Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Chapter Twenty-Three Report Preparation and Presentation

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Chapter Outline 1) The Importance and Process of the Report and Presentation 2) Report Preparation - Guidelines for Graphs 3) Presenting the Research Report - Basics

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Importance of the Report and Presentation For the following reasons, the report and its presentation are important: 1.They are the tangible products of the research effort. 2.Management decisions are guided by the report and the presentation. 3.The involvement of managers is limited to the written report and the oral presentation. 4.Management's decision to undertake marketing research in the future will be influenced by the perceived usefulness of the report and the presentation.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc The Report Preparation and Presentation Process Fig Data Analysis Oral Presentation Report Preparation Interpretations, Conclusions, and Recommendations Reading of the Report by the Client Research Follow-Up Problem Definition, Approach, Research Design, and Fieldwork

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Round or Pie Charts In a pie chart, the area of each section, as a percentage of the total area of the circle, reflects the percentage associated with the value of a specific variable. A pie chart is not useful for displaying relationships over time or relationships among several variables. As a general guideline, a pie chart should not require more than seven sections.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Sample Pie Chart of 2007 U.S. Auto Sales Fig. 23.2

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Line Charts A line chart connects a series of data points using continuous lines. This is an attractive way of illustrating trends and changes over time. Several series can be compared on the same chart. Future forecasts and extrapolations (beyond observed data) can be shown.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Sample Line Chart of Total U.S. Auto Sales Fig. 23.3

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Stratum Charts A stratum chart is a set of line charts in which the data are successively aggregated over the series. Areas between the line charts display the magnitudes of the relevant variables.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Fig Sample Stratum Chart of Total U.S. Auto Sales

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Pictographs A pictograph uses small pictures or symbols to display the data. Pictographs do not depict results precisely. Hence, caution should be exercised when using them.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Sample Pictograph for 2007 U.S. Auto Sales Fig *Each Symbol Equals 1,000,000 Units

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Histograms and Bar Charts A bar chart displays data in various bars that may be positioned horizontally or vertically. The histogram is a vertical bar chart in which the height of the bars represents the relative or cumulative frequency of occurrence of a specific variable.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Figure 23.6 Sample Histogram of 2007 U.S. Auto Sales

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Guidelines for Graphs: Scatter Plots (Scatter Diagram) Scatter plot – a plot of the values of two variables for all the cases. It is customary to plot the dependent variable on the vertical axis and the independent variable on the horizontal axis. A scatter plot is useful for determining the form of the relationship between two variables.

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc Presenting the Research Report 1.Address the problem – clearly identify the problem and the relevant background information. 2.Research design - should be clearly described in non- technical terms. 3.Statistics - reported in tables and graphs. Highlight the most important findings. 4.Interpretation and conclusions – Objectively report the findings and interpretation/recommendations. 5.Generalizability – provide evidence regarding the reliability, validity, and generalizability of the findings. That is, can the results be generalized to other scenarios? 6.Disclosure – honestly disclosure the research procedures, results, and limitations. Remember, there is no perfect study!

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc THANK YOU!