Small business productivity. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index asked 592 small business owners in March 2004 what steps they had taken in the past year to increase productivity. They found that 60% of small business owners had updated their computers, 52% had made other (noncomputer) capital investments, 37% hired parttime instead of full-time workers, 24% had not replaced workers who left voluntarily, 15% had laid off workers, and 10% had lowered employee salaries.

a) What do you notice about the percentages listed? How could this be?

b) Make a bar chart to display the results and label it clearly.

c) Would a pie chart be an effective way of communicating this information? Why or why not?

d) Write a couple of sentences on the steps taken by small businesses to increase productivity.