Understanding and Managing Data, Coursework 1 for April 23 Intake. Weighted 100% of the module mark
NB:
Coursework 1 consists of 2 parts.
• Part 1 consists of Five (5) tasks.
• Part 2 comprises a substantial task on Correlation and Regression Analysis.
• All tasks in both parts need to be attempted.
Assessment Criteria
For all tasks, you are required to correctly calculate relevant statistics, 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 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.
• You are advised not to use Safari or Explorer to upload your work to WebLearn. These browsers have
known compatibility issues with WebLearn / Turnitin. Use Chrome or Firefox instead.
Coursework marks can range from 0% to 100%.
Note:
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic integrity requires honesty in your studies. You should not present another person’s sentences or ideas as your
own work. You should clearly identify quotations through the use of quotation marks and references to the sources. Failure
to adhere to these academic standards may lead to allegations of academic misconduct, which will be investigated by the
Academic Integrity team at QA.
Academic misconduct covers a variety of practices, such as:
• Plagiarism: copying another person’s ideas or words and presenting them as your own work, without the use of
quotation marks and/or references.
• Self-plagiarism: reproducing parts of one of your assignments in another piece of work.
• Inventing, altering or falsifying the results of experiments or research.
• Commissioning another person to complete an assessment.
• Collaborating with others in the production of a piece of assessed work which is presented as entirely your own work.
• Cheating in an exam (e.g., by taking revision notes into the exam room).
• Ghosting ( e.g you buy a piece of work )
For full details of academic misconduct and how allegations are investigated, see the relevant section of the University’s
academic regulations: https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/your-studies/student-administration/rules-and-regulations/academic-
misconduct/.
For full details of academic misconduct and how allegations are investigated, see the relevant section of the
University’s academic regulations: https://student.londonmet.ac.uk/your-studies/student-administration/rules-
and-regulations/academic-misconduct/.
Page 1 of 8
MN4063QA Understanding and Managing Data APRIL23 Intake
PART 1 [70marks]
Task 1: Ungrouped Descriptive Statistics [16 marks]
To gain some insights into the typical price consumers are willing to pay for a stand mixer, a retailer of kitchen
appliances randomly selected 150 relevant invoices for transactions completed in March 2023 from their
Birmingham Branch. Descriptive statistics, computed to summarise the data, are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1.
Expenditure (£) on Stand Mixers
Minimum 150
Maximum 400
Sum 45000
Count
Lower Quartile 120
Upper Quartile
Inter-quartile range (IQR) 220
Coefficient of Variation
Mean
Median 225
Mode 200
Standard Deviation
Sample Variance 2500
Range 250
Required for Task 1 (50 words Max)
With reference to Table 1, copy and fill in the table. Note: you must use a calculator and show all your workings
in a word document for this task.
a. State the value of the count and use it to calculate the mean [1+2 =3marks]
b. Calculate the upper quartile [2marks]
c. Calculate the standard deviation of the sample [2marks]
d. Calculate the coefficient of variation, giving your answer as a percentage (%) to the nearest whole
number [2marks]
e. Comment on the distribution of the data [3mark]
f. Interpret the Standard deviation in the context of the scenario provided. [2marks]
g. Interpret the median in context of the scenario provided [2marks]
(NB: You should not describe calculation methods).
Page 2 of 8
MN4063QA Understanding and Managing Data APRIL23 Intake
Task 2: Grouped Descriptive Statistics [22marks]
It was suggested to the retailer that the 150 relevance invoices transaction in Question (1) from Birmingham
Branch above could be grouped (see Tables below).
Required for Task 2 (50 words Max)
2a. Complete the table below to show the percentage frequencies, cumulative frequencies, and cumulative
percentage frequencies columns. [1+1+1 = 3marks]. Round all answers to the nearest whole number
Price band (£) Number of Invoices
140 to less than 160 18
160 to less than 170 21
170 to less than 180 46
180 to less than 200 30
200 to less than 250 25
250 to less than 350 10
2b. Use the information on table below to estimate the mean and the standard deviation. [10 +2+2 = 14marks].
