BEM1024 – Statistics for Business
Module Convenor – Dr. Steven Boyne
Assignment 2 Report
(65% of module grade)
Word limit: 2,250 words +10%
Deadline: Thu 30th March 2023 before 3pm, online submission
via e-Bart.
This 2,250 word (+10%) report assignment evaluates your understanding of a range of
issues related to social science research, survey design, data collection, the quantitative
analysis of survey data and the interpretation and application of research findings.
The assignment brief contains:
• the background and context to the fictional event and survey;
• 14 tasks for you to complete; and
• 2 appendices detailing the survey form and each of the survey variables.
The tasks are laid out in two parts of the Report:
Part 1 requires answers (150-word approx. for each) to five tasks dealing with the
following module themes that are covered in Weeks 1 and 2 of the module:
o the role of numerical evidence in business and management;
o research paradigms (ontology, epistemology and methodology);
o survey design;
o sampling methods; and
o confidence intervals and levels.
ILOs assessed are: 4, 5, 6 and 8
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Part 2 of the assignment is based around the analysis of a set of simulated survey data
from participants who attended a fictional corporate event. The data relate to attendees’
experiences at, and perceptions of, this event.
o in task 6 you need to evaluate the adequacy of the sample size (see the
background and context for details on the population and sample sizes);
o in tasks 7 to 13 you need to interpret a range of SPSS analytical outputs and
explain the analytical procedures that have been used; and
o in task 14 you need to make marketing and/or management recommendations
for how the conference organisers might use these findings to make changes to
future years’ events.
ILOs assessed are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8
The survey: background and context
This assignment features data collected from visitors to the (fictional) 2012 South Devon
Olympic Games employee conference and sports event. This is an event organised by
the United Nations (UN) for their members of staff and their families.
This event was attended by 3,800 UN employees and family members from around the
world.
Attendees were able to join a formal opening ceremony, compete in a series of individual
and team sports events and also participate in an employees’ conference and various
leisure trips and social events.
The survey data were collected using an interviewer-administered survey on the last day
of the event; in total there were 209 respondents who were selected using systematic
random sampling.
The survey data were then coded and entered into SPSS.
Following the assignment tasks in Parts 1 and 2, you will find two appendices:
• APPENDIX 1 is a copy of the survey form that was used for the data collection:
o you will get a feel for the characteristics of the collected data by examining
this; and
• APPENDIX 2 contains the SPSS codebook for the datafile:
o this allows you to see more closely the details of the data that have been
collected for each variable.
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Guidance
➢ Use a word processor to create your responses to the tasks
o you will need to convert your file to .pdf format for BART upload
➢ You can copy and paste screenshots from the assignment brief into your report if you
feel that would assist in the delivery of your response
➢ Please refer to tasks and figures using the numbering in the assignment brief
o label your answers using the Task numbering in the brief
o there is no need for a table of contents, an executive summary or an introduction
➢ You may cite sources from the literature to support your arguments; this is
particularly relevant for Task 14
➢ You should use the APA 7th academic referencing style to cite the sources that you
draw upon - the APA 7th guide also explains how to follow good academic practice in
your writing and referencing
➢ Please use Arial font, size 11, with line spacing set to 1.25 line width
➢ The word limit is 2,250 words +10%
o falling below 2,250 words in total means that you will not have utilised the
maximum opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge
o the overall word limit and the recommended word counts for Tasks 1-5 and 14
are based on the approximate number of words that Steven used to create the
model answers for these tasks
o The list of references and words contained in tables, figures and graphs DO NOT
contribute towards the word count
o in-text references DO contribute towards the word count
o Task 14 provide you with the opportunity to think creatively, and you can use
that task to increase your word count if you have been able to address the other
tasks in a succinct manner
➢ nb - you can use your device’s zoom-in function to increase the size of the
tables and figures in the assignment brief
Criteria for evaluation of your report
▪ your explanations and interpretations of the statistical procedures should be clear and
accurate
▪ you should make correct use of technical terms, for example:
o categorical, ordinal and interval/ratio data measurement levels
o distributional normality, homogeneity of variance, evaluation of assumptions
o naming tests and procedures accurately
▪ you should be able, where required, to explain clearly how choice of statistical test is
based on level of measurement and the number of groups in categorical variables
▪ for task #6: you should make a clear evaluation of the adequacy of the sample size -
for example, you may wish to describe the issues related to sample sizes that are
lower than the recommended minimum
▪ for task #14: you should make it clear how your recommendations for management
or marketing changes to future years’ events relate to the statistical findings
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You should also refer to the University of Exeter Generic Marking Criteria (level 4
= 1st year undergraduate).
