OnlineNursingOwl
← All nursing posts

Business & Finance · Studypool

Business Question

Post ID: 3477937

Company starbucks

Locate a business report or professional journal article that contains at least two different graphical representations of data sets. Interpret these visual representations and present your findings in a 8–12 slide PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes.

Collapse All

Introduction

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 are collected, formatted or stored, and used), as well as what those data look like and how the data can be summarized. In this first assessment, you are asked to locate a business report or a professional journal 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 assessment, 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).

Overview

Business and project managers are often called upon to review, evaluate, and interpret data. In this first assessment, you will locate a business report or professional journal article in the Capella library. Choose an article or a report on a topic or field that interests you. The article or report needs to contain at least two visual representations (graphs, charts, or tables) of data sets. You will use the report or journal article, along with supporting research, to complete this assessment.

Scenario/Your Role

Imagine that you work in the field related to the article or report you have chosen. You have been allotted 15 minutes to give a presentation explaining this article or report and the data it presents to a group interested in the information. You will provide an overview of the business context for your chosen article or report, as well as describe the two visual representations of data sets that you have evaluated and interpreted. Your business report to the group will be a PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes and appropriate citations and references on the slides and in the notes area of your PowerPoint file.

Instructions

Create an 8–12 slide PowerPoint presentation with professional and attractive slides, ample speaker notes, graphics, and references, as follows.

Article Identification

Find the Business Database in the Capella library and find a report or an article that is less than one year old and has at least two different graphical representations of data sets. See the Capella library’s MBA Program Guide – Data page for help building a search.

  1. The article or report you choose needs to be a recent professional journal article or business report published within the last 12 months.
    • The visual representations should depict or represent data using pie charts, bar charts, tables, scatter plots, trend lines, et cetera.
  2. Read the article or report and identify the business context. Business context includes organizational history, mission, product and services, environment, competitive advantage, competition, et cetera. You will determine a complete business context from your article or report and by completing additional research. For example, if you found an article talking about customer satisfaction at ACME electronics corporation, you will also conduct research (preferably in the Capella library, but also online) for supporting information about the company and the industry. You will use at least four individual sources of information to complete the assessment, including your chosen article or report.
    • The context, company, or organizational background information should help explain why the data are relevant. This should be reflected in your introductory slides and notes area.
  3. Interpret your chosen data representations in the context of the business situation. The following are typical questions an analyst would use to interpret the data:
    • What is being measured (the variables)?
    • What are the relationships among the variables?
    • What are the trends and patterns in the data?
    • What are the limitations of the information and data provided?
    • How can the data and interpretations be applied in the business context?

Use the steps above and those in your course text to create your slides and speaker notes.

Create an effective 8–12 slide PowerPoint deck with detailed speaker notes (including citations and reference slides) elaborating on each point that will be presented at a departmental meeting. For example:

  • Overview the organization or business context.
  • Discuss the relevance or importance of information or data in a business setting.
  • Explain the source of the data set and any limitations.
  • Present your interpretation of the visual representation of the first data set.
  • Present your interpretation of the visual representation of the second data set.
  • Discuss the importance of data analysis in terms of the business context.
  • Provide a summary and recommendation. What do the graphical representations tell us? What additional information would be helpful? What are the limitations of the data or information provided, and what should we do next?
  • Include a Reference slide, with at least four sources, in APA format. Be sure that all sources are cited as in-text citations in your slides and/or speaker notes.

Additional Requirements

Your written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message, meet APA standards, and be unbiased with documented facts rather than opinion. Remember to use and include at least four sources of information for your presentation. See the Writing Center for APA resources specific to your degree level.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

  • Competency 1: Explain how data management techniques and tools are used to support business decisions.
    • Introduce the business context or company background for the data.
    • Explain how the data can impact the business context or be used by the company in decision making.
  • Competency 4: Present the results of data analysis in clear and meaningful ways to multiple stakeholders.
    • Interpret the meaning of two different graphical representations of data.
    • Format citations and references correctly using current APA style.
    • Present content clearly, professionally, and logically for the identified audience.

Use the resources linked below to help complete this assessment.

Collapse All

Data Use in Business Decision Making

There are select chapters from the following text throughout this course that are useful for preparation for each assessment:

  • Lind, D. A., Marchal, W. G., & Wathen, S. A. (2024). Basic statistics for business and economics (EG). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link. Watch this VitalSource video for further information.
    • Chapter 1, "What Is Statistics?"
      • This chapter explains why studying analytics and statistics is essential in business today.

If this is your first venture into the world of analytics, the following reading list can provide a solid foundation of knowledge:

  • Assessment 1: Interpreting Graphical Representations of Data in Articles or Reports.

Data Analysis Software Tool and Installation

To complete the assessments in this course, you will need to use data analysis software to complete statistical calculations, create graphs and tabular summaries, and share your results in your Microsoft Word document for assessment submissions. You will use Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Excel Analysis ToolPak add-in. Be aware that not all statistical calculations, graphs, and tabular summaries can be completed in this software, so you may need to do some work outside of the software.

Microsoft Excel Data Analysis ToolPak Add-In for PC and Mac

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Load the Analysis ToolPak in Excel.
    • This resource provides an overview of the Analysis ToolPak and instructions for loading and activating it. Note that these instructions are for 2016 and older versions of Microsoft Excel for PC and for the 2016 version only for Mac. If you are using a different version, you may need to search Microsoft’s website for the appropriate instructions.

Microsoft Tutorials

Refer to the Microsoft Tutorials reading list throughout the course for Excel tutorials to support you as you complete your activities. These resources can help you create graphical representations of data.

Used reference below only

  • Karunamuni, N., Imayama, I., & Goonetilleke, D. (2021). Pathways to well-being: Untangling the causal relationships among biopsychosocial variables. Social Science & Medicine (1982), 272, 112846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112846
  • Besley, J. C., Lee, N. M., & Pressgrove, G. (2021). Reassessing the variables used to measure public perceptions of scientists. Science Communication, 43(1), 3-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547020949547