Consumer
Travel writer Arlene Getz was mystified when the sales clerk at a Paris department store refused her credit card. “Sorry,” the clerk said, “your credit card is not being accepted. I don’t know why.” Getz found out soon enough. Her bank had frozen her account because of an “unusual” spending pattern. The problem? “We’ve never had a charge from you in France before,” a bank official told her. The bank didn’t seem to remember that Getz had repeatedly used that card in cities ranging from Boston to Tokyo to Cape Town over the past six years, each time without incident.
Getz was a victim of neural-network technology, a tool that is intended to protect credit cardholders from thieves who steal cards and immediately run up huge purchases. This technology tracks spending patterns. If it detects anything unusual—such as a sudden splurge on easy-to-fence items like jewelry—it sets off an alarm.
Robert Boxberger, senior vice president of fraud management at Fleet Credit Card Services, says that the system is “geared toward not declining any travel and entertainment expenses, like hotels, restau- rants, or car rentals.” But somehow it goofed and did not recognize that Arlene Getz was traveling, although she had used her card earlier to rent a car in Paris, a sure sign that she was traveling.
Getz was what the credit card industry calls a false positive–a legitimate cardholder inconvenienced by the hunt for fraudsters.
What particularly riled her was finding out that 75 percent of the transactions caught in the neural network turn out to be legitimate.
Yet the technology has been immensely successful for credit card companies. Since Visa started using the program, its fraud rate dropped from 15 cents to 6 cents per $100. To avoid inconvenienc- ing cardholders, the company doesn’t automatically suspend a card when it suspects fraud. Instead, it telephones the cardholder to verify purchases. Of course, cardholders who are traveling are impossible to reach.
Angry at the inconvenience and embarrassment she experienced, Getz sent a letter to Visa demanding an explanation in writing.
Your Task. As an assistant to the vice president in charge of fraud detection at Visa, you have been asked to draft a letter that can be used to respond to Arlene Getz as well as to other unhappy customers whose cards were wrongly refused by your software. You know that the program has been an overwhelming success. It can, however, inconvenience people, especially when they are traveling.
You’ve heard your boss tell travelers that it is a good idea to touch base with the bank before leaving and take along the card’s cus- tomer service number (1-800-553-0321). Write a letter that explains what happened, retains the goodwill of the customer, and suggests reader benefits. Address your letter to Ms. Arlene Getz, 68 Riverside Drive, Apt. 35, New York, NY 10025.
Video Resources Video Library 2
Bad News: BuyCostumes
This video features BuyCostumes, the world’s largest online costume and accessories retailer. After watching the video, play the part of a customer service representative.
BuyCostumes is proud of its extensive stock of costumes, its liberal return policy, and its many satisfied customers. But one day a letter arrived with a request that went beyond the company’s ability to deliver. The customer said that he had ordered the Gorilla Blinky
Eye With Chest costume. This popular gorilla costume comes with a unique gorilla mask, attractive suit with rubber chest, foot covers, and hands. The customer complained that the gorilla costume did not arrive until two days after his Halloween party. He planned an elaborate party with a gorilla theme, and he was extremely unhappy that he did not have his costume. He asks BuyCostumes to reim- burse $300 that he spent on theme-related decorations, which he says were useless when he failed to receive his costume.
As a customer service representative, you checked his order and found that it was not received until five days before Halloween, the busiest time of the year for your company. The order was filled the next day, but standard shipping requires three to six business days for delivery. The customer did not order express or premium deliv- ery; his shipping option was marked “Standard.”
You showed the letter to the owner, Mr. Getz, who said that this request was ludicrous. However, he wanted to retain the customer’s goodwill. Obviously, BuyCostumes was not going to shell out $300 for late delivery of a costume. But Mr. Getz suggested that the company would allow the customer to return the costume (in its original pack- aging) with a credit for the $134.99 charge. In addition, BuyCostumes would send a coupon for $20 off on the next costume purchase.
Your Task. Mr. Getz asks you to write a letter that retains the goodwill of this customer. Address your bad-news letter to Mr. Christopher King, 3579 Elm Street, Buffalo, NY 14202. Check http://www.buycostumes.com for more company information.
Grammar and Mechanics C.L.U.E. Review 10
Confusing Words and Frequently Misspelled Words Review the lists of confusing words and frequently misspelled words in Appendix A: Grammar and Mechanics Guide (Competent Language Usage Essentials), beginning on page A-21. On a separate sheet, revise the following sentences to correct word usage errors.
Sentences may have more than one error. If a sentence is correct, write C. When you finish, check your answers on page Key-3.
