done for enjoyment.
Types of Business Reports
• Information - a short and periodic report.
• Analytic - based on research and analysis leading to recommendations.
• Integrated - combines both approaches.
• Everyday reports that tend to be simpler and shorter in length include: justification reports, progress
reports, periodic reports and incident reports.
Key Components of a Report
Title page
• Title of report, name and organisation of receiver, name and organisation of writer, contact
details, date.
• All centred on separate page.
Executive summary
• Condenses the information of the report. Should be written last.
• Includes: purpose of the report, scope of the report, methods used for the research, major
findings of the research, conclusions of the researcher/s, recommendations.
Table of contents
• Records the name of each part of the report and the name of each first- and second-level
heading within the body, and the page on which each occurs.
• The page numbers for the front matter are shown in Roman numerals. The page numbers for
the remained of the report are shown in Arabic numerals.
List of figures and
tables (if
appropriate)
• Records the titles and page numbers of tables, illustrations and diagrams.
Introduction
• Defines the research task and problem.
• Includes: the purpose statement, background information, and the scope, aims and limits of
the report.
Literature review (if
necessary) or
Methodology
• Set up a theoretical framework to understand key issues.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the key concepts/models/studies related to your topic.
• Know about the history of your research area and any related controversies.
• Can discuss these ideas in a context appropriate for your own investigation.
• Can evaluate the work of others.
• Clarify important definitions/terminology.
Methodology
• Details of any primary research conducted: participants, instruments used.
• Details of any secondary source or archival research - where were the data gathered from,
eg: journals.
Findings
&
Discussion/Analysis
• Provide insights by analysing data.
• Integrate findings from the literature review with the findings from the data analysis.
• Provision of the financial/numerical information in text and tables.
Conclusion
• Short summary of main issues.
• May use dot points for ease of reading.
• Use parallel grammar (start dot point with a verb in the same tense).
Recommendations
• Opportunity to think of creative solutions, based on the findings and conclusions in the
report.
• Written in order of importance.
• Often uses dot points.
Appendices
Reference List
• On a separate page, presented in alphabetical order.
• In-text references must match the reference list.
• Format consistent with style guides, eg: Harvard.
Presentation of the Report
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Document Summary
Different types of writing: business writing is succinct, clear and precise, academic writing is more formal, usually more word. Creative writing is more wordy, done for enjoyment. Information - a short and periodic report: analytic - based on research and analysis leading to recommendations. Everyday reports that tend to be simpler and shorter in length include: justification reports, progress reports, periodic reports and incident reports. Title of report, name and organisation of receiver, name and organisation of writer, contact details, date. Executive summary: all centred on separate page. Includes: purpose of the report, scope of the report, methods used for the research, major findings of the research, conclusions of the researcher/s, recommendations. Table of contents: records the name of each part of the report and the name of each first- and second-level. Methodology heading within the body, and the page on which each occurs. The page numbers for the front matter are shown in roman numerals.
