Producing and
structuring a business report
At Level 3, a
business report should include the following sections:
Title: A short and unambiguous statement,
stating exactly what the report is about. (5 – 15 words)
Executive Summary: A summary that helps the reader quickly grasp the report’s purpose,
conclusions and key recommendations (100 words)
Introduction / Terms of Reference: A brief
description of the context, the issue or problem to be reported on, the
specific questions the report answers, the limitations of the report and any
assumptions made. (200 words)
Methodology: Methods of data collection, sources of primary data (interviews or
questionnaires, sample size), secondary sources used, reasons for selecting the
methodology. (200 words)
Results /Findings: The findings presented in a clear and
simple format. Data should be organized in tables, graphs and/or charts where
possible. May include an explanation of any statistical analysis.
Discussion: The discussion should give enough information, analysis, and evidence to
support the learner’s conclusions and provide justification for their
recommendations. It should follow a logical and systematic organisation. Where
the report’s purpose is to recommend the best solution to a problem, the
learner should show clear analysis of all the options. The learner should
explain any analytical framework you used, such as SWOT or cost benefit
analysis. (300 – 500 words)
Conclusion: A summary and interpretation of the findings; explaining what the
results mean. Relate the conclusions to the original report issue/problem.
Limit the conclusions to the data presented; do not introduce new material.
(200 words)
Recommendations: Specific
suggestions for actions to solve the report problem. Present each suggestion
separately and begin with a verb. Number the recommendations and arrange them
in order of importance. Describe how the recommendations would be implemented
(if this was in the terms of reference). (200 words)
References: A list of
sources cited in the text of the report (listed in alphabetical order by
surname of the author).
Appendices: Additional information related to the report but not essential to the
main findings, e.g. interview questions, questionnaire, glossary of terms,
statistical data. Appendices are numbered, for referencing in the text.
