BÀI GIẢNG DẠNG VĂN BẢN (SCRIPT)

Môn học: Đề án TA trong thương mại và văn phòng

CHAPTER ONE
Slide 1 Hello, everyone! It is my pleasure to be in charge of your class. First of
all, allow me to introduce myself as Bui Do Cong Thanh, currently
teaching at the Faculty of Foreign Languages, HCM City Open
University. Welcome all of you to my course on Instructions on how to
write a business proposal!
Please take a look at the first chapter on the structure of a business
proposal.
Slide 2 Upon the completion of Chapter 1, students will be able to:
1/ identify essential components of a business proposal
2/ explain the relationships amongst these components
3/ use the appropriate linguistic resources and style for a business
proposal
4/ establish objectives for a business proposal
Slide 3 This slide gives you a basic structure of a business proposal.
• Title page
• Executive summary
• Table of contents
• Introduction
• Discussions
• Recommendations
• Conclusion
• References
• Appendices
In the next slides, we will take a critical look at each of the components.
Slide 4 The title page states the report’s title. It should be focused and brief,
but descriptive enough for the report to be filed appropriately. Position
the title by itself about a third of the way down the page, surrounded by
white space. Put the date the report was completed under the title. Place
your name and the name of the person the report is being submitted to,
with the paper name and number, in the bottom corner of the page.
Slide 5 One of the most important components of the business proposal is the
executive summary. It condenses the essence of the report so that the
reader can quickly grasp the report’s aims, objectives and main findings
(with key recommendations if the report is an action plan).
A common mistake in the summery is the tendency to describe what
the reader would find in the report, rather than to describe the report’s
highlights. For example, to say “this report describes production
difficulties, supply problems and so on” does not inform the reader
about these difficulties or problems. A better approach would be to
name the key production difficulties and supply problems.
Slide 6 In this slide, you are going to see why the table of contents should be
included in the report. If the report is longer than six pages, a Table of
contents helps to orientate readers to the scope in the report. It also
gives the page number for the beginning of each section. The headings
of each section and sub-section should be similar to those which appear
in the report. The logical relationship between the sections may be
signaled by numbering, indentation or font size and upper/ lower case,
or a combination of these methods.
Avoid vague headings such as “Discussion” or “Results” unless they
are well supported by sub-headings. In general these words are not
informative.
Slide 7 The Introduction should lead readers from information they already
know and share with you, the writer, to information they need to
acquire. Begin with a general overview statement that identifies the
subject matter of the report and establishes common ground with the
readers. Then state the change, problem or issue which has brought
about the need for the investigation reported here. It is often helpful to
present this “change, problem or issue” in terms of a question which
your report will help answer. In some situations, it may be useful to
state the terms of reference in the Introduction so that the reader knows
the specific areas which are to be addressed in the report. Define the
report’s objectives precisely, and in terms that would interest your
readers.
Having given the “big picture”, and then having focused on the issues
to be explored in this report, do not keep readers in suspense. The report
is always written because someone has a question. Summarise very
 briefly here your answer to the question addressed in this report. The
next section will expand in the conclusions in more detail.
Besides introducing the issues the report will discuss, this section
should also clarify what readers can expect from the report. Indicate the
scope of the report unless this has been done in a covering letter or
memo. If evaluation or judgement is involved, set out the criteria for
evaluating alternatives. It is also good practice to preview the report’s
structure, indicating how the material is grouped and in what sequence
it will be presented.
In the world of business, report writers frequently comment in the
report on its limitations. Even though you are writing as a student, it
may occasionally be appropriate to caution readers about the variables
affecting the conclusions and recommendations; for example, limited
information, or assumptions which had to be made.
Slide 8 And now, we are looking at the most important part of the report. IT
should be subdivided into logical units, each with an informative
heading and a number. The discussion of a report has two main
purposes:
1/ to explain, in full, the conclusion
2/ to justify the recommendations
In the Discussion you explain why certain issues have been identified
as problems and why one solution is preferred rather than other
possibilities. Show what the long-term effects of the problems will be
if the situation remains as is, and what the short-term and long-term
benefits accruing from the Recommendations will be.
Remember that it is important to back up your claims with evidence
from the case or situation. Support the analysis with practical
observations and with theoretical evidence. Link theory to practical
issues. Explain practical effects in terms of appropriate theory. Use
theory to give weight to your practical analysis.
It is important to persuade readers of the validity of your stance. If they
are going to make a decision on the basis of your analysis, then they
have to be persuaded that your ideas have value, that they are relevant
and practicable. Keep the reader clearly in mind and explain each step
of the analysis – take your audience with you.
Present the analysis in a logical, systematic way and divide the material
with appropriate headings to ease the reader’s understanding.
Slide 9 When it comes to Recommendations, remember that while conclusions
are grounded in the present situation, the Recommendations focus on
the future. Recommendations are the subjective opinions of the writer
about the course of action that should be followed. But subjectivity
does not mean anything goes. Recommendations should be taken into
 account such issues as cost, location and acceptability relative to
current policy or practice.
The reader should also be prepared for the Recommendations by
material presented in the Discussion section. They should not come
“out of the blue”.
Note that not all reports have Recommendations. They are only
included in reports which specify a course of action. At least some of
them should be immediately actionable.
Slide 10 Now move on to the next slide on the conclusions. This part
summarises the key findings of the report given in the Discussion
section. They must be grounded in the present situation. They are
presented as a list of numbered points which highlight crucial problem
areas or issues to be considered by the reader. The conclusions should
relate directly to the objectives or terms of reference laid out in the
Introduction.
Slide 11 The next slide will show you ways on how deal with in-text citations
and references. Citation is essential as it helps avoid plagiarism and
establish the credibility of the points presented in the report.
Regarding references, this part will readers trace the original source of
information. For detailed instructions on how to use references and in-
text citations, please click the web link given at the bottom of the slide.
Slide 12 This slide will give you the reason why appendices are included in the
report. This part should be placed at the end of the report as it is
complex and detailed and therefore distracting readers from the main
theme.
Appendices may contain supplementary illustrative material which
readers may want to refer to after they have read the report, such as
questionnaires, letters, or pamphlets which illustrate some aspects of
the material discussed in the text.
Appendices are also useful places to locate detailed explanations of a
model or theoretical approach referred to in the discussion. If some
specialist readers – but not most readers - would want certain material,
it should be placed in an Appendix.
This part should also be given a number or letter, and title. For example,
Appendix 1: Supply Figures 2015-2019
When referring to an Appendix in the body of the report, explain its
significance. Do not just add “Refer to Appendices 1, 3 and 7” to the
end of a sentence. Rather, explain to the reader how the Appendix will
be of use with a sentence like “Refer to Appendix 1 for a more detailed
description of this model”.