Fundamentals of Graphic Aids: Charts and Tables

Radkur, Inc. Net Profit, 1994-2001

15.2

9

-3.1

-12.5

5.3

10.812.1

9.9

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

mil

lio

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of

do

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s

O"Leary's Home Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Plumbing

Gardening

Hardw are

Roswell Manufacturing Company Annual Production of Automotive Parts, 1990-94

147

77

160

120

180

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

$ m

illio

ns

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

XYZ Company Annual Sales, 1996-1998

0

10

20

30

40

50

1 2 3 4

Objectives

• Explain the value of graphs in reports

• Describe the criteria for quality graphs

• Describe the potential for misleading data

• Choose the correct graph for different data sets

• Construct bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs

Radkur, Inc. Net Profit, 1994-2001

15.2

9

-3.1

-12.5

5.3

10.812.1

9.9

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

mil

lio

ns

of

do

llar

s

O"Leary's Home Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Plumbing

Gardening

Hardw are

Why use charts?

• To help clarifyclarify complex data

• To supplementsupplement text (not substitute text)

• To help the reader focusfocus on the data

• To simplifysimplify the reader’s comprehension

Year Hardware Gardening Plumbing

1991 20.4 1.4 12.3 1992 23.3 1.2 14.6 1993 25.8 1.6 18.0 1994 27.3 1.8 23.2 1995 26.1 2.0 28.4 1996 28.9 2.3 30.1 1997 29.2 2.9 36.5 1998 31.3 3.5 39.2 1999 32.5 4.2 40.3 2000 34.9 5.5 40.8

Source: Primary

Table 1. O’Leary’s Home & Garden Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000 (millions of dollars)

To clarify, supplement, focus, simplify

O'Leary's Home Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000

(millions of dollars)

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Plumbing

Gardening

Hardw are

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

To clarify, supplement, focus, simplify

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

To clarify, supplement, focus, simplify

O'Leary's Home Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000

(millions of dollars)

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

Plumbing

Gardening

Hardw are

Year Hardware Gardening Plumbing

1991 20.4 1.4 12.3 1992 23.3 1.2 14.6 1993 25.8 1.6 18.0 1994 27.3 1.8 23.2 1995 26.1 2.0 28.4 1996 28.9 2.3 30.1 1997 29.2 2.9 36.5 1998 31.3 3.5 39.2 1999 32.5 4.2 40.3 2000 34.9 5.5 40.8

Source: Primary

Table 1. O’Leary’s Home & Garden Center Sales by Department, 1991-2000 (millions of dollars)

Criteria for Quality Graphs

1. Shows the data2. Helps the reader focus on the data rather than

on the graph itself3. Avoids misleading the reader or distorting the

data4. Simplifies the reader’s comprehension of the

data5. Is consistent with the verbal or numeric

description of the data.

Potential for misleading the reader

Radkur, Inc. Net Profit, 1994-2001

15.2

9

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10.812.1

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0

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ars

Two Different Graphs Presenting the Same Information

XYZ Company Safety Violations, 1986-1989

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1986 1987 1988 1989

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

01986 1987 1988 1989

XYZ Company Safety Violations, 1986-1989

Two Different Graphs Presenting the Same Information

$515

$510

$505

$500

0

Oct Nov Dec

$600

$500

$400

$100

0

Oct Nov Dec

$200

$300

almost unnoticeable scale break

XYZ Company Sales XYZ Company Sales

XYZ Company Cost of Operations, 1999-2000

Training & Development

10%

Other

5%

35%

Material & Capital

Development

Salaries

50%

You be the judge.

Column and Bar Charts

Owens Communication Company, Projected Income from Subsidiaries, 1995

Roswell Manufacturing Company Annual Production of Automotive Parts, 1990-94

147

77

160

120

180

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

$ m

illio

ns

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

Radkur, Inc. Projected Sales by Division, 1996-98

9

12

14

4

67

24

5

0

5

10

15

1 2 3

$ m

illio

ns Division 1

Division 2

Division 3

Radkur, Inc. Employees by Gender, 1996-2001

0

200

400

600

800

Female

Male

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Simple Vertical Column Chart

Roswell Manufacturing Company Annual Production of Automotive Parts, 1990-94

147

77

160

120

180

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

$ m

illio

ns

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994

Used to show changes in quantities over time.

Simple Horizontal Bar Chart

Owens Communication Company, Projected Income from Subsidiaries, 1995

Western Cable TV

Radio Station WROZ-FM

Radio Station WKDM-AM

0 2 4 6 8 10

Net Income (millions of dollars)

Used to changes in quantities by category.

$3.2 million

$55

$75

Expenditures for Real Estate Advertising in Selected Colorado Counties, 1998

Arapahoe County

Denver County

El Paso County

0 20 40 60 80 100

Thousands of dollars

SCALE BREAK

Multiple Column Chart

Radkur, Inc. Projected Sales by Division, 1999-2001

9

12

14

4

67

2

45

0

5

10

15

$ m

illio

ns

Division 1

Division 2

Division 3

1999 2000 2001

Used to show changes in several different quantities over time.

Stacked (segmented or subdivided) Chart

Radkur, Inc. Employees by Gender, 1994-2001

0

200

400

600

800

Female

Male

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Used to compare subdivisions of quantities (horizontal or vertical).

Bilateral Column Chart

Radkur, Inc. Net Profit, 1993-2000

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5

10

15

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1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Used to show positive and negative values over time.

Choose the Correct Column or Bar Chart

Situation 1:Radkur, Inc. net profit for 8 years

1993 +15.2 million1994 + 9.0 million1995 - 3.1 million1996 - 12.5 million1997 + 5.3 million1998 +10.8 million1999 +12.1 million2000 + 9.9 million

Choose the Correct Column or Bar Chart

Situation 2:

Provide the correct graph to depict projected annual sales for XYZ Company for the next 5 years:

Year Projected Sales Revenue

1 10.2 million

2 11.1 million

3 11.9 million

4 12.5million

5 13.5 million

Choose the Correct Column or Bar Chart

Situation 3:

Provide the correct graph to depict projected income of three divisions for XYZ Company for the next 3 years as follows (in millions):

Year Division A Division B Division C

1 15.2 5.1 12.7

2 22.4 8.6 14.5

3 26.7 9.5 15.8

Pie Charts

2001 Sales by Area

Denver19%

Boston55%

New York5%

Miami21%

Used to show subdivisions of a whole.

Line Charts

Sales for 2001

21,987

35,984

87,654 86,954

63,987

48,579

67,895

78,254

86,744

45,879

88,939

77,095

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Month

Sal

es

Vo

lum

e

Used to show changes in information over time.

Format for presenting figures in the report

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1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Figure 1. Radkur, Inc. Net Profit, 1994-2001Source: Primary

The label and title are typed flush with the left margin on the same line below the figure.

Place the source data directly below the title.

Tables

The formal table presentation includes the following parts:

• General introduction in the text (including a phrase such as “…as shown in Table 1”)

• Label (“Table”) and number• Title• Table containing data• Source information• Specific discussion in the text that points

out important points in the table

Place the source data below the table.

Use borders and line divisions.

The label and title are typed flush with the left margin on separate lines above the table.

Center numbers in columns but align right.