What is a headline in a business report and what should it do?

• A. A detailed summary of the report.
• B. The author’s name and date.
• C. A short descriptive title that summarizes the content; should be informative and precise.
• D. A chart caption.

Answer: (C)

A business report headline should act as a concise, descriptive label that signals the report’s topic and main outcome. It needs to be short, informative, and precise so someone skimming through documents instantly understands what the report covers and what to expect inside. A good headline often points to the key result or purpose—mentioning the topic and, if appropriate, a metric or conclusion—so readers know the report’s focus at a glance.

This approach is best because it helps readers quickly decide relevance and reduces the effort needed to locate important information in a busy work environment. It also supports clear communication in a business context, where time and clarity are critical.

The other options don’t fit because a detailed summary tries to recount the whole report in miniature, which defeats the purpose of a headline as a quick signpost; listing the author’s name and date is metadata, not the headline itself; and a chart caption describes a specific visual within the document, not the entire report.