Example topic

You have been asked to prepare some general advice for a wealthy overseas client who is thinking of investing in a winery venture in New Zealand and would like to get a good general sense of the current situation of the New Zealand wine industry. You will need to analyse the current business environment of the New Zealand wine industry to assist your client’s decision making. You are expected to write an analytical report of 1750 words examining the issues. What are the criteria that a business report might be be marked against? A marker would assess a number of key areas including: Content - Is the content relevant to the purpose of the report?  Have ideas been analysed and explained clearly?  Some reports draw conclusions, some make formal recommendations. With this report you may come to some conclusions which will assist your client. Research - Were relevant quality information sources used to support ideas in the report? Are information sources correctly referenced using APA format both in the text of the report and in the reference list? Organisation - Are the main ideas presented in the report clear and easy for a busy manager to read and follow? Is a report structure adhered to using headings and a logical order? Writing mechanics - Are there any errors in spelling, grammar etc. that the client may see as sloppy or unprofessional? When you read your report aloud, does it flow well? Does it appear professional?

What is the purpose of business reports?

Where to start?

There are a few key steps that should be made before starting to write a business report.

These are 

• defining the scope of the report.
• specifically addressing the needs and requirements of the recipient.
• researching, analysing and evaluating information sources to support your understanding and analysis of the situation.
  
  

Using the wine industry as an example, define the scope and map out your ideas

In this step you need to think about the purpose of the report and decide what information needs to be covered. You may want to begin your preliminary outline to guide you when doing the research for your report. At this stage you may also want to write an introductory paragraph to define the purpose of the report.

You need to ask yourself some questions:

• What is the report about? Write ideas for an outline structure.
• This scope and outline will help shape your research, your writing, and your time frame. What research needs to be done? Make sure you give yourself plenty of time.

Mapping out your ideas in a diagram form can be a useful way of organising your thoughts. 

• The aim is to produce a map or outline that is detailed enough to guide you in your writing and enable changes and new ideas to be added as you go. Be prepared to be flexible with your plan as new information comes to hand.
• It is useful to brainstorm synonyms, words and terms associated with the wine industry that could be used or combined as keywords in a search. These could be terms such as:
  
  • wineries
  • vineyards
  • grape growing
  • viticulture
• Put ideas and keywords under headings and subheadings and list down all your ideas. 

Every business report scenario is different. Here are some examples of questions you might be asking if you were researching the New Zealand wine industry.

Know your audience

The next step is planning the business report to suit the needs and requirements of the recipient. This will influence how the report is written and the type of information you include. This could be how technical the content is, or how much knowledge the recipient may have about New Zealand business. 

Consider the recipient's  

• business requirements for the report.
• position of authority.
• knowledge base on the intended topic.