STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

Unit Guide

Trimester 1 2021-2022
 MAT102 STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS
TRIMESTER 1 2021-2022

CONTACTS
Võ Đức Hoàng Vũ
Unit Instructor
vu.vo@ueh.edu.vn
An Nguyen
17 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 3, HCM City
Program Administrator
Phone: 08 54465555 (Ex:
Email: an.nguyen@isb.edu.vn
124)

About Statistics for Business (MAT102)

UNIT OVERVIEW

This unit provides an introduction to statistics concepts and techniques for analyzing economic and
business problems. The unit will focus on practical business applications of statistical theory and
methods. Topics covered include exploratory data analysis, probability, statistical distributions,
sampling and sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and regression.
Students will be exposed to these topics and how each applies to the business environment. The
unit is aimed to develop students’ quantitative reasoning skills and ability to solve statistical
problems using both manual computations and statistical software.

PRE-REQUISITES

None

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Assessment Information
UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES
The table below outlines the unit learning outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. Upon completion of this
unit, students will be able to:

Visualize and statistically describe data, including discussion of tables, charts and basic measures of
1.
central tendency and variability.

Understand common probability distributions, particularly the Normal distribution, and how to
2.
calculate and interpret the mean, variance, and standard deviation of a distribution.

3. Understand sampling distributions, biased and unbiased estimates, and the Central Limit Theorem.

Calculate and interpret confidence intervals for population means and determine the appropriate
4.
sample size to obtain a confidence interval.

5. Understand the principles of hypothesis testing and hypothesis testing to test a mean or variance.

6. Use regression analysis to predict the value of a dependent variable.

7. Understand some applications of statistics in business.

8. Perform statistical analysis operations using statistics software like Mega Stat, Stata, R.

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

In line with its focus on assuring students’ skills in unit learning outcomes 1-7 above, this unit is also
responsible for introducing/developing/assuring the following program-level learning outcomes
(PLOs):

Knowledge & Application

1. Solid understanding and competency of appropriate application of business discipline-specific
knowledge.

Communication
2. Competency in professional written and oral communication suited to multiple audiences and
contexts.

Teamwork
3.
Effective collaboration in teamwork or other tasks in organizational settings.

Critical thinking
4.
Critical thinking through appropriate observing, analyzing and reasoning, etc.

Problem solving
5.
Effective and constructive problem solving.

Ethics
6.
An ethical perspective, including an understanding of the ethical responsibilities of organizations. 

7. Cultural Diversity

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A global mindset, including an understanding of the different business settings, the ability to identify
foreign market potentials, to diagnose cross-cultural communication problems and propose
appropriate solutions.

ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

VALUE
ASSESSMENT ITEM DUE DATE LEARNING OUTCOMES
(%)
Class attendance and participation
1. 5% ULO1-8
(Individual)
2 days after ULO1-8
2. Quizzes (individual) completion of 10%
each session
Group presentation (Group and ULO1-8
3. Session 8 15%
Individual)
4. Mid-term exam (individual) Session 7 20% ULO1-3
6. Final exam (individual) TBA 50% ULO1-7

Final marks and grades are subject to confirmation by the School Assessment Committees which
may scale, modify or otherwise amend the marks and grades for the unit, as may be required by
the university policies. Group presentation (Group and Individual)

 Note: To successfully complete this unit, students must:

 Achieve a minimum of 50 marks;
 Complete all assessment items; and
 Attend 80 per cent of class time. See attendance requirements in the section of class
policies and rules below.

Assessment 1: Class attendance & participation (5%)

Overview
Due: Ongoing throughout the duration of the course.
Details
Class attendance and participation includes coming to class prepared and on time, taking
part in class discussions (this involves listening/reading as well as writing/speaking and
completing all in-class activities), asking questions, contributing your knowledge and
insights in whatever form is appropriate, and striving to make all your contributions
excellent. It also includes doing the required reading and writing for each class.
Attendance is checked using fingerprint scanners. You are permitted no more than 20%
absences during the term. Coming late by 15 minutes at the beginning of the class,
coming late by 5 minutes after the break, or leaving prior to the scheduled end time
without the permission of the lecturer will equate to an absence.

