MIS770 – Foundation Skills in Data Analysis

Particulars
• Marks: 30%
• Submission: Online to the MIS770 assignment two drop box in CloudDeakin no later than
11:59pm on the 9th of May 2019. Email submissions will not be accepted
• Submission Files: Two files. One Excel (.xlsx) file with the results of your analysis. One Word
(.docx) file (no more than 2 pages) with your written responses to each question.

This assignment assesses the following Graduate Learning Outcomes and related Unit Learning
Outcomes:

Overview
The purpose of this assignment is to investigate a dataset which will enable you to answer questions
posed in an email. In order to answer the questions posed in the email, you will need to analyse
data, interpret the results, and then draw appropriate conclusions.
The aims of the assignment are to:
• provide you with some examples of the application of data analysis
• test your understanding of the material presented in the relevant topics
• test your ability to analyse data and interpret your results
• test your ability to effectively communicate your results to others
Before attempting the assignment, make sure you have prepared yourself well. At a minimum,
please read the relevant sections of the prescribed textbook and review the materials provided in
Modules 1 and 2.
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Scenario
You are Nick Black, a specialist analyst for Business Intelligence (BI). BI are data analytics research
service consultants that provide data modelling solutions to large organisations and governments, as
well as supporting various niche research projects across a variety of industry sectors.
Australian rural communities make a considerable contribution to the Australian economy yet very
little research has been done on the specific business communities that support the rural sector. For
example, little is known about the market place confidence and expectation of businesses that exist
in the townships that support these rural communities.
BI has been contracted because some rural municipal authorities have identified a need to focus
expenditure and related activities to assist in business growth. One such municipal authority is the
Ballarat City Council. In an effort to understand the marketplace confidence of the Ballarat
businesses that support their local community, BI has taken a random sample of 150 businesses in
the region. As well as asking them for useful demographic characteristics, BI have asked questions
about trading patterns, business confidence and business expectations. You have received an email
from the Ballarat City Council that contains specific questions that you must answer.
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Dear Nick,
With the exception of the first question, in which I only require a summary of the sample data, please provide
conclusions for all of our regional businesses. That is, I have been led to believe that because your data was
collected randomly, you can use your dataset to make inferences about all of our regional businesses. With
that in mind, I hope you are able to assist me.
1. Can you provide an overview of the number of people that local businesses employ in our region?
2. Can you estimate the proportion of all businesses in our region that do have a growth strategy?
3. The Creswick/Clunes Chamber of Commerce recently indicated that the proportion of businesses
registered in their region that do have a growth strategy was 76%. They then went on to suggest in a
confidential report that any proportion less than this value contributed to a significant reduction in the
revenue generated in the region.
a. Is there any evidence to suggest that the proportion of our local businesses that do have a
growth strategy could be less than this suggested figure and thus impacting on revenue in our
region?
b. Can you estimate the average number of staff for businesses with and without a growth strategy
and can we therefore conclude that businesses with a growth strategy have a higher number of
employees on average, and might therefore be more successful?
4. I have been told that our local business managers are rather young. This seems at odds with a recent
report that stated the average age of managers in Australian businesses was 50 years of age. Can you
please determine if the average age of our local business managers is indeed less than 50 years?
5. Over the years we have observed that an average of 10 businesses open each year. What is the likelihood
that next year:
a. More than 15 businesses will open?
b. The number of businesses that open will be 5 or less?
6. Finally, when we conduct this survey again next year, we would like to be able to:
a. Estimate the average number of people that local business employ to within 4 employees, and,
b. Estimate the percentage of business with a growth strategy to within 2%.
Are you able to advise us on the sample size required that satisfies both these criteria? I look forward to your
response.
Sincerely,
Ballarat City Council
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Comment on the data provided
Many variables within the data set are recoded both numerically and categorically.
Guidelines for Data Analysis
The analysis required for this assignment involves materials covered in Modules 1 and 2. The
corresponding seminars will also provide useful materials. Note that many variables included in the
data set are represented using both numbers and text.
For all questions in the email, you can assume that:
• a 95% confidence level is appropriate for confidence intervals and
• a 5% level of significance (that is, alpha (α) = 0.05) is appropriate for hypothesis tests.
