BUS508 Business Analytics

BUS508 Business Analytics

Written Assignment: Computer Application Project

(worth 40% of the overall assessment)

Instructions:

This assignment has 2 Questions.

You will need to download Assignment Question file (this file) and data fileto complete your assignment.

All numerical calculations and graphs/plots should be done using EXCEL or R as much as possible.

Only typed assessments in a Word document will be marked. Hand-written equations and symbols are accepted if scanned and pasted into the word document. You have to copy and paste Excel/R outputs (e.g., plots, tables etc) into your main assignment, which is a Word document. Any answer in the Excel document, but not in the main document, will NOT be marked.

The completed assignment (Word document, Excel file, R script) must be submitted electronically via Submission point in Assessment 4 Assignment folder.

Word files that are not accompanied by Excel files will NOT be marked.

If R outputs are given in the submission, you have to upload the associated R script.

You are required to keep a hard copy of the submitted assignment to re-submit, in case the original submission is lost for some reason.

Important Notice:

As this is an individual assessment item, students should submit their individual assignment. All assignments submitted will go through a matching process. If found to have plagiarised, all submissions involved would receive a mark of zero for this assessment item.

Description of Marking Criterion

Application and use of statistical software

In completing this assignment, you should ensure that:

All graphical or numerical descriptive measures are generated using Excel and R. The use of Excel or R is task dependent.

You submit all required file, these being Excel calculation file, any Rscripts and the Word document with written answers to all questions and all outputs pasted appropriately with a heading that includes the associated question number.

Answers to Question 1 are generated using the Question 1 Parts A-C Excel sheets in the Assignment 4 Data file. You have to develop your own answer template for this question (hence its empty sheet at the moment).

Either Excel or R outputs are generated as required in Question 2.

Important Notes:

For this question, 5 out of 25 marks are allocated to appropriate outputs generated in R.

All outputs for Question 2 can be produced in Excel. However, to realise the full allocation of marks, a minimum of (any) 4 outputs should be generated in R.

When using R, you use the .csv form files in the Assignment 4 folder to generate the outputs.

Hint:

Save the csv files in your lecture example Data folder and use the Lecture example Rscript to build your own Rscript for the assignment.

For all presented R outputs, Rscript is uploaded with the other assignment documentation.

Important Notes:

R outputs that are not supplemented by submitted Rscript will not be considered for marking.

All outputs are generated using the correct data otherwise they will not be marked.

You may use the Excel workbooks provided, with weekly learning materials, for hypothesis testing and confidence interval estimate questions, if required and appropriate.

All outputs are formatted appropriately for readability although no marks will be allocated for the advanced formatting of outputs.

All answers should include any information needed to appropriately facilitate the interpretation of outputs.

Knowledge and application of Analytics concepts

In completing this assignment, you should ensure that:

All sub-questions in the main questions have been answered.

The graphical or numerical descriptive measures are suitable and used according to the requirements of the question.

Where the question saysto explain,discuss, interpret, a correct and concise explanation/interpretation is provided.

Not exceed the word count requirement given in each question (excluding the word count in excel and R outputs).

Report writing with data analytics

The report in Part 2C is a standalone report that includes appropriate components such as introduction, description of data analytics techniques used and reasons for selecting such techniques, discussion of results and conclusion. Any outputs generated in previous sections of the question should be reproduced in the report if required.

Remember that Part 2C is a complete Research Report you might submit to your manager.

You are not expected to do additional research to complete this assignment. However, if you do so, include the list of references used.

QUESTION 1 (15 marks)

A manufacturer makes two products, widget A and widget B, each requiring time on each of two machines. These requirements, along with the limitations on the available labour-hours are given in the following table. Using Excel Solver, answer the following questions.

