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BIS 101WI Essential Business Communications Skills Assignment 4: Analytical Report (100 points) Objectives · To utilize the scientific method to objectively research a complex, real-world problem. · To use the genre of an analytical (lab) report with sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusion (IMRaD) to: 1. Guide the process of conducting scientific research methods 2. To write a business report that helps answer questions about a problem using a business report format · To successfully incorporate your understanding of various aspects of business communication, such as writing for various audiences using PACS, developing visuals, and writing a report involving real-world stakeholders. · To gain a deeper understanding and practical use of various kinds of research methods such as surveys, interviews, and observations as multiple means to gather information in the workplace. · To learn to incorporate sources in your own writing and enter scholarly discussions through your own local research. · To write a strong analytical report that reports on findings in an objective, informed manner, where the writer only provides a recommendation in the conclusion, and follows the guidelines provided in chapter 10. Background An analytical report is a response to some type of problem; for example, a business has a problem and needs to find out what is causing the problem. Or, your boss asks you to research an issue and report back on it. A business report typically introduces 1) a problem that prompted the research questions, 2) presents a research methodology based on actual conducted research, 3) presents results of research, 4) discusses those results, and 5) concludes the main findings and makes a practical recommendation as to what needs to be done (see Ch 9-10). You will use the IMRaD structure (i.e., Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion with Recommendations) to report on your research. Your report topic should allow you to do the following: 1. Find at least 10 scholarly academic sources to gain insight from literature (whether these are academic papers, government documents, etc.) 2. Find primary evidence on your own by using a specific methodology. The methodology is based on your research questions (RQs), and most likely is done through online surveys (Qualitative/Quantitative), or qualitative observations, interviews with subject-matter experts (SMEs) or stakeholders and others with an interest in the problem and its solution, etc. In other words, the interplay between your research and the research of other scholars is paramount as this research will guide you in your thinking as you build upon their work/ideas and adapt them to your local issue or problem. Once you have defined the problem, you will want to carefully research the literature available on the subject. To do this successfully, be sure to review scholarly academic articles that are 1) recent, credible, unbiased, and schCBA Writing Rubric BIS 101 Reporting Performance Dimensions N/A Not Met Met Exceeds Comments Organization (OABC) Opening gets attention, provides context, and introduces topic; agenda previews content; body discusses content in smooth flow; closing summarizes and concludes Paragraphs limited to discussing one topic per paragraph ; transitions and flow between paragraphs is smooth Content The content of the document is relevant; information meaningful           The document is developed with adequate support (through reference to research, inclusion of examples, demonstrating critical thinking)           The content is accurate and appropriate for genre (e.g., memo, report), with insightful analysis           Style The writing is clear and concise; wordiness avoided           Overused, trite phrases, clichés, and slang are avoided           The style is appropriate to the intended audience and purpose           Proofreading The grammar and spelling are correct (proofread)           Punctuation—comma usage, capitalization, etc.—used correctly           Format (headings, art, typography, & spacing) Visual appearance is professional and appropriate for type of written document; information is reader friendly           Good use of font , margins , spacing , headings , and visuals           Citations (if applicable) Sources are appropriately referenced and cited (using APA, Chicago, MLA)           The document is original work with no plagiarismHow technology can help improve the nutrition of college students Prepared for Dr. Verhulsdonck Prepared by xxxxxxx November 8, 2018 Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 Methods ...........................................................................................................................................2 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................................4 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................11 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................11 References .....................................................................................................................................13 Appendix-A ...................................................................................................................................14 