Cheating and Plagiarism
“The University takes poor academic practice and academic misconduct very seriously
and expects all students to behave in a manner which upholds the principles of academic
honesty. Academic honesty is fundamental to the values promoted by the University and
no student should be allowed to obtain for themselves, or for another candidate, an
unfair advantage. Academic honesty means never falsifying the results of any work and
always giving full credit for any other persons' contributions to our own achievements.”
Section 12.2.1 of the Teaching Quality Assurance Manual
Further details on Academic Conduct and Practice can be found in the Teaching Quality
Assurance Manual here: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-
manual/aph/managingacademicmisconduct/
TASKS FOLLOW OVER PAGE
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Part 1
Task 1
Weighting
From the module learning materials, describe a key benefit arising from the use of
statistics to support decision-making in business and explain the difference
between confidence intervals and confidence levels.
6%
Task 2
Drawing upon the module learning materials, explain the concept of validity in
survey research and how it can be influenced by both random error and
systematic error.
6%
Task 3
It is typical for researchers who wish to use statistical analysis, to adopt
quantitative data collection methods. Describe the main differences between
quantitative and qualitative research in terms of how they are used within social
science research processes. What is the main reason given in the module
learning materials for the typical use of surveys to collect data for statistical
analysis?
6%
Task 4
Outline the randomised multi-stage cluster sampling process and what its
advantages are for researchers. Provide a short marketing or management
example to illustrate how a multi-stage cluster sampling approach can be useful.
6%
Task 5
Thinking about survey design and the layout of a questionnaire, the module
learning materials examined a set of recommendations for typical content to
include at the beginning, and at the end, of a survey. Briefly explain what these
recommendations are and why each one is important.
6%
Recommended word count for the five Part 1 tasks above: 150 words per
task (750 in total)
Part 2
Task 6
Weighting
Considering that there were 3,800 attendees, and that the researchers
were able to collect data from 209 of these attendees, what is your
critical evaluation of the adequacy of the sample size?
An online sample size calculator such as the one found at
http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html can be used to assist with this task.
Recommended word count: 150 words
6%
Task 7 Weighting
The estimates below in Figures 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 were generated during a
test of the hypothesis that visitors’ total spending
(QU7_Total_Spending) varies according to the composition of the group
that respondents attended the Games with (QU4_Group_type).
[nb - QU4_Group_type is a categorical variable with 3 groups and
“QU7_Total_Spending” is measured at the interval/ratio level]
You should answer/perform the following questions/tasks:
A. from Figure 7.1, what do the relevant p values (Sig. values) tell us?
B. what does the p value (Sig. value) in Figure 7.2 tell us?; and
C. with reference to Figure 7.3, please interpret the differences in group means
for “Total Spending During Trip (excluding accommodation)”.
7%
Figure 7.1
(Task 7 cont.)
Figure 7.2
Figure 7.3
Task 8 Weighting
Figures 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3 contain SPSS output tables that were generated
while testing the hypothesis that visitors’ total spending during their
South Devon trip (QU7_Total_Spending) is related to whether or not
respondents had thought about visiting the South West region before
their UN Olympic Games trip (QU3_Considered_Visiting_South_West).
[nb - QU3_Considered_Visiting_South_West is a categorical variable with two
groups and “QU7_Total_Spending” has an interval/ratio level of measurement]
You should answer the following:
A. what do the relevant p values (Sig. values) tell us in Figure 8.1?;
B. in Figure 8.2 which of the two p-values for the t-test should be used, and
why?
C. based on the findings for the t-test in Figure 8.2, how would you interpret
the figures for mean Total Spending During Trip in Figure 8.3?
7%
Figure 8.1
Figure 8.2
(Task 8 cont.)
Figure 8.3
Task 9 Weighting
Figures 9.1 and 9.2 contain SPSS output tables that were generated during
a test of the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the number
of nights stayed to participate in the 2012 ‘Olympic’ Games
(QU5b_Nights_Stayed) and respondents’ gender (QU13_Gender).
