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Argosy UniversityCOURSE SYLLABUS

R7103Solutions Oriented Business Research Methods

http://www.myeclassonline.com

Faculty InformationFaculty Name: Dr. Edward N. BalliCampus: Argosy ChicagoContact Information: [email protected] Hours: 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Wednesdays.

Short Faculty Bio: I am a partner in Financial and Managerial Solutions in Dekalb, Illinois. I earned my Doctorate in Business Administration in Accounting with a minor in MIS from Argosy University in October 2007. My experience is in working with small to medium size private and public firms in the Midwest with accounting, management and information systems. The recommendations may include a complete audit of the operations to recommendations of proposed application software, telecommunications, and hardware. I have over 25 years of experience working with small to medium size firms in the Midwest region. I have taught part time for over 15 years at Aurora University in business courses.

I am a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA); Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA); Certified Internal Auditor (CIA); Special Interest Group on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (SIGKDD); and Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM); American Mathematical Society (AMS) and Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS)

Course description: This foundation course in business research provides an overview of business research methods and concepts of probability theory, regression analysis and assumptions of multivariate analysis. Computer software and the ethics of research in business settings are also components of the course.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbook:

Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S. (2008). Business Research Methods with CD. 10th Ed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 9780077224875.

Course length: 7.5 Weeks

COURSE INFORMATIONSummer 1 2008May 5th to June 25th

Course Credit: 3 hoursMeeting Time: Wednesday 6PM to 10PM

In Class MeetingsSession DATES TIMESSession 1 05/07 6 PM to 10PMSession 2 05/14 6 PM to 10PM Session 3 05/21 6 PM to 10PMSession 4 05/28 6 PM to 10PM Session 5 06/04 6 PM to 10PMSession 6 06/11 6 PM to 10PMSession 7 06/18 6 PM to 10PMSession 8 06/25 6 PM to 10PM

Contact Hours: 45 Hours

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes:1. Research

1.1. Performing – Design, conduct, and justify applied research in a business context using appropriate methodology1.2. Understanding – Evaluate and apply existing theory and research to current business practice

2. Communication2.1. Oral – Present orally, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a professional

manner appropriate to the business context2.2. Written – Present in writing, complex business information that is concise, clear, organized, and well supported in a

professional manner appropriate to the business context using required format3. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving

3.1. Critical thinking – Evaluate relevance of established theory to current business practice and identify gaps in current literature 3.2. Problem Solving/Decision Making – Given a business situation, diagnose the underlying causes of the situation, evaluate

possible solutions, in relation to underlying business theory and determine and defend appropriate course of action3.3. Information Literacy - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the

sources, and apply that information to create new knowledge4. Team

4.1. Leadership - Conduct an exhaustive literature search from a variety of sources, evaluate the credibility of the sources, and apply that information to create new knowledge

4.2. Collaboration - Given a case study or business situation collect, assimilate, and disseminate the views of stakeholders5. Ethics

5.1. Ethics - Given a case study or business situations, evaluate the ethical dimensions of decision situations and personal, social, and corporate responsibility not absolved by market forces

6. Diversity6.1. Diversity - Given a case study or business situation evaluate the multicultural dimensions of decision situations and

multicultural solutions to business situations

Course Objectives:1. Structure problems to prepare for decision analysis.

1.1 Given a business situation, identify qualitative and quantitative variables. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)1.2 Given statements about the frequency of two or more events, calculate conditional and joint probabilities. (Program

Outcomes: 3.1, 3.2)1.3 Calculate z scores, convert them to probabilities and vice versa. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)1.4 Use Excel with PHStat2 to enter data and calculate test statistics and probabilities. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)1.5 Construct confidence intervals. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)1.6 Describe the hypothesis testing procedure. (Program Outcomes: 2.2, 3.3)1.7 Determine whether the necessary conditions have been met to apply a specific statistical technique. (Program Outcomes:

3.2)1.8 Identify whether a one-tailed or a two-tailed test is appropriate. (Program Outcomes: 1.2, 3.3)

