Posted: September 17th, 2017

Business Analytics

Business Analytics
T2 2015

Assignment One

Marks:        20%

Due Date:        5.00pm Tuesday 18 August 2015 (Tuesday of Week 7)

(Submitted electronically to the Portal AND in identical hardcopy to your lecturer’s locker.

Background

This assignment requires you to analyse a dataset, interpret the results and then report your findings in a written letter to a person with little or no knowledge of statistical data analysis.

The assignment must be completed individually.
The assignment uses the file “Chengducorp.xlsx” which can be downloaded from Moodle.
Scenario

Chengducorp is a China based car parts manufacturer  with a factory in Melbourne  which employs 2,000 people. It wished to study its full-time workforce by developing an employee profile that measures factors such as salary, job satisfaction and career progress.
You will be playing the role of Penny Zhao, a Senior Analyst within the company. Senior management of Chengducorp has asked you to conduct the survey of Chengducorp employees. You decide to take a random sample of 450 staff and conduct the survey via company internal mail. The results are saved in the data set “Chengducorp.xlsx”.
Elaine Liu,Human Resources Manager at Chengducorp, has written to you regarding the survey. Her letter to you is reproduced on page 3.

Assignment submission

Your submission will comprise two (2) parts:
•    Part 1: Data Analysis (the Excel output, max. 8 pages)
•    Part 2: Written letter (max. 2 pages).

Both parts may be contained in a single file, but their content must be separated. Failure to separate Part 1 and Part 2 will be penalised dependant on the severity. Furthermore marks will be deducted for each part where the page limit is exceeded.

The Assignment must be submitted both,
i.    electronically and
ii.    in identical hardcopy by the due date.
o    10% of available marks will be deducted if the assignment is only submitted in one format.
Electronic submission:
There will be a link in Moodle under Week 7 labelled “Assignment 1 Online Submission”, where a maximum of three (3) files (max. 10 MB in total) can be uploaded. The naming of the files as well as the composition is your choice. For example, you can have one file containing everything with the two parts separated (see above), or separate files for the analysis and the letter.
Hardcopy submission:
1)    The printed hardcopy of the assignment must be identical with the electronic submission!
Differences will be penalised dependant on the severity.
2)    Students must complete the Deakin College Assignment Cover Sheet. Assignments submitted without a completed assignment cover Sheet will NOT be accepted, and therefore considered not submitted.
3)    The completed Assignment Cover Sheet must be stapled together with the printed hardcopy. Loose paper is not acceptable. The lecturer assumes no responsibility for lost pages!
4)    The hardcopy must be placed in the student’s/group’s lecturer’s locker.
(Assignments will not be accepted at Deakin College Reception).
Students must maintain backup copies of all their assignment work. Electronic loss of data is common, but is NOT a satisfactory excuse for an extension of the submission date.

Late submission of assignments

Extension for medical reasons
If your work is late due to medical reasons, you will not need to seek the prior approval from your lecturer. However, you must attach a Doctor’s certificate to your assignment with a note that the work is late for medical reasons.

Please note that, in these circumstances, the medical certificate must cover the entire period of the extension, from the time the assignment was due until the time it is submitted.

Penalties for late submissions
Assignments received late and without prior approval, will be penalised. A penalty of 5% of the available marks will be deducted for every day the assignment is late. Assignments received after one (1) calendar week and without an approved extension, will not be accepted, and therefore considered not submitted.

For Attention:         Penny Zhao, Senior Analyst                        19/08/2015
From:             Elaine Liu, Human Resources Manager
Regarding:         Analysis of employee survey
Dear Penny,

Regarding the recently collected data from the Chengducorp employee survey, please provide me with answers to the following questions. Your responses will assist our department in constructing the employee profile required by senior management.

1.    Please provide an overall summary of  employees’ salaries.

2.    Please provide an estimate of the proportion of employees who are satisfied(that is,both moderately and very) with their job at Chengducorp.

3.    Senior management is also interested in how salary is related to gender. Does there appear to be any relationship between an employee’s salary and gender?

4.    Can you please provide an overall summary on employees’ ratings of their relations with their managers?
5.    Senior management is interested in which numerical variables, if any, seem to influence an employee’s salary. Please provide a summary of these relationships if any.

Please present your written findings in the form of a Word document (no more than 2 pages), with an appendix (no more than 12 pages) containing the results of your analysis, by no later than 5.00pm on Tuesday 18 August 2015 .I look forward to your response.

Regards
Elaine Liu

Part 1: Data Analysis (= Excel Output)

In order to prepare a reply to the manager’s letter, you will need to use Excel to analyse the data set “Chengducorp.xlsx” thoroughly.

You will need to apply techniques you have learned during lectures and tutorials in Weeks 1 to 4 , such as:
•    tables
•    graphs, and
•    summary measures.

You DO NOT need to perform any additional analysis other than what you have learned in weeks 1, 2 ,3 and 4!

