A Study of the Effect of Doughnut Chart Parameters on Proportion Estimation Accuracy

Pie and doughnut charts nicely convey the part–whole relationship and they have become the most recognizable chart types for representing proportions in business and data statistics. Many experiments have been carried out to study human perception of the pie chart, while the corresponding aspects of the doughnut chart have seldom been tested, even though the doughnut chart and the pie chart share several similarities. In this paper, we report on a series of experiments in which we explored the effect of a few fundamental design parameters of doughnut charts, and additional visual cues, on the accuracy of such charts for proportion estimates. Since mobile devices are becoming the primary devices for casual reading, we performed all our experiments on such device. Moreover, the screen size of mobile devices is limited and it is therefore important to know how such size constraint affects the proportion accuracy. For this reason, in our first experiment we tested the chart size and we found that it has no significant effect on proportion accuracy. In our second experiment, we focused on the effect of the doughnut chart inner radius and we found that the proportion accuracy is insensitive to the inner radius, except the case of the thinnest doughnut chart. In the third experiment, we studied the effect of visual cues and found that marking the centre of the doughnut chart or adding tick marks at 25% intervals improves the proportion accuracy. Based on the results of the three experiments, we discuss the design of doughnut charts and offer suggestions for improving the accuracy of proportion estimates

Free choice shapes normalized value signals in medial orbitofrontal cortex

Normalization is a common cortical computation widely observed in sensory perception, but its importance in perception of reward value and decision making remains largely unknown. We examined (1) whether normalized value signals occur in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and (2) whether changes in behavioral task context influence the normalized representation of value. We record medial OFC (mOFC) single neuron activity in awake-behaving monkeys during a reward-guided lottery task. mOFC neurons signal the relative values of options via a divisive normalization function when animals freely choose between alternatives. The normalization model, however, performed poorly in a variant of the task where only one of the two possible choice options yields a reward and the other was certain not to yield a reward (so called: “forced choice”). The existence of such context-specific value normalization may suggest that the mOFC contributes valuation signals critical for economic decision making when meaningful alternative options are available

Identify the HR factors that affect employee turnover in MasterHouse restaurant.

For organisations that seek reduction in employee turnover, it is crucial to identify which specific factors have the greatest impact on the staff turnover rate of the organisation. Similarly, after identifying influencing factors, it is also very important to formulate HR processes and policies based on the actual situation of the organisation. The aim of this research is to identify the HR factors that affect employee turnover rate in MasterHouse restaurant. High employee turnover rate will affect the performance of the organisation’s employees and the decline of daily functions, it will also increase the cost of organisation recruitment on-boarding and training. The purpose of this research is to identify the specific factors that affect employee turnover in MasterHouse and develop a practical plan for MasterHouse restaurant to improve employee loyalty and reduce employee turnover through the organisation’s human resources processes and policies. This research will lead to an understanding of the factors affecting the turnover rate of MasterHouse through secondary research, then researchers will collect data through quantitative research, and develop a strategic plan for MasterHouse to reduce employee turnover. The researcher will use questionnaires to investigate the HR strategies of MasterHouse and employees’ views on MasterHouse current HR process and policies. This research will involve five factors that affect employee turnover rate: Long-term relationships, benchmark, work-life balance, talent management, rewards and motivation. The researcher then connected and compared survey results with information in the literature and developed a practical plan for MasterHouse to reduce employee turnover rate

Keeping profits in New Zealand

The tourism industry is the second biggest for New Zealand and is expected to regain the top spot if current, exponential growth continues. Online travel agencies (OTAs) such as those owned by Expedia Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc. facilitate this boom by encouraging travellers to visit beautiful locations, but are taking huge chunks of this income away from the local Gross-Domestic Product (GDP) in the commission they charge on every night of accommodation booked. One of the largest consumers of New Zealand’s tourism industry is Chinese nationals. This study looks at feasibility of a small player developing an app in a market full of large corporates that are dominating the playing field. The primary research used mixed methods and sought to reach 120 questionnaire respondents and 10 interview participants which uncovered thoughts on stakeholders on either side of the discussion, the China-based potential customers and the New Zealand-based accommodation providers. Preliminary results indicate that Chinese nationals are often likely to conduct thorough research when making decisions about international travel and a large portion are enthused about the prospect of regular international travel. Accommodation providers in New Zealand are rarely hesitant to support a local OTA as they are often frustrated with the poor service received from the large corporates. Developing an app that is based in China and attempts to market the New Zealand tourism industry will be a difficult proposition but is plausible with the implementation of a marketing plan that is strategically thought out

