Homework: Business Analysis
Use Excel and Access to analyze "The Engagement Analysis," beginning on page 187. This company assists couples about to be engaged with their selection of an engagement ring. You are given a database attached to this homework to download and use for your data analysis. The focus of this analysis is to answer several questions the operations manager has asked regarding the years 2010 and 2015.
In specific, the operations manager wants to know (Monk, 2017, p. 187):
o Is true that Christmas Eve, the day before New Year's Eve (December 30), and Valentine's Day (February 14) are by far the most popular days for popping the question? Are there any other popular days for proposals during the year? How much do couples spend on their engagement rings?
o Have there been changes in this spending from 2010 to 2015?
o Do people spend more for rings at certain times during the year?
o How long do couples date before becoming engaged and are there changes in this length of time over the years?
o Some couples get married in a church, and others do not. How does the behavior of these two groups differ and in what ways?
o The three-county area can be divided into five geographical regions-northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, and central. To some degree, the regions differ ethnically and culturally. Are there regional differences in the behavior of your company's clients?
Begin by reviewing the attached Access file labeled "EngagementAnalysis.accdb". More details regarding the homeworks are explained in detail in the case study.
Deliverable Tasks:
o Task I (Excel file): There are two tasks in this first homework. First, import summary data from the Access file into a new Excel spreadsheet file you will create as per the instructions on page 190. The second task requires you to create Pivot tables and charts in Excel from the summary worksheets. You will use these pivot tables to compare 2010 results with 2015 results (Monk, 2017, p.192).
o Task II (Word file): Referring back to the questions the Operations manager has asked, you will document your findings and answer the questions posed to you by the operations manager in a formal Memo addressed to the operations manager. Finally, not chronicled in the textbook, you are also tasked in this homework to find and report on two additional trends in the data analysis that appear to you to be worth of reporting to the operations manager.
o Task III (PowerPoint file): This homework is not chronicled in the textbook. The operations manager has requested that you address her management team and explain your findings and conclusions in a narrated PowerPoint program. This PowerPoint program will highlight not only your findings and conclusions, but clearly address both the questions posed by the operations manager and explain your additional findings (see homework 2). As a minimum you need to include the following: a template appropriate to the case study, a title page, charts, tables, and graphs that depict the historical data and findings and a minimum of 5 pages of bullet points.
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
o The answer should be typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
o The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
o Also include a reference page. The Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.