- 1). Identify the intended recipients of the report, as well as the individuals or groups that worked to produce the report. If written in memo format, the report can identify these parties through the standard "To:" and "From:" format. If written in a formal report format, the report can do this through the use of a title page and a small opening section indicating the authors and targets.
- 2). Articulate the specific problem regarding chocolate on which your report will focus. This can range from problems such as the shipping and distribution of chocolate bars to the amount of calories in a specific chocolate-based product. In identifying the problem, be sure to include an explanation of why that problem is relevant to the intended targets. For example, if you're writing a business report about the rising cost of melting chocolate for a private candy store owner, you might include a line explaining how the rising cost of melting chocolate will cost the owner significantly more with each new order of the chocolate.
- 3). Outline the background of the problem as well as potential solutions. For example, if sales of a specific chocolate product have dipped significantly in a certain area because of a campaign promoting healthy living, you would need to describe the sales prior to the dip, the sales after the dip, the methods and organizers of the campaign and the audience targeted by the campaign. In describing potential solutions, you might then indicate that retailers have offered coupons reducing the cost of the chocolate product and even launched a competing campaign to highlight the health benefits of the chocolate product.
- 4). Provide information and statistics that support both your assessment of the problem and potential solutions. For example, you might refer to the sales receipts of a candy store or survey results of consumers and tasters of a certain chocolate product.
- 5). Suggest several new solutions that could be used to address the problem. For example, if a certain chocolate product has been panned because it tastes poorly, you might suggest altering the recipe of the original product, remarketing the product to a different audience or even eliminating the product entirely.
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