Most common types of business reports and proposals

Most common types of business Reports and Proposals:

Informational reports:
-Reports to monitor and control operations
-Reports to implement policies and procedures
-Reports to demonstrate compliance
-Reports to document progress

Analytical reports:
-Reports to assess opportunities
-Reports to solve problems
-Reports to support decisions

Proposals:
-Internal Proposals (Requests decisions from managers w/i the company)
-External Proposals (Requests decisions from parties outside the company)

Informational reports use topical organization, arranging material according to one of the following topics:
-Comparison
-Importance
-Sequence
-Chronology
-Spatial Orientation
-Geography
-Category

Analytic Reports must be written according to how likely your audience would react:
-Receptive audiences (direct approach)- When you expect your audience to agree with you, use a structure that focuses on conclusions and recommendations.
-Skeptical audiences (indirect approach)- When you expect your audience to disagree with you or be hesitant, use a structure that focuses on the rationale behind your conclusions and recommendations.

Proposal structures depends on your audience members like analytical reports. In general your audience may be more receptive with solicited proposals, because the problem and the solution have already been identified. Depending on the circumstances and your relationship with the recipient, the indirect approach may be a better choice for unsolicited proposals. When writing unsolicited proposals, you must first convince the audience that the problem exists and establish your credibility if you are unknown to the reader. To convince the reader your recommendations are solid and logical, you unfold your solution using the 2+2=4 approach or the yardstick approach. As you unfold your solution, you have 2 goals: to persuade readers to accept your idea and award your contract, and to spell out the terms of your proposal.

The value of diversity in the business world

Diversity (all of the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals) can have a profound effect on the way business people communicate. This in turn brings us to intercultural communication which is the process sending and receiving messages between people whose background could lead them to interpret verbal and nonverbal signs differently. Your efforts to recognize cultural differences will open up business opportunities throughout the world and maximize the contribution of all employees in a diverse workforce.
Even if you never visit another country or do business globally, you will still interact with colleagues from a variety of cultures with a wide range of characteristics and life experiences. Over the past few decades, many well known companies have changes the way they approached from seeing it as a legal requirement to provide equal opportunities to seeing as a strategic opportunity to connect with customers and take advantage of the broadest possible pool of talent. Smart business leaders recognize the competitive advantages of a diverse workforce that offers a broader spectrum of viewpoints and ideas, helps companies understand and identify with diverse markets, and enables companies to benefit to a wider range of employee talents. When I say diversity that doesn't necessarily only mean religion and nationality, it also goes for age, gender, work or professional experience and military experience. All of these various aspects is what makes up diversity which in turn reaches out to a much more broader market.
In particular, making ethical choices across cultures can see, complicated, but you can keep your messages ethical by applying four basic principles:
-Actively seeking mutual ground
-Send and receive messages without judgement
-Send messages that are honest
-Show respect for cultural differences.

Pros and Cons- When writing and working in teams

Advantages of teams:
Increased information of knowledge- Pooling resources of several individuals, teams have access to more information in the decision making process.
Increased diversity of views- More than one perspective brought to the table as long as they have a shared goal.
Increased acceptance of a solution- Those who participate in making a decision are more likely to be enthusiastic about the decision and encouraging others to accept it.
Higher performance levels- Can unleash new amount of creativity and energy in workers who share the same purpose and mutual accountability. They can also be better then one top performing individual to solve complex problems. It also fills the individuals need to belong to a group, increases feeling of dignity and self-worth and reduces stress and tension between workers.

Disadvantages of teams:
Groupthink- If you have taken Motivation & Leadership then you probably know what this is. If you don't is basically making a decision because of pressure from other individuals on the group whether you think its right or wrong.
Hidden agendas- private counterproductive motives, such as trying to take control of the group or undermining others.
Free riders- Don't make any contributions, but take credit for the work just because they are in the group.
Cost- This is pretty self-explanatory. The more people and resources, the higher the cost.

