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© 2010 Thomson South-Western
Instructor Only Version
CHAPTER 10CHAPTER 10
Proposals andProposals and
Formal ReportsFormal Reports

Chapter 10, Slide 2Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Understanding BusinessUnderstanding Business
ProposalsProposals
Definition
A proposal is a persuasive document designed to
motivate the reader to spend, make, or save
money.
Kinds
 Internal – May take the form of
justification/recommendation report
 External – Solicited (responding to RFP) or
unsolicited (prospecting for business)
 Formal – long, many parts
 Informal – shorter, six main parts

Informal
proposals
are usually
presented in 2- to
4-page letters or
memos and have
six main parts.
Click icon
to see model
 Introduction
 Background
 Proposal
 Staffing
 Budget
 Authorization
request
Informal ProposalsInformal Proposals
Adobe Acrobat
Document

 Introduction should provide “hook” to capture
reader’s interest.
 Background section identifies problems and
goals of project.
 Proposal discusses plan and schedule for
solving existing problem.
 Staffing section describes credentials and
expertise of project leaders.
 Budget indicates project costs.
 Authorization asks for approval to proceed.
Informal ProposalsInformal Proposals

 Formal proposals include all the basic parts of
informal proposals but may have additional
parts.
 Possible additional parts:
• Copy of RFP
• Letter or memo of transmittal
• Abstract and/or executive summary
• Title page
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• Appendix
Formal ProposalsFormal Proposals

Chapter 1, Slide 6Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e Chapter 10, Slide 6Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 8e
Parts of Formal and
Informal Proposals
Budget
Authorization
Appendix
Generally appear in both
formal and informal proposals:
Staffing
Optional in informal proposals:
Schedule
Background, problem, purpose
Introduction
List of figures
Table of contents
Title Page
Abstract or summary
Letter of transmittal
Copy of RFP (optional)

Research
secondary
data
Generate
primary
data
Illustrate
report
data
Organize
report
data
Document
data
Present
the final
report
Formal
Reports

Researching Secondary DataResearching Secondary Data
Print Resources
 Books
 Periodicals
 Bibliographic
indexes such as
Reader’s Guide
Electronic Databases
 Collections of magazine,
newspaper, journal
articles
 Examples
• EBSCO Business Source
Premier
• Factiva
• ABI/Inform
• LexisNexis

Researching Secondary DataResearching Secondary Data
The Web
 Product data
 Mission statements
 Staff directories
 Press releases
 Company news
 Article reprints
 Employment information
 Facts of all kinds
 Blogs (weblogs) for consumer reviews and
opinions

Web Search TipsWeb Search Tips
and Techniquesand Techniques
 Use two or three
search tools.
 Know your search
tool.
 Understand case
sensitivity in keyword
searches.
 Use nouns as search
words and as many
as eight words in a
query.
 Use quotation marks.
 Omit articles and
prepositions.
 Proofread your search
words.
 Save the best.
 Keep trying.
 Consider searching
blogs, wikis, and
social networks.

Generating Primary DataGenerating Primary Data
Surveying
InterviewingObserving
Experimenting

Surveying
 Develop questions, conduct trial.
 Work in person or online.
Interviewing
 Locate an expert.
 Consider posting an inquiry to an Internet
newsgroup.
 Prepare for the interview.
 Maintain a professional attitude.
 Prepare objective, friendly questions.
 Watch the time.
 End graciously.

Observing
 Be objective.
 Quantify observations.
Experimenting
 Develop rigorous research design.
 Pay careful attention to matching
experimental and control groups.

What to document
 Another person's ideas, opinions,
examples, or theory
 Any facts, statistics, and graphics that are
not common knowledge
 Quotations of another person's actual
spoken or written words
 Paraphrases of another person's spoken
or written words
Documenting DataDocumenting Data

Organizing Report DataOrganizing Report Data

Levels of Headings in ReportsLevels of Headings in Reports
 The main points used to outline a report often
become the main headings of the written report.
• Major headings are centered and typed in bold
font.
• Second-level headings start at the left margin.
• Third-level headings are indented and become
part of the paragraph
 Click the icon to view a document with
headings.
Adobe Acrobat
7.0 Document

Illustrating Report DataIllustrating Report Data
Reasons to use visual aids
 To clarify data
 To summarize important ideas
 To emphasize facts and provide
focus
 To add visual interest

Illustrating Report DataIllustrating Report Data
Most common types of visual aids
 Tables
 Charts
 Graphs
 Photographs

Matching Visual AidsMatching Visual Aids
With ObjectivesWith Objectives
Table
To show exact figures and values

2009
Bar Chart
To compare one
item with others

Line Chart
To demonstrate
changes in
quantitative data
over time

Pie Chart
To visualize a whole
unit and the
proportions of its
components

Flow Chart
To display a
process or
procedure

Organization Chart
To define a hierarchy
of elements or a set
of relationships.

Photograph, Map, Illustration
To achieve authenticity, to spotlight a location,
or to show an item in use.

Tips for Effective UseTips for Effective Use
of Visual Aidsof Visual Aids
 Choose an appropriate visual aid to
illustrate your objective.
 Clearly identify the contents of the
visual aid with a meaningful title and
appropriate labels.
 Refer the reader to the visual aid by
discussing it in the text and mentioning
its location and figure number.

Tips for Effective UseTips for Effective Use
of Visual Aidsof Visual Aids
 Locate the visual aid close to its
reference in the text.
 Strive for vertical placement of visual
aids.
 Give credit to the source if appropriate.

Parts of a Formal ReportParts of a Formal Report
Prefatory Parts
 Title page
 Letter of authorization
 Letter of transmittal
 Table of contents
 Executive summary, abstract,
synopsis, or epitome.

Parts of a Formal ReportParts of a Formal Report
Body of Report
 Introduction or background
 Discussion of findings
 Summary, conclusions, recommendations
Supplementary Parts of a Formal Report
 Footnotes or endnotes
 Bibliography
 Appendix

Parts of Formal
Reports
Letter of transmittal
Table of contents
List of figures
Executive summary
Introduction
Body
Conclusions
Recommendations
Appendix
Bibliography
Title page
Cover
Generally appear in both
formal and informal reports:
Optional in informal reports:

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