Executive Summary College students have poor nutritional habits that can be detrimental if continued into adulthood. The purpose of this study was to find out how technology can be used to educate and improve the health habits of Central Michigan University students. The purpose of research was as follows: 1. To understand what habits contribute to poor nutrition 2. Find ways that technology can be used to educate college student about dietary nutrition 3. Find out how technology could make it easier for college students to track and improve dietary nutrition Data for research was found by conducting a survey, researching library articles, and the use of educational databases. Qualitative analysis was conducted in order to come up with solutions and recommendations. Conclusions 1. Poor nutrition come from a lack of nutritional knowledge. What came from the analysis of research was that college students that had poor nutritional knowledge displayed bad nutritional habits. Bad nutritional habits included not regulate meal schedules lack of nutritional knowledge, and not eat the proper food groups needed. These findings helped to establish how nutritional education could be implicated using technology. 2. The best use of technology for nutritional information is web-based. Web-based nutritional information is the best way to teach college students how to maintain a proper diet because it can provide a multitude of information in and easy and accessible way. 3. Technology could improve nutrition by implementing changes to the dining services website. Technological advances such as apps, point to purchase marketing, and nutrition labels could be added in order to promote better nutrWriting Business Reports 10 Professional Writing and Speaking Baker, Baker, and Robles Chapter 10 Structure Writing Business Reports Definition of Business Reports Report Writing Process Business Report Categories Review and Revision of Reports Business Messages vs. Reports Research and Report Processes (Continued on next slide) Research and Report Processes (Continued from previous slide) Planning the Report Business Report Structure Introduction Research Methods Findings Conclusions Recommendations Scientific & Academic Report Structure (IMRAD) Introduction Methods Results and Discussion Team Writing All Write All. The entire team composes together. Consistent style, but can be tedious, frustrating, and inefficient. Each Writes Part. Team members divide and delegate the writing and share in giving feedback. Time efficient and equitable workloads, but inconsistent writing style. Works well for long reports. One Writes All. One person writes the entire report. Team gives feedback. Unfair workload but consistent style. Works well for short reports. Team Writing Select an effective team. Establish meeting times and deadlines. Create an outline. Assign tasks. Clarify writing standards for style and design. Establish a system for review and revision. Give positive reinforcement. Long Report Sections Long Report Section Samples Background Purpose Agenda Two years ago, Western Bakeries, Inc., acquired Tony’s Bakeries, a Northern California firm consisting of three bakeries located in Sacramento, Redding, and Chico. Since that time, Tony’s Bakeries has been declining in profitability. The decline two years ago was 5.2 percent; last year the decline was an additional 7.6 percent. We conducted a study to identify the reasons for the loss in profitability and to recommend appropriate solutions. The following report sections explain the research methods, findings, conclusions, and recommendations resulting from this research. Long Report Section Samples Definition of terms Research methods ■ 301 Redirect: A permanent redirect from the company’s old website to its new website. ■ Bounce rate: The percentage of visitors who visit your site and then leave, or bounce, rather than continue to view other pages at that site. We analyzed Tony’s fundamental business operations, policies, and procedures to identify points of inefficiency, waste, or mismanagement. We also interviewed all store managers and employees to learn what they think is going well and what could be improved. Finally, we observed customers during their shopping and analyzed all website customer ratings and reviews. Long Report Section Samples Findings (what?) Conclusions (so what?) Recommendations (now what?) Customers rate Tony’s product quality at 3.4/5.0. Customer-service problems are causing a decline in customer patronage at Tony’s. Provide ongoing customer-service training for Tony’s employees, give employees rewards for good customer serviConducting Business Research 9 Professional Writing and Speaking Baker, Baker, and Robles Chapter 9 Structure Conducting Business Research Secondary Research Primary Research Two Business Research Categories Four Publication Categories Popular Magazines Trade Journals Scholarly Journals Newspapers Contain research-based articles reviewed by author’s unbiased professional peers. Time-consuming, painstaking review process. Content is highly reliable but has little information on current topics. Cover a wide array of current topics published for general audiences. Writing is intended to be informative and interesting. Only