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CHETANA’S HAZARIMAL SOMANI COLLEGE OF

COMM & ECO. & SMT. KUSUMTAI

CHAUDHARI COLLEGE OF ARTS

Group No:-09

Presented By: FYBFM

Presented To: Prof. Shivaprasad

Topic: Report Writing & Prospectus/ Offer Document

GROUP MEMBERS

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NAMES ROLL NO.

AKSHAY VIRKAR 148

KANISHA PATIL 128

SHWETA AMIN 101

TEJAL GAJARE 109

ALOK TRIPATHI 145

SEEMA KALBURGI 119

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This report was made with the help of Prof.Shivaprasad he guided us very well. He provided us with basic information to make report.

We are thanking him that he gave us valuable time to make this report.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Sr. No. Topic Page No.1. Introduction of report writing 52. Types of report 73. Structure of report 94. Planning of report 135. Features of report writing 156. Common mistakes in report writing 207. Introduction of prospectus 22

8 Structure of prospectus 21

9 Importance of report writing 28

10 Conclusion 29

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INTRODUCTION OF REPORT WRITING

A report can be defined as a testimonial or account of some happening. It is purely based on observation and analysis. A report gives an explanation of any circumstance. In today’s corporate world, reports play a crucial role. They are a strong base for planning and control in an organization, i.e., reports give information which can be utilized by the management team in an organization for making plans and for solving complex issues in the organization.

A report discusses a particular problem in detail. It brings significant and reliable information to the limelight of top management in an organization. Hence, on the basis of such information, the management can make strong decisions. Reports are required for judging the performances of various departments in an organization.

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An effective report can be written going through the following steps-

1. Determine the objective of the report, i.e., identify the problem.

2. Collect the required material (facts) for the report.

3. Study and examine the facts gathered.

4. Plan the facts for the report.

5. Prepare an outline for the report, i.e., draft the report.

6. Edit the drafted report.

7. Distribute the draft report to the advisory team and ask for feedback and recommendations.

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TYPES OF REPORTS

Research report:

This is probably the most widely spread type of report writing. A research report is the account on a research work carried out with a specific purpose. In a research report, you should present the background of the research, its findings, theoretical implications and practical applications of the result your research provides.

Business report:

In business milieu, Business report writing happens to be an indispensable part of the communication process. Executive summary is written in a non-technical manner. By and large, audience for business reports will consist of upper level manager, for that reason you should take the audience needs in consideration. Go on with the introduction to articulate the problem and determine the scope of the research. To attain the desired results, don’t fail to state about the precise quantitative tools.

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Scientific reports:

Finally, the scientific type of report writing is similar to the research one. The major difference is that scientific reports are written by students taking science courses, while research reports dominate in humanities. A scientific report, similarly to the research one, is an account of an investigation a person, or a group of people, carried out, trying to answer their questions. Such a paper should contain not only the details and findings of the research, but also the implications of the findings and their potential implementations.

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Report structure

What follows is a generic structure for reports. Using this structure will help to give your report the correct level of formality; it will also help to ensure that you do not leave out anything important. However, the actual structure required by your discipline may not be exactly what is represented here - you should check with your lecturer.

A report should generally include the following sections.

(Sections marked with an asterisk (*) are essential: others are optional depending on the type, length and purpose of the report.)

Title page

This must contain:

the report title which clearly states the purpose of the report

full details of the person(s) for whom the report was prepared

full details of the person(s) who prepared the report

the date of the presentation of the report

Table of Contents

(Usually only if the report is longer than, say, ten pages)

This is a list of the headings and appendices of the report. Depending on the complexity and length of the report, you could list tables, figures and appendices separately. Make sure the correct page numbers are shown opposite the contents.

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Abbreviations and/or glossary

If necessary, you should provide an alphabetical list of the abbreviations you have used in the report, especially if they may not be familiar to all readers of the report.

If you have used a lot of technical terms, you should also provide a glossary (an alphabetical list of the terms, with brief explanations of their meanings).

Acknowledgements (if appropriate)

This is a short paragraph thanking any person or organisation which gave you help in collecting data or preparing the report.

Abstract (Summary or Executive Summary)

An abstract is quite different from an introduction. It is a summary of the report, in which you include one sentence (or so) for every main section of your report. For example, you can include:

the context of the research the purpose of the report

the major findings (you may need several sentences here)

the conclusions

the main recommendations

Write the abstract after you have written the report.

