6
WRITING THE REPORT
In chapter 5, you used the traditional techniques of outlining, brainstorming, creating a mind map or free writing, along with your research, to develop the ideas for your report. Now it’s time to formally organise your information and ideas in a way that will interest your readers and enable them to easily read and understand what you’ve written, regardless of whether you’re writing about a simple or complex theme.
In this chapter, I will give some general tips for good writing and then discuss report writing specifically. The standard elements of a report are the introduction, body and conclusion. Other components, such as an executive summary and recommendations, may be added as necessary, but this chapter will mostly focus on the core sections.
WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT
Start by writing your theme. Keep it at the top of your report as you write. You can decide later where to place it in your report, but writing it at the start and keeping it in a prominent place will help you stay focused. You can begin writing your report at any point you wish—so long as you begin. For example, if you’ve used the most-to-least important method of development and have six ideas to develop, each in a section of the report, you could start with the first one—the most important—or the fourth one. Whichever is easiest to write.
In the first draft, write each section from start to finish without stopping to rewrite sections or check grammar. Take short breaks as you wish, but keep writing until you’ve finished the report. You can make revisions the second time through.
Writing Your Theme
Your theme provides unity to your report. It explains why the story is being written and why your readers should care. Journalists call the paragraph containing the central message of a story the ‘nut graf.’ It could be a paragraph or several paragraphs or simply a sentence. Regardless of what form it takes, it is a thematic statement. ‘I consider the main theme statement the single most important bit of writing I do on any story,’ writes William E. Blundell, former features editor at The Wall Street Journal.1
Let’s revisit an example we used in the last chapter to talk about context and look at it from the perspective of developing theme.
For the past six years, VASCO Data Security has dealt with a chronic problem: It hasn’t been able to easily recruit qualified workers for its software and Internet security operations in Europe. And the plight hasn’t gotten easier—even as a global economic crisis has led to high unemployment throughout the continent.
‘It seems like in Brussels and in Zurich, both, we have a hard time when a spot opens up, filling it,’ VASCO CFO Gary Robisch said. ‘A lot of times we have to settle for somebody that doesn’t exactly match the qualifications that we want.’
The economics don’t seem to make sense. High unemployment, one would presume, would make it easier to fill jobs. The 17-country euro currency bloc hit a record in May, when unemployment rose to 11.1%, while the rate across the EU was 10.1%, according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office. US unemployment has hovered between 8.1% and 8.3% for the past six months.
Yet employers worldwide are still struggling to find workers with the skills to fill a wide variety of jobs. The situation is fuelling a human resources conundrum as employers ponder whether they should hold out and pony up for candidates with key skills or look to on-the-job training for promising candidates.2
The first two paragraphs discuss the difficulty of one employer in hiring qualified workers despite high unemployment in the euro currency bloc and United States. The third presents the broad unemployment picture. The nut graf is the first sentence of paragraph four. It notes the conundrum employers face in trying to find workers with the requisite skills.
A s in journalism, every business communication should have a theme. This seems simple enough, but if you are not focused, your theme could become muddled or disappear in the writing process, leaving readers to wonder what the purpose of your piece was.
Building Your Report Paragraph by Paragraph
The theme is the foundation of your report. The paragraphs are the building blocks. Each paragraph has a topic sentence—usually the first sentence—that develops the theme. The topic sentence could be a statement, an instruction, an observation, a comment, a question, a definition, a request, a suggestion, a proposal, a summary or other communication. The remaining sentences build upon the topic sentence. The result is a seamless construction, with one sentence flowing logically to the next.
For the sake of variety, emphasis or other reasons, you can use other forms of paragraph construction. A paragraph might have an introductory sentence, the theme sentence and supporting sentences, or the theme sentence might go last or in the middle. Regardless of the construction, a paragraph usually only has a single idea or theme.
The following is a paragraph from a Morgan Stanley report on healthcare:
Legislative and secular challenges are forcing a sea change in the U.S. healthcare sector. Whether or not U.S. healthcare reform is implemented as proposed, changes to the U.S. healthcare system over the next three to five years will be sweeping—and the investment implications broad. Only the players that can deliver more cost-effective or more progressive products and services stand ready to make the most of investment opportunities long term.3
The first two sentences provide context. The final sentence states the theme: Players that are best at delivering services will be the winners.
Your report will be more readable if you use short paragraphs, which can be accomplished by writing paragraphs of a few sentences or breaking up a long paragraph into two shorter paragraphs. But paragraphs of about the same length could become monotonous, so vary the number of sentences in a paragraph and the sentence length.
