Presentation of Qualitative Data—Data Visualization

Abstract

We often think of data as being numerical values, and in business, those values are often stated in terms of units of currency (dollars, pesos, dinars, etc.). Although data in the form of currency are ubiquitous, it is quite easy to imagine other numerical units: percentages, counts in categories, units of sales, etc. This chapter, in conjunction with Chap. 3, discusses how we can best use Excel’s graphic capabilities to effectively present quantitative data (ratio and interval) to inform and influence an audience, whether it is in euros or some other quantitative measure. In Chaps. 4 and 5, we will acknowledge that not all data are numerical by focusing on qualitative (categorical/nominal or ordinal) data. The process of data gathering often produces a combination of data types, and throughout our discussions, it will be impossible to ignore this fact: quantitative and qualitative data often occur together. Let us begin our study of data visualization.