You should answer the following:
A. please explain why, in Figure 9.1, the test for distributional normality was
carried out. [NB - Qu13_Gender has two groups and the “Nights Stayed”
variable is measured as an interval/ratio variable]
B. explain why the estimates from Figure 9.1 led the analyst to run the test
that generated the outputs illustrated in Figure 9.2?
C. interpret the findings from the two output tables in Figure 9.2
7%
Figure 9.1
Figure 9.2
Task 10 Weighting
Chi-square (2) tests were performed to confirm whether or not the type of
accommodation used (QU5_Accommodation_for_Games) is associated
with:
i. QU4_Group_type (Who attending games with)
ii. QU11_Return_Visit (Respondent likely to return); and
iii. QU13_Gender.
7%
From Figures 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3, please identify and interpret the relevant p values
(Asymptotic Significance (2-sided)).
Figure 10.1
(Task 6 cont.)
Figure 10.2
(Task 6 cont.)
Figure 10.3
Task 11 Weighting
Respondents’ scores on the four Likert-type scales in QU9a to Qu9d were
tested to examine whether or not males and females (QU13_Gender)
had different levels of enjoyment with regard to various events at the
2040 United Nations (UN) South Devon Olympic Games.
7%
Considering the estimates in Figure 11.1 below, you should answer the following:
A. in the Test Statistics table, what do the p values (Asymp. Sig 2-tailed values) tell us?; and
B. for those tests where statistically significant differences between males and females were
observed, please interpret the mean ranks in the Ranks table.
Figure 11.1
[
Task 12 Weighting
The estimates in output tables in Figures 12.1 and 12.2 were generated
during a test of the hypothesis that transport and accommodation
spending (QU6_Transport_and_Accommodation_Costs) is related to
type of games attendees (QU8_Attendance_Type).
7%
You should answer the following:
A. what do the relevant p values (Sig. values) tell us in Figure 12.1?;
B. why was the Kruskal-Wallis H-test in Figure 12.2 carried out?; and
C. what do the (relevant) estimates in the two output tables in Figure 12.2 tell us about
respondents’ total transport and accommodation costs?
Figure 12.1
(See over for Figure 12.2)
(Task 12 cont.)
Figure 12.2
Task 13 Weighting
A Pearson’s correlation coefficient procedure was performed to test the
hypothesis that there is a relationship between Number of nights stayed
in South Devon [QU5b_Nights_Stayed] and Total transport and
accommodation costs [QU6_Transport_and_Accommodation_Costs].
7%
You should answer the following:
A. In Figure 13.1, what does the p value (Sig. 2-tailed) tell us?; and
B. Also in Figure 13.1, how would you interpret the Pearson’s correlation coefficient using
Cohen’s (1992) general guidelines for interpreting effect sizes?
Figure 13.1
Reference for Task 13
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155-159.
http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&PAGE=reference&D=yrovfta&NEWS=N&AN=000068
23-199207000-00008
Task 14
Weighting
Task 14 requires you to consider the findings above in Tasks 7 to 13 and
- based on the statistical findings - make recommendations for how
the conference organisers might use these findings to make changes
to future years’ events.
You are free to be creative in the recommendations that you make. The
important point is not that your recommendations are bullet-proof,
professional-level recommendations, but rather that you are able to consider
how the findings from the statistical analyses could be practically used by the
event organisers.
Put another way, I want to see that you are able to consider practical implications
that flow from the statistical findings.
You do not need to address the analyses from each of the tasks, but you should
show that you can make meaningful links between what your chosen statistical
analysis has identified (e.g. relations or associations between variables, and/or
differences between different groups) and some marketing and/or
management recommendations.
An example might look something like this, “In Task 11, we found that there was
no difference between males and females in terms of their levels of enjoyment
with regard to social activities. Accordingly, I recommend that the conference
organisers do not need to consider redesigning the social activities to increase
their appeal to any particular gender group”.
It will strengthen your answer if you draw upon the wider marketing and/or
management literature to support any of your recommendations with evidence
from previous studies. Please use the APA 7th academic referencing style for
in-text citations and in your list of references.
Recommended word count: 300 to 400 words
15%
END OF TASKS
Appendices Follow
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Codebook
This is the summary information for the variables in the SPSS database that
were used for the analyses presented in this report.