Strategies for effective team collaboration:
-Select collaborators carefully
-Agree on project goals before starting
-Give your team time to bond before diving in
-Clarify individual responsibilities
-Establish clear processes
-Avoid writing as a group (plan, research and outline together but leave the actual writing to one person or divide larger projects among multiple people)
-Make sure tools and techniques are ready and compatible across the team
-Check to see how things are going along the way

Some strategies you can use when delivering negative messages

According to research, negative messages usually benefit from the "indirect approach" because your audience will be disappointed. The "indirect approach" is putting the evidence first and then building up to the main idea. This approach strengthens your case as you go along because it not only makes the receiver more receptive to the eventual conclusion, but it also allows the recipient to be treated in a more sensitive manner to maintain as much goodwill as possible. Successful communicators take extra care when delivering bad messages. They often open with a neutral statement that acts as a transition to the reasons for the bad news. In the body, they give the reasons that justify the bad nes before they give the actual news. And they are always careful to close on cordial note. Most importantly the indirect approach is neither manipulative nor unethical. As long as you can be honest and reasonably brief, your better opening the delivery with a neutral point and putting the negative information after the justification. The challenge of delivering negative messages lies in being honest but kind. You don't want to sacrifice ethics, mislead your audience, or be too blunt. It end on a positive note, you want to focus on some aspect of the situation making the bad news a little easier for the audience to take.

Sample business messages- Strengths and weaknesses

Subject: Get Ready!
We are hoping to be back at work soon, with everything running smoothly, same production schedule and no late projects or missed deadlines. So you need to clean out your desk, put your stuff in boxes, and clean off the walls. You can put the items you had up on your walls in boxes, also.
We have provided boxes. The move will happen this weekend. We’ll be in our new offices when you arrive on Monday.
We will not be responsible for personal belongings during the move.
David Burke


Weaknesses:
The email, in my opinion seems to have some minor grammatical things I would have probably written differently. I also feel like the subject or the heading of the email could have had a more formal title in reference to the event. The title seems to casual and doesn't yell importance. It just sounds like its saying get ready, like I am going to the corner store or something. I can see that the email is referring to employees moving to a new location, but it should have pointed that out in the beginning of the email and mentioned the process of packing up afterward. Mainly the problem is that everything in the email is scattered around, when these points should be in a certain order.

Strengths:
It is letting the audience know the event that is going to occur.

The message should have been written more like this:

Subject: Regarding relocation to new office

I would just like to let everyone know that the relocation to our new offices will be taking place over the weekend. You will begin work in your new offices when you arrive on Monday. Please remember to clean out your desks and remove any belongings off of the walls. Please put all of your belongings in the boxes which will be provided to you. We will NOT be responsible for any personal belongings during the move. We are hoping to get back to work with everything running smoothly. We will continue to go by the same production schedule with no late projects or missed deadlines.

Thank You,
David Burke

Strategies for positive or neutral communication in the workplace

According to my research, the 3 step writing process is used, (1)starting the main idea, (2)stating the major points and (3)illustrating with evidence.

The main idea establishes the goals and the general strategy of the message. It demonstrates what you want your audience members to do or think and why they should do so.

The major points clarify and explain your ideas in more concrete terms. You can divide major points according to physical relationships, the description of a process, the components of an object or a historical chronology.

After you've defined the main idea and the major points, you are ready to illustrate each point with specific evidence that helps the audience understand and remember the concepts you are pointing out. The evidence is what supports the major points, but not so much that it becomes long and boring.

Farmation of business messages contributing to the success of a business

I believe when business messages are sent or received, the organization is taken more seriously. Not only does it show professionalism, but it provides structure and allows the company and/or brand to be reliable. For example, if I am sending a professional email to a company to apply for a job, the employer would not consider me if my email is written like I am talking to a friend using slang terminology. I wouldn't even be considered because it is not showing professionalism. If I am not showing professionalism in my message, then why would the employer believe that I would be professional on the job? Just like if I am paying for a company to provide a service and they send me a business message, then I would be more likely to take them seriously and be more dependent on the company providing that service.