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Assessment 2: Quizzes (10%)

Overview
Due: 1 week after the quiz announced.
Length: Each student needs about 40 minutes for online quizzes.

Details
This assessment is conducted via online quizzes at home. The assessment consists of 20 multiple-
choice questions lasting 40 minutes.The objective of this assessment is to strengthen students’
knowledge obtain in the class. There are also 11 online quizzes during the course; each quiz is
corresponding to a chapter in the textbook (chapter 2 to chapter 12). These quizzes are deployed
via the e-learning website. Students have to accomplish at least 9 quizzes. If a student does not
take at least 9 quizzes, this component for her/him will be counted as 0% of the total only.

Assessment 3: Group presentation (15%)

Overview
Due: Session 8
Length: Each group will have about 15 minutes to present an assigned topic and 15 minutes for
Q&A.
Details
The class will be grouped into 10 groups. Each group, with 3 to 4 students, will be
assigned a topic to study and present in the class. The objective of this assessment is to
encourage students do research in groups and communicate their results in an oral
presentation.
Marking criteria and standards
The presenters will be evaluated by the lecturer (50%) as well as the rest of the class
(50%) based on the following criteria:
i. Content: Is the presentation clear and focused? Does it cover all important content of
the assigned topic?
ii. Preparation: How well prepared is this group? How good are the slides and supporting
materials? How well does this group know their materials?
iii. Presentation and Communication: How well organized is the presentation? How
effectively does this group present, interact and involve the rest of the class? Does
this group use time effectively?
iv. Addressing questions: How effective does this group deal with questions and
comments?
v. Interest and Creativity: How interesting and creative is this group presentation?

Assessment 4: Mid-term exam (Individual) (20%)

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Overview
Due: Session 7
Length: 90 minutes

Details
The mid-session exam will be held in Session 7. It is an open-book exam. The goal of this
assessment is to give students feedback on how well they demonstrate an understanding
of the topics covered from session 1 to 6. The mid-term exam will contain 50 multiple
choice questions, each question has four choices and only one of them is the correct
answer. You may select one and only one answer for each question. You will have 90
minutes to complete the mid-term exam.

Marking criteria and standards

Correctness is the primary criterion for this assessment. The number of correct answers is
converted to the 10-scale by the following formula:

Mid-term score = (number of correct answers – 12.5) *10/ 37.5.

The logic behind this is that by randomly selecting an answer, your likelihood of selecting
the correct one is about 25% (1 correct answer in 4 available choices). Thus, certain
deduction is needed to truly reflect your performance.

Assessment 5: Final exam (Individual) (50%)

Overview
Due: TBA
Length: 120 minutes
Details
The final exam is an open-book exam. Students are allowed to use calculators approved by the ISB.
The goal of this assessment is to give students feedback on how well they demonstrate an
understanding of the topics covered in the whole course. The final exam will contain 30 multiple
choice questions and 20 short-answer questions. The multiple-choice questions account for 50% of
the total score and the short answer questions account for the other 50%. You will have 120
minutes to complete the exam.

General submission requirements

1. Assignment cover sheet
 All assignments are to be submitted with an Assignment Cover Sheet. Group assignments
are to be submitted with a Group Assignment Cover Sheet as well as a Peer Evaluation
Form. Non-contributing team members can sometimes be an issue with group-work
structured assessment. Individual student group work scores may be adjusted as a result of
peer dissatisfaction with a particular student’s contribution to group work assignments, as
reflected in submissions of the evaluation form.

