Learn How to Write a Business Report With CIPD

The key to a successful report is effective planning, so before you start writing the report consider the following points.

Identifying who you are writing for will help to shape the content of the report.

If the report will be submitted as part of a qualification, check that you know what your tutor expects and the assessment criteria for the report. Also think about stakeholders in the organisation; the report is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how you, as an HR professional, can add value and help influence change.

If you’re writing the report solely for a business audience, think about what they need to know, and make the report succinct so that busy people will take time to read it. Think about:

• Who will read the report and what are they looking for?
• What will you want them to do as a result of reading the report?

Clear aims and objectives specify the purpose of the report and show your reader what you are aiming to do. Identifying the boundaries of the report in advance can help you avoid wasting time on researching irrelevant topics, and knowing the size of report can help to ensure that you don’t collect too much or too little information.

Once you know the size and scope of your report you can estimate the work required and the time available to do it. It’s also helpful at the planning stage to anticipate potential problems and blockages and how you might address these if they occur.

The range of topics on which an HR practitioner might write a report is wide. It’s likely that many topics have already been the subject of previous work within your organisation or at your institution or centre, and most will have been addressed in earlier research published in journals and books. This means that there is plenty of material that you can consult before starting to write.

Our website provides access to recent publications from the CIPD’s research and policy teams. CIPD members can use our HR and L&D archive database  of books, reports and journal articles, which also gives full-text access to our older reports. Members can use online journals covering HR, L&D and management topics via EBSCO's Discovery Service database.

Title

The report’s title should clearly indicate its focus. It should be brief and, if possible, generate interest in the importance of the report’s content.

Executive summary

This is a brief summary of the report, no longer than one page, which is designed to help the reader decide whether to read the full document. Although it is the first thing to be read, you should write it last, and it should include:

•    The purpose of the report
•    How the topic was investigated
•    An overview of the findings
•    The key recommendations.

Table of contents

This shows how the report is structured and indicates the page numbers of the main elements. You should also include a list of charts and diagrams (where appropriate) and any appendices.

The purpose of the introduction is to set the scene and show how the chosen topic seeks to address an issue of strategic relevance to the organisation. A brief explanation of the organisational context can highlight the key drivers that are influencing the business and demonstrate a rationale for the report.

Your introduction should also outline the aims and objectives of the study: 

•    The aim clarifies what the report is trying to achieve 
•    The objectives are more specific and show how the issue will be addressed. 
You can also use the introduction to outline the scope of the report, including any boundaries or constraints that may apply or affect the progress of the study.

It’s important that people professionals stay up to date with recent developments and ideas that inform HR practice. The purpose of the literature review is to put the issue under investigation into perspective and demonstrate your knowledge of the key works and latest findings on the topic.
HR practitioners who are writing a report solely for a business audience might find it inappropriate to include a literature review. However, consider including recent surveys or other material to support any proposals contained with the report.
A student who is writing a report for academic purposes must always carry out a literature review to identify the sources used for the theoretical concepts that underpin the report.

What should the review cover?

The literature review should be a discussion and critical evaluation of published material, including books, journal articles, research reports and discussion papers. Different sources may contradict each other so it’s important to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each and explore why any differences might occur.
In the review you should also aim to explain the issue in the context of contemporary ideas and thinking, including a discussion of relevant models, concepts, ideas and current good practice. You should identify key trends and/or gaps in knowledge and so inform and influence the subsequent stages of your investigation. It can help to summarise the key issues and show how this relates to your own research of the topic.

Use this section to explain what you did to gather the information that you are presenting. You should explain the approach used (such as questionnaires, interviews, and so on), why you took this approach and how you decided what sample of people to include in any surveys that you undertook. You should also demonstrate an awareness of alternative methods, and set out the suitability of primary and secondary data sources to your investigation, ethical considerations and any logistical problems you may have encountered.

We recommend that you consult and make reference to texts on research methods to justify why your chosen approach was suitable and, therefore, why the resulting findings are robust enough to inform business decisions.

Present your results as clearly as possible so that they are easily understood and accessible to the reader. Graphs, charts and diagrams can be used to illustrate the key findings. In this section you should also analyse and interpret the results by drawing on the research you have collected and explaining its significance. You should also suggest explanations for your findings and any outline any factors that may have influenced the results.

You should ensure that any responses from individuals are anonymised, unless you have the express written permission of the individual to refer to their response by name.

Us this section to draw together the main issues identified in your report and should refer back to its aims and objectives – has the report achieved what it set out to do? This section should not include any new material.

The recommendations should be actionable and feasible in the organisational context. You should show what needs to be done and why. It is advisable that you prioritise recommendations that are likely to achieve the greatest effect. The implementation plan should give some indication of timescales and cost implications.

It’s acceptable to give a choice of approaches in the recommendations. If you do this, ensure that the costs and benefits of each approach are explained, so that the reader can make an informed decision. You might also make a recommendation that further research is carried out. If you do this, explain what the benefits of the additional research would be.

At the end of your report you should list all the publications and other material that you have quoted or made reference to in the report. This enables the reader to follow up on issues of particular interest but is also essential to avoid plagiarism. CIPD’s referencing guide  recommends the Harvard style of citation and referencing, although others are available and may be specifically requested by examiners. The guidance in the book Cite them right and the associated online resource also follows the Harvard style and is used by many colleges and universities.

Appendices

These should include additional material that is related to the study but not essential to read. If used, they should be signposted in the main report and should be clearly numbered.
Don’t use the appendices as a ‘dumping ground’ for lots of documents that have vague relevance to the topic. Only include material in appendices if it really adds value to the report.

This isn’t always required for business reports but provides the opportunity to apply crucial reflective skills to your own performance. It is a good discipline to reflect on any report, whatever the reason for writing it, and to consider what you have learned from it, even if you do not write a formal reflective statement.

Your statement should outline:

•    The significant personal learning achieved through conducting the study
•    Any learning needs that have emerged and how they will be addressed
•    How you have dealt with difficulties or obstacles and whether these could have been avoided
•    What you might have done differently and why
•    How it has helped you understand the process of business research.

The standard of presentation needs to be professional if it is to persuade key decision-makers to accept the report’s recommendations.

·        Use wide margins and clear line spacing.

·        Clearly number all pages.

·        Ensure headings are clear and follow a logical structure.

·        Keep paragraphs short and concise.

·        Use simple language and avoid unnecessary jargon.

·        Label graphs, charts and diagrams.

·        Check the draft of your report thoroughly, or ask a colleague to do so. Spelling mistakes and typographical errors are likely to detract from the quality of the case being made.

Students may need to conform to a particular presentation style required by examiners.

PEARS, R. and SHIELDS, G. (2022) Cite them right. The essential referencing guide. 12th ed. London: Bloomsbury Academic. http://www.citethemrightonline.com/

ANDERSON, V. (2019) Research methods in human resource management. 4th ed. London: CIPD-Kogan Page.

CAMERON, S. and PRICE, D. (2009) Business research methods: a practical approach. London: CIPD-Kogan Page.

HORN. R. (2009) The business skills handbook. London: CIPD-Kogan Page.

HORN, R. (2012) Researching and writing dissertations: a complete guide for business and management students. 2^nd ed. London: CIPD-Kogan Page.

ROBINSON, S. and DOWSON, P. (2012) Business ethics in practice. London: CIPD-Kogan Page.

This guide was written by Dr Julie Beardwell, CIPD’s Chief Moderator, Standards and updated by Kathy Daniels FCIPD and CIPD staff.