To gain insights into the typical price shoppers are paying for her novelty shoes, a shoe designer obtained price data for randomly selected designs sold through various retailers

MN4063 (Autumn) – Coursework One Worth 100% of the module mark

Deadline: Friday, 15 December 2023, before 3 p.m. GMT

PART 1 

Task 1: Sample Data [15 marks]

To gain insights into the typical price shoppers are paying for her novelty shoes, a shoe designer obtained price data for randomly selected designs sold through various retailers. The data have been made available in the Excel file named “MN4063 Coursework 1 Data” under the tab labelled Task 1.

Required for Task 1 (Covered in weeks 2 and 3)

1.       Using the ungrouped data for Task 1 and the pivot table function in Excel, create an appropriately grouped frequency table (with five groups) to summarise the price data. Show absolute and percentage frequencies on the same frequency table and improve default group labels and column headers. Round percentage frequencies to 1 decimal place. Copy the table into your Word document.

2.       Using the ungrouped data for Task 1, calculate relevant descriptive statistics to summarise the price data. Values should be rounded to 2 decimal places. At a minimum, you should calculate the mean, standard deviation, range, median, upper and lower quartiles, and the interquartile range. Present your statistics in a table. Copy the table into your Word document. The Excel formulae used should also be shown, where applicable. Interpretation is not required for Task 1.

Task 2: Networking [25 marks]

A project to prepare the University’s Great Hall for the winter graduation ceremony consists of eight activities, each with a specific duration stated in days. For example, Activity G takes three days to complete and can only be started after Activity D has been completed. Information on the eight activities is outlined in the precedence table (Table 1) below.

Table 1 – Precedence Table

Construct the network diagram using the standard node layout (see below) introduced in the lecture.

NB: Do not use methods other than those used in the lectures for this module. 

Required for Task 2 (Covered in week 8. Comments for Task 2 should not exceed 50 words)

1. Regarding Table 1, construct a network diagram by going through the forward and backward passes. You may draw your network diagram in Excel

or Word. NB: An image of a hand- drawn network diagram will not be accepted and will not receive marks. The network diagram needs to be copied

into your Word file. 

   2. Concerning the network diagram created under (1) above, identify the critical path and state the duration of the project.

   3. The graduation ceremony will take place on Monday, 4 December 2023 and all preparations need to have been completed in full by close of business on Friday, 1 December. The work cannot start until 8 am on Monday, 13 November and Saturday and Sunday are non-working days. In addition, because of an open-day event, the team cannot work on the project on Thursday, 16 November.

If the activities start on time at 8am on Monday, 13 November, can the Great Hall be prepared in full by 5pm on Friday, 1 December, in time for the graduation ceremony on Monday, 4 December? You need to state the completion calendar date and whether the work can be completed on time.

Task 3: Probability [10 marks]

In a recent survey conducted at a department store, 60% of all shoppers were female and 70% of female shoppers were first time customers. In total, 40% of male customers were repeat customers.

Required for Task 3 (Covered in week 9)

1. Construct a contingency table by using the information above. All values in the contingency table should be shown as proportions and not percentages.

2. Regarding the contingency table prepared under (1) above, what is the chance that a shopper chosen at random is male and a first time customer? Use the correct notation and state the problem in full. The probability should be shown as a proportion.

Task 4: Relationships [10 marks]

The equation below predicts shoppers’ Intention to Buy Score based on the Review Score.

Required for Task 4 (Covered in week 5. Comments for Task 4 should not exceed 100 words)

1.       Interpret the above regression equation in context (interpret the intercept and gradient). 

2.       Given that x = Review Score and y = Intention to Buy Score, interpret the coefficient of determination stated above in context.

3.       Predict the Intention to Buy Score when the Review Score is 24 (round to a whole number).

4.       State whether your prediction is based on interpolation or extrapolation and state the evidence on which you have based your choice.

Part 2 starts on page 4.