Introduction

Give enough background information to provide a context for the report.

State the purpose of the report.

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Clarify key terms and indicate the scope of the report (.i.e. what the report will cover).

Body

The content of the body depends on the purpose of the report, and whether it is a report of primary or secondary research.

A report of primary research (based on your own observations and experiments) would include:

Literature review (what other people have written about this topic. See our webpage for hints on writing a literature review). The literature review should lead towards your research question.

Method (summaries what you did and why). Use the past tense.

Findings or results (describes what you discovered, observed, etc, in your observations and experiments). Use the past tense.

Discussion (discusses and explains your findings and relates them to previous research). Use the present tense to make generalizations.

A report of secondary research (based on reading only) would include:

Information organized under appropriate topics with sub-headings. It is unlikely that your report will discuss each source separately. You need to synthesis material from different sources under topic headings.

Analysis/discussion of the sources you are reporting.

Conclusion

Sum up the main points of the report. The conclusion should clearly relate to the objectives of your report. No surprises please! (.i.e., don’t include new information here.)

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Bibliography

Using references for the information.

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Planning of report

As in all writing assignments, it's crucial to analyse the task carefully.

Who is the report for? Why do they want it?

What do they need to know?

Then start planning:

Think about structure and format

Check your guidelines! Have you been given a suggested structure or format?

Think how to present your information most clearly.

Plan the writing process

Think about what you already know. Brainstorm. Jot down notes or make a mind map.

How will you find the information you need?

Make a time plan allowing for each preparation and writing stage. Reports usually have important deadlines!

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Organise your information

Consider the sources you will need. Decide which key information should go in which

section.

Organise your information as you go along.

Note your references as you go along.

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FEATURES OF REPORT WRITING

1. Good Report has Clarity of Thought

A good report is one which is drafted in a simple, clear and lucid language. Its language should not be difficult and confusing. There should be no ambiguity as regards the statements made in the report. A reader should be able to understand the entire report easily, exactly and quickly. In fact, this is the basic purpose of report writing.

2. Good Report is complete and Self-explanatory

A good report is always a complete and self-explanatory document. For this, repetition of facts, figures, information, conclusions and recommendation should be avoided. Report writing should be always complete and self-explanatory. It should give complete information to the readers in a precise manner.

3. Good Report is Comprehensive but Compact

A lengthy report is not necessarily a good report. In fact, report should be a brief and compact document. At the same time, it should give complete picture of the problem under investigation. In this sense the report writing should be comprehensive but compact.

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4. Good Report is Accurate in all Aspects

One more feature of a good report is that it should be correct in all aspects. The data given and statements made in the report must be based on facts and must be verified carefully. Report writing is a responsible job as report is used as a reliable document for taking decisions and framing policies. Thus, report writing should be always accurate, factual and reliable.

5. Good Report has Suitable Format for readers

A good report needs proper format. It should be convenient to the type of the report. The report should have all essential components such as title, introduction, findings and recommendations. This gives convenience to the reader.

6. Good Report Support Facts and is Factual

A good report is always factual. The findings, conclusions and recommendations included in the report should be supported by information and data collected from reliable sources. Statistical tables should support statements made in the report. Attention needs to be given to this reliability aspect in report writing.

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7. Good Report has an Impersonal Style

A good report should be drafted in an impersonal manner. The report writing should be in third person. This is necessary as the report is prepared for the benefits of a person who needs it and not for the benefit of the person who prepares it.

8. Good Report has a Proper Date and Signature

A good report should be properly dated and signed by the concerned authority or by the chairman of the committee or by all committee members. This has legal significance and needs special attention in report writing.

9. Good Report has a Reference to Relevant Details

In effective report writing, reference to relevant details is necessary. A good report should cover all relevant details for the methodology used,

Questionnaire prepared for data collection and the procedure followed by the committee.

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10. Good Report follows an Impartial Approach

A good report is always fact finding and not fault finding. It should be prepared in an impartial manner. The writers of the report should be impartial in their outlook and approach. In other words, there should be objectivity in report writing. Emotions, sentiments, personal views etc. should be kept away while drafting a report. The approach of report writer should be broad based, positive and constructive. He should be neutral and self effecting in his reports writing.

