Chapter 2: Graphs, Charts, and Tables--Describing Your Data

CHAPTER 2 • GRAPHS, CHARTS, AND TABLES—DESCRIBING YOUR DATA 63
FIGURE 2.14
Excel 2007 Output—Bar Chart of Average Starting Salaries by Degree Type
Excel 2007 Instructions:
1. Open file: Bach.xls.
2. Select data for chart.
3. On Insert tab, click
Column Chart, and then
click Clustered Column
option.
4. Use the Layout tab of
the Chart Tools to add
titles and remove grid
lines.
5. Use the Design tab of the
Chart Tools to move the
chart to a new worksheet.
Females with MBA
degrees have higher
average starting
salaries than males
with MBAs.
Pie Chart
A graph in the shape of a circle.
The circle is divided into “slices”
corresponding to the categories or
classes to be displayed. The size of
each slice is proportional to the
magnitude of the displayed
variable associated with each
category or class.
these data clearly. The chart shows that every year the percentage of new hires with MBA
degrees was substantially higher for male hires than for female hires. What might this
imply about the reason for the difference in starting salaries?
After viewing the bar chart in Figure 2.13, the lead attorney had her staff look at the
average starting salary for MBA and non-MBA graduates for the combined seven-year
period, broken down by male and female employees. Figure 2.14 shows the bar chart for
those data.
Figure 2.14 shows an interesting result. Over the seven-year period, females actually
had higher starting salaries than males for those with and without MBA degrees.
Then how can Figure 2.12 be correct, when it shows that in almost every year the male
average starting salary exceeded the female average starting salary? The answer lies in
Figure 2.13, which shows that far more of the newly hired males had MBAs. Because
MBAs tend to get substantially higher starting salaries, the overall male average salary
was higher. In this case, the initial data looked like the electronics firm had been discriminating
against females by paying lower starting salaries. After digging deeper, we
see that females actually get the higher starting average salaries with and without MBA
degrees. However, does this prove that the company is not discriminating in its hiring
practices? Perhaps it purposefully hires fewer female MBAs or fewer females in general.
More research is needed.
Pie Charts
Another graphical tool that can be used to transform data into information is the
pie chart.