How to write recommendation report examples

Chapter 13

Recommendation Reports

Goals

· Determine how a recommendation report is used and adjust the structure to accommodate the reader

· Devise criteria for evaluation after determining the problem and possible solutions

· Organize a recommendation report using the appropriate format

· Compose a recommendation report by evaluating criteria and drawing conclusions using a point-by-point analysis

Terms

· appendixes, p. 317

· criteria, p. 308

· persuasive writing, p. 309

· point-by-point organization, p. 316

· rank, p. 318

· receptive audience, p. 309

· recommendation report, p. 308

· solicited, p. 308

· standard, p. 318

· subcriteria, p. 312

· unreceptive audience, p. 309

· unsolicited, p. 308

WRITE TO LEARN

Think of the last time you had to choose between two things. Maybe you had to decide between two classes or two restaurants. In a one-page journal entry, describe the process you used to make your decision, including your comparisons and evaluations.

Focus on Recommendation Reports

Read the sample recommendation report on pages 303–306 and answer these questions:

· What two items are being compared?

· On what factors (also known as criteria) is the recommendation based?

· Why is this report presented in memo format?

What If?

· The writers were not concerned about the environment?

· The audience (decision maker) was opposed to the idea of purchasing a car for courier service?

Sample Recommendation Report

Writing@Work

Courtesy of Anne Nickel

Anne Nickel is a brand engagement consultant in London, England, for a global brand-building company called The Brand Union. Her job requires a combination of marketing and management skills. She advises clients about what they need to change inside their organization to fit and promote their brand.

In her role, Anne writes recommendation reports to help clients learn how to strategically adjust their marketing campaigns, business practices, communication methods, and reward policies. According to Anne, these reports combine information gathered through other kinds of writing. “In order to write a recommendation report, one also has to write interview questions, interview notes, an implementation plan, and briefs for the design team that tell them what to produce for the client. So it requires a diverse writing skill set.”

She believes that persuasive documents like these need to do many things at once in order to have the desired effect on their audience. “Recommendation reports require both rational and emotional persuasion. Case studies and statistics can be used as evidence for rational persuasion. Visuals, like graphics and video, help emotional persuasion by bringing life to ideas beyond the words used to enunciate them.”

Anne emphasizes that brilliant evidence and graphics will not do anything for your report if you fail to address the correct audience. “It is important to direct your recommendation to a person who will be open to your ideas and support them. Sometimes this person is the top decision maker and in control of the budget, but other times it is someone who has the connections or authority to be a cheerleader for your ideas and pitch them to the powers that be.”

Think Critically

1. Think of a brand that you use regularly. Why do you continue to choose it over other brands? Is it style, prestige, price, value, habit, loyalty, convenience, or something else? How much of your choice is rational (that is, based on the actual qualities of the product)?

2. What recommendations do you have for the brand? Think about ways the manufacturer could sell more of the product, add features that consumers like you would pay more for, reduce its environmental impact, and so on.

Printed with permission of Anne Nickel

Warm Up

Look at the sample recommendation report that introduces this chapter. Where is the actual recommendation made? Is this a logical place for the recommendation? Why or why not?

WHAT IS A RECOMMENDATION REPORT?

The recommendation report is a problem-and-solution report, a written answer to a need that arises in the workplace. Most problems, however, have more than one solution. The recommendation report suggests the best solution to a problem or need. It helps readers make a choice. Employees write recommendation reports to help decision makers choose the best solution. Recommendation reports help people solve large and small problems, from constructing a building to selecting a new computer.

Sometimes the recommendation is the purchase of equipment. In the sample at the beginning of the chapter, Lorraine Nevelle and Rodrigo Reyes examine two vehicles and recommend the 2011 Dynasty Freedom Hybrid for Interstate Development’s courier service. Throughout this chapter, you will look more closely at some of the decisions Lorraine and Rodrigo made while writing their report.

Sometimes a recommendation report proposes a course of action. For example, Hennepin Logging has decided to expand and has narrowed the location of its new plant to three towns in Virginia. The report compares and contrasts the three sites against the criteria —factors on which a decision is based—the company thinks are important and recommends a location. You will see how the writer gathers data and plans the report.

TYPICAL READER

Someone who must make a choice between several options; a decision maker who is seeking accurate, specific information focused on prioritized factors for each option.