Part 1A [5 marks]

Determine how many units of widget A and widget B must be produced each week to maximize the total profit. (fractional units allowed)

Units of widget A

Units of widget B

Maximum Profit

Part 1B [5 marks]

Suppose that a single order is received for 16 units of widget A per week, and if it is decided that this order must be filled, determine the new values below (fractional units allowed).

Units of A

Units of B

Maximum Profit

Part 1C [5 marks]

In addition to the above, the company estimates that at most 25 units of widgets can be handled by its distribution network each week. Determine the new values below (fractional units allowed).

Units of A

Units of B

Maximum Profit

QUESTION 2: Global warming and a possible cause (25 marks)

Preamble

In the last part of the 20th century, scientists developed the theory that the planet was warming and that the primary cause was the increasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), which are the product of burning oil, natural gas, and coal (fossil fuels). Although many climatologists believe in the so-called greenhouse effect, many others do not subscribe to this theory. Further, Earths temperature has increased and decreased many times in its long history. We have had higher temperatures and we have had lower temperatures, including various ice ages. In fact, a period called the little ice age ended around the middle to the end of the nineteenth century. Then the temperature rose until about 1940, at which point it decreased until 1975. In fact, a Newsweek article published 28 April 1975, discussed the possibility of global cooling, which seemed to be the consensus among scientists at the time. There are two critical questions that need to be answered in order to resolve the issue.

Is Earth actually warming?

If the planet is warming, is CO2 the cause?

In terms of data, the generally accepted procedure is to record monthly temperature anomalies. To do so, we calculate the average for each month over many years. We then calculate any deviations between the latest months temperature reading and its average. A positive anomaly would represent a months temperature that is above the average. A negative anomaly indicates a month where the temperature is less than the average.

Part 2A [12 = 3 + 4+ 5 marks including R outputs] (300 words)

Is Earth actually warming?

GLOBAL_A1.xlsx sheet in Assignment 4 Data file contains the monthly temperature anomalies (C) from 1880 to 2016. Sheet GLOBAL_A2.xlsx stores the monthly temperature anomalies (C) and time period from 1880 to 1940, GLOBAL_A3.xlsx stores the data from 1941 to 1975, GLOBAL_A4.xlsx stores the sample data from 1976 to 1997 and GLOBAL_A5.xlsx stores the data from 1998 to 2016. Using these data (or the files in .csv format if you use R) answer the following:

Considering the monthly temperature anomalies data over the data period 1880-2016 in GLOBAL_A1.xlsx, use a graphical technique to display whether there are signs of global warming. Discuss the trend in data.

Considering the average of the temperature anomalies in GLOBAL_A1.xlsx, test to show that, on average, there is global warming at the 5 percent level of significance. [Hint: Hypothesis testing on whether the population mean temperature anomalies is positive].

To investigate the relationship between temperature anomalies and time, depict this relationship in appropriate graph(s), estimate the least squares line and the coefficient of determination for each of the four time period data in GLOBALA2 to GLOBALA5 files (.xlsx or .csv). Report your findings. Has there been global warming in each of the four periods? Discuss.

Part 2B [5 = 4 + 1 marks including R outputs] (200 words)

If the planet is warming, is CO2 the cause?

Data for CO2 levels (ppm) in the atmosphere together with the temperature anomalies for March 1958 to May 2016 are stored in file GLOBALB.xlsx (and GLOBALB.csv).

Use a graphical technique to determine whether there is a linear relationship between temperature anomalies and CO2 levels. On the plot, insert the trend line. Estimate and interpret the intercept and the slope coefficient of the estimated linear trend line equation and comment on the fitness of the model.

Using the estimated trend line equation, predict the temperature anomaly if the CO2 level reaches 400ppm?

Part 2C [8 marks including R outputs] (500 words)

Consolidating the answers in Part 2A and Part 2B, and using any other information generated from the same data using the appropriate data analytics techniques studied in this unit, write a report answering the two critical questions; Is Earth actually warming? and if the planet is warming, is CO2 the cause?

END OF ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS