CISM4000 Information Systems in Accounting
You are required to assist the proprietors of a small business by preparing appropriate reports that will support the evaluation of data.
This assessment requires an Excel data file (provided) and case study background (provided). All requirements are to be completed by adding to and adapting the Excel data file.
• You are required to access supplied data sets (provided in a single Excel file) and complete the assigned tasks by adding additional worksheets to the workbook. Your adapted file is to be uploaded to myKBS. Your report, including summary notes and evaluation, is to be uploaded via Turnitin.
PHASE 1
a) Prepare appropriate reports that will support the evaluation of data in Phase 1. There are many reports that may be produced from the data provided. You are to select reports that will help address the proprietor’s concerns. This is to be completed in Excel.
b) For one of your reports, outline the steps taken to select, prepare and format the report. This should be presented in dot point format.
c) Prepare a brief written summary of your evaluation of the data in Phase 1. Each of the reports that you have prepared should be used as the basis for an expanded summary note including:
o A statement explaining the information in your report (i.e., numerical)
o Why the information is important to the business
o A description and explanation of a suggested improvement to the data collected (may relate to inputs, processes, or outputs)
Parts b & c are to be completed in Word or PDF.
PHASE 2
a) Prepare appropriate reports that will support the evaluation of data in Phase 2. With additional data provided, you are to select reports that will help address the proprietor’s concerns. This is to be completed in Excel.
b) For one of your reports (that is different from reports produced for Phase 1), outline the steps taken to select, prepare and format the report. This should be brief and presented in dot point format.
c) Prepare a brief written summary of your evaluation of the data in Phase 2.
Each of the reports that you have prepared should be used as the basis for an expanded summary note including:
o A statement explaining the information in your report (i.e., numerical)
o Why the information is important to the business
o A description and explanation of a suggested improvement to the data collected (may relate to inputs, processes, or outputs)
Parts b & c are to be completed in Word or PDF.
b) Steps taken to select, prepare and format the report
The steps which were taken for the purpose of selecting, preparing and formatting the report of “Number of Customers by Region” in the Excel have been discussed below:
â—Ź Step 1: Prepare data
The first step was linked to preparation of the data for the purpose of ensuring that the data is effectively organised in columns to support evaluation.
â—Ź Step 2: Insert Pivot Table
The next step was to select the data range and insert a ‘Pivot Table’.
Insert -> PivotTable
â—Ź Step 3: Configure Pivot Table
The next step was to drag the fields appropriately to Rows, Columns, and Values related to the region and customers in that region.
â—Ź Step 4: Insert Bar Chart
The next step was to select data from the table and insert a bar chart.
Insert -> Bar Chart -> Clustered Bar Chart
â—Ź Step 5: Format Chart
The final step was to add the title of the chart and adjust settings.
c) Summary of evaluation of the data in Phase 1
Three different reports have been developed, using Excel, completely aligned with the concerns of Pieter, owner of Complete Car Care (CCC) which has been thoroughly evaluated for the purpose of providing a summary note which can significantly allow in the case of understanding the current situation of the business in Phase 1.
Report 1: Number Of Customers By Region
The first report which was developed in the process of effectively presenting the performance of CCC in the Phase 1 was associated with understanding the number of customers that the company serves based on the location of their customers. From analysis of the data provided in the Excel regarding the business operations of CCC, it was found that the number of customers from each region were from Inner City - 164, River Valley - 74, Southern Beaches - 67, Jacaranda North - 47, Harbourside - 43 and Northeastern Ranges - 30. Studying this information, it can be stated that the highest number of customers comes from the region of ‘Inner City’.
This report can provide significant information to the business regarding the best performing region which can completely allow the company in the process of strategic planning regarding the management of the business. This information is significantly important for the business in the case of thorough planning for expansion in addition to providing valuable information regarding effective allocation of resources. Benchmarking allows in the case of measuring and comparing the performance of an organisation with the best performing organisation (Erdil & Erbıyık, 2019). The report can also provide a valuable opportunity to consider the best performing region as a benchmark that can significantly provide guidance to the business in the process of effectively understanding consumer behaviour and preferences for increasing the chances of success in other regions for MBA assignment expert.
With consideration of the data presented in the report, one of the significant recommendations for improvement which can be provided is associated with suggesting the business in making quality improvements in the service provided in other regions to increase customer satisfaction (Ali et al., 2021). It can be said that the CCC should focus on investing in the processes of other regions which can support in the case of effectively supporting the overall success of the business.
Report 2: Customers By Vehicle Type
In the context of effectively analysing the performance of CCC in the Phase 1, the second report which was developed was associated with the presentation of the number of customers and the type of vehicle. Using the data which was provided in the given Excel regarding the case study organisation, the number of customers with different types of vehicles were SUV - 124, Sedan - 78, Hatchback - 68, 4WD - 64, Utility - 53 and People Mover - 38. It was found that the number of customers in the category of SUV type of vehicle was the highest which indicates that most of the car detailing services are used by SUV owners.
This information can be considered to be significantly important for CCC in the context of effectively marketing these services to target consumers that can completely allow in increasing the consumer base. Marketing of best-selling and value providing services offered by a business can be beneficial in the case of developing competitive advantage for that business in the market (Darmawan & Grenier, 2021). In addition to this, the report also provides significant ideas regarding the demand for a particular service that generates the highest revenue which completely allows in effective planning regarding optimum resource allocation.
One of the effective improvements which can be suggested to CCC in the process of driving customers is offering personalisation with the significant use of data. Personalisation can significantly allow a business to provide better value to their customers (Zanker, Rook & Jannach, 2019). Hence, making improvements in the existing services offered to these customers in addition to investing in creating new detailing services specifically for SUV vehicles can be suggested as useful recommendations.
Report 3: Monthly Revenue
Focusing on the concerns of the owner of CCC, the third report which was developed was completely aimed at analysing the revenue generated by the company in the seven months of operations in Phase 1. The information which was presented in the report shows the figures of revenue in accordance to every month which were July - $9810, August - $11880, September - $13320, October - $15245, November- $17014, and December - $16290 for the year 2022 and January - $12510 in 2023. Considering the figures given in the report, it can be said that the highest amount of revenue was generated in the month of November, 2022 with a significant growth trend noticed throughout the year.
Increasing growth of revenue and the volume of sales plays a crucial role in the success of the business (Haslindah, Hamdat & Hanafiah, 2021). Therefore, analysing the revenue growth every month is significantly important for a business in the case of planning effective strategies and focusing on achieving long term growth. Thus, the report can help the business in the process of understanding the trend in revenue growth and take future actions to increase the sales and revenue of the business.
In the process of addressing the reduction in the growth rate of revenue, one of the improvements in the input of CCC which can be suggested is focusing on use of data analytics. The application and big data and data analytics can significantly be beneficial to a business in the process of effectively understanding the needs of the customers and driving innovation (Ochuba et al., 2024). Hence, with the use of data analytics, CCC can effectively understand the preferences of the customers and develop new services which Can attract and retain the customers facilitating in increasing the overall revenue of the business.
b) Steps taken to select, prepare and format the report
The steps which were taken for the purpose of selecting, preparing and formatting the report of “Staff Performance” in the Excel have been discussed below:
â—Ź Step 1: Prepare data
The first step which was followed was completely associated with ensuring that the given data are structured effectively in columns.
â—Ź Step 2: Insert Pivot Table
The next step was to select the data range and insert a ‘Pivot Table’.
Insert -> PivotTable
â—Ź Step 3: Configure Pivot Table
The next step was to appropriately drag the fields to relevant rows, columns, and values associated with the name of the staff and total fees received.
â—Ź Step 4: Insert Bar Chart
The next step was to select data from the table and insert a bar chart.
Insert -> Bar Chart -> Clustered Bar Chart
â—Ź Step 5: Format Chart
The final step was to add a suitable chart title and adjust settings.
c) Summary of evaluation of the data in Phase 2
Three different reports were created with the use of Excel in the process of addressing the concerns of the owner of CCC which has been thoroughly evaluated in the process of offering a summarised note that can significantly allow in the case of understanding the business situation in Phase 2.
Report 1: Vehicle Type Sales By Region
The first report which was developed considering the performance of Phase 2 of CCC was associated with analysing the type of vehicle with the number of customers as well as region of the customers. From the data which was given in the Excel regarding the business operations of CCC, the type of vehicle with the number of customers along with their region were:
Table 1: Vehicle Type Sales By Region
(Source: Self-developed from given Excel)
With consideration of the figures which have been presented in the report, it can be seen that the highest number of customers were from the region of ‘Inner City’ with most of the customers visiting CCC for detailing service of a ‘Hatchback’.
Data-driven decision-making allows a business in the process of effectively fostering growth and driving innovation (Moinuddin, Usman & Khan, 2024). The report can provide valuable insights regarding to CCC in the process of effectively making data-driven decisions regarding continuation or cessation of a particular service in a particular area based on the value generated by the business from that service.
The application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) can thoroughly allow a business to analyse customer data and make decisions in an informed manner (Bharadiya, 2023). Thus, one of the suggested improvements related to the inputs can be use of machine learning and AI in the process of effectively analysing the data related to the customers and the most popular vehicle along with region for further investment decisions.
Report 2: Staff Performance (Total Fee Received)
The second report was developed with the purpose of analysing the performance of staff for which the name of the staff and the total fees received by them were considered. With regards to the data given in the Excel regarding the business operations of CCC, the table have been developed as below:
Table 2: Staff Performance
(Source: Self-developed from given Excel)
From the above table it is significantly visible that Matt Waters has received the highest amount of fees which is $224349. However, it can be seen that some of the staff have not performed well in comparison to Matt Waters’ performance.
The performance of the employees has a crucial role in the case of effectively supporting the growth and success of a business (Persada & Nabella, 2023). This report can allow CCC in analysing the performance of its employees in addition to providing opportunities for making better human resource decisions.
Automation of manual jobs can significantly provide opportunities for increasing the productivity, profitability and efficiency of a business (Coombs et al., 2020). Therefore, the recommendation for improvement that can be suggested is investment in automation of the detailing services offered by CCC.
Report 3: Staff Efficiency (Fee Received and Time taken)
The final report which was developed for the purpose of effectively analysing the performance of CCC in the Phase 2 was associated with analysing the efficiency of the employees by considering the fees received and time taken by them. From the given Excel data, a significant table was allowed to be prepared in which the name of the employee along with the fees receipt and the time taken by them to complete a particular service was effectively presented along with a chart.
Efficient employees can thoroughly be beneficial in the process of supporting enhanced productivity and improved customer satisfaction (Triansyah, Hejin & Stefania,2023). Thus, the report can allow CCC in analysing the efficiency of the employees which can be considered an important function of a business to increase its chances of success.
In the context of improving the efficiency of the employees, it can be suggested that the company should focus on providing sufficient training to the employees (Karim, Choudhury & Latif, 2019). Training allows in the process of improving the performance and productivity of the employees and thus results in organisational success.
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