Use the Active Voice
When writing, most of the time you should use the active voice, in which the subject of the sentence acts. An example of a sentence that uses the active voice is, ‘Joe presented the report to management at 10am today.’ You should try to avoid the passive voice, in which something is done, but by whom is not always clear. An example using passive voice is, ‘the report was presented to management at 10am today.’ The active voice, as the term suggests, communicates action. It drives sentences and paragraphs forward. It is clearer and more concise and communicates actions and ideas more effectively.
That being said, there are some instances when you may use the passive voice, such as when you want to emphasise the action rather than who acts. For example, ‘the deadline for filing the report is 5pm today,’ rather than, ‘the company has until 5pm today to file the report.’ Passive voice can be useful if you want to be tactful, such as when correcting someone’s mistake. For example, ‘the office vault should have been locked before the office was closed for the weekend,’ rather than, ‘you should have locked the office vault before closing the office for the weekend.’
Use Transition Words
Every sentence in a paragraph should link to the next sentence, and every paragraph in a report should connect to the next paragraph. You can accomplish this with transition words, which are the bridges between sentences and paragraphs.
Your choice of transition words depends on the connection you want between sentences and paragraphs. Some examples of transition words are as follows:
Compare: likewise, similarly, in comparison, compared to, compared with
Contrast: however, nevertheless, on the other hand, but, still, yet, nor, although, conversely
Amplify: also, moreover, furthermore, in addition, besides, too, again, besides, subsequently, last, finally
Result: as a result, therefore, consequently, hence, so, thus, because
Example: for example, for instance, to illustrate, such as, that is, specifically, thus
Time: Now, previously, since, in the future, after, meanwhile, simultaneously, at the moment, before, often
The following are examples of transitions in a CGMA report example. Transition words are emphasised in bold italics:
Many major organisations’ finance functions are being transformed to contribute more to their organisation’s success by conducting their core activities more efficiently, providing better management information, and performing a more influential role in management.
Yet, the shift of finance professionals away from a sole focus on traditional tasks linked to the reporting cycle has been inconsistent across the business world. Often, finance professionals find it difficult to carve time away from their traditional duties and expand their scope within the company. They may lack the internal mandate to shoulder new responsibilities or are slow to acquire the new capabilities. Finally, they may need to develop new skills and leverage existing talent to apply their financial acumen to non-financial areas.4
Use the Appropriate Style
Style is the way you use language. It’s not about what you write, but how you write. Everyone who writes has a style: how they communicate their thoughts in writing. Regardless of the style you use, you must use proper grammar, correct spelling and an economy of words.
Writing style is formal or informal. Scientists, professors, doctors, lawyers, accountants and others usually use a formal style of writing for technical and other issues for professional journals, legal reports, technical papers, research reports, lectures or presentations at meetings. Informal writing is conversational, relaxed and personal in tone.
When writing, you adapt your style to your audience, purpose, content and circumstances. For a report for clients and customers, a board of directors, or senior management, you might use a formal style. For a report to a supervisor, members of a team or others, you might use an informal style, or, perhaps, a blend of formal and informal.
If you are working for a large corporation, your company may have a style guide that prescribes the style to use in business communication. If you work for a small business, you may not have a style guide to use, but the business could use a particular style in its communication or defer to a well-known style guide, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or The Economist Style Guide.
Use Design Elements to Improve Readability
Like transitions, design elements make your report more readable. To quickly comprehend a report, readers usually browse through it first, looking for sections that particularly interest them, then they decide whether to read through the entire report. You can add design elements to help readers navigate a report or elements that particularly interest them.
Design elements include the following:
Headings and subheadings. Use headings and subheadings to highlight sections of a report. For example, the heading for this section is Writing the First Draft,’ the subheading for this section is ‘Building Your Report Paragraph by Paragraph,’ and the final subheading for this paragraph is ‘Use Design Elements to Improve Readability.
Numbered lists or bullet lists. Use numbered lists to show steps in a process or to prioritise, such as in recommending a series of actions to take.
White space. Make some space. Too many paragraphs or sentences on a page, words that seem squeezed together, sentences that seem to be sitting right on top of one another, or paragraphs that seem crowded together can all leave readers feeling claustrophobic. Open up your report through balanced use of white space.
