Authoring a PhD Thesis How to Plan, Draft, Write and Finish a Doctoral Dissertation by Patrick Dunleavy

176 ◆AUTHORING A PHD

0% 20% 40%

Percent using each means for purchases

Credit card Bank card Cash Other

60% 80% 100%

Germany 21 16

31

38

24

33

France

UK^27

45

60

(d) Percentage component chart

How consumers in three countries financed
major consumer purchases, 2001 (hypothetical)

Use a percentage component chart whenever:

• you want to show how the shares of something or
  percentages vary across a number of different cases
  or areas.

Don’t use percentage component charts if:

• the data is over-time or more complex;


• you have only one case (use a pie chart).

Points to watch:

• put the bars into an order that gives the clearest
  numerical progression you can achieve (unless the data
  is in categories with a fixed order or is chronological);


• avoid sequences which give a jumbled appearance –
  unless a pattern is visible don’t use this type of chart;


• show the percentage shares as a number inside the bar
  components (at least for large components);


• use clearly distinct shadings and labels for components.