2. Develop and refine data gathering skills and techniques2.1 Organize data into frequency distributions. (Program Outcomes: 3.1)2.2 Explain the relationship between populations and samples. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2)

3. Analyze a business problem by (a) identifying the issues, (b) gathering, compiling and organizing data, (c) recommending solutions, and (d) determining success measures and objectives

3.1 Select the appropriate functions in PHStat2 to solve basic statistical problems. (Program Outcomes:1.1, 3.1, 3.2)3.2 Apply appropriate hypothesis testing procedures to one, two and multiple sets of data. (Program Outcomes: 3.2, 5.1)3.3 Apply appropriate hypothesis testing procedures to categorical data. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 6.1)3.4 Find the appropriate balance between Type I and Type II errors. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.1)3.5 Distinguish between statistical and causal relationships. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.1)3.6 Calculate the least squares regression line. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)3.7 Calculate coefficients of correlation and determination. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)3.8 Select the appropriate functions in PHStat2 to construct multiple regression models. (Program Outcomes: 1.2, 3.3)

3.9 Given a business situation, assess the strengths and weaknesses of statistical analysis. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 3.1)

4. Recognize problem resolution skills through the application of systems thinking and creative/innovative methodologies4.1 Find the relevance of descriptive and inferential statistics to business decision-making. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2,

3.1, 5.1)4.2 Given different measures of central tendency and variability, determine which are consistent with one another. (Program

Outcomes: 3.2, 3.3)4.3 Make inferences about populations from sample data, and vice versa. (Program Outcomes: 3.1, 5.1)4.4 Construct a sampling distribution of the sample mean. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)4.5 Use the Central Limit Theorem to make estimates. (Program Outcomes: 3.1, 3.2)4.6 Identify the weakness of point estimates. (Program Outcomes: 2,2 3.1)4.7 Use confidence intervals to augment point estimates. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)4.8 Determine appropriate sample sizes. (Program Outcomes: 3.2)4.9 Identify dependent and independent variables. (Program Outcomes: 1.1, 1.2, 3.1)4.10 Given historical data, use simple linear and multiple regression to make predictions, and assess the likely accuracy of

predictions. (Program Outcomes: 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1)

Assignment Table

Module Module Topics Readings Assignments1 Introduction to Business

Research

Research in Business

Thinking Like a Researcher

Chapters 1, 3 & 4. Assignment 1

For the first day, write a one-page biography introducing yourself to other members of the class in Online discussion board. The autobiography should include your current profession, career goals, expectations for the class, familiarity with online courses, major contributions to your profession, and other personal information. Also, answer the following

Ethics in Business Research question.

How do you think this course will help you in achieving your career goals?

Submit your online paper on the first day of class.

For the second day in class, spend some time reading the introductions of others to get to know your classmates and respond with a welcome to each of them. Communicate your ideas and opinions explicitly and clearly in writing for discussion in class.

Assignment 2

Develop a theory showing constructs, predictive indicators, and criterion variable(s) that will explain the differences in academic success that various students achieve in a K-12 grade school and a higher education institution. Submit a 1-3 page paper using APA fifth edition.

Assignment 3

Individually locate a peer-reviewed journal article in an area of business, social science, psychology, or medicine that is of interest to you. Your selected article should be a research article with sufficient content for a two page report.

The objective of the critique is to describe how the study followed, or failed to follow, the criteria for good research, as described in Chapter 1. You must speculate on which of the writer’s conclusions were warranted,

and which were not.

Your literature review should be at least five pages discussing your findings and analysis. Cite three or more references. Adhere to APA standards as established in the 5th edition.

Assignment 4

The purpose of the research project is to develop a Multiple Regression Model that will allow your team to study and make inferences about a quantitative variable of interest to you (the dependent criterion variable Y). The team should identify the population and at least two other variables (predictor variables X) that the team believes are highly correlated with the Y variable.

