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Business Communications
Selecting the Most Effective Visual
The purpose of this assignment is to broaden your understanding of how visuals and graphics can enhance textual information. Send your solutions to the following problems.
1. You are preparing the annual report for Passport Music Designs, Inc. For each of the following types of information, select an appropriate chart or visual to illustrate the text. State why you believe one type of visual is superior to the others. Use your background, if any, with Excel or Lotus graphs to determine the best graphic for each situation. If you do not have background in Excel, you should certainly consider taking either one of the following courses: Spreadsheet and Database Applications, Computer Information Systems, or Management Information Systems.
a. Data on annual sales for the past 20 years
b. Comparison of Passport’s sales, product by product (electric guitars, bass guitars, midi interfaces, amplifiers, and acoustic guitars) for this year and last year
c. Explanation of how a Paramount Grade acoustic guitar is manufactured
d. Explanation of how Passport Music Designs, Inc. markets its guitars
e. Data on sales of Passport Music, Inc.’s products in each of 12 countries
f. Comparison of Passport Music sales figures with sales figures for three competing guitar makers over the past 10 years
2. Select the best visual aid for the following:
a. Figure showing how to make paper
b. Figure showing what proportion of every state tax dollar is spent on education, social services, transportation, debt, and other expenses.
c. Data showing the newly formed divisions of a major multinational company after several mergers and leveraged buyouts
d. Figures showing he operating revenues of a company for the past five years
e. Figure showing the locations of a popular family-owned fast-food franchise operating in California and the Southwest
3. Extra Credit: if you have background in Excel, create the following charts to depict this situation. Create both a pie chart and a column chart. Which is more effective? Why?
Percentages Showing the Causes of Forest Fires
Lightning 73%
Arson 9%
Campfires 5%
Carelessness 13%