Please use the worksheets ‘Q1’ through ‘Q5’ to work on each question. You may initially produce more Excel output than you need, so you will need to only copy relevant output from these worksheets to the ‘Results’ worksheet. Keep in mind the page limit of 12 printed pages for the analysis AND that the presentation of the results will be marked too!

GUIDELINES

The manager has asked for a number of tasks to be done. The following guidelines for each question should be followed:

1.   Please provide an overall summary of  employees’ salaries.

You will need to use numerical analysis methods to summarise overall salaries.
You will need to write about  averages, variability etc. as in the examples in the relevant lecture and tutorial.
2.    Please provide an estimate of the proportion of employees who are satisfied (that is,both moderately and very) with their job at Chengducorp.

You will need to use categorical variable analysis methods to provide this estimate.

You will need to state the estimate and discuss the limitations of this type of estimate.

3.   Senior management is also interested in how salary is related to gender. Does there appear to be any relationship between an employee’s salary and gender?

You will need to focus on whether there is a difference or not. If yes, make sure you describe them. If not, you should explain why you think there is no difference.
4.   Can you please provide an overall summary on employees’ ratings of their relations with their managers?

You will need to use categorical analysis methods to summarise the variable .
You will need to briefly describe your findings. Examples can be found in the relevant lecture and tutorial.

5.   Senior management is interested in which numerical variables seem to influence an employee’s salary. Please provide a summary of these relationships if any.

Once more you will need to use techniques for the analysis of two variables. You will need to analyse six (6) numerical relationships. In each case, the type of the relationship – if there is one – and its direction and strength are of interest.
Make sure you comment on what you find in each case.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

•    Before doing any analysis, classify all your variables as either numerical or categorical. The techniques you will use depend on the type of data you have.
•    As mentioned above, the analysis section (Part 1) you submit should be no more than 12 pages of computer output. You might produce much more than this initially, but you should trim it down to only show the most relevant results.
•    When satisfied, you can keep the output in your Excel file, or copy-and-paste your analysis output into a Word document.
•    Your analysis should be presented in the same sequence as the manager’s questions, and everything should be clearly labelled and grouped around each question.
•    Also, make sure, no table or graph “breaks” across two pages.
•    Poorly presented or unorganised analysis or excessive output (more than 12 pages) will be penalised.

•    Save your computer analysis frequently (every 10 to 15 minutes).

Part 2: Letter (= Your Reply to the Manager’s Letter)

You are required to reply to the manager by letter, explaining essential information and conclusions from your data analysis. You are allowed no more than two pages to convey your written findings.

•    Keep the English simple and the explanations brief.
•    Avoid the use of technical statistical terminology. Your reader will not necessarily understand even simple statistical terms, thus your task is to explain your analysis using plain, understandable language.

General instructions:

•    The letter is to be written as a separate document (assume for the scenario that the manager will only read your letter, and not look at your analysis output). Thus, you should not have any direct references to your analysis in your letter.

•    When writing your reply, make sure that you actually provide the information the manager requested in her letter to you. That is, answer the manager’s questions.

•    Do not include computer output tables and charts in your response letter.

•    Number your answers in your letter 1, 2 a, … etc., to match the sequence of the manager’s requests.

•    Include an introduction at the start of the memo and a summary/conclusion at the end.

Marks will be deducted for the use of technical terms, poor grammar, awkward sentence structure, poor
spelling and punctuation, irrelevant material, poor presentation/organisation and letters that are over
two (2) pages long.

BEFORE YOU FINISH:        Assignment Checklist

Part 1 (Data Analysis)

1.    Have you applied the correct analysis techniques (see HINTS)?
2.    Is the analysis in the same order as the manager’s requests?
3.    Is every table and every graph clearly labelled?
4.    Are there tables or graphs that are broken across 2 pages?
(If yes, make sure you change that!)
5.    Is the printed Excel output no more than 8 pages long?

Part 2 (Letter)

1.    Is your letter written in simple English?
2.    Is it free of grammar and spelling mistakes?
3.    Is it free of technical language?
4.    Is it free of Excel output (tables, graphs)?
5.    Are the answers numbered and in the same order as the manager’s requests?
6.    Is the letter no more than 2 pages long?

SUBMISSION

1.    Are the files (for example: 1 Excel file, 1 Word file) identical with the printed assignment?
2.    Have you completed and attached the Assignment Cover Sheet?
3.    Is the entire assignment, with the completed cover sheet on top, stapled together?
4.    Did you submit…
i.    … your files online in the Deakin College portal, using the link “Assignment 1 Submission” under Week 7?

ii.    … an identical hardcopy (together with the cover sheet) to your lecturer’s locker?

Expert paper writers are just a few clicks away

Place an order in 3 easy steps. Takes less than 5 mins.

Calculate the price of your order

You will get a personal manager and a discount.
We'll send you the first draft for approval by at
Total price:
$0.00
Live Chat+1-631-333-0101EmailWhatsApp