Secondary published data should be selected from business, education, psychology, social sciences, medicine, sports, entertainment etc. Before proceeding with the statistical analysis, consult with your instructor on the suitability of the dataset. (Refer to CD-ROM supplied with Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2008). Business Research Methods with CD, 10th Edition.)

The population of interest must be large (i.e. have a size of at least 1000 units).The sample should be chosen randomly (and stratified if necessary) and should have a size of at least 20 data points for each independent variable but no more than a sample of 100 data in total.

The report should be submitted in an MSWord file with tables, graphs, narrative, interpretation, discussion, and conclusions (see below for

guidelines).

The Final Report should be brief and follow APA format (maximum 15 pages long, excluding the abstract, references, tables, graphs, and appendix). The quality of the written work will be a factor considered when grading.

You will use EXCEL with PHStat2 or SPSS or MINITAB to obtain the regression equation, the regression analysis output, and appropriate residual plots. Analyze the model and write a report summarizing your findings as a research paper worthy of publication. Please include in your study predictions of interest along with your data.

Guidelines in data selection:

Which ever topic you choose for the project, first identify the variables and ask the following questions. Then examine if you can obtain secondary data on those variables.

1. What is the dependent variable Y? The dependent variable must be metric data (i.e. it must have a numeric scale and an interval.) The dependent variable must be normally distributed.

2. What are the independent variables X1, X2, X3, ... Xm? The independent variables must all be metric data.

3. After identifying the dependent and independent variables, ask yourself if the independent variables are directly affecting the dependent variable or the relationships between independent and dependent variables associational. Based on you answer to this question, propose a hypothesis.

4. Identify the limitations of the study, such as ease of data gathering

and process reliability, sample size, measurement errors etc. Note that you are NOT designing a questionnaire survey or asking questions to subjects. You will only obtained secondary published data.

The following topics should be included in your study:

a. Problem Statement, questions asked and benefits of this study.b. Literature review to support your problem statement and

hypotheses.c. Description of regression model, formal statement of hypotheses,

assumptions and limitations, data collection process, and any other information relevant to the problem.

d. Processes and methods used in the conduct of the statistical analyses.

e. Conduct a Reliability Test (Cronbach Alpha) on the dataset.f. Interpretation and discussion of the regression coefficients. This

interpretation must include confidence intervals or hypothesis tests about the regression coefficients.

g. Interpretation of R² (coefficient of determination).h. Discussion of the significance of the regression model using the

ANOVA perspective.i. Test of significance for each of the independent variables X.j. Interpretation of confidence intervals and prediction intervals.k. Analysis of Residual Plots to verify validity of the Regression

Model.l. Discussion of presence or absence of Multi-Colinearity (supported

by correlation matrix and or scatter plots).m. If needed, a description of an improved model.n. Conduct an Internal Validity Test of the dataset and results.

Validity Test is done by selecting 60% of the dataset as holdout

sample and repeating steps f to m to observe if similar results were obtained. Compare the results between the full 100% and 60% holdout samples.

The research paper should be organized as follows (publishable quality, not exceeding 15 pages excluding abstract, references, tables, graphs, appendix):

Title Page

Table of Content

Abstract (100-200 words)

Purpose - Design/methodology/approach – Findings - Originality/value - Keywords

Chapter 1: Introduction

Problem background - Purpose of the study - Research questions - Limitations and delimitations - Importance of the study

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Chapter 3: Methodology

Hypotheses - Selection of secondary data – Assumptions - Data Processing

Chapter 4: Analysis of Results

Integrity of data - reliability - Data analysis and interpretations - Internal validity of data -Limitations and assumptions

Chapter 5: Conclusions & Recommendations

Findings - Areas of further study - Benefits of the study

Appendix:

Sample Dataset and Computer outputs.

The following must be included in the appendix:

a. Printout of sample data collectedb. Scatter plots and correlation matrixc. Multiple Regression printout obtained via EXCEL with PHStat2 or

SPSS or MINITAB. Please choose fullest output.d. Confidence and Prediction Intervals for two sets of values of the X

variablese. Residual Plots, Homogeneity Test, Homoscedasticity of Variances,

Reliability & Validity results.

