ACF5320 – Semester 1, 2025 – Assignment 3 | 1


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ASSESSMENT TASK: Assignment 3
WEIGHTING: 30%
COMPLETION: Individual
GENERATIVE AI: Generative AI tools can be used in this assessment task
In this assessment, you can use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to generate the specified content in
relation to the assessment task. This material must be acknowledged and recorded in your declaration of
AI use.
DUE DATE: 11:55pm, Wednesday 7 May 2025
OVERVIEW
In this assignment, part of an accounting analytics unit, you are required to use Power BI Desktop to
analyse and visualise key performance indicators (KPIs) and customer segmentation for a US retailer
specialising in office supplies. This task is structured to assess your abilities in data visualisation, cluster
analysis, and decision support within a business analytics context.
• Exploring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Initially, you will explore the provided
"Retailer_data.xlsx" dataset, which includes data from three different sheets: Orders, Returns, and
Employees. This preparatory step involves understanding the available data fields to identify and
refine measures for analysing KPIs in four critical areas: financial performance, process
performance, customer satisfaction, and employee performance.
• Customer Profiling using Cluster Analysis: In a separate dashboard tab titled ‘Cluster Analysis’,
you will perform cluster analyses to profile customers based on their purchasing behaviour. This
includes using scatter plots to display customers by average sales versus order count and average
sales versus percent returned, segmenting them into distinct clusters. This analysis helps in
understanding customer segments better and tailoring business strategies accordingly.
• Reporting: You will summarise the actual performance of the retailer with respect to the target
performance levels for the four KPIs in a concise report. This will demonstrate your ability to
communicate key insights and findings effectively.
Your submission should clearly demonstrate your proficiency in using business analytics tools to analyse
data and present findings in a manner that supports business decision-making. This includes not only the
technical execution of creating interactive visualisations but also the ability to interpret and articulate the
significance of your analyses in a clear, concise manner.
OBJECTIVES
• Understand and apply data visualisation techniques.
• Analyse relationships between various business performance metrics.
• Develop visual dashboards based on the data analysis.
• Interpret and evaluate the outputs from data visualisations and cluster analyses.
• Communicate analytical findings effectively.

ACF5320
Assignment 3
ACF5320 – Semester 1, 2025 – Assignment 3 | 2

SUBMISSION DOCUMENTS
You will need to submit one file:
1. Microsoft Word File: This document should contain a summary report detailing the actual
performance of the retailer with respect to the target performance levels for the four KPIs. The
report should be concise, about 1250 words (±100 words), and clearly articulate the insights
derived from your analysis while documenting every step of the IMPACT Cycle. Please ensure
the submitted file contains your Name, Surname, and Student ID.

BACKGROUND
Exploring KPIs in Retailer Dataset (this is a preparatory step and does not require your reporting)
• Examine the "Retailer_data.xlsx" data file which includes the sheets ‘Orders’, ‘Returns’, and
‘Employees’ (the file is provided on Moodle), to understand the data fields available. This dataset
comprises sales data for a US retailer of office supplies.
• Based on the data fields in the "Retailer_data.xlsx", identify several measures that would be
useful for analysing KPIs in financial performance, process performance, customer satisfaction,
and employee performance. Refine your measures according to the available data.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Assume management has determined that the following are the four KPIs they want to examine:
1. Financial performance. Profitability = Profit/Sale, with the target profitability of 0.13.
2. Process performance. Delivery Time = Shipping Date – Order Date, with the target of no more
than 4 days.
3. Customer Satisfaction. Percent Returned = Number Orders Returned/Number Orders, with the
target of 0.06.
4. Employee Performance. Sales by Person = Total Sales$ by employee.
Platform
Use Power BI Desktop to perform Task 1 and Task 2 below.

ACF5320 – Semester 1, 2025 – Assignment 3 | 3

Data Preparation
• Extract the Excel file "Retailer_data.xlsx", which includes three sheets: Orders, Returns, and
Employees.
• Assume that the data are clean.
• Create appropriate links between the three tables (Orders, Returns and Employees) to facilitate
analysis.
TASK DESCRIPTION

YOUR TASK
To facilitate decision support for management, you are required to prepare a business report for
management of 1250 words (+/- 100 words).
Management is interested in the following analyses, and the answers and analysis should be provided in
your report:

Part 1: Financial Analysis
Description: Create one dashboard (in a separate tab titled ‘KPIs’) that visualises all four KPIs as
follows:
1.1 Clustered column chart for average profitability by product category and sub-category
1.2 Filled map for average delivery time by state
1.3 Line chart for percent returned by year and region
1.4 Clustered bar chart for total sales by employee
Note: Suitable conditional formatting (as illustrated in tutorials) may be used for the visualisations.
Part 2: Customer Profiling using Cluster Analysis
Description: Using Power BI Desktop, profile customers by performing the following two cluster
analyses:
2.1 Display customers by average sales and count of orders
Chart Type: Scatter plot.
Axes: Average sales on the y-axis and count of orders on the x-axis.
Hint: there should be four distinct clusters in the outputs visual.
2.2 Display customers by average sales and percent returned
Chart Type: Scatter plot.
Axes: Average sales on the y-axis and percent returned on the x-axis.
Hint: there should be five distinct clusters in the outputs visual.