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 Note: Assignment cover sheets and the evaluation form can be located on E-learning
system
 (http://elearning.isb.edu.vn/). Students are to keep a copy of all assignments submitted for
marking.
2. Submission style and method
 A professional standard of presentation is expected for all assignments. Assignments
should be typed, one and a half spaced, on A4 paper. Use a simple clear format, suitable
for a report to senior management in a commercial organization.
 All assignments are required to be submitted electronically via E-learning system
 (http://elearning.isb.edu.vn/) by 11:55 PM on the due date and if required, in hard copies
to the unit coordinator by the due date. The title of assignment submitted via E-learning
system shall be as follows:
 Student name_Unitname_Name of Assignment.
3. Late assignment and make-up policy
 Coursework and assignments are expected to be completed within the stated time frame.
No late assignments will be accepted unless prior authorization granted by the coordinator.
In case such an authorization is not granted, grade deduction will be applied. The
coordinator may decide not to accept assignments that are not submitted within 3 days
after the assignment due date. However, if there are extenuating or unforeseen
circumstances, an exception may be granted at the discretion of the unit coordinator and
based on a Special Consideration Application for assessment task extension.
 All quizzes, the mid-term test, and final exam must be taken on the assigned dates. If there
are extenuating or unforeseen circumstances, the unit coordinator must be contacted prior
to the quiz or exam dates to authorize a make-up if required. No make-up quiz or exam will
be accepted unless a prior approval granted by the unit coordinator based on a Special
Consideration Application for a supplementary examination.

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Teaching Activities
LEARNING RESOURCES

Textbook  Doane, D. P. & Seward, L. E. (2016). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics (5th ed.),
New York, USA: McGraw Hill International Edition.
Reference  Thomas J. Quirk (2019). Excel 2019 For Business Statistics A Guide to Solving Practical
Problems (2nd ed.), Cham, Switzerland: Springer.
Reading
 Additional reading materials could be handed out in the class.

ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES

E-library
https://smartlib.ueh.edu.vn/

E-learning http://elearning.isb.edu.vn or http://lms.voduchoangvu.vn

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE READINGS & ACTIVITIES

Topic1: Overview of Statistics (12/10/2021)
 Introduction to statistics
 Why study statistics
 Statistical Challenges
Doane & Seward (2016),
Topic 2: Data Collection
1 chapter 1 & 2
 Level of Measurement
 Time series versus Cross-sectional data
 Sampling concepts
 Sampling methods
 Data Sources and Survey

Topic 3: Describing Data Visually (19/10/2021)

 Visual description
 Dot plots
Doane & Seward (2016),
 Frequency distributions and Histograms chapter 3
 Excel Charts, line charts, pie charts accompanying with
2  Scatter plots computer practices
 Deceptive graphs (students bring their
 Tutorial: practice on R to create basic chart, graphs. You can own laptop)
download R and RStudio at http://www.r-project.org and
https://www.rstudio.com/products/rstudio/download/#down
load , respectively.
3 Topic 4: Descriptive Statistics (26/10/2021) Doane & Seward (2016),
chapter 4

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Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE READINGS & ACTIVITIES

 Numerical Description
 Central tendency: mean, mode, median accompanying with
 Dispersion: Variance, Coefficient variation computer practices
 Standardized data (students bring their
 Percentiles, Quartiles, and Box Plots own laptops)
 Correlation and Covariance
 Grouped data
 Skewness and Kurtosis
 Practice on R
Topic 5: Probability (2/11/2021)
 Random experiments and probability
 Rules of probability: Marginal, union, join and conditional
probabilities Doane & Seward (2016),
 Independent events chapter 5
4  Addition and multiplication laws
 Contingency tables
 Tree diagrams
 Bayes’ Theorem
 Counting Rules
 Exercise
Topic 6: Discrete Probability Distributions (9/11/2021)
 Discrete distributions vs. continuous distributions Doane & Seward (2016),
chapter 6
 Expected value, variance and standard deviation of a
discrete distributions
 Uniform distributions
5  Bernoulli distributions
 Binomial distributions
 Poisson distributions
 Hypergeometric distribution
 Geometric distribution
 Exercise and compute discrete probability distributions on
R
Topic 7: Continuous Probability Distributions
 Uniform continuous distribution
 Normal distribution Doane & Seward (2016),
6  Standard normal distribution chapter 7
 Normal Approximations
 Exponential distributions
 Quick revision for mid-term test
Mid-term test: 22/11/2021 Doane & Seward (2016):
7
chapter 1-7
Group presentation: 29/11/2021 Doane & Seward (2016):
8
chapter 1-7
8 Topic 8: Sampling Distributions and Estimation Doane & Seward (2016),
 Sampling variation chapter 8
 Estimators and sampling distributions
 Sample mean and the central limit theorem
 Confidence interval for a mean (µ) with known population