You should write this paper with the view that it could be published later (since the University believes in encouraging students to publish).

The Research Project will involve stating the purpose of the study, proposing hypotheses, literature review to support the hypotheses, secondary data collection, statistical analyses and interpretations, data

reliability and validity, conclusions and recommendations.

By the end of Module 2, every group should be ready to discuss in class the following information:

1. Names of the assigned 3 or 4 students in the group.2. Description of the population to be studied.3. Definition of the dependent variable (Y) and the independent

variables (X 's) to be used in your study.4. Description of how you plan to collect the sample data so that it is

a valid random sample.

At the end of the course, in Module 8, you will collate all information you have gathered into a business plan using an Organizing Project document. Go through the sections in this document to get an idea of how your final project submission will take shape. This is necessary because this will ensure that your project task in each module is completed with this final goal in mind. The document should be about 15 pages long and written in the APA format with respect to citations and references. The analysis section must include an interpretation of all EXCEL with PHStat2 or SPSS or MINITAB printouts.

Team Formation

During the first week, your facilitator will divide you into teams comprising 3–4 members. As a team, your first task is to complete the Team Project Plan. Each team member will assume different roles, such as CEO, Vice president, Director, Manager, etc. Nominate one member from

your team to take on the role of team leader. In the subsequent weeks, another team member will assume the leadership role so that all members have an opportunity to be team leader. This will help in effective allocation of work among team members.

Your instructor will consult with each class member to assign the member to a particular team. It is encouraged to designate project meetings to discuss your progress and work. After you are assigned to a Team, contact your team member and organize your tasks. Your Instructor will check in to see how you are progressing.

The task should be equally divided between team members. Your team of three members will follow the directives below. Allow your team leader to take the final decision.

As a team, your first task is to complete the Team Project Plan. In the first week, organize a meeting with all the team members to discuss the scope of your project. Discuss the following:

Process of teamwork for the entire project Issues that will be solved in the project Process to ensure teamwork Process for conflict resolution in a team Operating procedures for the team Process to deal with non-performance if it occurs Group norms

The Team Project Plan is an assessment instrument which will be used throughout the duration of the course to determine how well your team works together and how each team member performs individually.

Remember, as in the workplace, you will be evaluated on your individual performance as well as your team’s abilities and participation. A thorough project plan will identify if any team member goes off the track and jeopardizes the grade of the team on this project.

The table below defines each team member’s task.

Student Names Task Delivery Deadline

Team Member A

1. Define the process of teamwork for the entire project.

2. Identify the issues that will be solved in the project.

3. Decide on the dependent and independent variables. Give your rationale for this choice.

By week 3, prepare a report in Word format.E-mail the findings to other team members.

Team Member B

1. Identify a process to ensure teamwork.

2. Establish operating procedures for the team.

3. Draw an organization chart showing the company, its domestic operations, and its overseas operations

By week 3, prepare a report in Word format.E-mail the findings to other team members.

Team Member C 1. Define a process for By week 3, prepare a

(Team Leader)

conflict resolution in a team.

2. Establish group norms. Indicate how the team will deal with non-performance, if it occurs.

3. State your planned entry strategy and give your reasons for this strategy. Use the BCG Matrix model to support your reasons.

report in Word format.E-mail the findings to other team members.

In week 4, conduct meeting with all the team members. In this meeting, discuss all the issues faced in this assignment, and help your team leader combine individual findings. Use established APA 5th edition guidelines for effective writing. Submit the Team Project Plan in class.

