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By all means state your recommendations in suffi cient detail to be meaningful—get down to some defi nite
nitty-gritty specifi cs. Avoid such unhelpful statements as “the organization should do more planning” or
“the company should be more aggressive in marketing its product.” For instance, if you determine that
“the fi rm should improve its market position,” then you need to set forth exactly how you think this should
be done. Offer a defi nite agenda for action, stipulating a timetable and sequence for initiating actions,
indicating priorities, and suggesting who should be responsible for doing what.
In proposing an action plan, remember there is a great deal of difference between, on the one hand, being
responsible for a decision that may be costly if it proves in error and, on the other hand, casually suggesting
courses of action that might be taken when you do not have to bear the responsibility for any of the
consequences. A good rule to follow in making your recommendations is: Avoid recommending anything you
would not yourself be willing to do if you were in management’s shoes. The importance of learning to develop
good managerial judgment is indicated by the fact that, even though the same information and operating data
may be available to every manager or executive in an organization, the quality of the judgments about what
the information means and which actions need to be taken does vary from person to person.4
It goes without saying that your report should be well organized and well written. Great ideas amount to
little unless others can be convinced of their merit—this takes tight logic, the presentation of convincing
evidence, and ...