Process oriented approach to professional writing

According to my research there is a 3 step writing process in approaching professional writing. First analyze the situation, gather information and select the right medium (oral, written, visual, or electronic). With those 3 factors in place you are ready to organize the information. Second, Adapt to your audience, then compose your message. Third, Revise your message, produce your message, proofread the message, then finally distribute your message. This approach gives you an advantage because it allows you to carefully present effective documentation in a professional manner. It will allow you to make sure everything is spelled correctly, written in the correct format and to avoid misinterpretation.

My Dead Dog

I guess now is a good time as any to mention that a couple of weeks ago I had to put my dog to sleep. It was extremely hard and extremely painful, mainly because it is something I have never done before until now. I think what really reinforced my sadness and my hurt was me watching them put those two needles (sedative and euthanasia) in his little paw. i didn't know exactly what was wrong with him but he seemed like he had a stroke or some kind of brain tumor because of the way he was acting. He was staggaring with his eyes rolling in the back of his head which just made me so upset. Fortunately he had a long life, almost 16 years of age which is pretty good I guess. May 9th would have been his 16th birthday. I wish he would have at least made it through his birthday, but I guess God decided it was his time. Yes people, I do believe dogs go to heaven, just like people do. Anyhow, I just wanted to share this with everyone who decides to read this. I think now that I have gotten this off of my chest, I feel somewhat better. Thanks for reading.

My Neighborhood and My Workplace

Welcome to my neighborhood, where the gunshots are loud, the drug dealers are out and about and the people at times are obnoxious. However my neighborhood, Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New york, is a place I will always love and keep in my heart because it is where I grew up, learned my street smarts and met some of my closest friends until this very day.

Welcome to my workplace that currently doesn't exist because the work experiences did not last too long because of being terminated or quitting. As much as I want to get a job, my focus right now is on my education. I feel like in order to get, not just a job, but a great career, one must understand the value of education and try their best to work toward it.

The Tyra Show- The stereotype episode

I remember maybe a couple of weeks ago Tyra was doing a show on stereotypes. On one side of her she had people that were the stereotypers and on the other side of her she had the stereotypees, in other words, the people being harsly judge. What really gets me is how are you going to have all of these stereotypical views about people and you probably have a whole bunch of problems that know one even knows about. One example in particular is this black dude that was sitting on the "stereotypees" side. He has his hair cut in a ceaser and was wearing a black bubble coat, some jeans and some sneakers. It was something like that but I don't remember exactly what he was wearing. Anyway, Tyra asked the "stereotypers" what they thought about him. they had the nerve to say that he looked like a gangbanger or a drug dealer byu the way he was dressed and that they would probably feel intimidated or scared by him because he may rob them or something. I thought to myself, WOOOOOW! I remember the dude saying that he was a student in college and soemthing else. Those people just really ate their words. I understand that their is a time and place for everything, especially when it comes to the way you act, the way you carry yourself and the way you dress. But since when did an African American man wearing jeans and a bubble coat constitute him as being a criminal?

Brack Obama's Presidency

Do you know what I am getting sick of? I am getting sick of people, ESPECIALLY the Republican party, always trying to criticize what Barack Obama is trying to do. As with any president, we as the public may not always like the decisions that one makes, but I feel like as long as it gives us the end result we are looking for than it is all worth it. i was just teliing my mother the other night that sometimes you have to go through a few negatives in order to get a positive and thats just real. What the GOP fail to realize is that President Obama has to deal with more than any other president has ever had to deal with because of all of the mess that Bush left behind. This is the worst financial time we have ever been through and we are still going through it. It improves little by little everyday, but sometimes it will get worse before it gets better. It was Bush's responsibility as our President to not let this happen but he allowed this to happen and now Obama has to pick up the pieces. People are trying to criticize Obama's want for economic reform, but I don't see anyone else coming up with any better suggestions. Actually, according to Obama in his CBS interview with Katie Couric during the opening of the superbowl, he claimed that it was originally the Republicans idea, but then they decided to change their mind. I thought that was very interesting to say the least.

