Service operation Management essay for HSBC Bank

title page  summary  contents page  introduction  main body of text (with sections/chapters to suit your material)  conclusion  recommendations  bibliography, if appropriate  appendix/appendices. (Note: For our purposes we require a references section as well) Title page Show report title, author’s name, date, the person/organisation for whom the report has been written. If the title is not set, create one which is brief, straightforward and factual. Summary Put the summary at the beginning of the report, to be easily accessible. Write it as a précis, or abstract, of the whole report (including the conclusion and recommendations) – so it cannot be written until last. Ensure that it makes sense on its own, and gives a brief but accurate account of what the report contains. It is usually no longer than one paragraph, so that it can be read quickly. Introduction Keep it as brief as possible – usually one paragraph is enough. Explain why the report is needed. You could include:  terms of reference  aims and objectives  methods used in the investigation  necessary background information  definitions of any abbreviations used throughout the report  acknowledgement Main body of the text The substance of the report: investigation or research, and its findings. Organise your material logically into chapters or sections, sub-dividing as necessary. The sections should be large enough to contain an idea or theme, but small enough to be manageable. Don’t number every sentence. Make chapter/section headings explicit – to describe the content. The section numbers must appear next to the headings throughout. Use figures/diagrams/charts as much as possible. This makes good use of space and presents the information more accessibly. Keep to the essentials. Extra material can be presented as Appendices. Conclusion Draw together your findings. Avoid introducing new material here – add it to the main text instead. If your conclusion is too long, make sure the material is appropriate. Recommendations Specify your recommendations for future action. Consider what recommendations arise from what you have written in the previous sections of the report: their relevance needs to be clear. Present them as a numbered list for easier reading. Bibliography and references The faculty standard form of citation is the Harvard system and you should use this. List all sources used: for quotations, ideas, or background reading. Appendices Include any documents or information which add to the reader’s understanding of the report. They should be given numbers and titles and listed in the contents. Refer to them in the appropriate place(s) in the report, otherwise their relevance will not be clear. Page layouts Pay attention to headings/sub-headings, margins and the spacing of Sections. Avoid decorative fonts – even on the title page Appendix III The Harvard System of Referencing It is extremely important to develop a professional approach to written academic work. The mark you get for a piece of work will be affected by the professionalism with which it is presented. One aspect of professionalism in academic work is clear referencing of source material. When presenting any serious piece of academic work such as a presentation, an essay, a report or a dissertation, you must be able to show that you have used appropriate sources of information and considered relevant theories and debates within the field. To be able to do this you must be able to show where you have got your information and ideas from. If you do not indicate your sources clearly, then at best your work will be regarded as being of inferior quality, and at worst you may lay yourself open to a charge of plagiarism. In order to indicate the sources of your information, you need to use a system of referencing. There are many different systems of referencing, known as conventions. The system that you should use is that which is most widely used by academics studying business and management.