Graphics. Create charts, tables and other graphic elements to illustrate sections or elements of your report. Graphic elements serve many purposes: illustrating statistics, explaining complex subjects, showing a structure or sequence, setting priorities and much more.
Typography. Use typography, which is the style and arrangement of type, to further enhance the readability of your report. This includes the typeface, font size, spacing between words, spacing between lines on a page and more. There are infinite choices in typefaces, sizes and other elements. However, your company may have a policy on document design that prescribes specific typefaces, such as Times New Roman.
With today’s technology, you can create a beautifully designed report, but do you have the time? If you work for a large corporation, it may have in-house designers or employ freelance designers who can design the report for you. You might offer suggestions, but the designer does the work, freeing you to focus on the many demands of your job. A designer wouldn’t necessarily work on every report you write, but for a major report, such as one you’re sending to senior management, the designer is a resource. By contrast, if you’re with a small business that does not have a budget for designers, you would write and design the report yourself, perhaps with the assistance of others in your organisation.
SECTIONS OF A REPORT
Body
The body of your report should contain all the information you want to present to your reader. You may find it easiest to begin writing this section first, even though it will be preceded by the Introduction. Use your outline to guide you while writing the body, and always keep in mind that the information should flow logically for the reader.
Depending on the interests of the audience and the content of the report, you may use different methods for developing the body of the report. They include the following:
Order-of-importance method. This method sequences information in the order of most important to least important. See box 6-1 for an example of the order-of-importance method.
Box 6-1: Example of Order-of-Importance Method
* Gary L. Neilson, Karla L. Martin and Elizabeth Powers, ‘The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution,’ Harvard Business Review, Jun. 2008 http://hbr.org/2008/06/the-secrets-to-successful-strategy-execution/ar/2
Cause-and-effect (action and result) method. Another method of development is cause and effect, or action and result. You explain why something happened or will happen. The cause-and-effect method could also be used to state a problem and suggest steps to solve it.
See box 6-2 for an example of the cause-and-effect method.
Box 6-2: Example of Cause-and-Effect Method
† Kevin Io, ACMA, CGMA, Financial Controller, Tata Steel International, Singapore, CGMA Case Study www.cgma.org/BecomeACGMA/WhyCGMA/DownloadableDocuments/TataCaseStudy_v4.pdf
Chronological method. This method is used to show how something will happen or has happened. For example, a project report explains what is to be done, when it is to be done and who is responsible. The chronological method could also be used to track the progress of the project and help keep it on schedule. When was something done, and was it done on time?
Process method (sequential method). Used to explain how something should be done, for example, the steps in constructing a building or servicing or repairing a piece of equipment.
Comparison method. Used to explain an unfamiliar topic by comparing it with something familiar. Suppose an accountant is well versed in accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) but has no knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Another accountant knows both IFRS and U.S. GAAP. This accountant might explain IFRS to the first accountant by first discussing some of the similarities between IFRS and U.S. GAAP.
Contrast method. Used to explain the differences between ideas, concepts, or facts. Thus, the accountant knowledgeable about IFRS and U.S. GAAP could also explain some of the differences between the two to the first accountant who only knows U.S. GAAP.
General and specific methods of development. Used to explain or persuade. Start with a general statement and fill in the specifics, or start with the specifics and come to a general observation. An Ernst & Young report on the need for collaboration in health care took the general to specific approach. It first noted that the dramatic changes in health care ‘will require uncommon approaches that engage stakeholders to share knowledge, pool resources and synergistically enhance patient care—in essence, to collaborate.’5 It goes on to provide specific ways in which policymakers, hospitals, health care professionals, health care organisations and others can collaborate.
Spatial method. Used to describe the physical characteristics of an object: inside and out, top to bottom and so on. If you are writing a report on whether your company should acquire a manufacturing plant, it would include a physical description of the property.
Blending methods. Rather than a single method of development, your report may blend several methods. For example, your report may use the general and specific method, but there may be a section in the report that uses the process method, and another that uses the chronological method. The point is, you are not bound to a single method in writing your report. You can use several different methods if the result is to create a report that is more readable and easily understood by readers.
Executive Summary
If your report has an executive summary, you can write it after you’ve finished drafting the body of the report. At that point, you’ll have a much better idea of what to include in the executive summary than if you wrote it first, before the body.
The executive summary should capture the theme of your report, key messages, purpose, scope and context. Like the rest of the report, it should be clear and concise. It should be written for a specific audience: the CEO or CFO, other senior executives, line managers, project teams, or others in an organisation or for boards of directors, shareholders, investors and others outside the organisation.
