| Course | BU 245 Business Communication |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 5 |
| Paper type | Short report with executive summary |
| Length | About 970 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BS in Business Management |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for BU 245 Unit 5
Why 212 Bread Deliveries Arrived Late Last Quarter: A Short Report on Lakeshore Bread Company's Fourth-Quarter Delivery Record, With Three Recommendations
Student Name
Business, Herzing University
BU 245: Business Communication
Instructor Name
February 18, 2026
Why 212 Bread Deliveries Arrived Late Last Quarter: A Short Report on Lakeshore Bread Company's Fourth-Quarter Delivery Record, With Three Recommendations
Executive Summary
Lakeshore Bread Company made 3,880 scheduled store deliveries between October 1 and December 31, 2025, and 212 of them, 5.5 percent, arrived after the customer's agreed delivery window. Three causes account for all of the late deliveries: route sequencing and traffic on the south route (44 percent), vehicle problems, mostly with Truck 2 (31 percent), and loading that ran past the 4:45 a.m. cutoff (25 percent). Late deliveries rose each month, from 41 in October to 109 in December. This report recommends replacing Truck 2, testing route-planning software on the south route for 90 days and staging each truck's first pallets before drivers arrive. Together these steps address every cause the data identified.
Introduction
Two grocery chains whose supply contracts renew in April asked in January about Lakeshore's on-time record. The owner asked for a report explaining how often deliveries were late in the fourth quarter of 2025, why, and what could be done before the renewals. Lakeshore is a composite Milwaukee commercial bakery with 64 employees, four delivery trucks and about 58 grocery and cafe customers.
The information in this report comes from three company records: the dispatch log, which records each truck's departure time and each stop's arrival time from the driver's handheld scanner; the maintenance log for the four trucks; and the loading sheet, which records when each truck's last pallet was loaded. A delivery is counted as late if it arrived after the window in the customer's agreement, usually before the store opens. Each late delivery was assigned one primary cause by the operations coordinator after reviewing the three records. Because each late stop has only one cause assigned, stops affected by more than one problem are counted under the cause that started the delay.
Findings
Late Deliveries Rose Every Month and Doubled in December
Of 3,880 scheduled deliveries, 212 arrived late, a rate of 5.5 percent for the quarter. The rate was not steady. Late deliveries numbered 41 in October, 62 in November and 109 in December, when holiday volume and the first sustained cold weather arrived together. December alone accounted for just over half the quarter's late deliveries.
The South Route Was Late Nearly Three Times as Often as the Others
Covering the widest territory, with 11 grocery stops, the south route had 97 late deliveries out of 1,020, a rate of 9.5 percent. The other three routes combined had 115 late deliveries out of 2,860, a rate of 4.0 percent. The south route's stops are sequenced by hand from a list that has not been reorganized since two stores were added in 2024, and several of its late stops occurred after the driver doubled back across the same highway interchange.
| Measure | South route | Other three routes | All routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled deliveries | 1,020 | 2,860 | 3,880 |
| Late deliveries | 97 | 115 | 212 |
| Late rate | 9.5% | 4.0% | 5.5% |
| Source: Lakeshore dispatch log, October 1 to December 31, 2025. |
Three Causes Account for Every Late Delivery
Route sequencing and traffic caused 93 late deliveries, or 44 percent. Vehicle problems caused 66, or 31 percent, and 48 of those 66 involved Truck 2, the 2012 box truck, which had three road or dock failures in the quarter and several slow starts in the cold. Loading delays caused 53, or 25 percent; on those mornings the truck's last pallet was loaded after the 4:45 a.m. cutoff because drivers and loaders were working on the same dock at the same time.
| Primary cause | Late deliveries | Share | Main source of the problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route sequencing and traffic | 93 | 44% | South route stop order |
| Vehicle problems | 66 | 31% | Truck 2 (48 of 66) |
| Loading after 4:45 a.m. cutoff | 53 | 25% | Dock congestion at driver arrival |
| Total | 212 | 100% | |
| Source: dispatch log, maintenance log and loading sheet, fourth quarter 2025. |
Conclusions
The data support three conclusions. First, most of the quarter's late deliveries come from problems Lakeshore controls rather than from weather alone: stop order, an aging truck and dock timing. Weather made each problem worse in December but did not create any of them. Second, the south route and Truck 2 are the two largest single sources of lateness, and they overlap, since Truck 2 usually runs the south route. Third, the loading problem is a scheduling conflict rather than a staffing shortage, because the delays cluster in the minutes when drivers and loaders use the dock at once. Minto (2009) recommends that conclusions answer the reader's question directly; the owner's question was why deliveries were late, and the answer is these three controllable causes.
Recommendations
Each recommendation below responds to a specific finding. First, replace Truck 2 with a leased truck before March, in response to the finding that 48 of 66 vehicle-related late deliveries involved that truck. A lease quote of $1,150 a month has been obtained and is discussed in a separate memo. Second, test route-planning software on the south route for 90 days, in response to the finding that the south route's late rate was 9.5 percent and that its stop order has not been revised since 2024. A proposal for the test will follow. Third, stage each truck's first pallets by 4:25 a.m., before drivers arrive, and give drivers the first ten minutes of their shift for a pre-trip check, in response to the finding that loading delays cluster when drivers and loaders share the dock. This change began on February 2 and costs no new money.