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Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE READINGS & ACTIVITIES

variance () and with unknown 
 Confidence interval for a proportion (π)
 Sample size determination for a mean and for a proportion
 Confidence interval for a population variance, 2
Feedback from mid-term
Topic 9: One-sample hypothesis tests
Doane & Seward (2016),
 Logic of hypothesis test
chapter 9
 Statistical hypothesis testing
 Testing a mean: known population variance and unknown
11
population variance
 Testing a proportion
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 8)

Topic 10: Two-sample Hypothesis Tests

 Two-sample tests
 Comparing two means: independent samples
 Confidence interval for the difference of two means, μ1−μ 2
 Comparing two means: paired samples Doane & Seward (2016),
12
 Comparing two proportions chapter 10
 Confidence interval for the difference of two proportions,
π 1−π 2
 Comparing two variances
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 9)
(Online) Topic 11: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
 One-factor ANOVA (Completely Randomized Model)
 Multiple comparisons Doane & Seward (2016),
13
 Tests for homogeneity of variances chapter 11
 Two-factor ANOVA without replication
 Two-factor ANOVA with replication
(Online) Topic 12: Simple Regression
 Visual displays and correlation analysis
 Simple regression
 Tests for significance
 Analysis of variance: overall fit
Doane & Seward (2016),
14  Confidence and prediction intervals for dependent
chapter 12
variable
 Residuals test
 Unusual observations
 Other regression problems
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 11 & 12)

Doane & Seward (2016),

15 (Online) Revision
chapter 2-12

16 Final exam: TBA

Tutorial

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Tutorials following the lecture in each session provide students the opportunity to apply and share
knowledge by doing a variety of in-class activities individually or in group such as exercises,
discussion, and presentation. These activities focus on demonstrating your skills and help you build
your ability to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit.
Tutorial questions/exercises will be provided in class. You will be expected to have completed
specific reading and exercises from the textbook and other required materials prior to attending
each lecture and tutorial class. If you have not prepared adequately, you will not get the full benefit
from this learning opportunity.

General Information & Policy

Referencing
Plagiarism

Student assignments are to contain original content created by the students. Assignments will be
rejected if they include plagiarized content or contain excessive amounts of quoted/cited material
and minimal original content. Students will receive a grade of ZERO (0%) for any assignments

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rejected for this reason. Written assignments WILL BE checked by the lecturer with Turnitin.com,
an online plagiarism-checking tool.
Sources

Furthermore, your reference to support your statements must be from a reliable source, such as
textbooks, additional reading materials, and reference books. However, many websites are not
reliable sources. Examples are Wikipedia.org, about.com, and ask.com. If you are not sure if a
reference is acceptable or not, please contact the lecturer.
Referencing & Citation

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th ed., will serve as the
primary reference materials for all students. Therefore, all papers must be submitted in APA
format. The mechanics of student papers and work will be evaluated, as well as the content.

