Business Analytics
DEAKIN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF BUSINESS & LAW SCHOOL OF INFORMATION AND BUSINESS ANALYTICS
MIS171 Business Analytics
Tutorial 1 Introduction to Business Analytics in Excel
Introduction This week’s tutorial provides an overview of Excel, how to set up a data set, and how to structure your spreadsheet when performing data analysis. Note that Microsoft Excel is a powerful general purpose spreadsheet. It is widely used throughout the business world across all industries. However, its statistical functionality is rather limited and only covers basic statistical techniques. This is sufficient for introductory business analytics subjects like MIS171. For more advanced techniques, analysts use specialist software such as SAS, SPSS or Minitab. The instructions given in all the tutorials are for Excel 2010. Students working with different versions of Excel should still be able to follow the instructions. Specifically the aims of this tutorial are to: • • • • • • Understand how to organise data in Excel Know how to structure the different parts of a statistical analysis (INPUT, PROCESS, OUTPUT) Apply absolute and relative cell referencing in Excel Use basic excel function Copy formulas from one cell to another or to a range of cells Practice drawing graphs in Excel
Scenario Conrobar is a manufacturing company which employees over 3,000 people. Management is concerned about the wide variation in productivity between employees and whether employee job satisfaction and their sense of job security plays any part in this problem. The organisation also has staff planning issues that need addressing, including planning to replace workers who retire, undertaking a recruitment drive for new employees and providing adequate promotion opportunities within the company. The company has conducted a survey of 48 of their staff, collecting data on these and related issues.
Business Analytics
Tutorial 1
Page 1
1. • •
Open the data file Download the file
MIS171 Business Analytics
Tutorial 1 Introduction to Business Analytics in Excel
Introduction This week’s tutorial provides an overview of Excel, how to set up a data set, and how to structure your spreadsheet when performing data analysis. Note that Microsoft Excel is a powerful general purpose spreadsheet. It is widely used throughout the business world across all industries. However, its statistical functionality is rather limited and only covers basic statistical techniques. This is sufficient for introductory business analytics subjects like MIS171. For more advanced techniques, analysts use specialist software such as SAS, SPSS or Minitab. The instructions given in all the tutorials are for Excel 2010. Students working with different versions of Excel should still be able to follow the instructions. Specifically the aims of this tutorial are to: • • • • • • Understand how to organise data in Excel Know how to structure the different parts of a statistical analysis (INPUT, PROCESS, OUTPUT) Apply absolute and relative cell referencing in Excel Use basic excel function Copy formulas from one cell to another or to a range of cells Practice drawing graphs in Excel
Scenario Conrobar is a manufacturing company which employees over 3,000 people. Management is concerned about the wide variation in productivity between employees and whether employee job satisfaction and their sense of job security plays any part in this problem. The organisation also has staff planning issues that need addressing, including planning to replace workers who retire, undertaking a recruitment drive for new employees and providing adequate promotion opportunities within the company. The company has conducted a survey of 48 of their staff, collecting data on these and related issues.
Business Analytics
Tutorial 1
Page 1
1. • •
Open the data file Download the file