AIN3701 ASSIGNMENT 5 2026 – STEP-BY-STEP
GUIDE, COMPLETE ANSWERS &
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS
SECTION A: DATA ANALYSIS FUNDAMENTALS AND PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
(Questions 1-40)
1. What is the primary purpose of analysing profitability per hiking route in the Take-a-
Hike case study?
A. To determine which routes are most scenic
B. To identify routes that meet the 25% target profit margin and inform expansion decisions
C. To calculate total revenue for the company
D. To compare hiking routes based on customer satisfaction
Answer: B
Rationale: The case study explicitly states that management needs to understand route
performance against the 25% target profit margin to make decisions about pricing, route
planning, and whether the guided hiking-experience service should be scaled further .
2. Which of the following costs should be included when analysing profitability per
hiking route at Take-a-Hike?
A. Only core hiking fees
B. Core hiking fees, equipment rental, and meal packages
C. Only meal packages
D. Only equipment rental
,Answer: B
Rationale: Management requires that "when analysing profitability, please include all
revenue and costs relating to the guided hiking experiences, including core hiking fees,
equipment rental and meal packages" .
3. What is the required target profit margin that each hiking route must achieve
according to the Take-a-Hike case study?
A. 15%
B. 20%
C. 25%
D. 30%
Answer: C
Rationale: The case study explicitly states "the required 25% target profit margin" multiple
times as the benchmark for route performance evaluation .
4. How should the "Number of hikes" be displayed in the route profitability table?
A. As a decimal with two decimal places
B. As a whole number
C. As a percentage
D. As a fraction
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions specify that "the number of hikes must be shown as a whole
number" .
5. How should the profit margin be displayed in the route profitability table?
A. As a decimal with four decimal places
B. As a percentage rounded to the nearest whole percentage
C. As a fraction
D. As a ratio
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions specify that "the profit margin must be shown as a percentage
rounded to the nearest whole percentage" .
6. What formatting technique should be used to highlight hiking routes with profit
margins below the 25% target?
,A. Manual colouring of cells
B. Conditional formatting
C. Bold text only
D. Italic text only
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions state: "Use conditional formatting to highlight any hiking route
where the profit margin is below the required 25% target profit margin" .
7. In what order should the hiking routes be sorted in the profitability table?
A. By profit margin descending
B. By number of hikes descending
C. Alphabetically according to hiking route
D. By revenue ascending
Answer: C
Rationale: The instructions specify: "Your table must be sorted alphabetically according to
hiking route" .
8. Which column must be included in the route profitability table to indicate whether a
route meets the target?
A. "Above Target?"
B. "Meets Target?"
C. "Below 25% target?"
D. "Profit Status?"
Answer: C
Rationale: The instructions specify that a column titled "Below 25% target?" must indicate
whether the overall profit margin for that hiking route is below the required 25% target .
9. What type of chart should be created for the dashboard-ready visualisation?
A. Pie chart
B. Line chart
C. Bar chart showing profit margin per hiking route
D. Scatter plot
Answer: C
, Rationale: The instructions require a chart that "must show the profit margin per hiking
route" and comply with dashboard best principles .
10. According to the CEO's preference, what should NOT be included on the chart?
A. Route labels
B. A 25% target line
C. Profit margin values
D. Colour coding for performance
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions state: "The CEO does not require a 25% target line on the
graph" .
11. What should the chart clearly indicate according to the CEO's preference?
A. Only the top-performing route
B. Only routes below target
C. Both the top-performing route and routes below the 25% target
D. All routes with exact profit margins
Answer: C
Rationale: The CEO prefers that "the Take-a-Hike styling guide be used to clearly indicate
both the top-performing hiking route and the hiking routes that are below the required 25%
target profit margin" .
12. What is the time period for the guided hiking experiences data in the Take-a-Hike
case study?
A. January to December 2026
B. January to June 2026
C. July to December 2026
D. All of 2025
Answer: B
Rationale: The guided hiking experiences "were introduced in January 2026 as a new part of
Take-a-Hike's business" and the analysis covers the period "January to June 2026" .
