International Year One in Business
INU1111
Quantitative Methods
Summative Assignment Part A (25% of final mark)
Assignment Part A: Background Research, Data Collection and Preparation for Analysis (25% of final mark)
Distribution and Submission Details
Due Date: Monday 25th November 2024 (9:00am)
Turnitin Submission
Please Note:
Ø You must meet the Turnitin deadline. Failure to meet the deadline will result in a reduction in your mark. Please see the module guide for more information on how this is applied.
Ø Late or plagiarised assignments will be penalised
Assignment guidelines:
· Read the Assignment Background Information document.
· Read this document (Assignment Part A Instructions) carefully
· Complete the Assignment Part A Form.
Complete the Assignment Part A Form
Marks available in question: 100 (25% of your final module mark)
Background research and data collection are essential parts of a Quantitative Methods project. The aim of Assignment Part A is to encourage you to carry out some background research, think carefully about the issues around collecting data and to begin with some initial analysis.
Log into Canvas and go to the Assignment Part A Folder. You will see an Assignment Part A Form. Complete each section on the form; submit your Assignment Part A through Turnitin. The marks for each section are shown on the form. Please take time to look at the marks and the word count assigned to each section.
Guidance on Completing the Assignment Part A Form
Section 1: Choose your research option and write this out on your form.
Choose one of three research options. Your research question will centre around investigating the relationship between those two numerical variables. Your research should also investigate the effect of a third categorical variable that will allow you to investigate differences between two groups.
For example, you could investigate the relationship between ‘Number of Views’ and ‘Number of Likes’ but you could also divide videos into two locations, such as USA and Spain or you could divide the data by Video Topic (e.g., Sports Videos compared to Gaming Videos)
If you are unsure how to write the research statement, you can use the following format.
My research will investigate the variables ………… and ……………. The data will be divided into two groups ……………… and ………………………..
Section 2: Write an introduction to the topic (200 words)
To really understand your analysis results you do need to understand the topic. Start by carrying out some background research into Video Streaming and YouTube. Write a short introduction to the topic. Make sure you reference your sources. The final section on the Part A Form. is for references.
Section 3: Think about your variables (200 words)
You need to decide which variables you need to answer your research question.
This requires thought; you need to use enough data to answer your research question but don’t use every single variable from the spreadsheet (you need to stay focused on your research question).
There are always variables which affect the ones we are interested in that can have an impact on our results. There are often referred to as ‘lurking’ or ‘confounding’ variables. Identify and discuss two other variables that could affect your results. These do not need to be variables which are listed on the spreadsheet.
Section 4: Sample method and data collection (200 words)
Once you have decided which variables you are going to use and how you are grouping the data (for example, comparing two locations) then you can decide on how to sample the data. Think about this stage carefully, this will affect the quality of your final analysis. Make sure that you have a minimum of 30 videos in of your two groups. You need a final sample size of between 60 to 120 rows of data.
Choose a sample method that is appropriate for the data, collect your data and write out your sample method on the Assignment Part A form. Include all the details. Another researcher should be able to read your sample method and re-create your steps. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of your chosen method.
Important Note: This assignment is designed to give you practical experience of sampling and some insight into the complexities of this. You must use a small sample (between 60 to 120 rows of data) from the dataset. Do not use the entire spreadsheet or a larger dataset (obtained through a different source).
Section 5: Calculate a set of descriptive statistics and create a graph (200 words)
Using your sample, select the Number of Views variable from your sample. Calculate a small set of descriptive statistics (mean, median, maximum, minimum, standard deviation and IQR). Create either a histogram or a box and whisker plot to accompany the statistics. Use either Excel or Minitab for this.
Write an interpretation for your graph and descriptive statistics. Try to put the information into wider context, for example, what does the shape of the histogram or boxplot tell you about the number of times popular videos are viewed? What does the mean from your sample tell you about your sample?
Section 6: Referencing
In academic work, you need to support your discussion with academic references. If you make a specific decision (for example, to use a convenience sample rather than a simple random sample), you can support your choice with a reference. You will also need to reference your background research information in your introduction. Make sure all your references are in the Harvard Reference format.