occasional scholarly content. Targeted at specific industries or professions. Not scholarly in nature, but many are recognized as authoritative within their industry or profession. Published for general audiences; the most current of all publications, covering news, editorial opinions, and other information of interest to the public. Occasional scholarly content. Evaluating Website Information Reliability Authority Currency Purpose Credible website content should (a) be current, (b) be written by subject-matter experts, (c) meet all the standards of rigorous, unbiased research, and (d) not be profit motivated. Basketball Basketball OR volleyball Basketball AND women’s AND injuries Basketball AND college NOT professional Boolean Operators Use Boolean operators for searches Copyrights—What You Need to Know Q: Why is documentation required? A: To comply with copyright law, give credit to the people who created the original work, and tell people how to find the original source. Q: What’s the difference between a patent, trademark, and copyright? A: A patent protects an invention; a trademark protects a name, symbol, or design; and a copyright protects writing, software, music, art, and movies Be aware that even if a formal copyright has not been granted by the United States copyright office, the textual expression is automatically protected by copyright. Q: What is plagiarism? A: Plagiarism is copying someone else’s text verbatim, paraphrasing someone else’s work, or blending other people’s content with yours without giving credit. When to Document Comparing Documentation Styles APA (American Psychological Association) MLA (Modern Language Association) Chicago (University of Chicago Press) Jansen, F. & Janssen, D. (2011). Explanations first: A case for presenting explanations before the decision in Dutch bad-news messages. Journal of Business and Technical Communication 25(1), 36-67. Jansen, Frank, and Daniel Janssen. “Explanations First: A Case for Presenting Explanations before the Decision in Dutch Bad-News Messages.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication 25.1 (2011): 36-67. Business Source Premier. Web. 8 Sept. 2012. Jansen, Frank, and Daniel Janssen. 2011. “Explanations First: A Case for Presenting Explanations before the Decision in Dutch Bad-News Messages.” Journal oBIS 101WI Essential Business Communications Skills Assignment #4, Business Analytical Report Peer Review Peer Reviewer Instructions: Before starting, download a copy of this document and save it to your hard drive. Provide your input on the downloaded version (be sure to include student names, below), save it, and then upload the completed peer review to Discussion Board #4 by the due date. Name of Student : Mohammed Name of Reviewer : Kyle WHAT TO DO · STEP 1: Review the business analytical report carefully with an attitude to look for ways the author can improve his/her report. · STEP 2: Provide meaningful suggestions for improvement. Reminder: This is an important part of the business communications process—peers will frequently review others’ work in business, so please take this activity seriously and provide solid and helpful improvement input. Be specific in your reviews and provide examples and reasons why you suggest a certain improvement, etc. OVERALL ASSESSMENT Highlight the Y or N appropriately when answering the questions below: Format Y or N Is the report written in a reader-centered (top-down processing) way by making the report structure transparent through strong use of topic sentences, transitions, forecasting throughout, and the opening moves of subject, purpose, main points etc. formula for each section except for the conclusion, recommendations? Y Introduction/Problem Definition/Scope Y or N Does the introduction present a full overview of the problem and does it approach the problem in comprehensive ways (is the scope /angle accurate, not too narrow or wide)? Y Y or N If anybody reads it, can they think up alternate issues or angle and different causes and effects? Y Y or N Does the introduction contain six opening moves as described in the assignment? (Moves 1-6: including subject, purpose of proposal, main point, importance, background info, and forecast organization of document) Y Elements of Report Y or N Does the writer use the scientific reporting structure of Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, conclusion with recommendations effectively? Y Y or N Does the report feature front matter such as title page, table of contents, executive summary, as well as back matter, appendices, and references, as described in assignment? Y Visual and Textual Rhetoric Y or N Overall, is visual organization used effectively for the report, look neat? Y Y or N Are visuals used to tell a simple story, do they represent data effectively, and are they referred to in-text and labeled with a description (i.e., Figure 1: Water conservation flow chart)? Y/N Y or N Overall, is visual organization used effectively for the report, look neat? Y Y or N Are the following used: section headers, chunking of text, effective use of HATS headings, art, typography, spacing (visual design principles) to create a visually well-organized and visually accessible rapport that is easy to read? Y Research Methods/Results/