Top right hand corner; To: ***** Name of business in the stimulus
From: ***** Make up something that doesn't make you sound like an twat to the marker. I used HS Consultancy Pty.Ltd
Date: DD/MM/YY
1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
No more than 1 page. Outlines solution to the problem. No personal pronouns. Typically I filled out the rest of my 1st page with this (under the formalities) so it went for 3/4 page. Don't just list here, make detailed and convincing statements about what your report entails.
2.0 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS (2 or 3 mins)
Drop a 1-liner like "this section shows the current state of the business"
2.1 Strengths Weaknesses (Internal) Opportunities Threats (External) - SWOT analysis.
Two points for each of the 4 sections. Should be in dot points. Draw picture.
2.2 Graphs, Tables (Advantages and Disadvantages), Diagrams and Flow Charts (Instructions) Usually just had a business life cycle here. Some schools don't do this section but it helps with identifying what's good and bad in the business.
3.0 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES (1 or 2 mins)
Dot points. I haven't seen many other schools do this and I scrapped it during trials and didn't bother with it anytime afterwards. Not really helpful.
4.0 ISSUE #1 This is your body, where you do a content dump on all the issues the business is facing and how they can be solved. You can extend this section depending on what/how many points you need to talk about. You DON'T need case studies for a business report. If you do use any, they have to be integrated well and extremely relevant, mirroring what you're recommending to the business (remember that you are providing advice to a single business, they probably won't care about what other businesses have done unless it's worked and they were in a similar circumstance) i.e "X strategy worked for Y business in a similar circumstance, increasing their market share by 6% over 2015. I didn't use any case studies and wouldn't recommend them.
4.1 Subheading #1
4.2 Subheading #2
5.0 ISSUE #2
5.1 Subheading #1
5.2 Subheading #2
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS/CONCLUSION
Rinse and repeat. I've seen people split this into 2 sections and not provide solutions in the body but I feel it complicates things and is a waste of time. Just re-state all the solutions the business should follow to achieve its goals.
Remember to sign off properly and date it.
e.g Regards, HS Consultancy Pty.Ltd
12-06-16