Ohio University College of Business Communication Standards

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Comparative Analytical Your supervisor asks you to write a report on two personal computers and to recommend the one that is better suited to the company's needs. I. Introduction A. Purpose B. Background C. Methodology D. Presentation Plan II. Recommendation III. Hardware A. Memory (compare both computers) B. Keyboard C. Screen IV. Software A. Word Processing B. Accounting Functions C. Graphics V. User Friendliness VI. Conclusions 3-7 Feasibility Your supervisor asks you to write a report on the feasibility of computerizing the accounting functions of the company. Presently, all accounting procedures are done manually. I. Introduction A. Purpose B. Background C. Methodology D. Presentation Plan II. Recommendation III. Present Method A. Costs 1. Equipment 2. Employee B. Employee Training C. Efficiency IV. Proposed Method A. Costs 1. Equipment 2. Employee B. Employee Training C. Efficiency V. Conclusions A. Costs (compare both methods) B. Employee Training Methods C. Efficiency Training Methods
Reports in the Impersonal Style The impersonal style of writing means that first person pronouns (I, we, our, etc.) and second person pronouns (you and your) are not used. Some organizations write in the impersonal style because it draws attention away from the person doing the action. In some cases, the action taken is more important than who performed the action, as illustrated in the following sentences. We completed the project three weeks early. (Focuses on who completed the action) The project was completed three weeks early. (Focuses on the action taken rather than who did it) I gathered the information in this report from journals and newspaper articles. (Focuses on who did the research) The research for this report came from journals and newspaper articles. (Focuses on how the research was gathered) Another good reason for using the impersonal style is that the writing is usually more concise, as shown below. I surveyed 200 employees and found that 65 percent of them prefer the cafeteria benefits plan. (wordy) Of the 200 employees surveyed, 65 percent prefer the cafeteria benefits plan. (concise and de-emphasizes who took the action) However, the impersonal style has its drawbacks. First, if you must refer to yourself, you have to say "the writer" or "the author," which is awkward writing. Second, it often leads to using passive verbs and "it is" phrases, both of which may lead to wordiness. Note these problems in the following examples. Poor: The authors recommend that the company purchase five PCs for the personnel department. (awkward) Poor: It is recommended that the company purchase five PCs for the personnel department. (wordy) Poor: It is believed that the project will be completed on time. (passive verb) To overcome these problems associated with the impersonal style, try these suggestions: 1. Focus on the action, not who performed the action. 2. Use nouns as subjects, not pronouns (I, we, he, she, it, etc). 3-8
Page 1 and 2: Ohio University College of Business
Page 3 and 4: Section 1: Business Writing Skills
Page 5 and 6: With permission: International Pape
Page 7 and 8: • Distinguish opinions from facts
Page 9 and 10: Be polite: Politeness means being c
Page 11 and 12: short, and to the point. Most impor
Page 13 and 14: Concise Verbs vs. Nominalized Verbs
Page 15 and 16: Transition Words And Consequently T
Page 17 and 18: Section 2: Business Letters and Mem
Page 19 and 20: Basic Page Formatting in MS Word Ap
Page 21 and 22: Creating Headers and Footers Header
Page 23 and 24: Guidelines for Formatting Memos To:
Page 25 and 26: Plain Paper Memo MEMORANDUM (Option
Page 27 and 28: Bad News or Negative Communication
Page 29 and 30: Reduce Resistance 1. Do not ignore
Page 31 and 32: Table of Contents Section 3: Report
Page 33 and 34: Business Report Segments Formal Inf
Page 35: Report Outlines Informational Analy
Page 39 and 40: Qualities of Well-Written Reports 1
Page 41 and 42: Sample Letter of Transmittal Green
Page 43 and 44: The Executive Summary Executive Sum
Page 45 and 46: Executive Summary (Sample with Head
Page 47 and 48: Line 7 1” Formatting Guidelines 1
Page 49 and 50: Create a Table of Contents The easi
Page 51 and 52: Hardware Examples of Lead-Ins, Summ
Page 53 and 54: Appendices Ancillary Pages • Iden
Page 55 and 56: Pagination (College of Business Sta
Page 57 and 58: Section 4: Presentations 4-1
Page 59 and 60: Effective Presentations Delivering
Page 61 and 62: Getting Organized: Factors to consi
Page 63 and 64: audience will not care about your p
Page 65 and 66: PowerPoint Tips A well-executed Pow
Page 67 and 68: • Text movement should be motivat
Page 69 and 70: Overcoming Fear of Speaking before
Page 71 and 72: Table of Contents Section 5: Employ
Page 73 and 74: Statements Action Statements, Descr
Page 75 and 76: Address (home or campus) City, Stat
Page 77 and 78: Sample: Enhanced Resume Lucinda Cre
Page 79 and 80: (Line One) (Line Two) (Line One) (L

Ohio University College of Business Communication Standards

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