Limitations
Assigning one cause to each late delivery simplifies mornings when several problems combined, so the shares above should be read as approximate. The report covers one quarter, which included the holiday peak, and a full year of data would show whether December's rise is seasonal. The dispatch log records arrival times from the driver's scanner, which may run a few minutes behind the actual arrival if a driver scans after unloading. Finally, the report does not measure how customers experienced lateness, which the April renewals will reveal more directly. Clear headings and a summary that works alone were used throughout because, as Pernice (2017) found, readers of on-screen documents scan headings and first lines rather than reading every paragraph, and the plain language guidance recommends organizing content around what readers need to know (Digital.gov, n.d.).
References
Digital.gov. (n.d.). Plain language guide series. U.S. General Services Administration. https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language
Minto, B. (2009). The pyramid principle: Logic in writing and thinking (3rd ed.). Pearson Education.
Pernice, K. (2017, November 12). F-shaped pattern of reading on the web: Misunderstood, but still relevant (even on mobile). Nielsen Norman Group. https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/
BU 245 Unit 5 instructions, in plain terms
Here the course asks for a short sectioned report answering one business question, usually with an executive summary, introduction, findings, conclusions and recommendations. Most versions expect data, which may come from a provided case, public sources or a small survey, presented in at least one table or figure with a source. Headings should help a reader scan, and recommendations should follow from the findings. Many rubrics ask that conclusions interpret findings without adding new information. Length is modest, often a few pages plus visuals, formatted in APA 7. If your course uses a running case, draw the report's question from it. Decide how each measure will be counted before you gather data, as the sample does with its definition of a late delivery, so the findings can be checked.
How the BU 245 Unit 5 example is put together
The sample opens with an executive summary that states the question, the three main findings with numbers and the three recommendations, all in one paragraph. The introduction explains who asked for the report and exactly how lateness and causes were measured. Findings appear under three headings that each state a result, supported by two tables with source lines. The conclusions section draws three interpretations from those findings, including that weather worsened the problems but did not cause them. Each recommendation names the finding it answers and its cost. A limitations section closes the report by noting the simplification of one cause per stop, the single quarter of data and a possible lag in scanner times.
BU 245 Unit 5 rubric: what full points look like
Herzing's rubric for the short report generally assesses the executive summary, organization and headings, the use of data, the logic linking findings to recommendations and writing mechanics. The summary earns full points only if a reader could act on it without reading further. Organization is judged by headings that state findings and a clear separation of findings from conclusions. The data criterion rewards tables with titles, labeled columns and sources. Logic scores highest when each recommendation traces to a specific finding, as the sample's do. Instructors also credit a limitations section that shows judgment about the data. Consistent formatting and correct APA citations complete the grade.
BU 245 Unit 5 help: mistakes that cost points
The most common Unit 5 problem is an executive summary that reads like an introduction, describing what the report will cover instead of what it found. Another is mixing findings and opinions, so the reader cannot tell data from interpretation. Headings such as Findings or Section 2 waste the chance to tell the story at a glance. Tables often lack a source, which makes the numbers unverifiable. Recommendations sometimes appear from nowhere, unconnected to any finding. Finally, do not skip limitations. Admitting how the data were gathered and what they cannot show makes the conclusions more believable, and many rubrics now reward it.
Get a BU 245 Unit 5 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 5 instructions and the rubric posted in your BU 245 classroom, with the scenario, data set or subject your section assigns. We write a custom example with a summary that stands alone, content headings, findings separated from conclusions, sourced visuals and recommendations tied to evidence. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
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BU 245 Unit 5 questions, answered
What makes a summary different from an introduction?
An introduction says what the document will do; a summary says what it found and what should happen. The test is whether a reader who reads only that paragraph could make the decision. If the summary contains the words this report will examine, it is an introduction, and rewriting it once the report is finished is usually the fastest repair available.
Where does the data come from if I have no survey?
From published sources you cite, or from a data set the assignment provides. Many sections supply figures precisely so the report can be graded on presentation and reasoning rather than on research. If you gather anything yourself, follow whatever consent instructions the course gives, keep individuals unidentifiable, and describe the method plainly in the report.
How long should a short report be?
Whatever the instructions set, and the length is usually part of what is being tested. A report running past its limit generally has findings that repeat or a discussion restating them, and cutting those is easier than it looks. Where no limit is given, let the summary, method, findings, conclusions and recommendations each earn their space.
Where can I find a free BU 245 Unit 5 sample paper?
This page carries the whole BU 245 Unit 5 short report free, including the executive summary, both tables and the limitations section. If your report question is different, send the unit instructions and a free custom report will be prepared around your data, generally within 48 hours.
What should the BU 245 Unit 5 executive summary include?
The question, the main findings with numbers and the recommendations, in a paragraph that stands alone. The sample's summary does all three in about 120 words. A reader who stops after the summary should know the answer and what to do about it.