2 The Research Process

Clarifying the Research Question through Secondary Data and Exploration

Chapters 2 and 5. Assignment 1

A. Gentlemen’s Magazine has asked you to carry out a research study. The magazine has been unsuccessful in attracting shoe manufacturers as advertisers. When the sales force tried to secure advertising from shoe manufacturers, they were told men’s clothing stores are a small and dying segment of their business. Since Gentlemen’s Magazine goes chiefly to men’s clothing stores, the manufacturers reasoned that it was not a good

vehicle for their advertising. The editor believes that a survey (via mail questionnaire) of men’s clothing stores in the United States will probably show that these stores are important outlets for men’s shoes and are not declining in importance as show outlets. He asks you to develop a proposal for the study and submit it to him. Develop a management-research question hierarchy that will help you develop a scientific proposal.

OR

B. With the advancement of technology that has created virtual classrooms and hands-on experiments accessible by all students from any location, imagine a scenario where K-12 education will no longer be confined to four walls classroom and where education will take place in a variety of settings, including cyberspace and virtual reality. Develop a research proposal that illustrates the research questions you may ask.

Respond to one of the above-mentioned question as assigned by the instructor in a 2-4 page paper. Be sure to use vocabulary that is relevant to the topic!

Be prepared to discuss your response in class. When providing feedback in class, be objective, clear, and concise in your critique. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress.

Assignment 2

Answer one of the following research scenarios in a 1-3 page paper using

APA 5th edition standards.

The restaurant business is notoriously difficult; seventy percent of new restaurants fail within two years of opening. You are deciding whether to make a financial investment in a new restaurant. The entrepreneur or chef who is asking for your backing has started four restaurants previously. Three of them failed within two years; the other one was sold for a substantial profit after 3 years in business. Based solely on this information, is the entrepreneur or chef's track record in the restaurant business better or worse than average? Give reasons for your answer.

OR

How does it help you to perform statistical analyses and assess the outcome of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) program in a K-12 grade school if a variable (graduating standardized test scores) is not normally distributed? Describe three tests that can be used to determine whether a variable is normally distributed, including the criteria for deciding whether each test has been met or not.

Assignment 3

Locate a peer-reviewed journal article in an area of business, social science, psychology, or medicine that involves ethical issues in research. It should be a research article with sufficient content for a two-page report. Use the checklist (given below) to evaluate the article.

Provide in APA format detailed reference to the journal article you looked at so that it can be accessed by others.

Checklist For Evaluating Research Articles

1. Describe the purpose of the article.2. What is the problem? Is it clearly stated?3. Does the problem have a theoretical rationale?4. How significant is the problem?5. Is there a review of the literature? If so, is it relevant? Describe

briefly.6. Are the constructs operationally defined?7. What are the hypotheses? How clearly are they stated?8. Is the procedure (or method) used to address and answer the

problem described fully and completely to enable future researchers to replicate the study? Describe briefly.

9. Was a sample used? If so, how was it selected? Provide sample information.

10. What are the limitations or delimitations of the study? Were these stated?

11. Are there any probable sources of error that might influence the results of the study? If so, have they been controlled or acknowledged as limitations to the generalizability of the research?

12. What statistical techniques are used to analyze the data? Are they appropriate?

13. How clearly are the results presented? Describe the results.

14. What are the findings? Are they presented clearly? Do the data support the conclusions? Does the researcher over-generalize the findings? Explain.

3 Research Design

Secondary Data

Chapters 6-10 Assignment 1

Searches

Qualitative Research

Observation Studies

Surveys

Experiments and Test Markets

Answer any two of the following scenarios.

In the following situations, decide whether you would use a personal interview, telephone survey, or self-administered questionnaire. Give your reasons. Respond to the two questions as assigned by the instructor. Be prepared to discuss in class.

1. A survey of the residents of a new subdivision on why they happened to select that area in which to live. You also wish to secure some information about what they like and do not like about life in the subdivision.

2. A poll of students at Metro University on their preferences among three candidates who are running for president of the student government.

3. A survey of 58 wholesale grocery companies scattered over the eastern United States, on their personnel management policies for warehouse personnel.

4. A study of financial officers of the Fortune 500 corporations to learn their predictions for the economic outlook in their industries in the next year.

