Difference Between Summary and Executive Summary

Summary vs Executive Summary

Summary and Executive summary are two terms that are used quite often in education and business areas differently. A summary is a short or a brief account, sometimes elaborate too of the various events of a play. An executive summary on the other hand is a term used in business for a short document that summarizes a longer report, especially a business report.

An executive summary is normally a condensed version of the full business document. Hence it needs skill on the part of the writer to execute an executive summary. On the other hand a summary should give salient features of any given aspect of a novel, or a short story or a play. This is the difference between a summary and an executive summary.

You can write a summary of any particular episode of a novel or any other fiction written by Jane Austen. The particular summary should contain the various events of the episode in a nutshell or briefly. On the other hand an executive summary should be written in non-technical language. This is the main difference between the two.

An executive summary should necessarily have a conclusion. On the other hand a conclusion is not necessary while writing a summary of a play or any scene of a play. An executive summary should ultimately make a business recommendation. No such intention is included in the writing of a summary.

An executive summary should contain short and concise paragraphs. On the other hand a summary need not have short and concise paragraphs. On the contrary it can have long paragraphs too. A summary aims at presenting the salient points of any given essay. It is a shorter form of a longer essay. These are the differences between the two terms, namely, a summary and an executive summary.