Assessment 1
Use the Florida Pool Home Data file, linked in the Resources
under the Required Resources heading, to complete the calculations for the
following scenario.
You are also encouraged to use one of the statistical
applications, such as SAS Enterprise Guide or the Microsoft Excel Analysis
ToolPak, suggested in this course. Refer to the instructions in the Resources
to activate or download the software.
Practical Application Scenario
Suppose you are a real estate agent living and working in
southern Florida. The senior real estate partner of your firm e-mails you the
Florida Pool Home Data file and asks you to find ways to use data to describe
the most important aspects of home sales. The Florida Pool Home Data file
contains the data for 80 properties, including each home’s price, size, number
of bathrooms, and niceness rating and whether the home has a pool.
Directions
Use the scenario above and the Florida Pool Home Data file
to complete the following:
Create a table in which you calculate the mean, median,
range, and standard deviation of home price and size. Then, calculate the mode
for the number of bathrooms. Label this table as “Mean, Median, Range,
Standard Deviation, and Mode Results.”
Produce a histogram that shows the number of houses by price
range, in increments of $50,000 (for example: $0–$50,000, $50,001–$100,000, and
so on). Label this histogram as “Home Price Range Histogram.”
Produce a scatter plot showing the relationship between
price and home size. Under your scatter plot, indicate whether the relationship
is positive or negative as well as whether the results are what you expected.
Label this scatter plot as “Price and Size Scatter Plot.”
Write a report for the senior real estate partner that
details your findings and recommendations about the most important aspects of
home sales.
Additional Requirements
Compile all of your answers and your report in a single
Microsoft Word file:
Paste in the table and graphics you created to demonstrate
your work.
Clearly title your table and graphics, including each row
and column. (For example, for the table in question 1, you might use the
following labeling: Row 1, Column B contains the “Mean of Home Selling Prices”;
Row 1, Column C contains the “Mean of Home Size in Square Feet”; and
so on.)
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table or graphic.
Assessment 2
Use the following files, linked in the Resources under the
Required Resources heading, to complete both of the scenarios for this
assessment:
Confidence Interval Calculator.
Area Gas Prices – Random Sample.
Sample Size Estimator.
Practical Application Scenario 1
To complete this scenario, use the Confidence Interval
Calculator and the Area Gas Prices – Random Sample files.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper has decided to write
an article about gasoline prices in the Twin Cities area (Minneapolis and Saint
Paul, Minnesota). The Star Tribune has designed a survey and taken a simple random
sample of regular, unleaded gas prices at 70 area stations. The results are in
the Area Gas Prices – Random Sample file. The Star Tribune’s policy is that no
data will be reported unless it is 95 percent confident that the numbers are
correct. As the new manager of the data verification unit at the Star Tribune,
you need to develop a 95 percent confidence interval for the average price of
regular unleaded gasoline in the area.
Complete a confidence interval for the data provided, using
tables to demonstrate your method and findings.
Write a 3–5 sentence summary that communicates your results
to the Star Tribune’s business manager.
Practical Application Scenario 2
To complete this scenario, use the Sample Size Estimator
file.
The third shift at Microsoft Windows’ security unit in
Redmond, Washington, is considering replacing its coffee brewing units with new
German-made brewers. As the newest member of this elite Microsoft team, you
have been assigned to investigate this proposal. Develop a 99 percent
confidence interval for the average yield (cups per pound) for the new German
coffee brewer. The margin of error should be no bigger than .3 (three-tenths of
a cup). Based on experience with the current coffee makers, your best guess for
the population standard deviation, sigma, is 1.2 cups. How large a sample do
you need?
Calculate the estimated sample size needed for the above
scenario, using tables to demonstrate your method and findings.
Write a 3–5 sentence summary that communicates your results to
the business manager.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work for both scenarios in one Microsoft Word
file:
Paste in the tables you used.
Clearly title your tables, including each row and column.
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table.
Summarize your findings for each scenario in a 3–5 sentence
paragraph below each table.
Assessment 3
Use the Hypothesis Tester – Single Sample file (linked in
the Resources under the Required Resources heading) and data analysis software
to complete the calculations for this scenario.
You may also refer to the Hypothesis Tester – An
Introduction media piece (linked in the Resources under Suggested Resources) to
review the process for computing this equation.
Practical Application Scenario
In 2010, Playbill Magazine, a regionally based magazine,
consulted Boos Allen to determine the mean annual household income of its
readers. Using a list of customers provided by Playbill, Boos Allen randomly
sampled 300 Playbill customers. From that sample, Boos Allen is confident that
the average Playbill reader’s household income is $119,155, with a population
sample household income standard deviation of $30,000.
Recently, two Playbill executives suggested that the mean
average household income for Playbill readers has increased, and the magazine
price should be raised. As new marketing manager for Playbill, you convince the
chief operating officer to complete a second survey with Boos Allen to confirm
that assertion. Yesterday, the new Boos Allen report appeared on your desk.