Example: Have you allready sent the reccomendation?
Revision: Have you already sent the recommendation?
1. Good listeners absorb facts rather then interupting with frequent questions.
2. Her principle reason for declining the invitation was her busy calander.
3. The manager was conscience of the navigation problems at the company Web sight.
4. Because Nedra felt overwhelmed by the every day demands of her job, she sought advise from her mentor.
5. Before you procede with the report, check those embarassing statistics.
6. Although we should look into this matter farther, I am not su- prised at your report.
7. The judge declared that the comments of there attorneys were irrevelant to the case at hand.
8. Because the property was to difficult to apprise, its value was unrecorded.
9. Jordan hoped to illicit advice from his counselor, but he was disapointed.
10. Is it neccessary to complement fellow team members when they excel?
© Photodisc / Getty Images
Unit 4
Reports, Proposals, and Presentations
Chapter 11
Business Report Basics
Chapter 12
Informal Business Reports
Chapter 13
Proposals and Formal Reports
Chapter 14
Business Presentations
© Rubberball Productions / Getty Images
Chapter 11
Business Report Basics
OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to
1 Describe business report basics,
including functions, patterns (indirect or direct), writing style, and formats.
2 Apply the 3-x-3 writing process to business reports to create documents that show an understanding of basic organizational patterns in written communication and a firm grasp of audience and purpose.
3 Understand how to find, evaluate, and use print and electronic sources of secondary data.
4 Comprehend the evolving nature of communication technology: the Web, electronic databases, and other resources for business writers and researchers.
5 Understand how to generate and use primary data while avoiding researcher bias.
6 Recognize the purposes and techniques of documentation in business reports and avoid plagiarism.
7 Illustrate reports with graphics that create meaning and interest; display numeric information in the appropriate graphic form; and show skill in
generating, using, and converting data to visual aids.
Understanding Report Basics
Reports are common in North American business. In this low-context culture, our values and attitudes seem to prompt us to write reports. We analyze problems, gather and study the facts, and then assess the alternatives. We pride ourselves on being practical and logi- cal as we apply scientific procedures. When we must persuade a client that our services can add value, as Dave Balter of BzzAgent hoped to do, we generally write a report outlining our case.
Management decisions in many organizations are based on information submitted in the form of reports. Reports help us understand and study systematically the challenges that we encounter in business before we can outline the steps toward solving them. Historian and author David McCullough said it best: “Trying to plan for the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.”7 Business solutions are unthinkable without a thorough examination of the problems that prompted them.
This chapter examines the functions, patterns, writing style, and formats of typical busi- ness reports. It also introduces the report-writing process and discusses methods of collect- ing, documenting, and illustrating data.
Business reports range from informal half-page trip reports to formal 200-page finan- cial forecasts. Reports may be presented orally in front of a group or electronically on a computer screen. Some reports appear as words on paper in the form of memos and let- ters. Others are primarily numerical data, such as tax reports or profit-and-loss statements.
Increasingly, reports are delivered and presented digitally, for instance, as PDF (portable
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1 Describe business report basics, including functions, patterns (indirect or direct), writing style, and formats.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE 1 Describe business report basics, including functions, patterns (indirect or direct), writing style, and formats.
“Imagine an army of unpaid endorsers . . . telling their friends, fam- ily and colleagues about [a] product, who in turn tell their friends, family and colleagues.”1 The impact these unpaid endorsers create is known as buzz, a marketing phenomenon consisting of word- of-mouth advertising. Dave Balter, CEO for BzzAgent, is a strong advocate of word-of-mouth advertising. He believed that BzzAgent could help Lee Jeans market a new line of jeans called One True Fit by creating buzz.
Lee Jeans had experimented with word-of-mouth advertising before and had seen the value of creating buzz. The company ap- proached Balter and BzzAgent based on the recommendation of one of its agency executives, who had actually worked as an unpaid BzzAgent for Balter. Their goal was to reach women in the 18- to-34 age bracket, for whom they had designed the One True Fit line.2 Lee knew that these women, especially those who had just had children, often were unable to find jeans that fit.3 Lee also believed that reaching this audience might require supplementing its traditional advertising strategies with a more personal approach.
Based on his experience and recent survey data,4 Balter believed that his company’s proprietary software system, the BzzEngine, and his well-prepared “volunteer brand evangelists” would be an ideal way to supplement Lee’s current marketing strategies.5 He thought that Lee’s target audience was ideal for his company’s word-of- mouth campaign built on goodwill and honesty.