11. Good Report has all Essential Technical Details

In a good report writing attention should be given to certain essential technical details. For example, the pages and paragraphs of the report should be numbered properly. Marginal heading and titles should be given. This gives convenience to readers.

12. Good Report is presented in a Lucid Style

A good report is one which is presented in a lucid style. It needs logical and systematic arrangement of different parts. It should be easily and clearly understandable by all those for whom it is meant. A good report should create interest among readers because of its lucid and convincing style. Clear thinking, objective tone and logical arrangement of thoughts make the report simple and lucid.

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13. Good Report is a Reliable Document

The data collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, conclusions drawn and recommendations made in the report should be accurate so as to make the whole report reliable and dependable for future reference and also for policy decisions. This, reliability is one important aspect of effective report writing.

14. Good Report is arranged in a Logical Manner

The different parts of the report should be arranged in a logical order so as to make it an integrated document. Proper planning is essential while drafting report. Attention to format of a report is a must in effective report writing.

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Common Mistakes in Report Writing

Quite a lot of times, we observe some common mistakes in report writing when we go through someone else’s report but very often lose track of them when we sit to write our own report.

Report writing is a skill which can be indoctrinated and learned through experience. These are the errors which probably we all know but they become inevitable since we cannot recall them at the right time when it is required the most.

1.Boring The report should be written keeping the background of the target audience in mind. Abrupt deviations from the objective can make report lifeless to the target audience. There are instances where the flow of the topic or subsequent pages or slides is not in sync; this also makes report boring. The overall outline should be drawn in a way before hand so that all chips fit in well and moves towards the objective of the report writing.

2.Errors Be cautious about spelling and grammatical errors. They are the two important focus points while writing a report. Wrong spelling and improper use of tense can cause severe damage to the overall value and impact of a report. A report with misspellings and mixed tenses gives an impression of an immature report writer. Any proper documentation requires correct and complete sentence with proper words and tenses.

3.Language In order to explain the subject, a writer sometimes uses complex long sentences with too many clauses or keeps the sentence incomplete. Sometime, as a result of this, the reader will either fail to identify the relevant points or not

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understand the subject at all. The language used in a report should be lucid.

While writing a report, a writer should also take care of the nonfigurative terminologies, idioms, abbreviations and technical words. At any given point of time this is should be kept in mind that report is to make viewer or reader comfortable with the findings rather to confuse the reader concerned.

4.Lengthy The target audience will generally have essential understanding of the matter or have some basic understanding of the subject. In such cases it is not required for a writer to overemphasize a specific topic at length. The audiences would be more concerned with the facts and findings and they would look for data and analysis part of the report. Their focus will be more on the inferences, conclusions and on the probable solution suggested if any. A writer should keep a report topic, very specific, relevant and crisp.

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ProspectusA formal legal document, which is required by and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that provides details about an investment offering for sale to the public. A prospectus should contain the facts that an investor needs to make an informed investment decision.

In finance, a prospectus is a document that describes a financial security for potential buyers. A prospectus commonly provides investors with material information about mutual funds, stocks, bonds and other investments, such as a description of the company's business, financial statements, biographies of officers and directors, detailed information about their compensation, any litigation that is taking place, a list of material properties and any other material information. In the context of an individual securities offering, such as an initial public offering, a prospectus is distributed by underwriters or brokerages to potential investors.

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Guide to understand an Offer Document

This sub‐section attempts to inform the structure of presentation of the content in an offer document. The basic objective is to help the reader to navigate through the content of an offer document.

1. Cover Page

Under this head full contact details of the Issuer Company, lead managers and registrars, the nature, number, price and amount of instruments offered and issue size, and the particulars regarding listing. Other details such as Credit Rating, IPO Grading, risks in relation to the first issue, etc are also disclosed if applicable.

2. Risk Factors

Under this head the management of the issuer company gives its view on the Internal and external risks envisaged by the company and the proposals, if any, to address such risks. The company also makes a note on the forward looking statements. This information is disclosed in the initial pages of the document and also in the abridged prospectus. It is generally advised that the investors should go through all the risk factors of the company before making an investment decision.