5. A study of applicant requirements, job tasks, and performance expectations as part of a job analysis of student work-study jobs on a college campus of 2,000 students, where 1,500 are involved in the work-study program.

Assignment 2

Answer any one of the following scenarios.

A. A sample of randomly chosen customers of your company has been

surveyed; each customer has rated his/her overall level of satisfaction with the service provided by your company on a scale from 1 to 10. The mean level of satisfaction of the sample is 6.3, and the standard deviation is 1.5

a. What is the standard error of the mean if the sample included 100 customers?

b. What is the standard error of the mean if the sample included 400 customers?

c. Explain the relationship between your answers to a and b.d. What is the distribution of the sample mean? Why?

B. In another setting of a health care institution with the same set of data as in the previous assignment, what information would you need to know to decide how many patients should be included in the sample? If you wanted to infer the mean of the population of patient satisfaction within plus or minus 0.5 points at a .05 level of significance, how many patients should be included in the sample? Explain how you calculated your answer.

Assignment 3: Collaborative Team Research Project

Prepare a progress report on Chapter 1: Introduction describing the following:

Problem background Purpose of the study Research questions Limitations and delimitations Importance of the study

Submit this chapter to your instructor for approval before proceeding to the next phase of the project. Be prepared to discuss your progress in class.

4 The Sources and Collection of Data

Measurement

Measurement Scales

Questionnaires and Instruments

Crafting Effective Measurement Questions

Pretesting Options and Discoveries

Sampling



A. One of the problems in developing rating scales is choosing the response terms to use. Below are samples of some widely used scaling codes. Do you see any problem with them? Explain.

a. Yes—Depends—Nob. Excellent—Good—Fair—Poorc. Excellent—Good—Average—Fair—Poord. Strongly Approve—Approve—Uncertain—Disapprove—Strongly

Disapprove

B. Your task is to interview a representative sample of attendees for the large concert venue where you work. The new season schedule includes 200 live concerts featuring all types of musicians and musical groups. Since neither, the number of attendees nor their descriptive characteristics is known in advance, you decide on non-probability sampling. Based on past configurations, you can calculate the number of tickets that will be available for each of the 200 concerts. Thus, collectively, you will know the number of possible attendees for each type of music. From attendance research conducted at concerts held by the Glacier Symphony during the previous two years, you can obtain gender data on attendees by type of music. How would you conduct a reasonably reliable non-probability study to find out expected ticket sale?

Respond to the questions as assigned by the instructor.

Assignment 2


A. A door manufacturer wants to monitor the performance of a new painting process, which was designed to apply paint with a mean thickness of 0.7mm by detecting any departure from this target. One hundred doors are randomly chosen from each day’s production, and the thickness of paint on each of the 100 doors is measured.

a. Explain how you would test whether the mean thickness of paint on the entire day’s production meets the required standard of 0.7mm, using a .01 level of significance. Include all the following in your explanation:

i. whether the test will be one-tailed or two-tailed;ii. how you would calculate a test statistic;

iii. how you would define the rejection region;iv. any assumptions you would make;v. how you would interpret the possible results of the test.

b. In a school study, the mean grade point of ninth graders was 3.57 with standard deviation of 0.30 and sample size of 25. Comparing to the all-State school’s, the overall mean grade point was 3.42. Use these data to conduct the test of hypothesis.

B. In your own words, explain in ten steps how two new treatments for a medical disease could be compared using the statistical method of hypothesis testing.

Respond to the questions as assigned by the instructor.


Prepare a progress report on Chapter 2: Literature Review. Submit this chapter to instructor for approval before proceeding to the next phase of the project. Be prepared to discuss your progress in class.

5 Analysis and Presentation of Data

Data Preparation and Description

Exploring, Displaying, and Examining Data

Hypothesis Testing


Respond to the questions as assigned by the instructor. Answer one of the following research scenarios in a 1-3 page paper. Be sure to use vocabulary that is relevant to the topic. Adhere to APA standards as established in the fifth edition.