The executive summary usually precedes longer reports, longer being defined as a report of five or more pages. There is no set length for an executive summary, although 10% of the length of a report has been suggested. Thus, a 20-page report would have a two-page executive summary. But the length can vary widely. For example, a 120-page report can have a two-page executive summary.6
In any case, busy executives and managers may want an executive summary even for shorter reports. It may be the only part of the report that some executives read, so you should give careful thought to writing it.
Introduction
As with the executive summary, you can write the introduction after you finish drafting the body of the report. The introduction describes your report, provides context, explains the purpose of the report and segues to the body of the report.
You can draw readers into the rest of your report in a myriad of ways. You could begin with a statement of purpose, a question, a problem, an anecdote, results of a survey, interesting facts, a forecast or a quotation. However it begins, the introduction must entice readers to read your report.
The following excerpt from a Deloitte report on decision making begins with a question. The rest of the report goes on to address the question:
Bad decisions are made in organizations every day. Whether it’s squishy goals, competing interests, bad assumptions, not enough time, insufficient information, or simply not enough talent, there are countless ways to miss the mark.
On some level, making bad decisions is unavoidable. No one can always be right. But leading companies tend to make fewer bad decisions, especially when it comes to those that can drive or destroy significant value—decisions that matter.
How do they do that?7
Giving Good and Bad News
It is worth taking a moment to reflect on how to introduce reports that contain bad news. If a report has obvious benefits, like a CFO’s report detailing the company’s plans to invest the company’s substantial cash reserves in growing the business, increasing shareholder dividends, increasing employee pay, readers are going to be predisposed to read it.
But what if the CFO’s report contains bad news? You may be tempted to use euphemisms or obtuse language to disguise the news, but you may end up confusing readers. It’s best to be direct, but attempt to soften the blow by using neutral language to introduce the bad news. After you deliver the bad news, try to segue into something positive, such as congratulations for efforts made or offering suggestions for improvement. For example, a company has to reduce its costs by 10%, which could mean employee layoffs. One method for softening the blow is that the CFO could ask employees for suggestions about how the company can reduce costs in operating its businesses. The cost savings could reduce or eliminate the need for layoffs. Or, if layoffs are inevitable, the CFO’s report might add that the company will offer workers severance packages or opportunities to work at other company locations.
Conclusion
Some reports end abruptly, leaving readers to wonder, What was that all about? Don’t leave readers questioning your report. Provide a conclusion.
What do you want readers to remember about your report? What ideas should they should retain? The following sections offer some choices of conclusions that will help to drive home the message of your report.
Thematic Statement
Restate your theme. From reading your report, readers are, or should be, attuned to your theme, and a thematic statement reinforces your message. This type of ending will also bring your report full circle from the introduction, where you stated your theme for the first time.
Recall the beginning of the Deloitte report on decision making, which began with a question. That introduction went on to note that the CFO and CIO are two executives with the knowledge to help their organisations improve decision making. The report ends on the theme of collaboration that was stated at the beginning:
For CFOs looking to improve the quality of decision-making in their organizations, there are plenty of peers who can help. But there may be no better door to knock on first than the one that says ‘CIO.’8
This type of conclusion will neatly tie up the main message of your report and should provide readers with a sense of completeness.
Summary
Another option for concluding your report is to summarise key messages. If your report has an executive summary at the beginning that contains the same information, rephrase the executive summary to avoid repetition.
Call to Action
Conclusions with a call to action can help readers feel inspired to act on the information you have presented. For example, a CGMA tool on ‘How to Develop a Strong and Independent Team’ concluded with a checklist to help leaders evaluate the strength of their own teams.
Consider Questions
You might conclude your report by suggesting questions for readers to consider. PricewaterhouseCoopers concluded its 2012 global CEO survey by posing questions ‘distilled from CEOs’ insights [that] can help business leaders achieve the balance they’ll need to grow their businesses in these volatile times.’9 The questions tracked issues discussed previously in the report.
Offer Encouragement
A report from the CEO, CFO, business line manager, team leaders or others in the organisation could end on a note of encouragement. It could be encouragement to finish a project on schedule, help reduce costs, complete the work necessary to bid on a contract, or persevere through difficult times. This type of ending could be especially useful if your report has delivered some bad news or negative findings.
