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CMA Foundation · Fundamentals of Business Laws and Business Communication · Writing and Drafting for Business Audiences

A manager asks an analyst to prepare a document that records the findings of an inspection of a factory's safety equipment and ends with suggestions for improvement. In the usual report structure, where should the suggestions be placed?

Suggestions for improvement belong in the recommendations section, which follows the findings and conclusions in a formal report. This order lets the reader see the evidence first and then the action proposed. Title pages and contents lists only identify material, and appendices hold supporting data.

  1. AIn the recommendations section after the findings and conclusionsCorrect
  2. BIn the title page before the findings
  3. CIn the table of contents as a heading note
  4. DIn the appendix, before the findings are stated

Explanation

A standard formal report moves from introduction and findings to conclusions and then recommendations. Suggestions for improvement are therefore placed in the recommendations section after the findings. The title page and table of contents only identify and list the content, and an appendix holds supporting material rather than the main suggestions.

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