From a new sample of Playbill customers, taken from a list of recent customers
you e-mailed to Boos Allen, the 2012 Playbill customer profile shows a mean
annual household income of $124,450, with a population standard deviation of household
income unchanged at $30,000.
You realize that you have enough data to perform a
one-sample hypothesis test. In order to choose the correct statistical tool to
complete this assessment, consider the following questions:
What do you know about the population being studied? (For
example, do you know the standard deviation of the overall population?)
What do you know about the population sample you chose? (For
example, which sample statistical parameters do you have, such as mean,
standard deviation, variance, and so on?)
Directions
Solve the following equations, based on the data from the
Hypothesis Tester – Single Sample file. Demonstrate your method and display
your results in table format, using Excel or another appropriate computer
application.
Identify the null hypothesis, via both a written explanation
and a math equation.
Determine the alternative hypothesis, via both a written
explanation and a math equation.
Solve the equation to determine whether to accept or reject
the null hypothesis.
Determine whether the p-value indicates acceptance or
rejection of the null. Use alpha = .05.
Next, address the following in a report to the executives:
Write a three-sentence paragraph that details your
recommendations for a course of action, based on your results.
Report the rejection or acceptance of the null, in terms of
the scenario results.
Explain why you can be statistically confident that the mean
household Playbill reader’s income has increased, decreased, or remained the
same.
State whether you would propose that the cost of the
magazine be raised.
Describe what would happen if alpha was .01.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work and report in a 1–2 page Microsoft Word
file:
Paste in the tables you used to make your calculations.
Clearly title your tables, including each row and column.
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table.
Assessment 4
Use the Mall of Elbonia Interview Results file, linked in
the Resources under the Required Resources heading, and data analysis software
to complete the scenario for this assessment.
You may also use the Hypothesis Tester – Single Sample file
to test your hypothesis; refer to the Hypothesis Tester – An Introduction media
piece (linked in the Resources) to review the process for computing this
equation.
Practical Application Scenario
In this scenario, you have just been hired away from your
Macy’s linens department buyer position by the Mall of Elbonia (MoE), as the
new food court manager. Why? Rumor had it you have just earned your MBA.
One week ago, the MoE conducted convenience interviews with
customers in the mall’s food court. One hundred interviews were gathered. The
results are summarized in the Mall of Elbonia Interview Results file. In this
file, you will find the customers listed in rows, with columns containing data
on:
The customer’s gender. (If you need this data for your
computations in this assessment, use the coding convention: 0 for female, 1 for
male.)
How much time the customer spent in the mall.
How much money he or she spent on food.
The customer’s rating of the mall’s friendliness and
attractiveness.
After you have applied the descriptive data measures, you
find the mean to be particularly telling. You believe that you can happily tell
the food court owners that the average amount mall customers spend on food
during a visit has increased. You realize this is a one-sample test of
hypothesis situation. A 2011 study previously found that customers spent an
average of $18.75 per visit.
Directions
Use the data in the Mall of Elbonia Interview Results file
and the process outlined below to confirm that the average amount mall
customers spend on food during a visit to your mall has increased. Use an alpha
of .05.
Determine the null hypothesis via the appropriate math
equation, and write a brief explanation.
Determine the alternative hypothesis via the appropriate
math equation, and write a brief explanation.
Solve the equation to determine whether to accept or reject
the null hypothesis.
Determine whether the p-value indicates acceptance or
rejection of the null. Use alpha = .05.
Next, address the following:
Report the rejection or acceptance of the null, in terms of
the scenario results.
Write a three-sentence paragraph that details:
Why you can be statistically confident that the average
amount a food court’s customer spends has increased, decreased, or remained the
same.
What would happen if alpha was .01 or .10.
Recommend actions to the food court owners based on your
findings.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work and report in a 1–2 page Microsoft Word
file:
Paste in the tables you used to make your calculations.
Clearly title your tables, including each row and column.
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table.
Assessment 5
You are the manager of the Blander Mountain store in
Frogtown, Illinois. Recently, a customer mentioned that he believed your prices
for ammunition were lower than the prices of Blander’s primary competitor in
the hunting equipment market. You would like to be able to include that
statement in a forthcoming print advertisement, so you need statistical
evidence to support this assertion.
Identify the null and alternative hypotheses needed to test
the contention.
Analyze the most appropriate sample selection technique to
gather data for testing the hypothesis.
Identify what statistical test you should use to test this
hypothesis with the data you will collect.
Compile your work in a 1–2 page Microsoft Word file, pasting
in any graphics or tables you used in your analysis.
Assessment 6
Use the Golf Ball Distance Test file, linked in the
Resources under the Required Resources heading, to complete the calculations
for the scenario for this assessment.
Practical Application Scenario
Your love of golf has brought you back to the range as the
new product manager for UniDun’s “Straight Flight” (SF) line of golf
balls. The company’s research and development group has been experimenting with
dimple patterns that promote straight flight and have achieved some degree of
success. You, however, are worried about the effect that the new pattern might
have on driving distance.