WRITER’S FOCUS

Meeting the reader’s needs by addressing the reader’s prioritized factors for each option in a clear, detailed, accurate manner and by organizing the information logically and presenting it in the standard organizational plan for recommendation reports.

The last time you bought school supplies, you chose from among several alternatives. Knowing that you needed a three-ring binder, you probably examined several different three-ring notebooks. The choice you made depended on factors you considered important and may have included cost, special features such as clipboards or zippered pencil pouches, durability, and color. Companies go through the same thinking process when they make choices.

Decision makers who have the power to implement your recommendations read recommendation reports. Sometimes one person reads the report, and a committee or board often votes on recommendations. The report is usually written to a supervisor, but sometimes recommendations are made to coworkers.

The report can be solicited (asked for) or unsolicited (not asked for). In solicited reports, your reader asks you to analyze several alternatives. This reader understands the need and will be more receptive to your suggestions.

In an unsolicited report, your audience is not expecting your recommendations. You may have difficulty gauging this reader’s reaction. Your reader may be receptive and appreciate your initiative in helping to make decisions. On the other hand, your audience may be unwilling to accept your recommendations for a variety of reasons. For example, Kamelia, a production supervisor at a large wholesale nursery, was asked by her manager to help select the walkie-talkies to be issued to all employees. Because Kamelia’s supervisor was already committed to purchasing the walkie-talkies, he was receptive to her recommendation.

Communication Dilemma

Blaine Schroeder is an accountant for Gildstein’s Business Managers. He has the difficult job of recommending to his supervisor which construction company should construct a small office building: Wilmore Construction Company Inc. or Galloway Builders. Wilmore is a larger company and has a better reputation for finishing tasks on schedule.

Bids from both companies fall within Gildstein’s budget, but the office building must be completed in time for holiday sales. Galloway Builders is owned by Schroeder’s brother-in-law, Ethan Galloway. The Galloways have a child with a serious medical condition and really need the money they would earn from this contract. Schroeder’s wife wants him to recommend her brother’s company for the job. She claims that families should look out for one another.

Think Critically

What should Blaine Schroeder do?

However, Troy received a different reaction from his supervisor. Troy, a landscape maintenance technician, took the initiative to develop a recommendation report in which he suggested buying a golf cart. Troy believed the golf cart would be helpful in carrying chemicals for spraying, moving new plants, and getting around the grounds to inspect for pests. However, his employer, who had not requested the recommendation report, did not agree that a golf cart was necessary or would improve the quality of work. Troy’s audience was not receptive to his recommendation.

An analysis of your audience’s attitude may affect how you organize your report. A receptive audience, readers who are open to ideas or suggestions, will be ready to read the recommendation early in the report (as is presented in the sample at the beginning of this chapter). An unreceptive audience, readers who are not open to ideas or suggestions, will require more careful research and supporting information up front, with the recommendation coming last. You need to lead this reader carefully to your recommendation. Table 13.1 shows the strategies for accommodating receptive and unreceptive audiences.

Recommendation reports are persuasive. Persuasive writing, writing to convince others, requires that you analyze audiences carefully, for your job is to convince your reader to act on your recommendation. Researched facts, opinions of authorities, and logical thinking are the tools you need to be convincing. Learn what information your reader expects in the final report and how detailed the research should be. For example, in the earlier situation, Kamelia knew that her audience approved of purchasing the new equipment but had not chosen the brand or model. As a result, she could focus her report on comparing the types of walkie-talkies.

Table 13.1

RECEPTIVE AUDIENCE

UNRECEPTIVE AUDIENCE

Introduction

Introduction

Recommendation

Scope

Scope

Discussion with more details

Discussion with limited details

Recommendation

Troy, on the other hand, did not have his audience’s support from the beginning. He was concerned not only with comparing the different golf carts, but also with convincing the decision maker that golf carts were needed. Further, if Troy had analyzed the audience, he would have learned that three years earlier employees inside the planting sheds had ordered two golf carts to move flats of seedlings from area to area. But the carts were removed when employees were found to be playing with and abusing them. If Troy had been aware of the previous incident, he could have prepared his report to account for this history and explain how it would not be repeated.

