Conduct an analysis of a real decision problem (personal or managerial) that you are familiar with.
GBA 334
Group Project
Guidelines
Instructions:
The Decision Models term project is fairly flexible in terms of the types of projects that are acceptable.
You may come up with your ow
n project topic or choose from the
list of
topics
below
. In either case,
the
project topic must be approved by the professor. Each group is expected to prepare a full report that
addresse
s all areas noted
below
.
At the discretion of the instructor, this may include (a) make a short
PowerPoint or Prezi presentation to the class
reporting on their
project (18 minutes including Q&A), or (b)
writing a paper.
Either way that is chosen, each group must submit files containing all of the project
–
related materials (e.g.
,
Excel files, PowerPoint presentation files, Word files
, etc.
).
Sample topics include:
Conduct an analysis of a
real
decision problem (personal or managerial) that you are familiar
with.
An analysis of an important decision problem (again,
real
) “in the public domain”.
An experiment involving decision making and decis
ion
–
analytic tools.
Group Selection
:
Students will form into groups of 4 or 5 and notify
the instructor
via course e
–
mail
the names of the group members
no later than Sun
day 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 2
.
Proposal
:
Submit a Research Proposal for
instructor approval that includes your main variables, any
control variables, how they are labeled, what your value ranges are, your specific data source, and
your tentative research question.
Submit the
r
esearch
p
roposal to your assigned group’s
Dropbox
b
asket
no later than Sun
day 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module
4
.
(These
Dropbox basket
s
are
linked
to Turnitin.)
Final Report
:
As mentioned earlier, this proj
ect can be a written report, a P
ower
P
oint
or Prezi
presentation
, or a combination of the t
hree
.
Regardless of the form the presentation takes, it
must
include the following areas
:
Introduction
–
What was your project? Why did you choose the topic? What was the main
research question?
How did completing this project demonstrate Saint Leo University’
s core
value of excellence?
Data
–
What was your data source? What dates did it cover? What was the web site you
obtained it from? What variables did you include? Identify all dependent and independent
variables. What were their values and what do tho
se values signify?
Descriptive Statistics
–
for your primary variables, be sure to include Table 1 below (you can
cut and paste it into your document if you like
)
.
Graphs as appropriate
–
scatterplot, histogram, pie chart, etc.
Testing Conducted
–
what typ
e of test did you conduct? What were the results?
Conclusion
–
Wrap up your report in a concise manner. Clearly state what you learned from
the results and any potential shortcomings of your analysis.
Table 1
–
Descriptive Statistics for ?????
Add
descriptive statistics measures as needed for your project.
Statistic
?????
?????
N
?
?
Mean
?
?
Std. Deviation
?
?
Skewness
?
?
Minimum
?
?
Q1
?
?
Median
?
?
Q3
?
?
Maximum
?
?
Each team member must submit
the Final R
eport to
Chalk and Wire
using the link in the Module 7 folder
no
later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 7
. (
Chalk and Wire is
linked to Turnitin.)
Students
who do not submit the assignment to Chalk and Wire will receive a zero for the assignment. This is a key
program assessment; the results are used to
ensure students are meeting program goals. Video and {DF
i
nstructions can be found on the course home page. PDF instructions are also located in
t
he Start Here
folder.
Possible Project Ideas
:
How does gas mileage depend on the [blank] of the vehicle? [Blank] could be weight, engine size,
seating capacity, size (e.g. compact, sub
–
compact, SUV), etc. There should be multiple predictor
variables included.
How does the gender distribution of groc
ery store customers depend on [blank]? Here, [blank]
could be the day of the week, the time of day, the location of the store, etc.
Is there a relationship between [physical measurement] and [sports performance]. The [physical
measurement] could be hand s
pan, length of inseam, length of foot, etc. The [sports
performance] could be free throw percentage, time for 50m sprint, etc.
Does [measurement] depend on the area of town? The [measurement] could be the average
street width, the distance between fire hy
drants, the width of the yard between the curb and the
sidewalk, etc.
Can [statistic] predict [outcome]? Statistic can be virtually any published statistic for any
professional or amateur sport. Outcome can be wins, playoff appearances, title game
appea
rance, championships, etc.
Are [locations] adequately staffed during peak hours? Using queuing theory, determine if movie
theaters, restaurants, etc. are staffed appropriately.
Does [nutritional content] or other pr
edictor measure(s) of a cereal affect it
s
price?
