Business Report

Write specifically about the Luckin Coffee financial fraud scandal and its implications. Attention: Only need to write two parts which are the Muddy Waters Report(Muddy Waters Research exposed fraudulent practices, triggering investigations.) and Chinese Regulatory Involvement. Need to use some charts in the report.

Guidelines for Business Reports
A list of resources for good business writing appears at the end of this document. It is strongly
recommended that any serious businessperson consider owning writing resources. Written
communication is often the distinguishing factor in determining career success in any business or
government environment. The following are general guidelines intended to assist the student
attempting to write a business report for the first time.
Business reports are written for customers, superiors, potential financiers, governments, shareholders, etc. Make
absolutely sure you understand the objective of the report, i.e. the reason for writing it. This is an imperative
and cannot be taken lightly. If you need to get clarification from other parties (including the person(s) it is being
written for), do so. There is no sense in writing a report when its objectives are not fully understood.
Business reports do not all follow the same format. A generic format is provided below for reference. It may be
useful but note that for the COMM 321 Written Assignment, the report will likely not follow the typical
format. Consider the following for your COMM 321 report:
Task: Describe the accounting fraud and critically reflect on its implications.
Objective: Inform the reader about all aspects of the fraud (sequence of events, motivations, key individuals,
circumstances that allowed them to perpetrate it, what caused their downfall, the consequences to individuals as
well as to other entities, lessons learned, etc.).
Audience: Since the audience is a senior executive at a potential client, he/she is a well-educated businessman,
accustomed to seeing documents written in formal (North American) English. Also, the individual has
mentioned a specific area of concern which means it must be specifically addressed in an easy to locate section
of the report.
Process: Begin by researching the topic individually, then meet as a group to discuss. Consider using
brainstorming techniques where necessary. Determine the format of the report that best serves the task,
objective and audience. For frauds, the format will typically include an introduction to the company and then
the complete details of the fraud – what they did, why they did it, how they got away with it, how they got
caught and the consequences to themselves and others (both internal to and external to, the company). For other
topics, the format might be closer to the format outlined below for typical business reports, or it may be a
unique format specific to that topic. Once the format is agreed upon, assign responsibility for each section of
the report. Review each other’s work. Consolidate the sections and ensure the style is consistent throughout. See
writing process/tips below.
Format: The cover letter should follow the format required for formal business letters. The report should look
and read like a formal business report that could be circulated amongst senior executives and read quickly. As
such, the report should be well organized, with numerous headings and sub-headings. Bullets, tables, charts and
graphs should be used throughout the report to communicate information quickly and easily. An executive
summary should describe all key elements of the fraud in two paragraphs or less (i.e. everything contained in
your report should be summarized in the executive summary – think of a CEO who is reading it on one elevator
ride: he should be aware of everything that’s important by the end of the elevator ride).
Typical Business Report Structure:
A structure that is adapted to many reports is as follows (items that are optional for informal reports are in
italics):
➢ Cover
➢ Title Page – title aptly describing the report, the person(s) it is being prepared for (name, title and
organization), the author (plus any necessary identification) and the date of the report
➢ Table of Contents
➢ List of Figures (not necessary for COMM 321 report)
➢ Executive summary – a page containing only a paragraph or two that concisely summarizes all of the
contents of the report, including any conclusions or recommendations and significant numbers; for some
readers this may be all they read and it must give them the key highlights
➢ Introduction – a detailed summary of why the report is being written, often to address a problem that has
arisen. Note that it is imperative that all aspects of the problem be addressed so the reader is fully aware
of the scope of the problem, all necessary background as to how the problem arose and why it must be
resolved now. In the case of COMM 321, it should position the company in terms of its financial details
(e.g. asset base, revenues, profits, position in industry, etc.)
➢ Body of the report – the content obviously depends on what sort of report is being written but this
section includes all the analysis required, the criteria that will be used to evaluate alternatives and the
business’ objectives
➢ Alternative solutions – includes a discussion of the pros and cons of each alternative considered, and the
analysis is linked to the decision criteria (not applicable for most COMM 321 topics)
➢ Recommendation – must logically flow from the decision criteria and alternatives considered; is often
apparent to the reader before reading this section
➢ Implementation – full discussion of how the recommendation will be implemented including items of
concern and how these will be addressed; might include a discussion of events that might cause the
alternatives to be re-considered (not applicable for most COMM 321 topics)
➢ Appendix (not applicable for most COMM 321 topics)
➢ Bibliography
Writing Process
Start by brainstorming. Write the objective in the middle of a blank piece of paper and then, in 5-10 minutes,
write down anything and everything that pops into your mind. If you have not tried this before, you will be
surprised at how quickly the report will fall into place. By the end of your brainstorming, you will be able to see
patterns – what needs to be in what sections, research that needs to be done, logical tables, charts or graphs, etc.