STOP AND THINK

If the reader of the vehicle recommendation had been unreceptive, where would you have placed the recommendation section? Why must writers of persuasive reports analyze audiences carefully?

Warm Up

Some television commercials help viewers define a problem. Some commercials are problems about which people already know. Other commercials are problems that listeners may not have considered before. List some problems that commercials define. For example, an ad selling mouthwash may make people wonder whether they have bad breath.

STARTING A RECOMMENDATION REPORT

After you have analyzed your audience, you must define your problem, brainstorm solutions, and devise criteria.

Define Your Problem

In a solicited report, the person or group who requested the recommendation report has identified the problem. The problem is usually evident, but put it into words anyway. In the opening sample report, Lorraine and Rodrigo stated the problem: “The vehicle currently used to circulate documents and product among the six downtown retail stores, a 2006 Dynasty XL7, poses a safety hazard to the drivers and pedestrians because of brake and transmission problems. It also does not present a positive image for the company because four accidents have left it dented and rusty.”

In an unsolicited report, the problem may need more explanation. Unlike the solicited report, the unsolicited report is not requested. No one except the report writer has noticed the problem or considered solutions. Therefore, you must make certain that readers see the problem and its importance clearly. If the problem needs more explanation than one or two sentences, consider placing the explanation in a separate paragraph or paragraphs in the introduction.

State the problem as specifically and precisely as possible. For example, “The roof of Roosevelt Farms Bed and Breakfast leaked during the October 2, 2009, hurricane and stained the dining room ceiling” is a better problem statement than “Roosevelt Farms Bed and Breakfast had a leak.”

Brainstorm Solutions

Now brainstorm solutions to the problem. You may need others to help you generate possible solutions. Explain the problem to your colleagues and tell them you would like their ideas. Tell them that the focus is creative problem solving and that the time for criticism will come later.

Take notes as ideas emerge. You could act as moderator to keep the group on track and stop any criticism that creeps in. Narrow the choices to two or three. You may use others’ advice to help narrow the choices.

When Lorraine and Rodrigo brainstormed solutions to the vehicle problem, they generated a list of six vehicles. They narrowed the list to two when they decided that an all-electric vehicle cost too much.

The search for solutions also may require research. Professional journals and newsletters, LISTSERVs, government documents, and company reports may reveal findings that influence your recommendations. Seek as much information as you need to brainstorm solutions.

Devise Criteria

As you narrow your solution choices, decide what criteria to use. Interview people about what is important to consider when making your choice. Ask all concerned—administration, workers, people who have used one of the solutions. Getting opinions is important so that the solution you recommend works for everyone.

Roneika West was asked to write a report for Hennepin Logging to recommend a town in Virginia for the construction of a new plant. After several meetings, three sites were selected as possible locations. Roneika consulted with others to help her devise criteria. Table 13.2 shows some of the preliminary information she gathered by consulting Hennepin’s management, the workers who will relocate, and a furniture manufacturer who buys wood from the company.

Table 13.2

FROM

TOWN SHOULD HAVE

Administration

10-acre plot of land Available workforce Adequate power supply

Workers who will relocate

Effective, successful schools Affordable housing

Local furniture manufacturer

Safe roads Consistent, adequate water supply

Focus on Ethics

Writers, especially writers of recommendation reports, should consider the interests of all stakeholders or all parties and people involved in an issue. Because the decisions made based on the information and analysis in the recommendation report could affect the stakeholders, a report that represents the views of only one person or a few people is unfair. This report could even be detrimental to the health of an organization or a company.

Highway construction is an example in which many opinions and perspectives result in the best recommendation. Building a new road affects many people. The highway can improve or destroy businesses, increase or decrease property values, bypass or relocate homes, and change the character of communities.

Public hearings, city council meetings, and other gatherings are usually held for people to review the choice of plans and to hear other people’s ideas. The process takes a great deal of time, possibly five or ten years or more. However, the process is vital to the fairness of all stakeholders.

Imagine a system in which roads and highways or schools are built with no opportunity for citizens to provide input. If only one person or group is represented in the decision making, many unanticipated problems could result.

Think Critically

Think of some decisions that excluded certain stakeholders. How might these situations have affected stakeholders who were not excluded?

