Business Intelligence: Cognos Insight
Points: 95 points (25 point penalty if less than 8 hours late, 45 point penalty if less than 24 hours late, 95 point penalty if more than 24 hours late.)
Data File Starting Point: Marketing_data_raw_final.cdd
Purpose:
To evaluate your ability to:
1) Understand Cognos functionality in solving business questions and
2) Explain your results to upper management in an executive memo.
Submit: 1) A “Cognos Insight” file (.cdd) that you used to perform the analysis. Submit the file to your TA’s dropbox on D2L.
2) An “executive memo” (in the form of a three-page word document) describing the context of your analysis with graphs/figures, your interpretation and evaluation of the results, and your corresponding conclusions and recommendations based on your evaluation. Submit the document to your TA’s dropbox on D2L.
Use the required template shown on page 6 of this document. “Memo” should use Times New Roman Font, 12 pt, 1 inch margins, double spacing.
Points will be deducted for poor writing, so write well!
Scenario:
The Golfsmith Clubs and Putters Scenario:
You work for the Golfsmith Clubs and Putters and your manager has asked you to do additional analysis on the performance of the company for past 4 years, i.e. 2009 to 2012. As you know the company sells many golf accessories and different kinds of equipment such as irons, putters and woods used in golf. There are many products under these equipment product groups. These products groups are sold to department stores, golf shops and sports shops in 3 major regions or continents, i.e. Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe with United States, Japan, France and United Kingdom being the main target places.
Following is just an outline of how the data is present in the Golfsmith marketing data set which is the same outline you used for Cognos In-class Practice II. You will use the analysis you performed for Cognos In-Class II as the starting point for your analysis for Assignment #2.
Outline of Golfsmith Marketing Data Set
Product Types
• Woods
o Hailstorm Steel Woods Set
o Hailstorm Titanium Woods Set
o Lady Hailstorm Steel Woods Set
o Lady Hailstorm Titanium Woods Set
• Irons
o Hailstorm Steel Irons
o Hailstorm Titanium Irons
o Lady Hailstorm Steel Irons
o Lady Hailstorm Titanium Irons
• Putters
o Blue Steel Max Putter
o Blue Steel Putter
o Course Pro Putter
• Golf Accessories
o Course Pro Gloves
o Course Pro Golf and Tee Set
o Course Pro Golf bag
o Course Pro Umbrella
Revenue for Golfsmith includes:
• Year 2009 – 2011 Entire Year
• Year 2012 from January to July
Advertising Costs for Golfsmith includes:
• Year 2009 – 2011 Entire Year
• Year 2012 from January to July
Advertising Channels for Golfsmith are:
• Television
• Sponsorships
• Radio
• Magazine
• Email
• Direct Mail
• Other Advertising
Golfsmith Customers Types includes:
• Department Stores
• Golf Shop
• Sports Store
Your Role:
You’re in charge of the business analytics or business intelligence group at Golfsmith marketing and corresponding operations of the company. You realize that there are problems with the current approach used for marketing and you will need to come up with insights and alternative solutions.
Management wants a detailed plan for the changes in marketing to improve revenue and reduce advertising costs and wants hard numbers and facts to back up any proposal you submit. Remembering your time in ITM 309, you recall that Cognos Insight allowed you to use business intelligence and quality results. You decide to investigate the current operations and quality impacts of several changes you have in mind. Based upon your findings, you will make a recommendation to management about your specific improvements.
Set-Up Instructions for Cognos Insight (You may wish to refer to the Instructions Section of In-Class Practice Activities II):
You have got a sense of how to use Cognos Insight, so let’s prepare for assignment #2 and get oriented for this assignment.
1. Use the Marketing_data_raw_final.cdd file as a starting point for assignment #2 (available before Recitation #9).
2. You will be using the knowledge gained and the steps we did in In-Class Practice Activities II to complete Assignment #2.
3. Retrieve the Cognos Business Intelligence Assignment #2 from D2L and read the instruction and the model scenario thoroughly.
There are several options to open a file and to load it into Cognos. We will explain the preferred option as follows:
Questions for Assignment #2:
(You may wish to refer to the Performing Data Analytics Using Cognos section of In-Class Practice Activities II)
1) Additional Analysis of Revenue
D. Which customer type had the most Revenue?
E. Which customer type had the most revenue, per store?
You have already answered Analysis of Revenue questions A, B & C in the In-Class II practice. To answer questions D and E for Assignment #2 you may wish to refer to the steps in solving questions A and B. Make sure you first decide what variables you need and then find the data cube with those variables and drill down to find the answer. Include graphs/figures which show the most revenue per store of all the customer types in your executive memo.
2) Additional Analysis of Advertising costs
D. Which advertising channel was used heavily for all the 4 product type?
E. Products which had $0 advertising costs, did the company generate any revenue from these products. If yes, would you like to recommend something to your manager?
You have already answered Analysis of Advertising Costs questions A, B & C in the In-Class II practice. To answer questions D & E for Assignment #2 you may wish to refer to the steps in solving questions A and B. Also include a graph/figure that could explain which advertising channel is used the most in your executive memo.
F. The advertisement cost kept increasing till 2011 and then dropped in 2012, but the revenue still kept increasing from 2009 to 2012, why?
You have already answered Analysis of Advertising Costs questions A, B & C in the In-Class II practice. To answer questions F for Assignment carefully study the data, as you are looking for trend and the tactics used by Golfsmith for marketing are very common, you just have to explain what strategy they applied and why. Look at the introduction years of the products.
3) Additional Analysis of Advertising Channels
B. Are there any Advertising Channels where not used at all to advertise these product type?
You have already answered Analysis of Advertising Channels question A in the In-Class II practice. To answer question B for Assignment #2 you may wish to refer to the steps in solving questions A and make sure you are choosing the right variables in rows and columns .
4) Additional Analysis of Products
D. How many products were introduced in 2010 and what are their names?
You have already answered Analysis of Advertising Channels questions A, B & C in the In-Class II practice. To answer question B for Assignment #2 you may wish to refer to the steps in solving question B.
5) Additional BI insights you wish to share
Perform additional analysis using Cognos which you think would be useful to explain results in your memo. Include a figure or graph or chart in your executive memo to complement your analysis.
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