End of Semester

So, it is coming to then end of the semester and this week it is exceptionally busy since they closed the school last week wednesday. Why you ask? BECAUSE OF THE BLIZZARD!! Yes, that's right blizzard. I know if you are from New York City, you must be thinking, "When was the last time I heard the word blizzard in New York City?" Well, not in a long time, because the last blizzard we had here was I believe in 1995. That was over a decade ago and before you know it, it will be TWO decades ago. But yes, I think this is the most snow we have had in a long time. you know it is defnitely a classified "blizzard" when public transportation is not working properly or you can't drive your car because the roads are to bumpy. Now, today it is actually snowing again and it is really coming down. But to be honest I can deal with the blizzard before I can deal with this snow storm, because this one is slushy, rain mixed with snow. I HATE that!

Source #5

Andsager, J. & Roe, K.(2003).”What’s Your Definition of Dirty, Baby?”: Sex in Music Video.Sexuality & Culture, 7(3), 79.
Even though I was only able to obtain he first page of this article, I chose this because it basically states that sex is what sells. It says that even thought the sexual(and violent imagery in a music video doesn’t last long, it has huge impact on not only the viewers, but the artist themselves to be more noticeable.

Source #4

Gonzalez de Rivas, M. Milteer, R., Shifrin, D., Fuld, G., Mulligan, D., Altmann, T. et al (2009). Pediatrics.Impact of Music, Music Lyrics, and Music Videos on children and Youth, 124, 1488-1494.
I chose this piece of research because it demonstrates the effects music videos have on children and youth. We must consider that there are also a lot of other factors that come into play when it comes to today generation of children, such as age, culture, ethnicity and environment. They say that some have argued that when children listen to music or watch music videos, that they pay little attention to the words if any attention is given. However there are also studies that are contrary to this saying that the more importance adolescents give to a certain type of music, the more attention they will pay to the lyrics and the visuals.

Source #3

Teggemann, M. & Slater, A.(2003). International Journal of Eating Disorders. Thin Ideals in Music Television: A Source of Social Comparison and Body Dissatisfaction, 35, 48-58.

I chose this journal because it refers to music videos and the effect they have on women and their dissatisfaction of their body. I thought this was interesting to include in my research paper because a lot of women yearn to look like these video models because of the fact that they are thin and can attract any man they want. Watching these sexy women in these music videos can be mentally detrimental to someone’s health because of the desire to be thin, which in turn can lead to eating disorders.

Source #2

Steffans, K.(2005).Confessions of a Video Vixen. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

I chose this autobiography because it is not only a tell-all, but could be considered as a self-help book talking about a woman who was a video model and went down a path of destruction. Being in videos of well-known artists, the large sums of money really got to her head, so she did some things in that life that were not very healthy. She demonstrates that if you want to enter that world, you need to have some caution and to understand what you may be in for.

Source For my English Term Paper #1

Hansen, C. & Hansen, R. (2000).Media Entertainment: The Phychology of its Appeal. In D.Zillman & P.Vorderer(Ed.), Music and Music Videos (pp.175-196). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc, Inc.,Publishers

I chose this book because it talks about the appeal of entertainment, specifically, in this chapter, to music and music videos. Hansen and Hansen describe studies that were conducted showing the percentages of people who found different genres of music the most appealing. More importantly, these studies proved how attracted to the music each person would be according to the type of imagery in music videos. For example it demonstrates what gives music videos the power to draw people in and why.

So I am doing my Advanced Comp term paper on woman being portrayed in today's music videos as sexual objects and I think I have came up with quite the introduction. Please comment and let me know what you think and please don't steal my intro if you plan on doing a paper on this subject because that is PLAGIARISM!!!!!!!

Does today's generation music videos really portray women in a sexual light? I believe they do because almost every time I watch a music video, I notice scantily clad women shaking their behinds or propped in some provocative pose. I guess that most individuals, men especially, find it to be satisfying entertainment because sex is what sells. However at the end of the day, women are still being objectified and exploited in music media and I am not so sure that is a positive thing.