From this preliminary list, Roneika was able to classify like items under larger categories. The categories—resources, utilities, and living conditions—became the criteria for her first draft. The smaller units under each category that help to define each criterion (singular of criteria) became the subcriteria, or more specific categories of criteria, as follows:

Resources

Utilities

Living Conditions

land

power

schools

workforce

water

housing

roads

Next, Roneika worked to further define each of the subcriteria. Again, she went back to her colleagues and asked these questions: What is a fair price for the land? How many people are needed in the workforce? What kind of labor is needed, skilled or unskilled?

If your list of criteria is longer than four or five items, reevaluate their importance to limit your list to no more than five. Working with more than five criteria might overwhelm your readers.

STOP AND THINK

Should writers of solicited recommendation reports define the problem? Is brainstorming for solutions best done alone or in collaboration? Explain.

Warm Up

Look closely at the headings in the sample recommendation report beginning on page 303. What kind of information goes under each heading?

FORMATTING AND ORGANIZING RECOMMENDATION REPORTS

The recommendation report is a highly structured report that uses a consistent outline and a comparison/contrast discussion. You may have seen such reports written as multipage paper documents. However, the best format for a recommendation report may not be a multipage paper document. In fact, you have many formatting choices for these types of reports.

If you are submitting a report to a prospective client, you might send it as an e-mail attachment, post it to a website, create and send a CD-ROM, or provide hyperlinks in a Microsoft® Word document. As with other decisions, you should base your choice of format on the audience’s needs.

For instance, an audience that frequently uses the Internet would appreciate the ease and speed of having access to an online report. In contrast, some readers are more comfortable with a traditional print document; so the writer could submit a paper copy or send the document as an e-mail attachment. Whatever the format, recommendation reports follow the same basic outline.

Outline

The recommendation report consists of introductory material, a recommendation (summary of discussion), scope (what the report covers and why), and discussion (analysis of criteria—the factors used in making the decision).

Introduction

The introductory section:

· States the purpose of the report.

· Briefly explains the problem.

· Narrows the choice to two or three items.

· Gives a criteria list.

· Previews the rest of the report.

· May include the investigation method.

The model introduction in Figure 13.1 on the next page orients the readers to the information in the body of the report—the site recommendation for a real estate license review course. This model introduction explains the history and the problem, the recommended solution, the criteria, and the investigation method.

Bob Kantin, spokesperson for an online company that develops and sells sales proposal systems, has written the online article “Recommendation Reports and Internal Politics.”

Go to the NET Bookmark for Chapter 13 and read Kantin’s article. Do you agree with him? Are internal politics a significant concern for all recommendation report writers? for some recommendation report writers? Explain.

www.cengage.com/school/bcomm/techwtg

Figure 13.1 Sample Introduction

Recommendation

The recommendation section of the report:

· Makes the recommendation.

· Uses criteria to summarize reasons for the recommendation.

Because readers want the important information first, the recommendation section appears early in the report unless the report is unsolicited. As Figure 13.2 shows, this section may be brief. In longer reports describing more complex situations, the section could be several paragraphs. If you offer multiple recommendations, number and list them.

Figure 13.2 Sample Recommendation

Scope

The scope section:

· Lists criteria, in descending order from most important to least important, that were given in the introduction.

· Explains why the criteria were chosen and why they are ranked as they are.

This discussion assures writers and readers that they agree on important factors in the decision. This section also explains how information is analyzed, as shown in Figure 13.3 in the description of criteria and explanation of why each criterion was chosen.

Discussion

The discussion section:

· Analyzes each of the criteria thoroughly.

· Draws conclusions about which item is better for each criterion.

Organize the discussion section of the report by criteria, starting with the most important and moving to the least important. Give each criterion a major heading. Each criterion is introduced with an explanation of essential elements or features. Then each item being considered is compared to the ideal set in the introduction. Finally, a conclusion shows the results of the comparison for the criterion. Figure 13.4 presents one part of a discussion section.

Figure 13.3 Sample Scope Section

Figure 13.4 Discussion Section

Remember, receptive readers are interested primarily in the recommendation, which is why it appears early in the report. Unreceptive readers, however, are more likely to be persuaded if the recommendation is placed last, after the discussion.

Comparison/Contrast Discussion

Most recommendation reports follow an organizational plan called point by point, as in the sample report at the beginning of the chapter.

