会计数据分析 Solutions-Manual Chapter-4 EOC-SM

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SolutionsManual–Chapter4

SolutionstoDiscussionQuestions

Therearefourwaysananalystcanvisualizedata,dependingontheintendeduseofthedata.Iftheanalystisusingqualitativedata(e.g.unstructuredbigdata),theycaneitherdeclareaconceptbypresentingtheitemasfact(quadrant1)orexplorepatternsinthedatathatmightbeofinteresttotheaudienceanddrivefurtherinvestigation(quadrant3).Usingquantitativemeasures(e.g.financialdatabases)theanalystcanlikewisedeclareafactorconfirmahypothesis(quadrant2)oridentifypatternsthatmaybeusedforhypothesisdevelopment(quadrant4).

Whetherthismakessensetothestudentissubjectiveandanswerswillvary.Forexample,theremayberelationshipsbetweenthequantitativeandqualitativemetricsthatoverlapquadrants.Also,ananalystmaybetaskedwithprovidingvisualizationstomanydifferentdataelementsthatmaycombineexploringthedataforpatternsanddeclaringaconclusion.

Singlevariablesallowdistributionamongvaluesorcompositionamongcategories.Ifyouhavearangeofvalues,ahistogramismostusefultovisualizethedistributionamongparticipants.CategoriesarebestdisplayedthroughtheuseofBar/ColumnorPiecharts.

Height–Columnhistogram

Haircolor–Columnchart,Piechart

Majorincollege–Columnchart,Piechart

Answerswillvary.SinceBoxPlotsareusefulforoutlierdetection,theyareusefulforvisualizingexceptionstointernalcontrols.Plottingtransactionaccounts(suchaspurchasecardtransactions)allowauditorstoquicklyobservewhetherthereisunusualuseractivityandallowthemtofocustheireffortonthosehighrisktransactions.

Studentsshouldgoto,clickLineGraph,andreadthedescription.AlsorefertoFigure4.4.

Comparisonsanddistribution.

Studentsshouldgoto,clickWordCloud,andreadthedescription.

Longwordsareoveremphasized,wordswhoseletterscontainascenders(b,d,f,h,I,j,k,l,t)anddescenders(g,j,p,q)willstandoutmore,andtheydon’tprovideaccurateanalysis.

Studentsshouldgoto,clickBoxandWhiskerPlot,andreadthedescription.

Theupperquartileswillreflectthesamesizeasthelowerquartiles.

UsingFigure4.4asaguide,youwouldmakeacomparisonovermanyperiodsusingnon-cyclicaldata.Inthiscase,alinechartwouldbeappropriate.Ifyouhadfewperiods,acolumnchartmayalsobeuseful.

Answerswillvary.Ifyouassumethattheanalysisreliesonmoresimplisticanalysistodeclarearesult,anExcelvisualizationmaybesufficient.Ifyouareexploringthedata,you’remorelikelytousemultiplevariablesandwantmorerobustvisualizationthanExcelcanprovide.However,arobustanalysismayprovideadeclarativeresultwherevisualizationoptionsinExcelareinadequate.

Answerswillvarybasedonexperience.Tableauenablesanalyststoquicklymanipulatevariablestoexplorerelationshipsamongthedata.Othertools,suchasExcel,maybemorelimitedandrequireanarrowerdefinitionofvariables.

SolutionstoProblems

Answerswillvary.Alternativesmaybeboxandwhiskerplots,listingstatesinorderofmargin(e.g.highmarginstatesatthetopandlowmarginstatesatthebottom).Effectivenessdependsonstudentopinionthoughgeographicdataisrelevantinthisquestion,sothemapisaneffectivetoolforshowingregionaltrends.

Answerswillvary.Thecolorsreflectthepartythatreceivedmorevotesthanexpected(e.g.negativenumbersmeanmorevotersvotedforDemocratsthanpollssuggested).Differentcolorsmayshowthemarginoferrorwithoutrevealingpartyperformance.Betteralternativeswillvary.

Formanyperiods,followthechart:Comparison>OverTime>ManyPeriods>Non-CyclicalData>LineChart.

Forfewperiods,followthechart:Comparison>OverTime>FewPeriods>SingleorFewCategories>ColumnChart.

Staticcomposition:PieChart

Changeincomposition:StackedColumnChart(fewperiods)orStackedAreaChart(manyperiods)

Toshowgeographicdata,aSymbolmapwouldbeappropriate.Alternatively,ifyouwantedtocomparecompositionofdifferentmarkets,columnchartsmaybeuseful.

Toshowconcentrationofcustomers,ananalystwouldwanttoshowrelativesizeofthosecustomers.Inthiscase,aBubbleMaporaChoroplethMapprovidesthatextradimensionofdata.Thebubblemapshowsasizedifference,whereaChoroplethMapshowscolors,similartoaHeatMap.Thebubblemapmaybemoreeasilyinterpreted.

TheBubbleMaporChoroplethMapisalsoappropriateforshowingcomparisonsamongcustomers.Thevaluedisplayedwouldchangefromnumberofcustomerstototalsalesofthetopxcustomersorthedifferenceinaveragesalesbetweenthebottomthreequartilesandthetopquartile,forexample.

Answerswi