Armed with his knowledge about word-of-mouth advertising and his belief that women in this target audience liked to share their opinions about products,6 Balter set out to study the target group’s reaction to these jeans. He had two goals. First, he had to determine whether his company could commit to the product; he needed to know whether the One True Fit line lived up to its promises. Second,
BzzAgent Supports Women’s Right to One True Fit
© Lee Jeans a division of VF Jeanswear Limited Partnership
Communicating at Work Part 1
if it did, he had to show Lee Jeans how his company’s system would reach the target audience and add value by generating awareness, delivering credibility, and creating positive buzz about the One True Fit line. You will learn more about this case on page 322.
Critical Thinking
● Do you think an advertising executive such as Dave Balter, who wants to demonstrate the added value his company can provide, should make his pitch orally or in writing?
● In your present work or organization experience, what kinds of reports are you familiar with? What is their purpose and how are they presented?
● Before funding an expensive advertising campaign, what would most companies require?
http://www.bzzagent.com
digital format) documents or as electronic “slide decks.” These files can then be e-mailed, distributed on the company intranet, or posted on the Internet. Hyperlinks tie together content within the document, between associated files, and with Web site sources. Such linking adds depth and flexibility to traditional linear texts. Some reports provide infor- mation only; others analyze and make recommendations. Although reports vary greatly in length, content, form, and formality level, they all have one common purpose: to answer questions and solve problems.
Functions
In terms of what they do, most reports fit into two broad categories: informational reports and analytical reports.
Informational Reports. Reports that present data without analysis or recommen- dations are primarily informational. For such reports, writers collect and organize facts, but they do not analyze the facts for readers. A trip report describing an employee’s visit to a trade show, for example, presents information. Other reports that present information with- out analysis involve routine operations, compliance with regulations, and company policies and procedures.
Analytical Reports. Reports that provide data, analyses, and conclusions are ana- lytical. If requested, writers also supply recommendations. Analytical reports may intend to persuade readers to act or change their beliefs. For example, if you were writing a feasibility report that compares several potential locations for a fast-food restaurant, you might con- clude by recommending one site. Your report, an analysis of alternatives and a recommen- dation, attempts to persuade readers to accept that site.
Organizational Patterns
Like letters and memos, reports may be organized directly or indirectly. The reader’s expec- tations and the content of a report determine its pattern of development, as illustrated in Figure 11.1. In long reports, such as corporate annual reports, some parts may be developed directly whereas other parts are arranged indirectly.
Eff ective business reports answer questions and solve problems systematically.
Eff ective business reports answer questions and solve problems systematically.
Informational reports present data without comment or recommendations. Analytical reports provide analysis, conclusions, and, if requested, recommendations.
Informational reports present data without comment or recommendations. Analytical reports provide analysis, conclusions, and, if requested, recommendations.
FIGURE 11.1 Audience Analysis and Report Organization
Direct Pattern Indirect Pattern
If readers are supportive
If readers need to be persuaded If readers
need to be educated
If readers may be disappointed
or hostile If readers
are informed
If readers are eager to have results first
Introduction/Problem
CONCLUSIONS/
RECOMMENDATIONS Facts/Findings Discussion/Analysis
Analytical Report Informational Report
Introduction/Background
Facts/Findings
Summary
Introduction/Problem
CONCLUSIONS/
RECOMMENDATIONS Facts/Findings
Discussion/Analysis Analytical Report
Uses letterhead stationery for an informal report addressed to an outsider
Emphasizes benefits in paragraph headings with boldface type Presents
introduction and facts without analysis or recommendations
Arranges facts of report into section with descriptive headings
Center for Consumers of Legal Services
P.O. Box 260 (804) 248- 8931
Richmond, VA 23234 www. cclegalservices.com
September 7, 2009
Tips for Letter Reports
• Use letter format for short informal reports sent to outsiders.
• Organize the facts section into logical divisions identified by consistent headings.
• Single-space the body.
• Double-space between paragraphs.
• Leave two blank lines above each side heading.
• Create side margins of 1 to 11/4 inches.
• Add a second-page heading, if necessary, consisting of the addressee’s name, the date, and the page number.
Ms. Lisa Burgess, Secretary Lake Austin Homeowners 3902 Oak Hill Drive Austin, TX 78134 Dear Ms. Burgess:
As executive director of the Center for Consumers of Legal Services, I’m pleased to send you this information describing how your homeowners’ association can sponsor a legal services plan for its members. After an introduction with back- ground data, this report will discuss three steps necessary for your group to start its plan.
Introduction
A legal services plan promotes preventive law by letting members talk to attorneys whenever problems arise. Prompt legal advice often avoids or prevents expensive litigation. Because groups can supply a flow of business to the plan’s attorneys, groups can negotiate free consultation, follow-up, and discounts.
