Assignment 2: Using spreadsheet Applications for Data

Analysis

Due: Week 13 Week of April 3 (Before class)

In this assignment you will familiarize yourself with spreadsheet applications

(Excel) and their use in data interpretation. You can use basic MS Excel functions
such as (SUM; AVERAGE; COUNTIF; MEDIAN; MODE) as well as charts; PivotTables;
PivotChart to analyze the data provided to you.
The assignment will be graded based on the accuracy and completion of the
allocated tasks as well as the details/effort/usefulness in creating charts and
reports.
Submission should be done before the deadline using the Assignment link on Sakai.
You are required to submit one MS Excel file and one MS Word file (with the
well-formatted report on your excel findings answering the posed queries) per
group through the course website. The Word file must include a title page
specifying the names of the group members.
Use the following convention to name the files that you submit
(MBAB5P09_Section#_GroupName_ DataAnalysis). For instance, group J will
name the file as: 5P09Section2_GroupJ_DataAnalysis.
Choose one team member for uploading the files. Verify that your assignment files
are submitted properly through the course website. Late submissions and wrong
files will automatically receive a grade of zero

The assignment will be graded on a relative scale.

Based on the accuracy and completion of the allocated tasks as well as the
details/effort/extra analysis/usefulness of analysis in creating charts and
reports.
(Accuracy in analysis, Explanation of assumptions and results, Extra effort
put in the assignment with charts and additional consideration, attention
to detail in analysis, formatting and presentation of report, Clarity in
report, Depth in report)
 Case: PittsStop - Too Much Information

You have just landed the job of intern for the vice president of operations for The Pitt
Stop Restaurants, a national chain of full-service, casual-themed restaurants. During
your first week on the job, Suzanne Graham, your boss, has asked you to provide an
analysis of how well the companys restaurants are performing. Specifically, she
would like to know which units and regions are performing extremely well, which are
performing moderately well, and which are underperforming. Her goal is to identify
where to spend time and focus efforts to improve the overall health of the company.

Project Focus
A. Create a formal presentation of your findings from the data provided to you.
Review the data file TooMuchInformation_Data.xlsx and determine how best to
analyze and interpret the data. With the data that is provided, using a
Pivot Tables and Pivot Charts, prepare a report that summarizes:
1. Performance of restaurants according to geographical area
2. Should underperforming restaurants be closed or sold?
3. Should high-performing restaurants be expanded to accommodate more
seats?
4. Should the company spend more or less on advertising?
5. In which markets should the advertising budget be adjusted?
6. How are The Pitt Stop Restaurants performing compared to the competition?
7. How are units of like size performing relative to each other?

B. Review quality of the data and give examples from the data showing the kind of
information the company might be able to use to gain a better understanding of
its customers and performance. Include the types of data quality issues the
company can anticipate and the strategies it can use to help avoid such issues.
Develop a report for executives discussing the importance of high quality
information and how low quality information can affect business.

Note: Use separate worksheet to do the analysis needed for each query.
Label each worksheet appropriately to indicate the query you are
analyzing.