Devry is moving...yaaay!

So do you want to know what I am excited about? The Devry campus is moving from Long Island City, Queens to Manhattan and I couldn't be more excited. First and foremost it is more convenient for me. I live in Brooklyn and I have to travel close to an hour and a half to get to school. I have always had this rule that I've lived by and that is if I have to travel more than 45 minutes to an hour to get somewhere unless I am going our of town then there is a good chance I won't go. I prefer to go to school in Manhattan anyway because it always gives me a chance to explore the sites of Manhattan, places to go, places to eat, places to have fun and all of that. I guess they also realized that it was a more central location for a lot of people, that is probably why they decided to make such a big change.

Another Earthquake in Haiti

Wow, so guess what? If yo haven't already heard, Haiti had ANOTHER earthquake and this one wasn't a minor one either. According to the news and other reliable sources, the earthquake was a level of 6.1 our of an 8.0, which is still pretty bad. I feel so sorry for the people out there who have nothing and I feel even more sorry for friends I know that have family there. I couldn't even begin to imagine what these people are going through. Its bad enough that they don't really have much to begin with, but to have taken away the few things that they did have is just a terrible tragedy and though. I especially think about all of the children hat died in this fiasco. I also heard that a Catholic school in Port Au Prince collapsed, killing 500 kids. No matter what America is going through right now, it can never be too much trouble to be charitable and send donations for simple food and water. These are things we take for granted everyday, which they cherish. Please do what you can to help. I know this is a tough economic time, but I am if you are working, you can afford to send $5.00 or something.

Daily Curiosity- Cure for HIV/Cancer

So I am so curious as to why there still is no cure for diseases such as HIV/ AIDS and cancer. All of the money that is spent on unnecessary garbage, but we still have no cures for this horrible diseases. I mean the best thing to try to do is live a healthy lifestyle, eat well, exercise, be careful with your body (if you know what i mean), and all of those other things, but even living the healthiest lifestyle, no one is allergic to contracting them. Sometimes it just runs in the family or is passed on genetically which one can't really avoid. I know it is far from an easy task, but it still bothers me that we have no cure with all the money that we have squandered on meaningless things. Personally I don't believe they are looking hard. Don't get me wrong now, I do love this country, but maybe the government DID create HIV and the AIDS virus to slowly wipe us off the face of the earth. Why knows? But, I guess we will never truly know.

Daily Curiosity- The World Coming to an End

I wonder when will the world come to an end? Because I don't care what anyone says, it WILL come to an end. Society in general has done such horrible things which is slowly making the world go down the drain. I hope I won't be here when it does, or that my kids and THERE kids won't be here, but it it going to happen one day. Between the United States government and just the things that people do in general is really making everything suffer. Obviously we have been experienced a major break in our economy and NOT for the good. Through this recession, even people that manage to keep jobs all of the time whether its one or many, are even having problems getting employed. I can say that because I personally know people in this situation. The problem is that we are such a capitalistic society to the point where all we THINK about is money, not the well being of people, but just money. "Let's tear down these apartment complexes and build a mall over here instead. It doesn't matter that we are kicking people out into the street, making money off this new mall we are going to build is all we care about." That is a prime example of how people think nowadays.

Daily Curiosity- Child Molestors and Consequences

I am curious to know if child molesters will ever have a mandatory sentence of life in prison like murderers are. In my opinion, even though murder is a terrible crime, child molestation is worse. How can people who call themselves human beings even think about touching or looking at a child in such a disgusting way. Children are supposed to be innocent and when you do something so vile to them, there innocence is taken away. Why is it OK for child molesters to serve 10 year sentences and be able to one day walk out of prison and do it all over again to another innocent child? I think that child molestation should be a capital crime. Just like they give out life sentences for murder, unless its self-defense of course, they should give out those same sentences to child molesters. There are excuses for killing a person as I mentioned before, one being self-defense. But there is never a reason to touch a child like that no matter state mind your in.