Week 8 Assignment: Applying Analytic Techniques to Business recommendations (that is, consider partnering with company, consider buying company stock, or do not form a relationship with company) as the final effort in the development of a practical business report and will support your work with ample citations. Remember opinion is not allowed.
Scenario/Your Role
You are an analyst using the same company you chose in the previous assessment; you have now been asked to analyze 10 years of stock data. Having accessed the company data and placed it in an appropriate graphical format, you must now use descriptive statistics and analysis to develop a report to inform business decisions.
Instructions
After reviewing and integrating your instructor’s feedback on your previous assignment, update and finalize the report as follows:
• Business context or introduction. Rework your introduction or business context as necessary to account for the new 10 years of data and any feedback from your instructor.
• Stock data graphics and analysis. Rework the graphics and descriptive statistics tables with 10 years of data.
o Add a 60-day moving average line and trend line to your scatter plots. Use color to distinguish each type of line.
• Add a legend to your histograms.
o Rework the table you created in previous assignment. Pick two variables to add to your table on company and competitors. Change the time horizon on your table or variables to help address the limitations of previous data. Think time frame.
• Add a scatter plot comparing your company and at least two competitors in terms of stock price.
For each graphic you created write at least one well-supported paragraph interpreting the same. What does that graphic represent? What does the shape of the graphic tell you about how the data have changed over time? How does your company data differ from competitors?
o Rework your descriptive statistics tables. t
• Conclusion. Write a revised conclusions section.
• Explain how these interpretations can be used in
the company:
What are some trends about which company leaders should be aware?
How might the information you have provided be used in decision making in in the company?
What are other analysts indicating about the stock?
• Explicitly connect other analysts’ comments and recommendations to your interpretations to possible impact to the business context. What are other analysts’ indicating about the company and competitors?
o Make a clear recommendation. Should your
company invest in or partner with the company or stock being evaluated? Briefly summarize why the data support this decision, referring to specific graphics.
Additional Requirements
Your assignment should also meet the following requirements:
• Use the MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines [PDF] to prepare a professional report of at least five (single-spaced) pages, including the following sections:
• Introduction or Business Context.
o Stock Data.
o Data Interpretation (graphics and written
interpretations).
o Conclusion or Recommendations.
o References.
• Ensure your written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Provide an APA-formatted references page (remember to cite the source of your financial data, analyst comments and support for your
interpretations). Use a minimum of six sources, though typically such a report would have at least 10 sources.
o Cite all use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in proper APA format, including generative Al (ChatGPT, CoPilot, Gemini, etc.) and tools such as
Grammarly. See How to Cite Al-Generated Content.
View the Using Analytic Techniques to Add Meaning to Data Walkthrough tutorial to help with creating scatterplots and histograms.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
• Competency 3: Apply data analytic techniques to make inference about a business need.
• Interpret the four different graphical representations of data.
• Interpret the descriptive statistics for two variables.
• Competency 4: Present the results of data analysis in clear and meaningful ways to multiple stakeholders. • Describe the company background and the
practical business context.
• Explain the potential business applications from the data and interpretations.
o Format citations and references correctly, using current APA style.
• Present content clearly, professionally, and logically for the identified audience.