13. Who provided the cleaned dataset for the Take-a-Hike case study?
A. The CEO
B. The CFO
GUIDE, COMPLETE ANSWERS &
COMPREHENSIVE SOLUTIONS
SECTION A: DATA ANALYSIS FUNDAMENTALS AND PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS
(Questions 1-40)
1. What is the primary purpose of analysing profitability per hiking route in the Take-a-
Hike case study?
A. To determine which routes are most scenic
B. To identify routes that meet the 25% target profit margin and inform expansion decisions
C. To calculate total revenue for the company
D. To compare hiking routes based on customer satisfaction
Answer: B
Rationale: The case study explicitly states that management needs to understand route
performance against the 25% target profit margin to make decisions about pricing, route
planning, and whether the guided hiking-experience service should be scaled further .
2. Which of the following costs should be included when analysing profitability per
hiking route at Take-a-Hike?
A. Only core hiking fees
B. Core hiking fees, equipment rental, and meal packages
C. Only meal packages
D. Only equipment rental
,Answer: B
Rationale: Management requires that "when analysing profitability, please include all
revenue and costs relating to the guided hiking experiences, including core hiking fees,
equipment rental and meal packages" .
3. What is the required target profit margin that each hiking route must achieve
according to the Take-a-Hike case study?
A. 15%
B. 20%
C. 25%
D. 30%
Answer: C
Rationale: The case study explicitly states "the required 25% target profit margin" multiple
times as the benchmark for route performance evaluation .
4. How should the "Number of hikes" be displayed in the route profitability table?
A. As a decimal with two decimal places
B. As a whole number
C. As a percentage
D. As a fraction
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions specify that "the number of hikes must be shown as a whole
number" .
5. How should the profit margin be displayed in the route profitability table?
A. As a decimal with four decimal places
B. As a percentage rounded to the nearest whole percentage
C. As a fraction
D. As a ratio
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions specify that "the profit margin must be shown as a percentage
rounded to the nearest whole percentage" .
6. What formatting technique should be used to highlight hiking routes with profit
margins below the 25% target?
,A. Manual colouring of cells
B. Conditional formatting
C. Bold text only
D. Italic text only
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions state: "Use conditional formatting to highlight any hiking route
where the profit margin is below the required 25% target profit margin" .
7. In what order should the hiking routes be sorted in the profitability table?
A. By profit margin descending
B. By number of hikes descending
C. Alphabetically according to hiking route
D. By revenue ascending
Answer: C
Rationale: The instructions specify: "Your table must be sorted alphabetically according to
hiking route" .
8. Which column must be included in the route profitability table to indicate whether a
route meets the target?
A. "Above Target?"
B. "Meets Target?"
C. "Below 25% target?"
D. "Profit Status?"
Answer: C
Rationale: The instructions specify that a column titled "Below 25% target?" must indicate
whether the overall profit margin for that hiking route is below the required 25% target .
9. What type of chart should be created for the dashboard-ready visualisation?
A. Pie chart
B. Line chart
C. Bar chart showing profit margin per hiking route
D. Scatter plot
Answer: C
, Rationale: The instructions require a chart that "must show the profit margin per hiking
route" and comply with dashboard best principles .
10. According to the CEO's preference, what should NOT be included on the chart?
A. Route labels
B. A 25% target line
C. Profit margin values
D. Colour coding for performance
Answer: B
Rationale: The instructions state: "The CEO does not require a 25% target line on the
graph" .
11. What should the chart clearly indicate according to the CEO's preference?
A. Only the top-performing route
B. Only routes below target
C. Both the top-performing route and routes below the 25% target
D. All routes with exact profit margins
Answer: C
Rationale: The CEO prefers that "the Take-a-Hike styling guide be used to clearly indicate
both the top-performing hiking route and the hiking routes that are below the required 25%
target profit margin" .
12. What is the time period for the guided hiking experiences data in the Take-a-Hike
case study?
A. January to December 2026
B. January to June 2026
C. July to December 2026
D. All of 2025
Answer: B
Rationale: The guided hiking experiences "were introduced in January 2026 as a new part of
Take-a-Hike's business" and the analysis covers the period "January to June 2026" .
13. Who provided the cleaned dataset for the Take-a-Hike case study?
A. The CEO
B. The CFO