Round all answers to the nearest whole number. Show all your working out
Price band (£) Number of Invoices
140 to less than 160 18
160 to less than 170 21
170 to less than 180 46
180 to less than 200 30
200 to less than 250 25
250 less than 350 10
2c. From the table above (2b), estimate (interpolate) the median expenditure of the consumers. Show all your
working using a calculator. [3marks]. Round your answer to the nearest whole number
2d. A similar survey is conducted on the retailer shop located in London. The mean is estimated to be £200,000
with a standard deviation of £15,000. Use two brief sentences to describe the main differences between the
Birmingham and London Branches, considering the means and the standard deviations. [2marks]
Page 3 of 8
MN4063QA Understanding and Managing Data APRIL23 Intake
Task 3: Data Types [8 marks]
To better understand its target consumers and strengthen its position in the market, the kitchen appliances
retailer seeks to survey its customers to gain insights into key consumer characteristics, such as demographic
profiles and lifestyle preferences. However, before outsourcing the data collection fieldwork, the retailer seeks
clarification on data types, as outlined in the requirements below.
Required for Task 3 (100 words Max)
a. With reference to examples relevant to the retailer’s information needs, discuss the differences between
cross-sectional data and time series data. [4marks]
b. State whether cross-sectional data, time series data or both types of data should be collected to gain
insights into the demographic profile and lifestyle preferences of its customers. Justify your answer
[4mark]
(Use c r e d i b l e sources. The citation and reference must be credited using the Harvard method).
Task 4: Networking [16 marks]
The retailer has seen a shift in the way in which consumers purchase items, such as kitchen appliances. Online
retailing now accounts for over 80% of their sales and, to reflect this change, the retailer has decided to convert
some of its retail space into warehouse space. This conversion project consists of 10 activities. For example,
Activity C takes 3 weeks to complete and can only be started after Activity A has been completed. Information
on the 10 activities is outlined in Table 3 below.
Precedence Table
Activity Preceding Activity Duration (Weeks)
A ….. 5
B ….. 3
C A 4
D B 3
E C 5
F C, D 3
G D 6
H ….. 4
I E,F,G 2
J H, I 3
Required for Task 4(50 words Max)
With reference to the precedence table above, construct a network diagram by going through the:
a. Forward and backward. passes [4 +4 = 8marks]
b. Identify the critical path and duration of the project. [2+2= 4marks]
c. Comment on the difference between critical activities and non-critical activities. [2 +2 =4marks]
Note: Draw your network diagram in Excel. The network diagram needs to be copied into your Word file.
Task 5: Sampling [8marks] [max 120 words]
Explain how the kitchen appliances retailer can apply the stratified sampling technique to select the required 150 relevant
invoices from a total number of 3000 invoices, for the survey.
(Use c r e d i b l e sources. The citation and reference must be credited using the Harvard style)
Page 4 of 8
MN4063QA Understanding and Managing Data APRIL23 Intake
PART 2 [30marks]
Task 6: Correlation and Regression [30 marks]
To allocate resources effectively, the retailer wants to better understand the relationship between the variables
shown on the table below.
Average order value Value of sales (£millions)
12.8 8.7
16.8 9.6
5.5 5.2
20.5 10.3
14.2 6.4
28 11.8
10.9 9.2
15.6 8.5
19.6 8.4
7.5 5.9
Required for Task 6 (150 words Max)
a. State, giving a brief explanation which variable would be the dependent variable [4marks]
b. Create a scatter graph, plotting value of sales against the average order value. The trend line, regression
equation and coefficient of determination should be shown on the graph. Copy the correctly labelled graph,
with the correct units of measurement, into your Word file. [10marks]
c. Interpret the correlation coefficient in context. [4mark]
d. Interpret the coefficient of determination in context. [4mark]
e. State the regression equation in context. [2mark]
f. Interpret the value of the intercept in context. [3mark]
g. Interpret the value of the gradient in context. [3mark]