Requirement of Report
Recommend decisions to the business based on your analyses. Assume that the ACF5320 Teaching
Team is the owner of the business that you are analysing. Prepare an business report that explains your
comprehensive recommendations in 1250 words (+/- 100 words) with up to 10 images of visualisations
(the images, table of contents, references, and AI declaration are not included in the word count). Include
all of the most important visualisations that support your recommendations with this document. When the
Teaching Team reads this document and looks at the visuals, we should be convinced that you have
done a thorough analysis and have made great recommendations. Reference lists and acknowledgments
are excluded from the word count.
Your report should also document every step of the IMPACT cycle to give us a clear picture of how the
data analysis was done.
ACF5320 – Semester 1, 2025 – Assignment 3 | 4


A full response will be approximately 1250 words and will have the following sections:

• An introduction that describes the problem you were asked to solve and the steps you took to address the
problem. Think of this as the identify the Question portion of the IMPACT Cycle. (100–200 words)
• A brief description of the methods and tools you used to answer the questions. This section will include
the Mastering the Data, Perform the Test Plan, and Address and Refine Results portions of the IMPACT
Cycle. (100–200 words)
• A presentation and evaluation of the results. Each visualisation that is presented should include a
description of what the visualisation is showing (including describing what type of chart is being used,
definitions for the variables being analysed, descriptions of the axes if applicable, and discussion of any
scale being used), how to interpret the results shown in the visualisation, and how these results can be
applied to improve the business’ future financial performance. This is the Communicate Insights portion of
the IMPACT Cycle. (~500-700 words)
• A conclusion that summarises your overall findings and provides a final recommendation on changes the
business should make to improve their financial performance. (100–250 words)

Failure to adhere to the word count will result in a 10% penalty on this assessment.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS (1 FILE)
1) Microsoft Word File: This document should contain a summary report detailing the actual
performance of the retailer with respect to the target performance levels for the four KPIs. The
report should be concise, about 1250 words (±100 words), and clearly articulate the insights
derived from your analysis while documenting every step of the IMPACT Cycle. Please ensure
the submitted file contains your Name, Surname, and Student ID.
2) Name this file as follows: A3Doc_Yourfirstname_Yourlastname_YourStudentID


HELPFUL RESOURCES

What makes up a business report: https://www.monash.edu/student-academic-success/excel-at-
writing/annotated-assessment-samples/business-and-economics/buseco-report-writing

Writing the business report: https://www.monash.edu/student-academic-success/excel-at-
writing/annotated-assessment-samples/business-and-economics/buseco-report-writing/writing-the-
business-report

ACF5320 – Semester 1, 2025 – Assignment 3 | 5




No Pass Pass Credit Distinction High Distinction
Unscaled Points 0 2.5 3 3.75 5
Documentation of IMPACT Cycle (10%) The IMPACT Cycle was not followed.
IMPACT Cycle is mentioned, but
most steps are not described in
adequate detail.
IMPACT Cycle is partially
documented. Some steps are too
vague or brief to be considered
meaningfully described.
IMPACT Cycle documented, but some steps
are missing details or are not adequately
described.
IMPACT Cycle is fully and
accurately documented. An end
user can fully understand how
the analysis was conducted,
what the main outcomes were,
and how those outcomes will
be tracked in the future.
Data Analysis: This section involves
answering all the questions posed by
the assessment, as well as all the
visualizations that were created to
answer the questions.
Visualizations will be graded based on
their presentation in the submitted
Word file. (45%)
Did not meet criterion.
Significant errors are present,
resulting in most questions and
subquestions being answered
incorrectly.
Visualizations are confusing or
were not created.
Significant errors are present, but
most questions and subquestions
are answered correctly.
Visualizations present the correct
information, but do not
communicate the information
clearly.
Minor errors are present, result in 1 to 3
questions or subquestions being answered
incorrectly or with inadequate detail.
Visualizations communicate the desired
information, but could have been slightly
clearer.
No errors are present in the
analysis.
Visualizations clearly
communicate the desired
information.
Data Interpretation: This section
interpreting the results from the data
analysis.
Interpretation will be graded based on
the submitted report. (45%)
Did not meet criterion.
The report is missing sections,
such as the introduction or
conclusion.
Significant errors are present,
resulting in most visualizations
either being excluded from the
report or being described
incorrectly.
Conclusions drawn from the
data are either incorrect or
confusing.
The report includes all necesary
sections. The introduction is
present, but does not lay out what
will be covered in the report in a
clear way.
Significant errors are present, but
most visualizations are included in
the report and described
adequately.
Conclusions drawn from the data
are correct, but lack detail or don't
tie the data to the problem that
needs to be answered.
The report includes all necessary sections.
The introduction is clear.
Minor errors are present,but all
visualizations are included in the report
and described in detail.
Conclusions drawn from the data are
accurate and are their relevance for
addressing the problem at hand is
understood, although the reasoning may
be slightly lacking or ambiguous.
The report includes all
necessary sections. The
introduction is clear.
All visualizations are included
in the report, and are accurately
described in straightforward
and concise language.
Conclusions drawn from the
data are accurate, and what the
data tells us about how to solve
the problem at hand is laid out
in a clear, precise, and well-
reasoned way.

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