PART 2: Insights [30 marks]

To complete Part 2, refer to the Excel output provided under the tab named “Part 2” in the “MN4063 Coursework 1 Data” Excel file. You should not produce additional Excel output but you should paste relevant Excel output into your report, where appropriate. NB: Excel output is presented in image (PGN) format and can be copied and pasted into the report as statistical evidence.

Background Information and Tasks: Dice Masters Ltd., a publisher of board games, recently invited gamers at Spiel Essen 2023 (Essen Game Fair), the world’s largest board game and RPG convention, to play and review their latest Eurogame prototype. A total of 72 valid responses were returned. Only two areas, relating to Age and Game Rating, were covered by the questionnaire. The Rating score was measured as an 8-item construct. Each item (statement) measured an element of satisfaction, which was scored on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (the lowest score) to 5 (the highest score). The items covered are theme, artwork, mechanism, complexity, replayability, game arc, player interaction and component quality. Each respondent’s scores for the 8 items were aggregated to obtain a Game Rating Score per respondent. As such, Game Rating construct scores could range from 8 (lowest) to 40 (highest). The Game Rating Scores were subsequently converted to percentage scores.

Your team leader, Zandros Lemtov, has tasked you with preparing a short report summarising the key findings from the Spiel Essen survey. You are to interpret and comment on the cross-tabulation (frequency distribution), descriptive statistics and the correlation coefficient that have been provided to you. For point (b.) below, the minimum requirement is to interpret the means and standard deviations.

Specifically, your interpretations and comments should relate to the:

         a.       frequency distribution of Game Rating (%) split by Reviewer Age (two insightful comments);

b.       descriptive statistics for Reviewer Age and Game Rating (%) (minimum of 4 insightful comments);

c.       correlation between Reviewer Age and Game Rating (%) and target market segmentation implications.

Required for Part 2 (Covered in weeks 2, 3, 4 and 5. Comments should not exceed 800 words in total)

Write a short report, presented in ‘memo’ format, addressed to your team leader. The report should be written in context. Use the full evidence presented to you to support your interpretations. 

The report should contain:

1.       an introduction;

2.       interpretations of the frequency distribution, statistics and coefficient, as per (a.) to (c.) above;

3.       a conclusion.

The report should not exceed the word limit but may be shorter (rule of thumb: word limit +/- 10% is permissible). You should adopt a professional, business tone throughout (avoid ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘my’, ‘they’, etc.). Sections and paragraphs should be given appropriate titles and subtitles. Do not show or explain calculation methods; just insert the required Excel output, statistics and comments into the report.

NOTE: Up to 10 marks are awarded for coursework management and professional presentation. Each task should start on a fresh page. See indicative marking criteria for details.

The coursework deadline is Friday, 15 December 2023 before 3pm (UK time)

Guidelines and Instructions – All Tasks

1.       This individual coursework consists of two parts. Company names, where provided, are fictitious. Part 1 consists of four tasks. Part 2 involves the preparation of an 800-word report. You must attempt and complete all tasks in part 1 and part 2. For Part 1, task 1 and for Part 2, download the “MN4063 Coursework 1 Data” Excel file from WebLearn. A data set is not provided for Part 1, task 2, 3 and 4. References to weeks in which material was first covered link to lectures and not seminars.

Tasks need to be clearly labelled in your submission. Each task should start on a fresh (new) page. Tables and graphs must be numbered and titled. Sections and paragraphs must have titles and sub-titles (Part 2). Calculation methods should not be described: where required, comment on the meaning or significance of the calculated/presented values only.

           2.  For part 1, task 1, you should prepare a grouped frequency table to summarise the price observations. You should also calculate descriptive                  statistics using Excel. The descriptive statistics must be clearly identified and presented in a table. The table must be copied into the                                   Word document. Comments should not be provided and calculation methods should not be described.

Part 1, task 2, requires the construction of a network diagram in Excel (or Word) to reveal the project’s critical path and duration. The network diagram should reflect the information in Table 1. NB: Hand- drawn network diagrams will receive zero marks. The network diagram should follow the standard layout (see p.2 of this brief). You should also state the project completion date.

