Introduction 1
XP
Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003
Introduction to Problem Solving with Microsoft Office 2003
“You’ve got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.” — Clive Davis
Introduction Succeeding in Business Applications with MS Office 2003
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XPAbout This Book andMicrosoft 2003
• Focus of book How to use Microsoft Office 2003 to:
• Organize ideas and information
• Solve business problems
• Manage data
Problem-solving concepts and tasks
• Microsoft 2003 Suite of programs including Word, Excel, Access, and
PowerPoint
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XPSections of the Book
1. Organizing and Communicating Information
2. How to Solve Problems with Excel
3. How to Solve Problems with Access
4. Integration
5. Capstone Projects
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XPSection 1: Organizing and Communicating Information
• Managing files
• Conducting business research on the Web
• Composing, formatting, and distributing business documents (Word) and presentations (PowerPoint)
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XPSection 2: How to Solve Problems with Excel
• Spreadsheet program used to display, analyze, and manipulate numeric data
• Widely used in business to support decision making
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XPSection 3: How to Solve Problems with Access
• Database program used to maintain, organize, and retrieve related data, and then sort, filter, and display the information to serve business needs
• Supports decision making
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XPSection 4: Integration
• The ability to share information among programs Main advantage of using Office
• How to make data transportable and universal by using HTML and XML documents on their own and incorporated into Access databases and Excel spreadsheets
• How to integrate information from Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access to create sophisticated documents
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XPSection 5: Capstone Projects
• Pose realistic business problems
• Ask you to use the tools described in the book to solve the problem
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XPTaking aProblem-Solving Approach
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XPProblem Recognition
• Recognize and identify the problem
• Describe and analyze the problem
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XPAnalyzing the Problem
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XPAnalyzing the Problem
• Data gathering Consider credibility, reliability, and accuracy
• Pre-processing Manipulate data into appropriate format
• Cleansing Identify and correct data corruption
• Filtering Remove data that isn’t useful or necessary
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XPProblem Statement
• Key characteristic Some missing piece of information is identified that is
required to solve the problem or make a decision
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XPAnalyzing the Solution
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XPUnderstanding the Problem
• What data is needed and what data or information is already known?
• Is the data or information reliable and accurate?
• What is the likely range of potential solutions?
• What types of output are required? (e.g., single value, table, printed report, Web page)
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XPFormulating a Solution Plan
• Plan how to use Office by considering the steps you need to take to solve the problem Numerical calculation Determining if data meet specific criteria Organizing information or results in a specific format Combining several of these steps
• Place data in well-organized, easy-to-understand layouts
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XPImplementing the Solution
• Input data
• Process data Depends on the problem and the proposed solution
• Configure desired output
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XPImplementing the Solution:What You Must Know
• Spreadsheets How to correctly write formulas and functions and use
spreadsheet tools
• Databases What kind of information is stored in the database and
how it is organized
• Business documents and presentations How to organize and articulate the information so that it
meets the needs of your audience
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XPEvaluating the Solution
• Check the results to ensure they are correct
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XPProblem
• You work in the human resources department of McNamara Construction Inc. a construction company. Although employees receive complete benefit information when first hired , they frequently are unaware of the many benefits available to them other than health insurance. You task is to design a newsletter to keep employees informed of the many benefits provided.
• Benefits available Vacation and sick days accrual policy Flexible spending accounts 401 K and retirement benefits Maternity and Family Paid Leave Online training for OSHA certifications
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