To find a better way of training and development for a small retail business in the health product industry

This research is aimed at finding out how to bring a better training and development process to a small retail business in the health product industry to increase the effectiveness of employees' performance. The study was carried out at Dekang Nutrition Ltd. Currently，it has set up three physical stores in Rototuna, Hamilton. Dekang also has a 300-square-metre warehouse and delivery centre at Te Rapa, and operates two sales platforms online. This research uses qualitative methods. The primary qualitative method that used is interview. The study found out that the type of training needed to be changed, as the current training system is not enough for employees to keep up with rapid changes in the external environment. It also provides an insight into the lack of systematic follow up. The study recommends Dekang to have a mentoring/buddy system for training and to develop an evaluation system for employees to have a clear idea of their own performance in a timely manner. Also, the study recommends that Dekang have a clear career pathway to help employees improve

Measuring level of satisfaction

Customers are the ones to judge their level of satisfaction. Now times have changed and organisations have realized the value of retaining customers. This project is about knowing the level of customer satisfaction in a dairy shop, Melville Price Cutter, situated at 17 Bader Street, Hamilton. The information was gained by doing a survey of 50 customers who came to the dairy. Results obtained from this survey showed that most of the customers visited the dairy twice a week. 35% of the surveyed people were visiting the shop twice a week. When asked why they visit the dairy for shopping, the majority answer was time and location. 40% of the customers thought going to the dairy was time saving or should be very quick. 30% used the dairy for shopping because of its location. Customers preferred the nearest location to shop at a dairy. The results showed that customers who came to the dairy were always in hurry. They did not have time to go to supermarkets, so they expected to get quick service from the dairy. Customer felt happy when they were served quickly and they did not have to be in a queue. They liked deals where they could take advantage of cheap prices

Importance and impacts of visual merchandising for customers at The Warehouse

The benefits of visual merchandising have been well discussed in previous literature. For large retail service providers this topic is of special importance. Evidence of challenges for consumers to locate the product that they need has been observed in The Warehouse, Te Rapa. The purpose of this research report is to assess the importance of visual merchandising on customers’ purchasing behaviour at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. In addition, visual merchandising strategies to increase sales at The Warehouse are offered, based on the findings of this study. The primary data for this research project was gathered from 50 questionnaires, which were distributed among customers at The Warehouse, Te Rapa. Many different aspects of visual merchandising, including window displays of the store, floor merchandising, mannequin displays, signage and promotional banners, were reviewed. The results of this report suggest that there is a direct relationship between how the products are displayed and sales

Could social media improve New Save Supermarket’s Asian market segment?

Social media has become a part of people’s daily life. It is a multi-functional tool for people, who use social media to communicate with others, share content, and consume information in real time. Social media can be used not only by ordinary people but is also a useful marketing tool for businesses, according to previous research. New Save Supermarket is in the city centre, Hamilton. It is the oldest of Hamilton’s large-scale Asian grocery shops. The Asian community is New Save’s target market. This research is to investigate the possibility of using social media to attract more Asian consumers to shop at New Save. In this research, online questionnaires are used to collect data and the thoughts of the customers. The findings of this study indicate that WeChat and Facebook are the primary social media platforms that most customers use. Currently, there are few customers who know of and follow New Save’s WeChat account and Facebook page. Respondents think New Save’s social media do not convey enough information or update regularly enough. They agree that social media advertisements will attract regular shopping. This research suggests that New Save should create a strong social media presence, posting more and useful information for customers, updating regularly, and interacting with customers via social media

Implementing measures of cost control (food & labour) for small restaurant businesses

In 2012, Auckland Region Restaurant Record estimated that there were 2000 restaurants in the Auckland area. Therefore, with fierce competition in the market, it is important for small restaurants to think how they can save costs and be more competitive. This research aims to identify feasible measurements for small restaurant businesses to control food and labour costs in order to possess advantages in the competitive environment. This research contains both quantitative and qualitative research by convenience-based sampling methods. The researched restaurants are located in Hamilton. To analyse the answers from the participants, the responses will be compared with results shown in the literature review and displayed as graphs. Due to limited time and resources, the sample selecting, size and location will be limited. The tentative results from the research illustrate that few of the researched restaurants take measures to deal with food waste and leftovers. They usually dispose of waste into the rubbish bin. Apart from participants who are unaware of inventory storage systems, they adopt FIFO as their storage inventory method. Moreover, employees are not happy if their wages/working hours are cut down, and some of them will decrease their working quality or efficiency. Consequently, restaurants need to balance between employee wages and work efficiency