Point-by-point organization zigzags from one item to the next, comparing or contrasting some aspect of one item to the same aspect of another item. Under the safety heading in the opening sample report, the writers compare the safety features of the two cars. Both vehicles are collected under one point, or criterion—in this case, safety. Figure 13.5 shows the zigzag from one item to another.

Figure 13.5 Point-by-Point Organization

Table 13.3 links a general outline for this section (left column) to the headings in the discussion section (right column) in the model report.

Appendixes

Appendixes are another component of some recommendation reports. Appendixes, the plural of appendix, are supplementary materials that appear at the end of a document. Report writers may decide to attach information, documents, or supporting materials they believe will aid the audience in understanding the report.

Each document or supplementary item is entered and labeled as a separate appendix. Usually, elements that become appendixes are not directly involved in the report but are closely aligned to information presented.

For instance, a recommendation report suggesting the hiring of four part-time salesclerks rather than one full-time employee could include a company salary scale as Appendix A and a chart of employee shifts and positions as Appendix B. Some information drawn from these documents would probably be used in the report, but the entire documents might be too distracting to include. So they would appear at the end of the document as appendixes, where readers may refer to them.

Complete the Point-by-Point Organization worksheet available at www.cengage.com/school/bcomm/techwtg . Click the link for Chapter 13; then click Data Files.

Table 13.3

CRITERION 1

SAFETY

Item 1: Explain everything about item 1.

2011 Dynasty Freedom Hybrid

Item 2: Explain everything about item 2.

2011 BLAU Pronto Hybrid

Conclusion: Which item is better and why?

Conclusion

CRITERION 2

FUNCTION

Item 1: Explain everything about item 1.

2011 Dynasty Freedom Hybrid

Item 2: Explain everything about item 2.

2011 BLAU Pronto Hybrid

Conclusion: Which item is better and why?

Conclusion

CRITERION 3

COST

Item 1: Explain everything about item 1.

2011 Dynasty Freedom Hybrid

Item 2: Explain everything about item 2.

2011 BLAU Pronto Hybrid

Conclusion: Which item is better and why?

Conclusion

CRITERION 4

EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Item 1: Explain everything about item 1.

2011 Dynasty Freedom Hybrid

Item 2: Explain everything about item 2.

2011 BLAU Pronto Hybrid

Conclusion: Which item is better and why?

Conclusion

STOP AND THINK

What heading of a recommendation report contains the most diverse information? What does it mean to “provide a preview of the rest of the report”? Which part of the report will be most difficult for you to write? Why?

COMPOSING RECOMMENDATION REPORTS

While decisions about formatting and organizing a recommendation report are likely to have an impact on readers’ perceptions, those elements are secondary to decisions made in composing: setting criteria, evaluating criteria, and researching criteria.

Warm Up

Alvaro likes contact sports (football, soccer, and boxing), Italian food, country music, and horror fi lms. In small groups, design an ideal Saturday for Alvaro. Why did you choose these activities for Alvaro? Now design an ideal Saturday for your group.

Setting Criteria

Criteria, the factors on which you base a decision, play an important role in the recommendation report. Table 13.4 shows where and how criteria are used.

The criteria you choose depend on what you, your audience, and your colleagues think is important. Safety, function, cost, and efficiency and environmental impact are important factors in the choice of a new car for Interstate Development, as noted in the introduction of the report at the beginning of this chapter. After you select criteria, you must present them in a logical, consistent way.

All criteria must be presented with a name, a rank (the relative importance of one criterion to another), and a standard (a means of defining and limiting a criterion). Choose a simple name, usually a noun that is parallel to the other criteria. Some reports use questions such as What is the cost? and How safe is this option?

Give each criterion a rank to show its relative importance to the other criteria. Which is the most important criterion? the second most important? the third most important? List them in descending order, from most to least important. The rank of criteria may change depending on the circumstances.

For example, younger workers with families moving with the Hennepin Logging operations to Virginia might rank the criteria for an acceptable town as schools (first), family entertainment (second), and medical facilities (third). Older workers might rank the criteria as medical facilities (first), family entertainment (second), and schools (third).