Recommendations
Typically, the Recommendation section follows the Conclusion and is written last, after you have completed the rest of the report. The Recommendation section should contain your suggestions to your audience based on the information you have presented in the report. This is one of the most important sections in the report because it offers suggestions and a call to action. This section is also where you can demonstrate your grasp of the issues by proposing solutions to problems.
Although it is unorthodox to put the Recommendations section at the beginning of the report, putting your recommendations earlier could grab your readers’ attention. A Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) report on sustainability10 followed this format:
Foreword
Recommendations
Executive Summary
Purpose
Methodology
Definition of Sustainability
Sections 1–5
Conclusion
About Us
EDITING
You’ve finished your first draft and typed the last word of your conclusion. But you’re not done yet.
If you have the time—and time is a precious commodity in today’s business world—save the draft on your computer, print a hard copy and go do something else. Writing is demanding work, and if you take a break, even a brief one, you’ll be better prepared for the next step of editing what you’ve written.
After you’ve waited as long as possible, start the editing process. In addition to fixing the obvious typos and grammar, try to look at the report from the perspective of your readers. Look first at the big picture: structure, completeness, unity, context and conciseness. Do you need to restructure sections of the report? For example, if you’ve used a most-to-least important structure in writing sections of the report, should the sequence of the sections be changed to a more logical sequence? Do you need to add any content that you inadvertently left out? Have you put the report in the right context? You can revise your report to address these larger questions.
Next, look at your report close up, at the micro level. Read through it word by word to check for accuracy, proper usage of words, correct grammar and spelling, and proper attribution of sources. Make any revisions that are necessary.
Read through your report one more time as a final check. Are you satisfied with it? If so, you might ask people in your organisation to read the report and comment on its structure, completeness, conciseness and so on. Discuss their comments with them, make any necessary revisions and finalise the report. Use the following list as a guide to help you address all possible issues you can fix during the editing process:
Structure
Is the report’s structure consistent with the outline?
Are ideas in a logical sequence?
Is the theme clear?
Is the introduction strong?
Does the body of the report build upon the introduction?
Does the conclusion tie the report together?
Completeness
Compare the content against the outline. Is anything missing in the content? An essential piece of information? A key observation? An important comment?
Unity
Does the report have a sense of unity and purpose?
Do the sentences have the right mix of length and variety?
Do the transitions smooth the flow of sentences and paragraphs?
Are the design elements consistent?
Does the design make the report more readable?
Context
Does the report provide the necessary background, conditions and circumstances for readers to understand its context? In this book, chapter 1 provided the context.
Conciseness
Have you tightened your sentences? See appendix 6-1 at the end of this chapter for some suggestions on tightening sentences from the Plain English Handbook of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Removed unnecessary words, phrases and sentences?
Shortened sentences and paragraphs wherever possible?
Used the active voice (except where the passive voice makes sense)?
Replaced weak verbs with strong ones?
Avoided jargon and technical terms that readers may not understand.
Explained any technical terms that cannot be avoided?
Accuracy
Are facts and figures accurate?
Is the spelling correct?
Is the grammar correct?
Is the usage correct?
Is credit properly attributed to articles, books and other sources of information?
Style
Is the style appropriate for the audience, purpose and content?
Is the style consistent throughout the report?
After you have a clean, final draft, you are ready to send it to others in your organisation to review, an inhouse design and editing team, or directly to your readers.
A note about grammar and usage: A detailed discussion of grammar and usage is beyond the scope of this book; indeed, such a discussion would result in a book the same size as this one. There are a number of books, guides and other resources on the subject, and these are listed in the bibliography. For example, Common Errors in English Usage by Paul Brians explains the difference between accept and except, cache and cachet, disinterested and uninterested, and imply and infer.
You may use spelling and grammar software to check on your spelling and grammar, but these tools are not perfect. For example, typing ‘Read it world by word...’ would not be automatically corrected to ‘Read it word by word.’ Software is useful, but it cannot edit the report for you. At least not yet.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
Use your outline as a guide in writing the first draft of your report.
Edit your report for structure, content, style and so on.
Take the same approach to writing, regardless of the audience, content or amount of time you have.
APPENDIX 6-1: SOME SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO TIGHTEN AND STRENGTHEN YOUR SENTENCES
The following are suggestions from the Plain English Handbook of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that you can use to improve your writing.