Although questions can be completed using Excel (for example using the templates presented in the
MSXL worksheets in your tutorials), we strongly recommend that you do the analysis using a pen
and paper approach too, as this will help you confirm your results and give you greater insight into
the examination.
• Before doing any analysis, classify your data as numerical or categorical.
• Most questions will require you to complete either a confidence interval or a hypothesis
test. Go through each of the questions asked by the Ballarat City Council and decide which
technique is the most appropriate.
Below are some hints regarding the most appropriate technique:
 Do we have to make an estimate, and therefore need a confidence interval?
 Are we testing a theory or claim, and therefore need an hypothesis test?
• To answer some questions you may need to make certain assumptions about the dataset we
are using.
• For Question 5, you will need to calculate the probability using an appropriate probability
distribution table. You could then use Excel to confirm your answer. You do not need the
MIS770 A2 Business Confidence Data.xlsx dataset to answer this question.
You written response requirements
• Your written response should be no longer 2,000 words (the approximate equivalent). Do
not include a Table of Contents, Charts and Tables, nor Appendices in your written response.
• A 2,000 word or approximate equivalent equates to 2 files that you will submit: The
(summary Excel) output you generate, which is to be placed ONLY in the Data Analysis file
you submit, AND a Word document file response, which should be NO MORE than two
pages.
• Suggested Word formatting for the Memorandum: Single-line spacing; no smaller that 10-
point font; page margins approx. 25mm, and good use of white space.
• Your written response must have a cover sheet containing your particulars and Unit details.
• Set out your written response in the same order as in the originating email from Nick Black,
with each section (question) clearly marked. There is NO MINIMUM word count.
• Use plain language and keep your explanations simple, clear and succinct. Avoid the use of
technical or statistical jargon. As a guide to the meaning of “Plain Language”, imagine you
MIS770, T1 2019 Assignment Two 5 | P a g e
are explaining your findings to a person without any analytical training (e.g. someone who
has not studied this unit). What type of language would you use in this case?
• Marks will be lost from your written response if you use technical terms, poor grammar,
present irrelevant material, or have poor presentation/organisation.
• In your written response, you should use key summary measures to make your conclusions,
however, do not refer your reader to the diagrams that your .xlsx file contains. That is, your
written response needs to be a stand-alone document.
• All Microsoft Excel output associated with each question in your written response is to be
placed in the corresponding spreadsheets (Q1, Q2 … etc) in your submitted Microsoft .xlsx
file.
Submission
Your completed assignment should be submitted in two separate files:
• FILE 1: Data Analysis. An Excel document (i.e. the MIS770 A2 Data.xlsx file you used)
containing separate tabs/worksheets with charts/tables/graphs for each question. Please
note that all interpretations should be presented in your “Memorandum” and the Excel
document should only contain your intermediate analysis and final output.
• FILE 2: Memorandum. A Word document of no more than 2 pages which does not contain,
nor specifically refer to, any of the charts/tables/graphs presented in your analysis.
Please name your Word document yourstudentid.docx and the Data Analysis file
yourstudentid.xlsx.
Note: The Cloud Unit site is the ONLY method of submission acceptable.
Extensions
Extensions will only be considered if your draft assignment is attached with your request for an
extension to the Unit Chair, Dr Scott Salzman [scott.salzman@deakin.edu.au], (this will indicate your
progress to date), and documentary evidence for the extension is provided. Applications after the
due date will not be accepted and submissions after this date/time, without an approved extension,
will be considered late and subject to penalties.
Extensions are only granted in extreme circumstances, such as ongoing health, personal hardship or
work-related problems. Temporary illnesses, normal work pressures, multiple assignments due at
the same time, failure to keep backups, technology failure, etc. are not reasons for an extension.
Notes
Penalties for late submission: The following marking penalties will apply if you submit an
assessment task after the due date, without an approved extension. Five percent (5%) will be
deducted from the available marks for each day (or part thereof) for up to five days, and work that is
submitted more than five days after the due date will not be marked and you would receive 0% for
this assessment. As this assignment is worth 30 marks (i.e. 30% of your overall mark), each day late,
or part of a day, will mean a loss of 1.5 marks. ‘Day’ means calendar day for electronic submissions.
The Unit Chair may refuse to accept a late submission where it is unreasonable or impracticable to
assess the task after the due date.
For more information about academic misconduct, special consideration, extensions, and
assessment feedback, please refer to the document “Your rights and responsibilities as a student in
this Unit” in the first folder next to the Unit Guide of the Resources area in the CloudDeakin unit site.
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Marking Rubric