A. What hypothesis testing procedure would you use in the following situations? Explain your reasons, including assumptions and limitations for selecting the procedure. 1. A test classifies applicants as accepted or rejected. Based on 200 applicants, test the hypothesis that ad placement success is not related to gender. 2. A company manufactures and markets automobiles in two different countries. You want to know if the gas mileage is the same for vehicles from both facilities. There are samples of 45 units from each facility.

B. Suppose you were preparing a two-way table of percentages for the following pairs of variables. How would you run the percentages? 1. Age and consumption of breakfast cereal.

2. Family income and confidence about the family’s future. 3. Marital status and sports participation. 4. Crime rate and unemployment rate.

Assignment 2

Answer one question.

1. Each year a study is conducted of children’s drug, alcohol, and tobacco usage. Children in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades are asked about their use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, (abuse of) prescription drugs, beer, wine, and liquor. For each substance, they are asked about their use during the past 30 days, and during the past twelve months.

The results of the study are reported separately for boys and girls, and are compared with the previous year’s results. Typically, media reports of the annual study take the form of, “Marijuana use rises among eighth grade girls.”

Explain why it is not possible to know whether the increase in eighth grade girls’ use of marijuana is statistically significant.

Explain the role that an analysis of variance could play in establishing whether any of the results of the study are statistically significant, and how you would identify which results of the study might be statistically significant.

2. Your company is deciding which of four machines to purchase for a production line. The machines are all designed to fill and close bottles of liquid detergent. Each machine is tested for the same period on 10 separate

occasions in a completely randomized design.

The results are as follows:

Bottles Filled Per Minute by Machine

Time period A B C D1 251.2 263.2 269.7 251.62 245.1 262.9 263.2 248.63 248.0 265.0 277.5 249.44 251.1 254.5 267.4 242.05 260.5 264.3 270.5 246.56 250.0 257.0 265.5 251.37 253.9 262.8 270.7 261.88 244.6 264.4 272.9 249.09 254.6 260.6 275.6 247.110 248.8 255.9 266.5 245.9

Conduct an F-test to test the hypothesis that the population means for machines A, B, C, and D is equal. State the assumptions that are necessary to ensure the validity of the test. Interpret the result.

Assignment 3: Research Project

Prepare a progress report on Chapter 3: Methodology – Hypotheses, Selection of Secondary Data, Assumptions, and Data Processing.

Submit this chapter to the instructor for approval before proceeding to the next phase of the project. Be prepared to discuss your progress in class.

6 Measures of Association

Multivariate Analysis

Presenting Results: Oral and Written Reports

Chapters 18 & 20 Assignment 1

Answer one of the following research scenarios.

1. From a managerial viewpoint, what type of statistical method do you recommend in each of the following cases and why? Describe the variables you would want to measure.

You want to develop an estimating equation that will be used to predict which applicants will come to your university as students.

You would like to predict family income using such variables as education and stage in the family life cycle.

You wish to estimate standard labor costs for manufacturing a new dress design.

2. There are a number of graphic presentation forms. As a manager, which one of the following would you recommend to show each of the following? Justify your answer and support it would examples.

A comparison of changes in average annual per capita income for the United States and Japan from 1990-2005.

The percentage composition of average family expenditure patterns, by the major types of expenditures, for families whose heads are under age 35 compared with families whose heads are 55 or older.

A comparison of changes in charitable giving between December 31, 2000 and December 31, 2005.

Respond to the questions as assigned by the instructor. Answer one of the following research scenarios in a 1-3 page paper. Be sure to use

vocabulary that is relevant to the topic. Adhere to APA standards as established in the fifth edition.

Assignment 2

The Company you work for employs 585 assembly-line workers – 526 men and 59 women. 16 men and 10 women have been selected to be laid off.

Answer one of the following research applications considering the above fact pattern. Use at least five terms relevant to the current module's topics. Use APA fifth edition style accurately and consistently.