3. Introduction

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Under this head a summary of the industry in which the issuer company operates, the business of the Issuer Company, offering details in brief, summary of consolidated financial statements and other data relating to general information about the company, the merchant bankers and their responsibilities, the details of brokers/syndicate members to the Issue, credit rating (in case of debt issue), debenture trustees (in case of debt issue), monitoring agency, book building process in brief, IPO Grading in case of First Issue of Equity capital and details of underwriting Agreements are given. Important details of capital structure, objects of the offering, funds requirement, funding plan, schedule of implementation, funds deployed, sources of financing of funds already deployed, sources of financing for the balance fund requirement, interim use of funds, basic terms of issue, basis for issue price, tax benefits are also covered.

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4. About us

Under this head a review of the details of business of the company, business strategy, competitive strengths, insurance, industry‐regulation (if applicable), history and corporate structure, main objects, subsidiary details, management and board of directors, compensation, corporate governance, related party transactions, exchange rates, currency of presentation and dividend policy are given.

5. Financial Statements

Under this head financial statement and restatement as per the requirement of the Guidelines and differences between any other accounting policies and the Indian Accounting Policies (if the Company has presented its Financial Statements also.

6. Legal and other information

Under this head outstanding litigations and material developments, litigations involving the company, the promoters of the company, its subsidiaries, and group companies are disclosed. Also material developments since the last balance sheet date, government approvals/licensing arrangements, investment approvals (FIPB/RBI etc.), technical approvals, and indebtedness, etc. are disclosed.

7. Other regulatory and statutory disclosures

Under this head, authority for the Issue, prohibition by SEBI, eligibility of the company to enter the capital market, disclaimer statement by the issuer and the lead manager, disclaimer in respect of jurisdiction, distribution of

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information to investors, disclaimer clause of the stock exchanges, listing, impersonation, minimum subscription, letters of allotment or refund orders, consents, expert opinion, changes in the auditors in the last 3 years, expenses of the issue, fees payable to the intermediaries involved in the issue process, details of all the previous issues, all outstanding instruments, commission and brokerage on, previous issues, capitalization of reserves or profits, option to subscribe in the issue, purchase of property, revaluation of assets, classes of shares, stock market data for equity shares of the company, promise vis‐à‐vis performance in the past issues and mechanism for redressal of investor grievances is disclosed.

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8. Offering information

Under this head Terms of the Issue, ranking of equity shares, mode of payment of dividend, face value and issue price, rights of the equity shareholder, market lot, nomination facility to investor, issue procedure, book building procedure in details along with the process of making an application, signing of underwriting agreement and filing of prospectus with SEBI/ROC, announcement of statutory advertisement, issuance of confirmation of allocation note("can") and allotment in the issue, designated date, general instructions, instructions for completing the bid form, payment instructions, submission of bid form, other instructions, disposal of application and application moneys, , interest on refund of excess bid amount, basis of allotment or allocation, method of proportionate allotment, dispatch of refund orders, communications, undertaking by the company, utilization of issue proceeds, restrictions on foreign ownership of Indian securities, are disclosed.

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Importance of Report WritingThe benefits and report writing importance can be understood through the analysis of basic business reports features and characteristics.

Communicative values. Report writing importance can be expressed through communication of the report writer to the readers through business concepts and company’s strategies.

Statistical analysis. Most business reports are dedicated to the analysis of statistical data related to marketing development or supply and demand balance. One can stress the report writing importance through its contribution to marketing management researches making.

Recommendations. Business reports can be dedicated to the description of company’s perspectives and recommendations. The success of future business planning can be reached through centralization of report writing importance.

The importance of report writing can be understood only by evaluation the usefulness of paper writing in business organizations. In most firms the employees are to report the managers about the amount of work they made in relation to provided plan. This gives an opportunity to analyze staff work and time spent for its fulfillment.

Report writing importance is stressed not only in business, but in economics and politics.

CONCLUSION

Reports in written form are useful for future reference. Reports provide adequate and correct information as well as statistical data to management and helps in decision

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making .a report provides information of unknown facts i.e. new ideas new vision new solution to problem new research about a particular matter. A report provides valuable information of all sectors in the business hence report are useful for solving the problem of various department. Report acts as an important and effective internal tool of

communication.

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Reference

www.australia.edu.in

www.invespedia.com

www.hss.iitb.ac.in

www.managementstudyguide.com