The Golf Ball Distance Test file contains test results that
compare the driving distances for the two different kinds of balls: 40 balls of
the new SF type, and 40 of the old UniDun type. Your job is to determine if the
old UniDun balls can be driven further than the new SF balls. To resolve this
question, you need to appropriately address the following:
Identify the null and alternative hypotheses you should form
for this test. State each both as a written explanation and as a math equation.
Identify the appropriate statistical test to accept or
reject the null hypothesis.
Calculate the p-value.
Summarize your findings and recommendations about the new
golf ball product to the vice president of marketing. Your report should not be
a statistical analysis of the testing but a summary of the testing results.
Assume that your audience is unfamiliar with statistical analysis.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work and report in a 1–2 page Microsoft Word
file:
Paste in the tables you used to make your calculations.
Clearly title your tables, including each row and column.
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table.
Assessment 7
Use the Mall Time Interview Results file, linked in the
Resources under the Required Resources heading, to complete the calculations
for this scenario.
Practical Application Scenario
As the food court manager at the Mall of Elbonia, you want
to determine how much time customers spend at the mall at different times of
the week (for example: midweek, day; midweek, evening; weekend, day; weekend,
evening). Last week, the mall survey staff administered a random survey to mall
visitors by selecting customers as they were leaving the mall. One of the
questions asked was how much time the customer had spent in the mall on that
day.
The findings from this study are provided in the Mall Time
Interview Results file. In this file, Columns A through D show the time spent
by the customers interviewed, according to the weekday and time of day when the
interviews occurred.
Is there any statistically significant difference (at alpha
= .05) in the average amount of time people spent in the mall, based on the
weekday and time? To determine the answer to that question, you need to
complete the following:
Identify the null and alternative hypotheses you should form
for this test. State each as a written explanation and as a math equation.
Identify the appropriate statistical test you should use to
accept or reject the null hypothesis.
Calculate the appropriate ANOVA values to accept or reject
your null and alternative hypotheses.
What should you tell the operators of the Mall of Elbonia’s
food court stores (in terms of the mall’s high-traffic times and customer
tendencies)? Summarize your statistical analysis in a report for management.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work and report in a 1–2 page Microsoft Word
file:
Paste in the tables you used to make your calculations.
Clearly title your tables, including each row and column.
Highlight the results of your data calculations within each
table.
Assessment 8
Preparation
Before beginning this assessment, use the Capella library
guide and the resources for this course to locate peer-reviewed articles that
describe the value of qualitative research methods or the ethics involved in
conducting qualitative surveys. You will use this information to address the
scenario for this assessment
Practical Application Scenario
Suppose you are a manager at a multimillion-dollar real
estate company. You have been entrusted to research the changing relationship
between real estate agents and their clients and to make a recommendation to
your organization’s leaders for addressing the growing demands on real estate
agents.
Develop a research question hierarchy for this endeavor.
Consider different types of qualitative data collection and
analysis methods, and the ways in which they can support business decision
making and strategies. How would you gather and assess qualitative data to
support business decision making?
Analyze the ethical issues, if any, that should concern you
in undertaking this initiative.
Compile your work into a 1–2 page Microsoft Word file,
pasting in any tables or charts you may have used to support your statements.
Assessment 9
To complete this assessment, use data analysis software and
the Campus Crime Data Excel file, linked in the Resources under the Required
Resources heading. The Excel file contains two data sheets:
The Campus Crime Data for Minnesota (2009–2011) page
provides actual data generated by the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus
Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool.
The Campus Crime Data Codebook explains the labels used in
the Campus Crime Data sheet.
Practical Application Scenario
As a result of recent campus safety concerns at Capella
University, you have been engaged by campus security team leaders to gather and
analyze data about on-campus crime rates in schools in the state of Minnesota.
Crime data from 181 Minnesota campuses has been compiled in the Campus Crime
Data file.
Write a management report for campus security team leaders
analyzing and evaluating campus crime data for Minnesota. Include your findings
and recommendations for your clients. In your report, be sure to examine the
following:
Identify what crimes were most commonly committed on
Minnesota campuses between 2009 and 2011. Based on the data, would you say the
crime rates decreased or increased from 2009 to 2011?
The campus security leaders believe that the total crime
rate in public institutions is more than that in private institutions. They
have asked you to test that hypothesis. Describe your results.
Your clients would also like you to develop a 95 percent
confidence interval for the difference in total campus crime rates between
public and private institutions in Minnesota. Report your results.
Analyze what ethical issues, if any, should concern you in
conducting your research.
Additional Requirements
Compile your work and report in a 2–4 page Word document.
Include whatever relevant tables and graphics you need to
support your findings. Place your tables and graphics within the text and be
sure to clearly title them. Your tables and graphics must be legible and
suitable for inclusion in a management report.
Reference
U.S. Department of Education. (n.d.). The campus safety and
security data analysis cutting tool [Data files]. Retrieved from http://ope.ed.gov/security/
