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.