Bachelors Degree for Business Administration – Analytical Report Business Communication 290
SECTIONS OF THE REPORT:
The three main areas of your report are prefatory, body, and works cited. These are explained below.
PREFATORY SECTION:
Cover Page, Table of Contents, Executive Summary. Content in this section does not count toward your page count. See the Analytical Report sample – above – to review the prefatory sections
BODY OF REPORT:
(AKA “Report Proper”): Main headings in the body section (this is the 10 – 12 pages section of the report). Further below I cover the main headings for the body of the report (go to “body of report – continued”). See the Analytical Report sample – above – to review the prefatory sections.
WORKS CITED:
The MLA format is shown in the example. You can use EASYBIB.COM (Links to an external site.) , or other “citation generators” to create your citations. Google Docs and Microsoft Word also have options for citing sources. The Works Cited is explained further below. See the sample Works Cited – above.
DETAIL – BODY OF REPORT:
This is the bulk of your report. The three main sections of the BODY of your report are as follows:
- Introduction
- Analysis By Criteria.
- Final Recommendation
These sections of the body of the report are explained below in greater detail. Each of these sections will have a MAIN HEADING in your report. Main heading sections should always start on a new page in your report.
1. INTRODUCTION
Main Heading #1. Within the Introduction section you will have the following sections noted below, each with it’s own subheading. Your main headings will be in ALL CAPS, while your subheads will be in “Initial Caps”
Purpose of Report
Overview of Criteria
Overview of Schools
Overview of bachelors program
See the report sample for how the author displays the INTRODUCTION main heading, and the subheadings (Purpose of Report, etc.).
2. ANALYSIS BY CRITERIA
Main Heading #2. Start this section on a new page in your report.
This section is where you evaluate the schools based on your selected criteria points. Suggested sequencing for each criteria is as follows:
Each Criteria will have it’s own Subhead. Example: “Criteria One: Cost”.
Below the subhead, provide a short paragraph where you introduce and explain the criteria point (what data you will be looking at, and how a school wins the criteria point)
After the introductory paragraph for the criteria point, insert the comparative chart/graphic (bar chart, table, whatever graphic(s) you use to compare the schools for this criteria. You can use google sheets or Microsoft Excel to generate charts. Graphics is a general term here to indicate any type of chart/table or other visual figure that compares data. Make sure your reader can tell the schools apart in your graphic (use color or different shading if black and white).
Below (after) the chart/ graphic, provide a short paragraph where you summarize which school won, as well as any additional commentary that explains your criteria winner (you may have additional commentary or your own opinions that are not part of the data comparison shown in the graphic).
You will follow this order for each of your criteria points (criteria one, criteria two, etc.). Once you’ve analyzed all your criteria points (with comparative charts/graphics), and identified a winner for each criteria point, you can move on to your final recommendation.
3. FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Main Heading #3. New page.
NOTE: The final recommendation is NOT shown in the report sample, but does need to be included in your report. The sample provided is a partial sample, not a complete report.
The final recommendation is a short one – three paragraph section that recaps which school won each criteria point, and (most importantly), your final recommendation on which school you recommend for a master’s program. A table can also be included here, as an additional graphic, that acts as a scorecard showing which school won each criteria point.
