Page 14 - Office Practice and Accounting 10
P. 14

the matter covered or to state an opinion on it. It is a statement prepared to present
          facts relating to planning, coordinating, performance and general state of summary
          of performance and statement or description of things that have already occurred.


          Objectives / Importance of Report
          Reports have the following objectives or functions

          –     To measure the executive performance
          –     To help to adopt the change and analyze the impact of business dynamism
                action for better planning
          –     To provide bases for   controlling and setting standard for corrective action
          –     To provide sufficient ground and suggestions for improvements
          –     To make inter–firm and intra–firm comparison for better decisions

          Characteristics / Features of Report

          The common characteristics of a good report are highlighted here.
          1.    Factual : A good report represents a series of facts obtained through investigation.
                Impartial recording of facts that serves the purpose is essential in report writing.
          2.    Comprehensive : It is complete with nothing of relevance omitted and nothing
                irrelevant included.
          3.    Objectives : Report is always guided by its objectives. Openions and preferences
                are  kept out unless asked for. Interpretations in the report are based on facts
                and figures.
          4.    Logical : A good report shows logical thought processes based on an outline or
                mind map developed well before writing the report.
          5.    Consistent : The report is consistent with the purpose. Also there is consistency
                in the use of same pattern of heading and sub-heading, numbering and spacing.
          6.    Concise :  A good report avoids long explanations. It limits redundancy to the
                required level.
          7.    Clear : A good report is written in simple, easy to read style. It avoids confusing
                expressions and helps the reader to understand the content easily with different
                graphs, chart, table, etc.

          Consideration for Drafting Report

          Report is the outcome of study, research and survey. It provides the bases for plan,
          policy, rules, regulation and decision. Report should be prepared in systematic and
          logical order. It should be prepared by skilled person strictly following the structure
          of report. Generally, the following points should be taken into consideration while
          preparing a report:
          1.    Title : Title of the report is mentioned at the top of the report. Researchers/
                readers focus on title at first and only go through the content. The title should


           8     Office Practice and Accounting 10
   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19