Table 13.4

CRITERIA ARE

Introduced

in the

Introduction

Summarized

in the

Recommendation

Explained and ranked (Why chosen and ranked?)

in the

Scope

Evaluated (one by one)

in the

Discussion

Finally, determine the standards of (or limits to) the criteria. For example, if Interstate Development will not pay more than $26,500 for a vehicle, then that amount, $26,500, sets the standard for cost. If families moving with Hennepin Logging to Virginia expect a class A trauma center to be within a half hour’s drive of the town, an accredited trauma center with a class A certification within a 25-mile radius could be the standard for medical facilities.

You may need help refining your criteria. In the opening sample report, the vehicle had to meet several subcriteria under safety. Seek ideas and opinions from as many stakeholders as possible. In your report, list subcriteria when you get to the appropriate criterion section. Like criteria, subcriteria should be listed in descending order of importance.

In the opening sample report, the vehicle had to meet several subcriteria under safety. Because the decision makers consider safety to be of primary concern, it is ranked as the first criterion. The standard is security for passengers and cargo. And subcriteria include driver, front side, and passenger airbags; an antilock braking system; and a stability control system. The recommendation is based on findings related to the criteria and subcriteria. Table 13.5 summarizes how to develop the criteria in your report.

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

Some recommendation reports are long, formal, and directed to a large and diverse audience. In such cases, these reports are often published online instead of or in addition to being published in print. Do an online search for one such recommendation by the New Jersey Teen Driver Study Commission.

Think Critically

After reviewing the report, make a list of similarities and differences between the New Jersey report and the sample recommendation report beginning on page 303.

Evaluating Criteria

Evaluating criteria is a step-by-step process. Jacob is comparing the safety features of two swing sets for his daycare center: Play Time Gym Set and Kiddie Swing Set. Consider the three subheadings—Play Time Gym Set, Kiddie Swing Set, and Conclusion—under the criterion Safety in a recommendation report comparing playground equipment for a daycare center. Under Play Time Gym Set, the writers discuss the safety subcriteria for one set of swings. Under Kiddie Swing Set, the writers discuss the same safety subcriteria for another set of swings. On the following page, Table 13.6 shows how, through discussion, the writers check off the subcriteria one by one.

The checklist shows at a glance that the Play Time Gym Set more completely meets the preschool’s needs for safety. The Play Time Gym Set meets four out of four needs; the Kiddie Swing Set meets one out of four needs. A simple count shows that the Play Time Gym Set wins in the safety category. After the comparison is made, the results are easy to summarize in the conclusion, which follows the discussion of each item.

Table 13.5

NAME

A noun, noun phrase, or question

RANK

Criteria listed from most important to least important

STANDARD

A limit that clarifies each criterion (cost, size, quantity, and so on)

SUBCRITERIA

A list of more detailed criteria that fall under one criterion heading

Table 13.6

THE PLAY TIME GYM SET MEETS THE SUBCRITERIA EASILY.

Smooth edges

✓

It has plastic seats with rounded edges.

Secure cap covers

✓

Fewer caps are needed because of the round edges.

Slide under 10 feet

✓

Slide is 6 feet long.

Inability to absorb heat

✓

Slide is plastic and will not absorb heat.

THE KIDDIE SWING SET DOES NOT MEET ALL OF THE SUBCRITERIA.

Smooth edges

✗

It has galvanized frames with few rounded edges.

Secure cap covers

✗

More cap covers are needed.

Slide under 10 feet

✓

Slide is 6 feet long.

Inability to absorb heat

✗

Slide is metal and will absorb heat from the sun.

Suppose the Kiddie Swing Set had met only the special features and cost criteria and the Play Time Gym Set had met only the safety criteria. Then you would make a judgment call. Safety is ranked as the first concern, more important than special features and cost. Therefore, you would recommend the Play Time Gym Set.

Suppose, however, that both items meet the criteria. Then you should look for some deciding factor. Maybe the cost of one item is lower. Maybe the delivery is quicker or the guarantee is better. In those rare cases where there is no real difference between the two items, you are free to recommend either one—or you may want to set other criteria.

nidda/iStockphoto.com

Researching Criteria

Research data for a recommendation report can come from a variety of places. Much of the research you conduct for a recommendation report will be field research in which you use surveys, interviews, and visits. Websites, manuals, and catalogs can provide product information. Print media in the library can be useful too. Consumer Reports, government publications, business indexes, professional journals, and the many ways to research electronically also can provide data you need.

