Homework: Applied Business Analytics- Interpreting Graphical Representations of Data in Articles or Reports
Locate any report or periodical article that contains at least two different graphical representations of data or use one of the supplied articles. Interpret the graphs and present your findings in a brief PowerPoint presentation (6 slides). You may choose to explain the points in your 5-8 minute presentation with a recorded voice-over or include detailed presenter's notes in the PowerPoint slides.
Business administrators and managers are often called upon to interpret data that analysts have provided to them. This requires an understanding of the data sources (when, where, and how data is collected; formatted or stored; and used), as well as what that data looks like and how it can be summarized. In this first homework, you are asked to locate any report or periodical article used in a business context of interest to you that contains at least two different graphical representations of data. You will interpret the graphical data representations and present your findings in a brief PowerPoint deck, as if you were presenting during a company meeting.
In this homework you will learn about the collection, formatting, and use of raw data, as well as graphical and tabular methods for summarizing it. You will also get started with the technology that you will use in this course: Microsoft Excel (including the Data Analysis ToolPak add-in).
Scenario
You are an analyst in a business. You may choose a real or fictional business of interest. Any business that has practical meaning for you is an appropriate choice for this homework.
You have been given you a report containing some graphs and charts and must interpret and explain two of them at a department meeting.
Your Role
You have been invited to be one of many presenters at a departmental meeting that employees of all levels will attend. You have been allotted 5-8 minutes, and the purpose of your speech is to explain the two charts or tables that your analyst has given you.
Instructions
A. Select two graphical representations of data, such as pie charts, bar charts, scatter plots and trend lines, or tables.
1. You may use published articles, annual report graphics from publicly traded companies, or any published business report.
2. A list of appropriate articles has been compiled for this homework. You may select one of the articles from the list in Resources or find your own article that meets the criteria.
3. If you cannot find any published data graphics, you may create them.
B. Identify the business context, such as an online store, a brick-and-mortar business, year-end review, product kickoff, recently merged or new IPO company, or a family-owned business.
1. This company background information should help explain why the data is relevant.
C. Interpret your chosen data representation in the context of the business situation. The following are typical questions an analyst would use to interpret the data:
1. What is being measured (the variables)?
2. What are the relationships among the variables?
3. What are the trends in the data?
4. How can the data be applied in the business context?
Evaluation
1. Competency 1: Explain how data management techniques and tools are used to support business decisions.
a. Introduce the business context.
b. Explain how the data can be applied to the business context.
2. Competency 2: Present the results of data analysis in clear and meaningful ways to multiple stakeholders.
a. Interpret, or explain the meaning of, the two different graphical representations of data.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.