Posted: April 17th, 2015

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

MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY In association with

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY

 

MIS171 Business Analytics

 

 

                       Assignment One(T1 2015)

 

Marks:                               20%

 

Due Date:                         5.30pm Tuesday 21 April (Tuesday of Week 7)

 

Background

 

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

 

The assignment may be completed

• individually, or
• in a group of two or three
  • Groups must contain students from the same
  • Only one (1) submission per group needs to be made.

 

The assignment uses the file “New Gen.xlsx” which can be downloaded from the MIS171 section in Moodle.

Scenario

 

You are Guo Li, a researcher at Smart Consumer Magazine. Your role includes analysing consumer issues related to the latest technology innovations. You are often required to report outcomes of your analysis to senior editors at the magazine who have little or no knowledge of data analysis.Recently, your department purchased a dataset (“New Gen.xlsx”) from the Australian Bureau of Statistics which contains data on smart phone usage as well as other related data. Nancy Guan,a senior editor at the magazine, has written to you about this survey. Her memorandum to you is provided on page 4.

 

Assignment submission

 

Your submission will comprise two (2) parts:

• Part 1: Data Analysis (the Excel ‘Results’ worksheet output, 12 pages)
• Part 2: Written memorandum ( 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. Marks will be deducted for each part where the page limit is exceeded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Assignment must be submitted by the due date both,

1. electronically and
2. in identical hardcopy
   • 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. 10MB 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, or separate files for the analysis and the memorandum.

Hardcopy submission:

• The printed hardcopy of the assignment must be identical with the electronic submission!
  Differences will be pe
• Assignments submitted without completed MIBT Assignment Cover Sheets for each group member will NOT be accepted.
• The completed Assignment Cover Sheet must be stapled together with the printed hardcopy. Loose paper is not acceptable. Your lecturer assumes no responsibility for lost pages!
• The hardcopy must be placed in the student’s/group’s lecturer’s locker.
  (For Burwood students: level 4, building LA. Assignments will not be accepted at MIBT 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.

 

For group submissions, only one electronic and one hardcopy of the assignment need to be submitted. It is up to the group to nominate a person to submit on their behalf.

 

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.

 

 

 

MEMORANDUM

For Attention:                   Guo Li, Researcher                                                                                          23/03/2015

From:                                    Nancy Guan, Senior Editor

Regarding:                          Analysis of New Gen Smartphone dataset

Dear Li

 

Using the recently acquired dataset from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on New Generation smartphone usage, please provide me with the answers to the following questions.

 

1. Please provide me with a summary of Smartphone Users’ monthly bills.

 

2. Users can be on a Prepaid or Postpaid plan. Can you provide a breakdown of monthly bills for each plan type?

 

3. I understand that most smart phone users tend to use their Smartphone to download entertainment content.Please provide a summary of the most frequently download entertainment content.

 

4. I wish to write about current user satisfaction with their providers.
5. Please advise me on the overall distribution of satisfaction levels. Are users generally satisfied or not?
6. Can you provide me with a summary of user satisfaction for male and female users?
7. Please tell me whether factors such as Number of Calls, SMSs, MMSs and the percentage use of their Smartphone for work influence the monthly bill. Are there any factors that stand out as having a greater influence than other factors?

 

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 21 April 2015. I look forward to your response.

 

Regards

Nancy Guan

 

 

 

 

Part 1: Data Analysis (= Excel Output)

 

In order to prepare a reply to the editor’s memorandum, you will need to use Excel to analyse the data set “New Gen.xlsx” thoroughly.

 

You will need to apply techniques you have learned during lectures and tutorials in Weeks 1 to 4.

Please use the worksheets ‘Q1’ through ‘Q5’ to work on each question. You may initially produce more Excel output than you really 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 AND that the presentation of the results will be marked too!

 

 

Guidelines

 

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

 

 

1. Please provide me with a summary of Smartphone Users’ Monthly bills.

 

You will need to use numerical analysis methods to summarise the sampled users’ monthly bills. This should include relevant summary measures and visualisations.

You will need to write about the averages, variability etc. as in the examples in the relevant lecture worksheet and tutorial.