You have been consulted as a statistical expert because your company is concerned that the 10 women who are to be laid off may sue the company, claiming that they have been discriminated against.

Apply your business research knowledge to answer the following:

1. Construct the strongest possible argument that the laid off women could make in favor of their assertion that they have been discriminated against.

2. Identify the assumptions that underlie the argument made in #1.3. Defend the layoffs by showing that the assumptions in b) are

inconsistent with the claim – if it can be proved – that the company chose the 26 workers to lay off based solely on performance-based criteria.

Write a minimum four-page report on your analysis and submit it by end

of week.

OR

Of the 526 male assembly-line workers, 134 were over 40 years of age. 12 of the 16 laid off men are over 40 years of age. Those 12 men are alleging that they were discriminated against because of their age.

Apply your business research knowledge to answer the following:

Construct the strongest possible argument that the 12 laid off men over 40 years of age could make in favor of their assertion that they have been discriminated against.

The 134 male workers over 40 years of age earned a mean of $38,762, while the 392 male workers under the age of 40 earned a mean of $36,894. Does this information strengthen or weaken the argument made in #1? Give reasons for your answer.

The company argues that the men could always have found a cut-off age above and below which the proportions of workers laid off would be different from one another. If it had not been 40, it might have been 35 or 30, or 45 or 50; but there would always be some age that would divide the workers into two groups that would appear to have been treated differently. Is this argument valid? Explain your answer.

Write a minimum four-page report on your analysis and submit it by end of week.


Prepare a progress report on Chapter 4: Analysis of Results - Integrity of Data - Reliability, Data Analysis and Interpretations, Internal Validity of Data, Limitations and Assumptions. Submit this chapter to your instructor for approval before proceeding to the next phase of the project. Be prepared to discuss your progress in class.

7 Multiple Regression in Research

Statistics Tools in Multiple Regression

Describing Data Statistically

Multivariate Analysis

Chapters 16, 19 Assignment 1

Answer one of the following research scenarios.

Your company builds roads, bridges, schools, and other multi-million dollar public construction projects. Competitive bids are invited for the contracts to undertake these projects. For each project, there are three costs involved:

Best estimate of what the project will cost the company Adjusted cost on which the company bases its bid Actual cost incurred towards completing the project

Find out whether the cost estimates that are made before the bidding process are accurate predictors of the actual costs of completed projects.

Explain how you would use a linear regression model to answer that question.

OR

A study was conducted to see if there was a relationship between employee salary and employee’s age, education level, and work

experience. For the results of the multiple regression analysis, see the document below.

You need to do the following:

State the hypothesis of this study and limitations you envisage. Analyze the Model Summary and ANOVA table. Analyze the Coefficients table. Answer the following questions: Are all of the coefficients significantly contributing to the

relationship? If so why? If not why not? What should be your next steps in this regression analysis process?

Respond to the questions as assigned by the instructor. Answer one of the following research scenarios in a 1-3 page paper. Be sure to use vocabulary that is relevant to the topic. Adhere to APA standards as established in the fifth edition.


Prepare a progress report on Chapter 5: Conclusions & Recommendations – Findings, Areas of Further Study, Benefits of the Study, and Appendix: Sample Dataset and Computer Outputs.

Submit this chapter to your instructor for approval before proceeding to

the next phase of the project. Be prepared to discuss your progress in class.

8 Reflect on Course and Research Project

Appendices: A, B, C, D

Submit final collaborative team research project to the instructor. Be prepared to discuss your project and your thoughts on the overall process/project in class.

Grading Criteria

Grading Scale Grading requirements

Page

A 100 – 93A- 92 – 90B+ 89 – 88B 87 – 83B- 82 – 80C+ 79 – 78C 77 – 73C- 72 – 70F 69 and below

Attendance/participation 25%Weekly Assignments 20%Final paper 35%Online discussion 10%SPSS problem 10%

100%

32

Library:

All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are located athttp://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/

http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html

http://library.argosy.edu/

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

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