MGMT 330 Week 3 Assignment

MGMT 330 Week 3 Assignment | Devry University

Week 3: Case Study—Hidden Number

Ethics Detective

Solving the Case of the Hidden Numbers

You've been assigned to present the results of an industry-wide study of the effects of insecticide. Your audience consists of the department heads in your company whose experience and educational backgrounds vary widely, from chemical engineering to insurance to law. You're convinced you need to keep your report as simple and as jargon-free as possible.

You're not a scientific expert on insecticides, but your supervisor has introduced you to a scientist who works for a trade association that represents chemical producers, including your firm. The scientist is familiar with the study you'll be reporting on, and she has experience in communicating technical subjects to diverse audiences. You jumped at the chance to have such a knowledgeable person review your presentation for technical accuracy, but you're uncomfortable with some of her feedback. In particular, you question her advice to replace the following line chart, which shows the number of insecticide poisonings and deaths by age.

The scientist suggests that this chart is too busy and too difficult for nonspecialists to understand. As an alternative, she provides a bar chart that selects four specific ages from the entire range. She says this chart communicates the same basic idea as the line chart but is much easier to read.

Bovée, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2018). Ethics Detective Solving the Case of the Hidden Numbers, Ch. 9 (p. 235). Business Communication Today (14th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Analysis Questions

1.    You agree with the scientist that the line chart is visually busy and takes more effort to process, but something bothers you about the bar chart. Does it present the insecticide situation accurately and honestly? Why. or why not?

2.    How will the information learned be helpful to you in your personal and professional life?