Two kinds of plans are commonly available. The first, a free plan, offers free legal consultation along with discounts for services when the participating groups are sufficiently large to generate business for the plan’s attorneys. These plans actually act as a substitute for advertising for the attorneys. The second common type is the prepaid plan. Prepaid plans provide more benefits, but members must pay annual fees, usually of $500 or more a year. Over 30 million people are covered by legal services plans today, and a majority belong to free plans.
Since you inquired about a free plan for your homeowners’ association, the following information describes how to set up such a program.
Determine the Benefits Your Group Needs
The first step in establishing a free legal services plan is to meet with the members of your group to decide what benefits they want. Typical benefits include the following:
Free consultation. Members may consult a participating attorney—by phone or in the attorney’s office—to discuss any matter. The number of consultations is unlimited, provided each is about a separate matter. Consultations are generally limited to 30 minutes, but they include substantive analysis and advice.
Free document review. Important papers—such as leases, insurance policies, and installment sales contracts—may be reviewed with legal counsel. Members may ask questions and receive an explanation of terms.
FIGURE 11.2 Informational Report—Letter Format
Direct Pattern. When the purpose for writing is presented close to the beginning, the organizational pattern is direct. Informational reports, such as the letter report shown in Figure 11.2, are usually arranged directly. They open with an introduction, which is followed by the facts and a summary. In Figure 11.2 the writer explains a legal services plan using a letter report. The report begins with an introduction. The facts, divided into three subtopics and identified by descriptive headings, follow. The report ends with a summary and a com- plimentary close.
Identifies second and succeeding pages with headings
Uses parallel side headings for consistency and readability
Includes complimentary close and signature
Page 2 September 7, 2009
Ms. Lisa Burgess
Discount on additional services. For more complex matters, participating attorneys will charge members 75 percent of the attorney’s normal fee. However, some organizations choose to charge a flat fee for commonly needed services.
Select the Attorneys for Your Plan
Groups with geographically concentrated memberships have an advantage in forming legal plans. These groups can limit the number of participating attorneys and yet provide adequate service. Generally, smaller panels of attorneys are advantageous.
Assemble a list of candidates, inviting them to apply. The best way to compare prices is to have candidates submit their fees. Your group can then compare fee schedules and select the lowest bidder, if price is important. Arrange to interview attorneys in their offices.
After selecting an attorney or a panel, sign a contract.The contract should include the reason for the plan, what the attorney agrees to do, what the group agrees to do, how each side can end the contract, and the signatures of both parties. You may also wish to include references to malpractice insurance, assurance that the group will not interfere with the attorney–client relationship, an evaluation form, a grievance procedure, and responsibility for government filings.
Publicize the Plan to Your Members
Members won’t use a plan if they don’t know about it, and a plan will not be successful if it is unused. Publicity must be vocal and ongoing. Announce it in newsletters, meetings, bulletin boards, and flyers.
Persistence is the key. All too frequently, leaders of an organization assume that a single announcement is all that’s needed. They expect members to see the value of the plan and remember that it’s available. Most organization members, though, are not as involved as the leadership. Therefore, it takes more publicity than the leadership usually expects in order to reach and maintain the desired level of awareness.
Summary
A successful free legal services plan involves designing a program, choosing the attorneys, and publicizing the plan. To learn more about these steps or to order a $35 how-to manual, call me at (804) 355-9901.
Sincerely,
Richard M. Ramos, Esq.
Executive Director pas
Analytical reports may also be organized directly, especially when readers are support- ive of or familiar with the topic. Many busy executives prefer this pattern because it gives them the results of the report immediately. They don’t have to spend time wading through the facts, findings, discussion, and analyses to get to the two items they are most interested in—the conclusions and recommendations. Figure 11.3 illustrates such an arrangement.
This analytical memo report describes environmental hazards of a property that a realtor has just listed. The realtor is familiar with the investigation and eager to find out the recom- mendations. Therefore, the memo is organized directly. You should be aware, though, that unless readers are familiar with the topic, they may find the direct pattern confusing. Many readers prefer the indirect pattern because it seems logical and mirrors the way they solve problems.
Indirect Pattern. When the conclusions and recommendations, if requested, appear at the end of the report, the organizational pattern is indirect. Such reports usually begin with an introduction or description of the problem, followed by facts and interpretations The indirect pattern works
best for analytical reports that convey bad news or seek to persuade.
The indirect pattern works best for analytical reports that convey bad news or seek to persuade.
FIGURE 11.2 (Continued)