Research Reporting

1
Research Reporting

• JN602
• Week 12
• Veal Chapter 16
• Cavana et al Chapter 14

2
Objectives

• Understand the contents and structure of a
  business research report
• Tailor the report format to meet the needs of
• different types of research (basic and applied)
• different research goals that need reports of
  varying lengths
• different audiences
• Write good business research reports
• Identify the components of, and make, a good oral
  presentation

3
The Written Report

• The written report enables the manager to weigh
  the facts and arguments presented therein and
  implement the acceptable recommendations, with a
  view to closing the gap between the existing
  state of affairs and the desired state.

4
The importance of the report

• Written reports of research are a key element in
  the world of business and academe
• Eg. feasibility studies, marketing plans,
  research studies, development proposals,
  environmental impact assessments articles and
  theses
• The ability to write a research report is
  therefore a key management skill
• Report is used to refer to all research report
  formats

5
Actually getting started

• Many researchers leave too little time for
  report-writing resulting in last minute rush
• Many parts of a research report can be written/
  organised well in advance, eg.
• introduction
• outline of the theoretical or evaluative
  framework
• literature review
• description of the methodology
• production of diagrams, figures, tables and cover
  design

6
Written Report Issues

• The written report and its purpose
• The written report and its audience
• Characteristics of a well-written report
• Contents of the research report

7
The Written Report and its Purpose

• offer details on some specific factors requested
  by a manager
• the report can be very narrowly focused and
  provide the desired information to the manager in
  a brief format
• intended to sell an idea to management
• then it has to be more detailed and convincing
• where a manager asks for several alternative
  solutions or recommendations to rectify a problem
  
• researcher provides requested information and
  manager chooses from among alternatives and makes
  final decision.
• might require the researcher to identify the
  problem and provide the final solution as well
• more scholarly publication presenting the
  findings of a basic or applied study

8
The Written Report and its Audience

• The organisation of a report, its length, focus
  on details, data presentation and illustrations,
  will in part be a function of the audience for
  whom it is intended.
• Consider the readership and appropriate report
  style
• General public
• Decision-makers professional/technical/democrati
  c
• Experts professionals, academics

9
Functions of the report

• Report as narrative
• Need to tell a story see Fig. 16.3
• Therefore some detailed material goes to appendix
• Report as record
• Some users will want to look up specific items -
  not read the whole report
• Role of appendices in providing details

10
Report as Narrative Fig. 16.3
11
Contents of the Research Report

• Title page
• Table of contents
• Executive Summary (Synopsis or Abstract)
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Research background, statement of research
  problem
• Research aims and/or objectives
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Research design
• Data collection method(s)
• Sample characteristics
• Responses
• Data analysis methods

12
Contents of the report (cont.)

• Results analysis (incl. tables, graphs, charts)
• Discussion and Implications
• Conclusions and Recommendations
• References (or Bibliography)
• Appendices

13
Example Title Page

• Evaluation of the Wendouree West Community
  Renewal Project
• Prepared for
• Wendouree West Co-ordination Committee,
• Department of Human Services,
• VIctoria
• Prepared by
• Steve McEachern,
• Centre for Regional Innovation and
  Competitiveness
• University of Ballarat,
• Ballarat, Victoria
• June 2005

14
Table of contents example Fig. 16.1
Contents page Executive
Summary (i) Preface (ii) Acknowledgem
ents (iv) 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2
LITERATURE REVIEW 5 3 METHODOLOGY
13 4 FINDINGS (RESULTS) CULTURE IN THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 22 5 FINDINGS (RESULTS)
LEADERSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY 25 6
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 40 REFERENCES
44 APPENDICES
More detail see Fig. 16.1
NB. More than one Findings section in this
example
15
Executive Summary

• Brief overview highlights (usually lt 3 pages)
• Problem statement and research objective
• Sampling design
• Data collection methods
• Results and main findings
• Conclusions recommendations
• Suggestions for their implementation

16
Introduction

• Importance of the topic
• Problem statement
• Research objectives and hypotheses
• Literature review
• survey of previous work
• 500 words MAXIMUM in report

17
Method

• Research design
• Data collection methods
• Population and sample
• Sample characteristics
• Demographics of the sample
• Illustrate representativeness
• Measures and response formats
• Data analysis methods

18
Results

• Quantitative Analysis
• Univariate analysis
• A feel for the data
• Mean, median, mode, variance, frequencies
• Bivariate analysis
• Qualitative analysis
• Themes
• Issues

19
Graphical Example Computer Program Usage
20
Discussion

• Interpretation and analysis of outcomes
• Discussion of the findings of your research, in
  comparison with existing findings and your
  research question.
• Are hypotheses substantiated? Are they
  generalisable?
• If unsubtantiated, why?
• Theory? Measures? Sample? Context?
• Overall situation what does it all add up to?
• Is the research question answered?
• What is the next step?

21
Conclusions and recommendations

• What can we conclude about the answer to our
  research question
• Limitations of the study
• Recommendations for the sponsor of the research
  (eg. For the University of Ballarat)
• Suggestions for future research

22
Appendices

• Include
• Material too detailed/cumbersome for main body of
  the report
• See discussion of report as record

23
Main Body of Report Technical

• Section numbering
• Need to establish a section numbering system for
  professional reports, less so for theses, less
  for articles see Fig. 16.1
• Word processor styles may be used
• Heading hierarchy
• Be aware of heading hierarchy Chapter
  headings, section headings, sub-section headings
• Paragraph numbering
• Used in some official reports

24
Main Body of Report Technical

• Page numbering
• Can be helpful to use chapter/section-specific
  numbering when multiple authors involved eg.
  Chapter/section 1 has page nos. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
  etc.
• Typing layout/spacing
• I professional reports, paragraphs separated by
  blank line no indenting of first line

25
Main Body of Report Technical

• Tables, graphics and text
• Consider the balance between text, tables and
  graphics and their respective roles
• Presentation of graphics
• Graphics/tables should be complete in themselves
  numbered, titled, fully labelled and sourced.

26
Main Body of Report - Content

• Topics
• Structure
• Functions of a report
• Audiences and style
• The narrative structure
• The report as record

27
Main Body of Report - Structure

• Structure should be shaped by the research
  questions/issues
• not necessarily by the sequence of data
  collection processes see Fig. 16.2
• Structure should be stressed at the beginning, in
  the middle and at the end of the report
• All research questions should be answered even
  if inconclusively!

28
Fig. 16.2 Main Body of Report Structure
29
Characteristics of a Well-Written Report

• Accuracy, Brevity Clarity!
• Remove unnecesary technical or statistical jargon
• Assumptions should be clearly stated
• Eliminate grammatical and spelling errors
• Organise in a manner that enhances meaningful and
  smooth flow of materials
• Appropriate headings and subheadings
• A one-and-a-half- or double-spaced, typed report
• The importance of the appearance of the report
  and its readability cannot be overemphasised!!

30
The examination

• Friday, 29th June, 1.20 pm
• i.e. THE FINAL AFTERNOON OF EXAMS
• In the Exam Hall
• 10 minutes reading time
• 3 hour examination
• Follows last years examination format
• (online at Stevens website)
• More on this next week