Chapter Sixteen Presenting Research Results. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.16 | 2 End of Textile Quota – Is China Going to.

Chapter Sixteen

Presenting Research Results

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 16 | 2

End of Textile Quota – Is China Going to be the Big Bad Wolf?

• A December, 2004 New York Times article presented detailed information about textile quotas

• The same information is presented in two different ways: tabular format and pie chart format

• Which one is better?


Textile Quotas Tabular Form


Textile Quotas Pie Chart Format


Textile Quotas Pie Chart Format (Cont’d)


Tabular Format vs. Pie Charts

• Tabular Format– Tabular format is better if there are many categories

• Pie charts– Better than tabular format when the number of

components is small and the relative sizes of those components are different

– Information is lost when there is a collapse of the number of categories

– Not useful when there are numerous components and the relative sizes of components are not very different


Oral and Written Communication

• Managers Want College Students To– Develop a good ability to communicate well,

both orally and in writing

– Work very hard on written and verbal communication skills, especially on how to say a great deal in as few words as possible


Understanding the Audience

• From which organizational levels do audience members come?

• How busy are these individuals likely to be? • How familiar are they with the project? • What aspects of the project are they most

likely to be interested in? • Do they have the background and training to

easily understand technical complexities and terminology related to the project?


Components of the Written Report

• Transmittal Letter• Title Page• Table of Contents• Executive Summary• Body of the Report


Executive Summary

• The executive summary is a carefully distilled synopsis of the entire report

• Starting Point: Outline the major study objectives and list all findings related to each objective


Food Product Company

• Key survey objective– To identify distinguishing features, if any, of users of

our brand of cake mix vis-à-vis users of competing brands

• Executive Summary must contain– Findings from several different sections of the survey

questionnaire• Brand preference• Purchase frequency• Usage behavior• Demographics


Preparing Effective Written Reports

• Short

• Interesting

• Methodical

• Precise

• Lucid

• Error-free

S

I

M

P

L

E


Graphics

Visually Appealing Graphical Illustrations Add to a Report’s

Communication Effectiveness


Graphical Illustrations

• Pie Charts• Line Charts• Stratum Charts• Bar Charts


Table 16.1 Market Shares of Six Toothpaste Brands


Exhibit 16.1 Pie Charts of Market Shares in 1996 and 2005


Exhibit 16.2 Line Chart of Market Shares from 1996 and 2005


Exhibit 16.3 Stratum Chart of Market Shares from 1996 to 2005


Exhibit 16.4 Bar Charts of Market Shares in 1996 and

2005


Exhibit 16.5 Bar Charts of Market Shares from 1996 to 2005


Graphical Representation of One-Way and Two-Way Tabulations

• Charts can be used to pictorially summarize information contained in one-way and two-way tabulations

• Most widely used procedures to analyze survey data in practical research projects


The Roper Organization

• A leading marketing research company conducted a personal-interview survey of American youth


The Roper Organization – One Way Tabulation of Responses

G

F

E

D

C

B

A

181676The kidnapping of children and teenagers

2252647The possibility that you may someday fight in a war

3253339The increasing number of divorces among parents

3102065The spread of the disease called AIDS

3122065The possibility of war

3202552The us of drugs by professional athletes

2133847Pollution of our air water

Don’t Know Not Really Concerned

Sort of Concerned

Very Concerned


NATIONAL COCNERNS

Pe

rce

nta

ge

s120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Not really concerned

Sort of concerned

Very concerned

The Roper Organization –Responses in a Bar Chart Format


The Roper Organization – Responses in a Bar Chart Format (Cont’d)

• The bar chart, where in each bar is a pictorial summary of one national concern, quickly and efficiently communicates the findings to the reader

• Notice that the issues are ordered differently in the bar chart than in the questionnaire

• The ordering of the issues on the bar chart (from those of most to least concern) enhances the chart’s effectiveness


Table 16.2 Two Way Tabulation Age vs. Extent of Consumption


Exhibit 16.6 Bar Chart of Age Vs. Extent of Consumption

The Chart clearly shows a strong association between age and extent of consumption


Oral Presentations

• General tasks are important for the success of oral presentations

• Research the audience– know who will be in the audience, understand

their backgrounds and information needs, and anticipate the questions they may ask

• Choose the main points of the study to be covered during the presentation, while being careful not to select too many main points


Oral Presentations (Cont’d)

• Make good use of visual aids, such as flip charts, transparencies, or slides to improve presentation clarity and maintain audience interest


Guidelines for Effective Use of Slides


Word Slides

• Keep slides brief and only use key words• Use bullets and color to highlight key points • Break up the information to make a series of

ideas on each slide


Box Charts

• Use for organization charts and flow charts• Simplify to keep them legible• Break up complex charts into a series

– Show flow chart divided by time periods

– Show organization chart with the overall chart and departmental “close up”


Bar Charts

• Use for data arranged in segments by month, year, etc.

• Choose vertical or horizontal bars, both within horizontal slide format

• Add drop shadow for dimensional bars• Show complex facts clearly by using multiple or

segmented bars• Divide the slice into a series if that improves

effectiveness


Pie Charts

• Use to emphasize the relationship of the parts to the whole

• Select a single pie or double pie• Consider options such as drop shadow for

dimensional effect, pulled-out slices, etc.• Arrange the slices to make your point most

effectively • Divide the slice into a series it will improve

effectiveness


Line Graphs and Area Graphs

• Use to display trends or continuous data• Decide whether line graph or area graph

shows • Select baseline and scale for maximum

effectiveness• Use callouts to identify key points in graph• Divide extensive data into a series of graphs


Other Graphics

• Logos and illustrations can be used in subdued colors in the background as “watermarks” to add visual interest and continuity to a presentation

Chapter Sixteen Presenting Research Results. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.16 | 2 End of Textile Quota – Is China Going to.

Documents

different slide

concerned slide

objective slide

possible slide

pie charts of market

categories pie charts

bar charts of market

stratum chart of market