Roneika West, in her recommendation report to Hennepin Logging, used several sources. She interviewed coworkers and workers at another logging operation. She surveyed the employees who would move to the new site. Roneika visited the three towns in Virginia and interviewed town officials. She reviewed government tax base documents on the Internet. Sometimes personnel, sales brochures, a visit to a store, or sales representatives provide all of the information the writers need.

Be alert to opportunities to present research data in graphics. The opening sample report uses tables of features. Other possibilities for graphics are pictures or diagrams of equipment, pie graphs of survey results, and bar graphs to compare items.

Riser/Getty Images

STOP AND THINK

Name the sources you might use to research the following recommendation report topics: bass fishing boats, novels, and uniforms for nurses.

CHAPTER 13 REVIEW

SUMMARY

1. Decision makers read recommendation reports. Reports can be solicited (asked for) or unsolicited (not asked for). For receptive audiences, place the recommendation section early in the report. For unreceptive audiences, place the recommendation section later in the report.

2. Writers get started on a recommendation report by defining the problem, generating possible solutions, and devising criteria. They interview colleagues and others to help with the prewriting process.

3. The recommendation report follows a tight structure using a consistent outline and a comparison/contrast discussion. The major sections include an introduction, the recommendation, the scope, a thorough discussion, and appendixes. The comparison/contrast organization follows a point-by-point pattern that discusses all solutions under one heading or criterion. The recommendation report may be presented in one of many different formats based on the audience’s needs.

4. Criteria are presented in the introduction, summarized in the recommendation, explained in the scope, and thoroughly analyzed in the discussion.

Checklist

· Have I devised a reasonable set of criteria by which to judge the items under analysis?

· Have I further defined the criteria by setting standards and including appropriate subcriteria?

· Does my introduction give the purpose of the report, define the problem, narrow choices, and introduce criteria in order of importance?

· Have I considered whether my audience is receptive or unreceptive? If the audience is unreceptive, did I make the necessary adjustments to accommodate an unreceptive audience?

· Does the scope explain why the criteria were chosen and why they were ranked as they were?

· Is the organization of the discussion clear? Does it follow a point-by-point organizational pattern?

· Have I used graphics appropriately? Is the document attractive?

· Have I considered the appropriate format for my audience and the appendixes that would help the audience make an informed decision?

Build Your Foundation

1. Using the Internet, research one of the products listed below. Then determine an audience, a person or group that might use the product. Using the information you gather on different types or models and different manufacturers’ products, devise a reasonable set of criteria by which to judge the items under analysis. Name and describe the audience and list the criteria in order of importance. Also explain each criterion and why it was selected.

a. Golf clubs

b. Smartphone

c. DVD player/recorder

d. Digital camera

e. Cosmetics (for men or women)

f. Backpack

2. Suppose you work for a real estate management company. In one of the office buildings your company manages, the heating and air conditioning unit stopped working today. The technician assigned to repair the equipment says that the unit cannot be fixed and should be replaced. The tenant cannot run her business without adequate heating, so she expects immediate action. The technician suggests TempPro heating units as well as Environease machines. He says that both are good products, each with a five-year warranty.

a. Other than warranty, what criteria might the real estate management company establish?

b. Suggest a standard for one of the criteria.

c. Write a problem statement for a recommendation report using this situation. Add specific information as needed.

d. What graphics might be useful in the recommendation report developed in this case?

3. Sunee’s doctor has told her to eat a nutritious diet low in fat, cholesterol, and salt and high in complex carbohydrates. Help her evaluate the butter substitutes listed below in the two columns on the right based on the criteria on the left. What conclusion can you draw from your evaluation?

Substitute

Margarine (1 tbsp)

Table spread (1 tbsp)

#1 Low in fat

17% fat

11% fat

#2 Low in cholesterol

0% cholesterol

0% cholesterol

#3 Low in salt

4% salt

5% salt

#4 High in complex carbohydrates

0% complex carbohydrates

0% complex carbohydrates

4. Revise the following recommendations section:

After thoroughly studying the options, I recommend the following actions: closing the drive-through payment window, reducing the day-shift staff by one employee, encouraging more use of the computerized self-serve stations in the office, and using student interns to teach patrons how convenient and easy the online options are to use. Otherwise, I suggest we do nothing at this time and study our operations for other possible solutions.

