Purpose:

This assignment has three objectives:

1. Translate a word problem into an Excel spreadsheet

2. Use Excel to solve a "What-if" analysis

3. Get some experience converting data into a formatted bar chart.

Imagine you need to select a copy machine for your lab. Preliminary research indicates three copiers which can do the job:

Canica 12000 This copier leases for $3,200 per year. Service and maintenace charges are 1/2 cent per copy.

Paper and toner costs are about 2.4 cents per copy. The copier is completely adequate for your needs.

Duplicon Plus This copier leases for $3,800 per year. Service and maintenance is included. Paper and toner costs are estimated at 2.6 cents per copy. The copier is also completely adequate for your needs.

Repro 882 This copier leases for $1,950 per year and service and maintenance is billed at $50 per hour. It is estimated that one hour of maintenance is needed every 7,500 copies. Paper and toner costs are about 3.1 cents per copy. Because this copier has limited sorting features, additional manual labor will be needed; estimated to be about one hour per 1,500 copies, at an average rate of $9.50 per hour.

Last year your office made 68,000 copies. This year you might make as many as 50% more.

Create a spreadsheet to compare the costs of these three copiers, allowing for the number of copies made to be varied.

Do a "what if" analysis to determine what the expenses would be in the number of copies made this year was the same, 25% higher, or 50% higher than last year.

Add a bar chart to the spreadsheet comparing the annual cost of the three copier options for the three numbers of copies under consideration.

Modify the chart options to create a chart that effectively displays the tabulated information. Add titles and change the legend and axis scale to a produce a chart that looks something like the chart shown below. Your chart does not have to exactly match the chart shown.

Which copier do you buy? Add your recommendation as text to the bottom of your spreadsheet.

Send me the final spreadsheet file and chart as an attachment to an E-mail message to kklemow@wilkes.edu.

Please put your name and other information in the header. This project is worth 35 computer assignment points.

DEADLINE IS 5:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY, 20 NOVEMBER.