Structure of a Report and Sample Report in Letter Format

A report helps the business organization to make its strategy. Every kind of report has a particular structure so, a detailed discussion about the structure of a report as well as some sample reports in letter format given below:

Structure of a Report

There are three (3) ways in which a report can be organized

1. Letter from
2. Memorandum form
3. Letter text combination form

1. Letter from:

This form is used in the case of brief and informal reports. Its main parts are:

1. Heading;
2. Date;
3. Address;
4. Salutation;
5. Body;
6. Complimentary close;
7. Signature.

The body of the letter can be divided into the following parts:

• Introduction: Here the writer states the problem.
• Findings: Here the finding of the investigation are presented.
• Recommendation: After the findings, recommendations are given in the last paragraph of the body.

The sample is given below to give an idea about the structure of a report.

Sample Report in Letter Form

Opex Apparel Ltd. (A house for best Garments) Dhanmondi, Dhaka 25th, May 2021 Managing Director Opex Apparel Ltd. Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Ref: Negligence of duty by the staff in our Uttara Showroom. Dear Sir, In accordance with” your instructions, I personally visited our Uttara showroom to look into its functioning. I made some investigation and therefore submitting my report hereunder. A number of worthy customers purchased some exclusive garments but found some problems with fitting after purchase. They tried their best to return the garments but failed because there was no attendant to take the complaint and providing the change. As a result, they made a phone call to our complaint department and filed complaints regarding this issue. In our Uttara branch, there is only one attendant named Mr. Saker to handle the after-sales service. He has been found to be irregular for the last three (3) months. As a result, our customers are getting dissatisfaction causing a decrease in our sales. In this age of competition, losing customers means “Red Alert to the business. I have no hesitation to recommend that Mr. Saker may be served with a notice and a really efficient and active man may be sent there for proper functioning. I hope that quick action will be taken based on my recommendation for the betterment of our company. Yours faithfully M. A Khan Secretary

Sample Report in Letter Format

2. Memorandum form

Following the memorandum, form is a simple way of presenting the report. Here the formalities are not maintained. The date is mentioned at the top, it is followed by the name of the receiver, the name of the writer, and the subject of the report. Next follows the actual text and the conclusion.

A sample of the Memorandum form

Memorandum April 5, 2021To: Mr. Zahid Hossain From: Riaz MohammadSubject; Decrease in sales in the month of March. 2021Here is the report you wanted regarding the decrease in sales in the month of March 2021. Our product although reached in time in the market but the price was higher than that of similar competitive products. As a result, our target for selling 40,000 units failed. I would like to recommend the quick reduction of our product price. Hasan Khan Executive, Sales

3. Letter Text Combination Form

Long and formal reports are written in the letter text combination form. This form includes three (3) major parts:

1. Introductory parts
2. The body of the report
3. Appended parts

The complete part of such report is as follows:

(i) Introductory parts

1. Title Page: It contains the title of the report, the names of the reader and report writer and the date of submission,

2. Authorization Letter: If you receive a letter authorizing you to do research and write a report, you should provide a copy of this letter after the title page. Such a letter includes objectives, the area of research, time & cost, submission date, and any other instructions.

3. Letter of Transmittal: Such a letter transmits the report to the render. Such a letter shows the date of submission of a report, the name and position of the writer, an overview of the report, an invitation for the reader’s comments, and suggestions.

4. Acknowledgment: This part appreciates the person or organizations from whom support and help were taken to produce the report.’

5. Table of Contents: The table of contents acts as a map of the report for the reader. It helps to identify particular topics.

6. List of Illustrations and Graphs: If the report contains many illustrations and graphs then such a list provides respective page numbers and titles.

7. Executive Summary or Abstract: An abstract is a summary of a report. It tells the reader what the report is about. It summarizes the important parts of the entire report. As a result, busy executives can save time as no need to read every page of the report.

(ii) The body of the Report:

1. Introduction: It is the first part of the body of the report. This part introduces the reader to the problem at hand. This part includes. Authorization for the report The need and purpose of the report.

The scope of the study with a clear description of the limitation I Statement of the problem I Developing Hypothesis Methodology to solve the problem I Definition of special terms and symbols.

2. Description: This part of the report contains all the information you have collected. The main function of this part is to present data in an organized form. It may involve charts, graphs, statistical tables with proper explanation.

3. Conclusion: The writer on the basis of facts and data, draws something as a result, such a result is the conclusion.

4. Recommendations: The recommendation is the writer’s opinion based on the conclusions of the report. Recommendations must be realistic, i.e. they should be based on the facts and events contained in the report.

(iii) Appended parts:

1. List of References: The list of references contain the complete record of any secondary sources used in the report. Such a list can be arranged alphabetically or chronologically.

2. Bibliography: A bibliography is a list of books and Journals which are consulted before or during the preparation of a report.

3. Glossary: A glossary is a list of some technical or special words with their explanation.

4. Appendix: Statistical data, charts, and diagrams that are not included in the main body of the report are included here.

5. Index: An index is an alphabetical list of subjects of the report. An index helps the reader to locate any topic easily and quickly.

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