Submission
Assignment cover sheet
 All assignments are required to be submitted with an Assignment Cover Sheet.
 Group assignments are to be submitted with a Group Assignment Cover Sheet as well as a Peer
Evaluation Form depending on the request of unit instructor.
Non-contributing team members can sometimes be an issue with group-work structured
assessment. Individual student group work scores may be adjusted as a result of peer
dissatisfaction with a particular student’s contribution to group work assignments, as reflected in
submissions of the evaluation form.
Note:
 Assignment cover sheets and the evaluation form can be located on MyISB system
 Students are advised to keep a copy of all assignments submitted for marking.

Submission style

Assignments are expected to achieve a professional standard:

 Be typed, one and a half spaced, on A4 paper
 Use a simple clear format, suitable for a report to senior management in a commercial
organization.

Submission method
Soft copy: submitted electronically via E-learning system by 11:55 PM on the due date (Suggested
title: Student name_Unitname_Name of Assignment).
Hard copy: submitted to ISB Submission Box at the Reception Area (17 Pham Ngoc Thach) by the
due date.

Late assignment and make-up policy

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No late assignments will be accepted unless prior authorization granted by the Academic
Department based on a Special Consideration Application for assessment task extension.
Students must complete all assessments on the assigned dates including quizzes, mid-term test,
and final exam. If there are extenuating or unforeseen circumstances, students must follow the
school’s policies and procedures accordingly.

Attendance
Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of all classes (which normally 12/15 sessions).
Other cases equating to an absence:
 Arriving to class late by 15 minutes at the beginning,
 Arriving late by 5 minutes after the break
 Leaving prior to the scheduled end time without the permission of the lecturer
If you are unable to attend any session, please let your lecturer know AND submit a request for
absence form to program administrator prior to the session.

 IMPORTANT: Students will not be allowed to sit in the final examination if violating the above
absence rule.

Electronic device use

 Cell phones will be turned off or switched to vibrate mode before class starts.
 No phone calls or text messaging are allowed inside classroom during class time.
 Portable listening and/or music devices may not be operated in the classroom.
 Headphones and/or ear buds of any type may not be worn while in the classroom whether
operating or not.
 Laptop and other electronic devices are not permitted unless specifically authorised by the
lecturer exclusively for note taking and doing class work.

 IMPORTANT: If you are in violation of these policies you will be excused from class and an
absence will be assessed.

Email etiquette
Your lecturers receive many emails each day. In order to enable them to respond to your emails
appropriately and in a timely fashion, students are asked to follow basic requirements of
professional communication.
Your emails should:
 Have a concise and descriptive title, including the class and name of the unit you are
enquiring about
 Be clear about the intention of their emails
 Use appropriate tone and language, proof-read what is written in the email before sending
it.

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Students should also allow 3-4 working days for a response before following up. If the matter is
legitimately urgent, you may indicate “URGENT” in the email subject header.
Make an appointment: If your email request is complex and requires a lengthy response it may be
probably best to make an appointment with your lecturer/instructor to meet in person.

Student behaviour guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to demonstrate respect for teacher
and fellow students at all times. Behaviour that is disruptive to a positive learning environment
reported to the teacher will result in a warning on the first instance; the second instance might
result in a failing grade along with expulsion from the school.
Unacceptable behaviors can be:
 Cheating on an exam
 Collaborating with others on work to be presented, if contrary to the stated rules of the
course
 Submitting, if contrary to the rules of the course, work previously submitted in another
course
 Knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above actions, including
assistance in an arrangement whereby work, classroom performance, examination, or
other activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose
name the work is submitted or performed
 Plagiarising

 IMPORTANT:
 First violation will result in a grade ZERO (0%) for that assignment.
 Second violation will result in a failing course grade.

Disability support services

Students with disabilities are advised that accommodations and services are available at UEH-ISB. It
is the student's responsibility to contact UEH-ISB office and submit appropriate documentation
prior to receiving such services.

Additional information
This unit guide may be revised at the discretion of the Academic Department with approval from
Program Academic Director and School Academic Committee where appropriate.

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