In a report on improving the efficiency of corre spondence in an office, for instance, the means of making the improvements suggested might well fol low an enumeration of possible improvements, and might immediately precede definite, concise and sim ple statements of recommendation. The failure to see just how recommendations may be carried out of ten prevents the receiver from accepting them. Thus the preliminary outline suggested in Section 3 seems to be a fairly good general arrangement for the final form of the report. In fact, this arrangement was used in a report for a wholesale house and a general outline of it is quoted in the following section.
10. Specimen report.—The following. quotations are taken from a report which was based on an in vestigation which covered a period of one year. The report is too long to quote as a whole, but enough of it is given to illustrate the main features of a good business report. The introduction to this report reads as follows: February 1, 1916.
To the Board of Directors, The Company, Gentlemen: The following report was prepared at the request of the President of the Company, whose letter of request, dated January 10, 1915, reads as follows: My dear Mr. —: The Board of Directors of this company feels that we are not paying enough attention to our correspondence, that we could do many things to improve the letters that go out from this house without adding to the cost of them. We have no definite records of the cost of cor respondence. But our main problem is to increase the efficiency of all letters that go out.
From now on, therefore, will you please give all the time you can take for it to the solution of this problem. Get thoroly acquainted with the situation in all depart ments and from all angles, and let us have a full report of present conditions and possible improvements, to gether with definite recommendations.
Yours very truly, This report includes the findings of an investigation which had extended over a period of twelve months, since January 10, 1915. Careful records of cost have been kept in each department and numerous tests of efficiency have been ap plied. The nature and results of these records and tests are set forth in the first part of this report. The second part of the report, beginning on page ,i8, suggests possible im provements ; the third part, beginning on page 33, is a com plete statement of the means of gaining those improvements, with careful estimates of costs and results ; while the fourth part, beginning on page 45, is a statement of definite recom mendations.
The undersigned author of this report has secured the co operation of the heads of all departments in its preparation, each one of whom has read and approved the recommenda tions herein made. The report therefore represents the com bined findings and judgment of all department heads, whose hearty cooperation in carrying out its recommendations is assured.
Respectfully yours, Then follows the title page, which bears a complete and definite statement of the subject of the report, carefully placed in the center of the page. It reads : A Report on the Present Conditions of the Cost and Effi ciency of Correspondence in the Company; Recommen dations of Improvements; and Suggestions of the Means of Carrying Out These Recommendations, with Estimates of the Costs and Results.
Submitted to the Board of Directors of the Com pany, February 1, 1916. Prepared by Pages 2 and 3 following this title page present a complete table of contents in outline form. The main divisions and subdivisions of this outline follow: Present Conditions (General) General estimate of efficiency Methods of judging efficiency General estimate of cost Methods of finding cost What is being done to improve correspondence Present Conditions (by Departments) Order Department Traffic Department Complaint Department Credit Department Sales Department Merchandise-buying correspondence Interdepartment correspondence Improvements What has been done in the past General supervision of correspondence Training correspondents Training stenographers Better systems Means of Gaining Improvements; Their Cost and Results A manager of correspondence Type of man needed His functions Cost Methods of training correspondents Conferences Classes Manuals Cost Results Methods of training stenographers and typists Standards Supervision Manual Cost Results Cost-cutting mechanical systems and devices Cost-cutting methods Form paragraphs and letters Standardized methods Recommendations Appoint a general manager or superintendent of corre spondence.
Define his duties.
As soon as consistent with good work, have him put thru as many of the improvements herein suggested as are deemed advisable ; and let him suggest and put thru additional improvements which are approved by the President of this company.
Let him supervise the employment and training of cor respondents, stenographers and typists, in coopera tion with the general office manager.
Make him responsible to the President of this company for the cost and efficiency of correspondence thruout this business.
Make an appropriation of at least $6,000, exclusive of the salary of the supervisor of correspondence, to be used in defraying the cost of improvements which require outside purchases.
Thus the recommendations for action are definite, few, and simple, and they follow the reasons why they should be carried out. From the standpoint of good salesmanship, it is possible that if "results" had been placed before "cost" the section on Improvements might have been better.
In the body of this report as it was written, all divi sions were clearly marked off by headings, which were so worded that they clearly indicated the subject mat ter of the division. Page numbers followed the divi sions of the foregoing outline.