Most reports require at least 3 drafts before they are completed to the author’s satisfaction. The final copy
should be proofread several times and by at least two people; computer spelling and grammar checks should be
used to eliminate obvious errors. Unfortunately, these digital aids usually capture only 15-20% of English
errors.
Writing Tips
Consider what the report looks like (without reading it). Does it look like a report a busy person would be
prepared to read? Ten pages of single space prose is not a report that the average business person is going to
want to read, or even be able to comprehend without a second or third reading. The following will make your
report much easier to read and understand:
➢ Use headings and sub-headings to break up prose and highlight ideas (e.g. The Problem, Next Steps);
start a new page for major headings; leave two blank lines before a sub-heading and one blank line after
a sub-heading
➢ Use charts, tables, graphs and/or pictures to present relevant statistics and facts (see table below for tips
on choosing the appropriate graphic)
➢ Ensure graphics are placed close to where they are referred to in the report (i.e. as the table above
demonstrates…)
➢ Be aware of readers’ natural tendencies – most scan a page from left to right in a Z pattern; optical
center of the page is 3 lines above the actual center (useful if you want to draw the reader’s attention to a
particular idea or graphic)
➢ Use bullets for lists of ideas, alternatives
➢ Use single space (or 1.15 space) within paragraphs, but double space between paragraphs (no need to
indent first lines if this is done); use consistent spacing throughout the report
➢ Use bolds, underlines, and italics to highlight important phrases or concepts
➢ Use a consistent font throughout the report and avoid the script ones since they’re harder to read; most
common fonts are Times New Roman and Arial
➢ Do not justify right margins; ragged right margins are easier to read and help readers locate specific
items and beginnings of new lines
Use the appropriate graphics for your intended objective:
Readers’/Author’s Objective
Demonstrate exact figures or values
To compare different items
To demonstrate changes in quantitative data or trends over time
To visualize the component proportions of a whole unit
To show a process or sequential procedures
To show a hierarchy of elements or of a department
Graphic
Table
Bar chart
Line chart
Pie chart
Flowchart
Organization chart
Use an active voice – it inspires confidence in a business setting. Many writers do complete document searches
to find and eliminate passive words like “was”, “would”, “somewhat”, etc.
Make sure you address the 5 Ws and H – Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.
In some business analyses (but likely not the case for the COMM 321 frauds), it is useful to address the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats applicable to the company. Porter’s 5 forces are also useful in
analysing a business situation and alternative strategies (i.e. bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of
customers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products, competitive rivalry within an industry).
Writing in Teams
Many business reports are written by teams, particularly the largest ones. All team members participate in the
initial brainstorming session and in assessing what the report will look like. Each team member is given specific
tasks to complete. Individuals then write their portion of the report or presentation. Teams use online
collaboration tools such as e-mail, discussion boards, instant messaging, etc. to communicate and share their
written material. Drafts are combined to produce a single report. At least one team member must be assigned
the task of merging the various files, running a spelling and grammar check, making sure the pagination is
logical and ensuring the spacing, font, use of headings, bullets and graphics is consistent from start to finish. It
must appear that one person wrote the entire report. Each member of the group must proofread the entire report
prior to its completion.
Business Communication Resources
Alred, G. J., Brusaw, C. T., & Oliu, W. E. (2006). The business writer’s handbook (8th ed.). Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Guffey, M. E., & Almonte, R. (2013). Essentials of business communication (7th Canadian ed.). Toronto:
Nelson. (includes sections on resumes, cover letters, speaking skills and career search)
Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D., Rhodes, K. & Rogin, P. (2013). Business communication: Process and product (4th
Brief Canadian ed.). Toronto: Nelson. (includes sections on resumes, cover letters and career search)
Locker, K. O., Kaczmarek, S. K., Braun, K. (2010). Business communication: Building critical skills (4th
Canadian ed.). Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
Harty, K. J. (2008). Strategies for business and technical writing (6th ed.). New York: Pearson Longman.
Lindsell-Roberts, S. (2006). 135 tips for writing successful business documents. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Davis, K. (2010) The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Business writing and Communications. New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Hogue, A. (2004) The Essentials of English: A Writer’s Handbook. White Plains, NY.: Pearson Education (lots
of grammar/punctuation resources)
Strunk Jr., W. & White, E.B. (1999 or 2011) The Elements of Style. New York: Pearson Longman (brief classic
guide to common writing mistakes and corrections)
Zinsser, W. (2006) On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Non-Fiction. New York: Harper (another
very brief classic guide considered helpful by most writers)
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ (arguably the best online resource,
covering a broad range of useful topics)