Payroll tax reports must be generated as often each payroll period and as infrequently as government regulations dictate, usually quarterly and yearly. However, daily payroll tax reports would be cumbersome and ineffective. Therefore, the need for the information in the report must dictate how often that particular report is generated.
Some other reports that should be created on a frequent basis include:
• Cash Flow
• Sales Reports
• Payroll Reports
• Payroll Tax Reports
• Retirement account Reports
• Bank Statements
• Tip Reporting
• Monthly Sales Reports
• Balance Sheet Summaries
These reports (and many others) should be created in a less frequent, or yearly basis:
• Income Tax reports
• Annual reports
• Employee Evaluations
• Efficiency Studies
• Feasibility Studies
• Statements of Earnings
• Comparisons of Proposed Equipment Purchases
• Technology and Asset Depreciation
Each business will have its own set of required reports and the company, in compliance with government regulations, will dictate the frequency of those reports. The manager requesting the report also determines that report’s format, but uniformity of style and content on similar reports will make comparisons between reports easier. Once a schedule and format for the reporting system are set, they should be followed consistently.
• The objective of the report.
o The purpose of the report is to provide actionable information to decision-makers. Stating the purpose at the beginning provides the audience with a frame of reference from the first paragraph that will assist them in digesting each bit of information and subsequent conclusions drawn.
• A thorough knowledge of who the audience for the report will be.
o Knowing who will read and act upon the report will have a direct bearing on what is contained within the report, how technical it can be, and what level of sensitive information can be discussed within the report.
• Accurate, objective accounting of all content and raw data.
o Sloppy record keeping and flawed research can lead to false conclusions. It is therefore imperative that the information in the reports upon which decisions will be made be accurate and supported by well-documented research.
• Organization of the content that can be easily understood.
o Lengthy descriptions of chemical processes, as well as other technical jargon should be avoided. Instead, use language and terms appropriate to the audience of the report.
• Information that is concise, neat and presented in a professional manner.
o Notes scribbled on a piece of paper you found on a seat in the train station are not permissible.
Reports should follow a consistent format, relying on headings, subheadings, summaries, and when requested, conclusions and possible solutions.
A news reporter than turns in a story about an event two weeks after it happens, is neither timely or on point. The first reports from newspapers and television news shows will be that an event has taken place. The facts of what really happened will not come until much later.
Business report writers who rely on this same principal, and only give the most basic information, most likely will be job hunting sooner than they had planned. In order to achieve total accuracy in a quick and efficient manner, businesses use computerized data and report-writing tools developed to work within the framework of their existing technological capabilities. By using computers, and relying on accurate data entry from beginning to the end of each process, reports can be generated daily to keep a business on track.
Another obstacle to good report writing is a backlog of endless and sometimes meaningless reports. It is not necessary to keep a constant watch on the efficiency of conveyer belt three every minute of every day, but a monthly or quarterly report will provide an ongoing record of production and whether or not there are problems which need to be addressed.
Report writers, however, do have the same obligation to be objective that news reporters do. Inserting personal opinions or slanting the research and conclusions to match personal goals and objectives negate the intent of the report, making it unusable by management. Worse yet, biased reporting can lead to false or inaccurate conclusions, which can be detrimental to the life of the business.
Boy Scout leaders are required to complete reports of all activities, classes taken and unexpected incidents (good and bad) that happen while their troop is at camp each year. One such leader decided that his troop’s experience at camp had been so unusual that it warranted a particularly entertaining report. Normally, these reports are one or two pages, but this leader’s opus was five pages long, and so entertaining that it made its way up to the council leadership very quickly after camp was over. Because of its entertainment value, it was read over and over, and shared with others.
Managers may be focused on business most of the time, but humor and creative writing can be an effective way of getting your point across. It is important to remember that the humor must be appropriate and inoffensive, and the creativity must be restricted to the writing, and not manipulation of the data within the report.
The art of good reporting requires that the document must be easy to read and understand, it must fulfill the purpose for which was written, and it must be appropriate to the audience that will read it. The information in a good report will be factual and accurate. It will not be slanted or manipulated to fulfill personal goals, and it will be complete, yet concise enough to read quickly.
Good reports will be engaging, thorough, and unbiased. They will be well organized, using headings and subheadings to make retrieving small portions of data possible at a glance. The art of good reporting does not prohibit an entertainment value, but that value must be appropriate to the subject of the report, and the audience that will read and take action on the information contained therein. But the final word on good reporting is that while a report may be ‘good to read,’ it must also contain the actionable information requested by management so that appropriate decisions can be made.
The company said in addition to consolidating the group there will now be four regions instead of the prior eight, with no management layers between the president and the regional managements. Two of the regional directors have already served with the firm while the remaining two have most recently come from Merrill Lynch.
Shares of the company climbed 30 cents to $59.94 in trading the afternoon the restructuring occurred.
]]>
Market analysts expect the overall foundry business to score around $39 billion by the year 2009. Samsung has cobbled together a strong team in the
Samsung Electronics is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies. Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 90 offices in 51 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, and mobile phones.
Business jargon aside, all I can say is that this better mean they're developing a TV I can bring into the bathtub.
]]>
