REPORT PREPARATION

 Report preparation and presentation constitutes the final step in marketing research preceded by defining the problem, approach development, formulation of the research design, fieldwork and data preparation and analysis. 

 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REPORT: 
For the following reasons, the report and its presentation are important parts of the marketing research project:

• The report represents the tangible products of the research effort.  
• The report and the presentation guide the management decisions. 
•  The managers evaluate the quality of the entire project on the basis of quality of the report and presentation.
• Management’s decision to undertake marketing research in the future or to use the particular research supplier again will be influenced by the perceived usefulness of the report and the presentation.

 PROCESS OF REPORT PREPARATION: 
Figure 1 illustrates process of report preparation commencing with interpreting the results of data analysis in the light of the marketing research problem, approach, research design, and fieldwork.

• The researcher should present the findings in such a way that they can be used directly as input into decision-making.  Wherever appropriate, conclusions should be drawn and recommendations made.
• Recommendations should be actionable. Before writing the report, the researcher should discuss the major findings, conclusions drawn, and recommendations to be made with the key decision makers.
• Discussions play a major role in ensuring that the report meets the needs of the sponsor  and that the report is finally accepted.  .
• The whole marketing research project needs to be summarized in a single written report or in several reports addressed to different readers.
• Generally, an oral presentation supplements the written documents.
• The client should be given an opportunity to read the report.
• The researcher should take necessary follow-up actions.
• The researcher should assist the client in comprehending the report, implementing the major findings, sponsoring further research and evaluating the research process in retrospect. 

Report Preparation: 
Researchers differ in the way they prepare a research report.  The personality, background, expertise, and responsibility of the researcher, along with the decision maker to whom the report is addressed, interact to give each report a unique character. Yet, there are guideline for formatting and writing reports and designing tables and graphs.

Report Format: Report formats vary with the researcher. The marketing research firm conducting the project, the client for whom the project is being conducted, and the nature of the project itself influence is format in which the report is prepared.  The following serves as a guideline from which the researcher can develop a format for the research project at hand.  Most research reports include the following elements.

•  Title page
• Letter of transmittal
• Letter of authorization
•   Table of contents
•   List of tables
•   List of graphs
•   List f appendices
•   List of exhibits
• Executive summary

a.       Major findings

b.      Conclusions

c.       Recommendations

2.      Problem definition

a.       Background to the problem

b.      Statement of the problem

3.      Approach to the problem

4.      Research design

a.       Type of research design

b.      Information needs

c.       Data collection from secondary sources

d.      Data collection from primary sources

e.       Scaling techniques

f.       Questionnaire development and pre-testing

g.      Sampling technique

h.      Fieldwork

5.      Data analysis

a.       Methodology

b.      Plan of data analysis

6.      Results

7.      Limitations and caveats

8.      Conclusions and recommendations

9.      Exhibits

a.       Questionnaires and forms

b.      Statistical output

c.       Lists

This format closely follows the earlier steps of the marketing research process. 

Title Page:
The title page should include the title of the report, information (name, address and telephone) about the researcher or organization conducting the research, the name of the client for whom the report was prepared, and the date of release.  The title should also indicate the nature of the project.

Letter of Transmittal: 
A formal report generally contains a letter of transmittal that delivers the report to the client and summarizes the researcher’s overall experience with the project, without mentioning the findings.  The letter should also identify the need for further action on the part of the client, such as implementation of the findings and scope for further research.

Letter of Authorization:
A letter of authorization is written by the client to the researcher before work on the project is undertaken authorizing the researcher to proceed with the project specifying its scope and the terms of the contract. 

Table of Contents:
The table of contents should list the topics covered and the appropriate page numbers. In most reports, only the major headings and subheading are included.  The lists of tables, graphs, appendices, and exhibits follow the table of contents.

Executive Summary:
The executive summary is an extremely important part of the report that executives read.  The summary should concisely describe the problem, approach, and research design major results, conclusions, and recommendations.  The executive summary must be written after the rest of the report has been completed.

Problem Definition:
This section of the report gives the background to the problem, highlights the discussions with the decision makers and industry experts and discusses the secondary data analysis, the qualitative research conducted, and the factors considered.  Moreover, it would contain a clear statement of the management decision problem and the marketing research problem

Research Design: 
The research design specifies the details of how the research was conducted including the nature of the research design, information needed, data collection from secondary and primary sources, scaling methods, development of the questionnaire and pre-testing, sampling techniques, and fieldwork to be presented in an easy-to-understand manner. 

Data Analysis:
Data analysis describes the strategy and techniques used for data analysis in simple and non-technical terms.

Limitations and Caveats:
All marketing research projects have limitations caused by time, budget and other organization constraints.  Furthermore, the research design adopted may be limited in terms of the various types of errors and some of these may be serious enough to warrant discussion. 

Conclusions and Recommendations: 

The researcher should interpret the results in the light of the problem being addressed to arrive at major conclusions.  Based on the results and conclusions, the researcher may make recommendations to the decision makers.  If recommendations are made, they should feasible, practical, actionable and directly usable for managerial decision making.