Turn weak verbs into strong ones
Using strong verbs can help you sharpen your sentences and communicate ideas more effectively. As you edit your report, look for any form of the verbs ‘to be,’ ‘to have,’ or other weak verbs that could be turned into strong verbs. Here are examples from the SEC’s Plain English Handbook.11
| Before | After |
| We made an application | We applied |
| We made a determination | We determined |
| We will make a distribution | We will distribute |
| We will provide appropriate information to shareholders | We will inform shareholders |
| There is the possibility of prior Board approval of these investments | The Board might approve these investments in advance |
Omit superfluous words
| Superfluous | Simpler |
| In order to | To |
| In the event that | If |
| Subsequent to | After |
| Prior to | Before |
| Despite the fact that | Although |
| Because of the fact that | Because |
| In light of | Because |
| Owing to the fact that | Be |
| The following summary is intended only to highlight certain information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus. | This summary highlights some information from this prospectus. |
Write in the positive
Positive sentences are easier to understand than negative ones. An example follows:
Before: Persons other than the primary beneficiary may not receive these dividends.
After: Only the primary beneficiary may receive these dividends.
Try personal pronouns
The pronouns to use are first- and second-person plural (we, us, our/ours) and second-person singular (you, your/yours). They keep your sentences short. They will also help you avoid abstractions and use more concrete, everyday language. In addition, you can use them to ‘speak’ directly to your reader, creating an appealing tone that will keep you reader reading.
Here is an example:
Before: This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed information contained in the Proxy Statement and the Appendices hereto, all of which should be carefully reviewed.
After: Because this is a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to you. You should read the entire proxy statement and its appendices carefully before you decide how to vote.
Concrete language
Always use specific, definite language rather than vague or abstract terms. If your readers are able to call up a specific image or concept associated with your words, you will be able to keep their attention and convey your message more effectively.
Before: The employees showed satisfaction as they took possession of their hard-earned rewards.
After: The employees grinned when they were handed their bonus cheques.
Other suggestions
Keep the subject, verb and object close together.
Make abstractions more concrete.
Use parallel sentence structure.
Resources
The SEC handbook offers other suggestions for writing in plain English. It can be found online at www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf.
Another resource is The Elements of Style, a book by William Strunk, Jr and EB White. It covers elementary rules of usage, elementary principles of composition, a few matters of form, words and expressions commonly misused and an approach to style.
Other books and guides on communication and language use are listed in the bibliography.
Endnotes
1 William E. Blundell, The Art and Craft of Feature Writing, (New York: New American Library, 1988).
2 Ken Tysiac, ‘Execs Battle Skills Gap in Hiring Despite High Unemployment,’ CGMA Magazine, Jul. 2012 www.cgma.org/magazine/news/pages/20125850.aspx
3 ‘The US Healthcare Formula; Cost Control and True Innovation,’ Morgan Stanley blue paper, Jun. 2011 www.morganstanley.com/views/perspectives/US_Healthcare.pdf
4 ‘New Skills, Existing Talents’ CGMA Report, Sept. 2012 www.cgma.org/Resources/Reports/DownloadableDocuments/CGMA_new_skills_existing_talents.pdf
5 ‘Health Care Provider Industry Report 2012, New Horizons, Collaboration,’ Ernst and Young [website] www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/New_Horizons_2012_health_care_provider_report/$FILE/New_horizons_2012_final_August_23.pdf
6 ‘Health Care Provider Industry Report 2012, New Horizons, Collaboration.’ Ernst and Young [website] www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/New_Horizons_2012_health_care_provider_report/$FILE/New_horizons_2012_final_August_23.pdf
7 ‘CFO Insights; Making Decisions That Matter,’ Deloitte [website], Oct. 2012 www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/CFO_Center_FT/us_cfo_CFO-Insights_Making-decisions-that-matter_101112.pdf
8 ‘CFO Insights; Making Decisions That Matter,’ Deloitte [website], Oct. 2012 www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/CFO_Center_FT/us_cfo_CFO-Insights_Making-decisions-that-matter_101112.pdf
9 15th Annual Global CEO Survey 2012, ‘Delivering Results: Growth and value in a volatile world,’ PricewaterhouseCoopers [website] www.pwc.com/gx/en/ceo-survey/pdf/15th-global-pwc-ceo-survey.pdf
10 ‘Sustainability Performance Management: How CFOs Can Unlock Value,’ Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in Association with Accenture www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/Thought_leadership_docs/Sustainability%20and%20Climate%20Change/>ustainability_repor_v7_web.pdf.
11 ‘A Plain English Handbook: How to create clear SEC disclosure documents,’ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Assistance, 1998 www.sec.gov/pdf/handbook.pdf