Your Turn

In small groups, use one of the following scenarios to answer items 5–9. You do not need to use the same scenario for all five questions.

a. You are on the Entertainment Committee to decide which band to hire for the annual Holiday Ball. According to the survey you sent, employees are evenly divided on which of three groups to choose: Newton Jazz Ensemble, Midnight City Rock Band, or Down and Dusty Country Band.

b. You are on the Hampton Scholarship Committee. Hampton Company gives a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving student every year. The guidance counselor has chosen Dario Mesa and Allison Jurevicius as the top two contenders for the scholarship. You and the committee must select one of these students.

c. As a member of Ammsco Chemical’s Quality Circle, you must decide what microwave to buy for the new employee lounge. You have narrowed your choice to two: the Trimstyle Model 1400 and the Even Cook Model 550. You, along with the members of your Quality Circle team, must choose the new microwave.

5. Write an introduction to a recommendation report for item a, b, or c. Add details if necessary. Look at the model and at the outline under “Formatting and Organizing Recommendation Reports” in this chapter. You may begin your introduction with “The purpose of this report is to. . . .”

6. For any two of the preceding scenarios, brainstorm a list of criteria. Narrow your list to the top three or four. Rank them in order from most important to least important.

7. Choose one of the lists of criteria from item 5. Apply a standard, or limit, to each of the criteria. Devise subcriteria for one of the criteria.

8. In an oral or written scope section, tell your classmates why you chose your criteria and why you ranked them the way you did.

9. Generate an outline for two of the scenarios. Follow the format shown below. For now, make your best guess for the conclusion under each criterion.

Criterion 1

Criterion 2

Criterion 3

Item 1

Item 1

Item 1

Item 2

Item 2

Item 2

Conclusion

Conclusion

Conclusion

10. Request from your school or district administration a copy of a recommendation report that failed. Review the report using the guidelines in this chapter. Write an explanation of why you believe the report is ineffective and what you would do to improve it.

Community Connection

11. List some problems or opportunities in your community. Focus for a moment on the one you care about most. Could two or three courses of action solve this problem? Write a report to your city official recommending a course of action. Research your courses of action using the library or other resources.

12. Ask several local businesses for examples of recommendation reports they have used. Review the reports and compare them to the guidelines covered in this chapter. Choose one report to critique. Discuss its strengths and weaknesses and share your findings with the class.

13. Identify a faculty or staff member at your school who is preparing to make a decision, perhaps what to purchase (such as a new microscope for the science lab) or which selection to make (such as the speaker for graduation or a band for Homecoming). Ask the decision maker for the opportunity to prepare a recommendation report based on the situation. With permission to proceed, complete the following tasks:

a. Interview the stakeholders. Using your interview notes, create a document that defines what each stakeholder seeks in a solution.

b. Use the information gathered from stakeholders to devise criteria.

c. Brainstorm potential solutions and research the two that look to be most promising.

d. Develop your recommendation report comparing the two solutions to the criteria.

e. Seek constructive criticism from your classmates and instructor.

f. Revise the report.

g. Submit the revised recommendation report to the decision maker and to your instructor.

14. Check with your schools’ clubs and organizations to learn about any products or services they are considering. For example, if one of the clubs or organizations is planning a dance or performance, perhaps the group will be searching for a band, a DJ, a karaoke machine, or stage sets. Ask if you can do the research and write a recommendation report. Remember that you will need to interview some of the organization’s leaders to establish criteria. After developing the report, submit it to your instructor and/or classmates for their review. Revise, edit, and then submit it to the organization. Ask for the group’s feedback and final decision.

15. Local governments are likely to use recommendation reports to make decisions about many things, from purchasing vans and buses to contracting with paint companies. For that reason, arrange an appointment to interview someone in city government who writes recommendation reports. During the interview, ask about the research, the writing process, and the final document. If possible, get a copy of a report and have the interviewee explain its development. Focus on skills that will help you become a better report writer. Write a summary of the important information you gained during the interview.

16. With a partner, write a recommendation report to a local agency in which you suggest an action or a decision that will improve circumstances for a group of people or all citizens of the community.