Part 1, task 3 requires the construction of a contingency table (cross tabulation). All probabilities in the table should be shown as proportions and not percentages. The contingency table should be referred to in order to find the answer. The probability problem should be stated in full using the correct notation and calculation of the final answer, which is presented as a proportion.

For Part 1, task 4 interpret the equation and r² in context and make, and comment on, a prediction.

Part 2 requires the preparation of a 600 to 800-word report that is addressed and presented in memo format. The report comments on the cross-tabulations and descriptive statistics.

You need to identify the correct tables and statistics to interpret but note that comments need to be complete. A mean should not be interpreted in isolation, for example: the standard deviation and coefficient of variation should be interpreted alongside the mean. All comments must be written in the context of the scenario and units of measurement should be consistently stated.

3. Comment on the facts only: avoid speculations and generalisations. Comments should be supported by the evidence (Excel output), where appropriate.

          4.  Adopt a formal, professional language (third person, impersonal) throughout. This means you should avoid the use of ‘I’, ‘you’, ‘we’, ‘my’, etc.

           6. The word limit for Part 2 of this coursework is 800 words and should be adhered to. Word limits for Part 1, where relevant, are stated next to              the requirements of that task. Words contained in tables, graphs and titles do not count towards the word limit

7.       All work, including calculations, should be attempted on your own and comments and interpretations should be written in your own words. Work copied directly from lecture notes, or other sources, will have marks deducted and / or will be referred (also see point 8 below).

Where Academic Misconduct, such as collusion, plagiarism, copying, outsourcing or any other form of cheating, is suspected, your coursework mark will be reduced proportionately to the extent of the misconduct identified; however, more severe penalties are possible. Cases are referred to the Casework Office and substantiated Academic Misconduct will be recorded on the student’s record. To avoid misunderstanding, please familiarise yourself with the Academic Regulations covering Academic Misconduct Regulations and Procedure (see link below).

https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/your-studies/student-administration/rules-and- regulations/academic-misconduct/

If you have read the information online and are still uncertain about what constitutes Academic Misconduct, please contact your tutor, academic mentor or the Students’ Union.

9.       This is an ONLINE WEBLEARN (Turnitin) submission. The deadline for this coursework is Friday, 15 December 2023 before 3pm GMT (UK time). Late submissions will not be marked.

10.    A practice link will be made available. Use this practice link to check the originality of your work. You can check your work multiple times. Please note, ensure your final work is uploaded through the correct link and not the practice link, as work submitted through the practice link will not be marked by tutors. Note: Originality scores can change (increase) as more pieces of work are submitted. A high ‘unoriginality’ score does not mean work is unoriginal per se.

11.    All output must be saved as a single Word document and uploaded to WebLearn (Turnitin). A single PDF can be accepted as an alternative. Your first submission to Turnitin in final. Submission instructions will be provided closer to the deadline date. Submissions should include a cover page with your student number. You are advised to keep a copy of all work submitted.

12.    NB: Do not use Safari to upload your work to WebLearn. This browser has known compatibility issues with WebLearn / Turnitin. Use Chrome or Firefox instead

Assessment Criteria (See the marking criteria on p.8)

For all tasks, you are required to correctly construct tables and graphs and/or calculate relevant statistics and/or analyse the data and provide/demonstrate:

·   Clear interpretations of all statistical analyses (do not just state the values but comment on what the values imply without speculating, where required);

·   Graphs and tables with figure/table numbers, informative titles, appropriate labelling and units stated;

·   Accurate calculations where required (equations are stated in the context of the data);

·   Comments written in the context of the meaning of the data or analysis;

·   Appropriate use of Excel functions, as evidenced by the output.

Coursework marks can range from 0% to 100%.

90% of the available marks for the various tasks are allocated for content and 10% of the marks are awarded for coursework management and professional presentation.