 

 

2. Users can be on a Prepaid or Postpaid plan. Can you provide a breakdown of monthly bills for each plan type?

 

You will need to analyse two variables together. Are there differences in monthly bills between users who are on a pre-paid plan and those on a post-paid plan, or are there no significant differences?

Focus on whether there are differences or not. If yes, make sure you describe them. If not, you should explain why you think there are no differences.

 

 

3. I understand that most smartphone users tend to use their Smartphone to download entertainment content.Please provide a summary of the most frequently downloaded entertainment content.

 

You will need to use categorical analysis methods to summarise downloaded entertainment content.

Briefly describe your findings. Examples can be found in the relevant lecture and tutorial.

 

 

4. 4.   I wish to write about current user satisfaction with their providers.
5. Please advise me on the overall distribution of satisfaction levels. Are users generally satisfied or not?

 

You will need to use categorical analysis methods to summarise users’ satisfaction with their providers.

Briefly describe your findings. Examples can be found in the relevant lecture and tutorial.

 

1. Can you provide me with a summary of user satisfaction for male and female users?

 

You will need to analyse two variables together. Make sure you look at the correct section of your output to see if there is a relationship between the variables, which you will then need to discuss.

Focus on whether there are differences or not. If yes, make sure you report them. If not, describe why not.

 

5. Please tell me whether factors such as Number of Calls, SMSs, MMSs and the percentage use of their Smartphone for work influence the monthly bill? Are there any factors that stand out as having a greater influence than other factors?

 

Once more you will need to use techniques for the analysis of two variables. You will need to analyse four (4) relationships, each with Monthly Bill:

• Calls
• SMS
• MMS
• Percent for Work

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 catego The techniques you will use depend on the type of data you have.
• When satisfied, you can print the ‘Results’ worksheet from your Excel file, or copy-and-paste your analysis output into a Word document before printing it (for the hardcopy submission).
• Your analysis should be presented in the same sequence as the editor’s questions, and everything should be clearly labelled and grouped around each ques
• 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. Keep in mind the guidelines for good visualisations (Week 3 lecture)!
• Save your computer analysis frequently (every 10 to 15 minutes).

 

Part 2: Memorandum(= Your Reply to the Editor’s Memorandum)

 

You are required to reply to the editor by memorandum, 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
• Avoid the use of technical statistical terminology. The editor will not necessarily understand

 

 

even simple statistical terms, thus your task is to explain your analysis using plain, understandable language.

 

 

General instructions:

 

• The memorandum is to be written as a separate document. Thus, you should not have any direct references to your analysis in your memorandum.

 

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

 

• Do not refer to or 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 editor’s requests.

 

• Include an introduction at the start of the memorandum 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 a memorandum that is over two (2) pages long.

 

When you have completed the memorandum, it is a useful exercise to leave it for a day, return to it and re‐read it as if you knew nothing about the analysis. Does it flow easily? Does it make sense? Can someone without prior knowledge follow your written conclusions? Often on re‐reading, you become aware that you have made some points in a clumsy manner and you find that you can re‐phrase them much more clearly.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

BEFORE YOU FINISH:                  Assignment Checklist

 

 

Part 1 (Data Analysis)

 

1. Have you applied the correct analysis techniques
2. Is the analysis in the same order as the editor’s requests?
3. Is every question, and also every table and every graph in Part 1 clearly labelled?
4. Are there tables or graphs that are broken across 2 pages? (If yes, fix it.)
5. Is the printed Excel output no more than 12 pages long?

 

 

Part 2 (Letter)

 

1. Is your memorandum 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 editor’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? (Only the ‘Results’ worksheet needs to be identical with the printed analysis.)
2. Have you/each group member completed the Assignment Cover Sheet (MIBT Portal: Students -> Forms -> Forms -> Assignment Cover Sheet.pdf)?
3. Is the entire assignment, with the completed cover sheet(s) on top, stapled together?
4. Did you submit…
   1. … your files online in the MIBT portal, using the link “Assignment 1 Submission”
      under Week 7?
   2. … an identical hardcopy (together with the cover sheet) to your lecturer’s locker?