Learning Guide

MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

Trimester 1 2024
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS
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Course Detail

Course code MAT102

Course name STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

Unit overview
This unit provides an introduction to statistics concepts and techniques for analysing 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.

Contacts
Below is a list of contacts for this unit. Please liaise directly with your unit instructor regarding appropriate
consultation times. It is usually best to contact the staff via email.
Dr. Do Trong Hoai
Unit Coordinator
Email: hoai.dotrong@westernsydney.edu.vn

Mr. Vo Duc Hoang Vu

Email: vu.voduchoang@westernsydney.edu.vn
Dr. Bui Anh Tuan
Teaching team*
Email: tuan.buianh@westernsydney.edu.vn
Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Van
Email: van.nguyenthithu@westernsydney.edu.vn
Academic Inquiries Contact the Academic Admin Team – Please click HERE.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Tuyen
196 Tran Quang Khai Street, Tan Dinh Ward, District 1, HCM City.
Student Advisor
Email:
Phone: 0928 092 834
tuyen.nguyenthithanh@westernsydney.edu.vn
Note:
* Please direct your email to an appropriate lecturer. In addition, please refer to the Email etiquette section for
guidance.

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Course Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes for the unit are outlined below. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Visualize and statistically describe data, including discussion of tables, charts and basic
LO1
measures of central tendency and variability.
Describe common probability distributions, particularly the Normal distribution, and how to
LO2
calculate and interpret the mean, variance, and standard deviation of a distribution.
LO3 Explain sampling distributions, biased and unbiased estimates, and the Central Limit Theorem.
Calculate and interpret confidence intervals for population means and determine the
LO4
appropriate sample size to obtain a confidence interval.
LO5 Clarify the principles of hypothesis testing and hypothesis testing to test a mean or variance.
LO6 Use regression analysis to predict the value of a dependent variable.
LO7 Employ some applications of statistics in business.
LO8 Perform statistical analysis operations using statistics software.

Assessment
Assessment structure
This course contains four assessments structured as follows:
ASSESSMENT TYPE LEARNING WEIGHT THRESHOLD
ASSESSMENT ITEM AND DUE DATE
NUMBER OUTCOMES (/100)

Prior-to-class quizzes
1. Individual LO1-LO7 15% No
Due: In each class

Wrap-up quizzes
2. Individual LO1-LO7 15% No
Due: In each class

In-class group activities (debate, case

3. study, discussion, presentation) Group LO1-LO8 30% No
Due: Session 11

Final examination
4. Individual LO1-LO7 40% Yes: 35%
Due: TBA

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.
❖ Note: To successfully complete this unit, students must:
- Achieve a minimum of 50 marks,
- Complete all assessment items; and
- Attend 80 percent of class time. See attendance requirements in the section of class policies and rules
below.
NB: Assessment 4 has a threshold mark of 35%, i.e., you are required to achieve a minimum 35% mark for this
assessment and an overall pass mark (at least 50%) to pass the unit.

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Assessment Details
Assessment 1: Prior-to-class quizzes (Individual) (15%)
Due: Ongoing throughout the duration of the course
Length: 15 minutes

Details
This assessment is conducted via online quizzes in class. The assessment consists of 10 multiple-choice
questions lasting 15 minutes. The objective of this assessment is to encourage students to read some core
contents/key points before class in combination with instructor’s lecture to maintain their learning from
the outset rather than delay learning until major assessment events. This also provides students with fast,
regular feedback on their understanding of the covered topics.
There are 11 quizzes during the course; each quiz is corresponding to a chapter in the textbook (chapter 2
to chapter 12). Students can access these quizzes on the E-learning site. 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 2: Wrap-up quizzes (Individual) (15%)

Due: 1 week after the quiz is announced
Length: 40 minutes

Details
The form of this assessment is the same as in assessment 1. The objective of this assessment is to strengthen
students' knowledge obtained in 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. All questions in the quizzes are in the form of multiple choices. Each quiz lasts 40 minutes.
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: In-class group activities (Group) (30%)

Due: Session 11 (see in schedule of activities)

Details
The class will be divided into groups. Each group, with 4 to 5 students, will be assigned a topic to study and
present in the class. The objective of this assessment is to encourage students in doing 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: Final exam (Individual) (40%)

Due: TBA
Length: 120 minutes

Details

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The final exam is closed-book with allowed materials to be announced later.

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 60 multiple choice questions. 10
questions are from session 1 to 6 and 50 questions are from session 8 to 12. Each question has four choices
and only one of them is the correct answer. Students may select one and only one answer for each question.
Students will have 120 minutes to complete the final exam.
Marking criteria and standards
For multiple choice questions, each correct answer will be counted as 1 point.

General submission requirements

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. 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 additional submissions of the evaluation form.
Note: Assignment cover sheets and the evaluation form can be located on E-learning system
(https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/). Students are to keep a copy of all assignments submitted for
marking.

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
organisation.
All assignments are required to be submitted electronically via E-learning system
(https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/) and lecturer’s email 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.

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 authorisation granted by the unit coordinator. In case such an authorisation is not
granted, grade deduction will be applied. The unit 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, group assignments, 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 and Learning Activities

Course Schedule
SESSION LECTURE TUTORIALS READINGS
Topic 1: Overview of Statistics Course overview Doane & Seward
• Introduction to statistics Discussion on (2016), chapter 1
• Why study statistics assessment, expectation, &2
• Statistical Challenges and deadlines
Topic 2: Data Collection Group formation & ice
1
• Level of Measurement breaking
• Time series versus Cross-sectional data
• Sampling concepts
• Sampling methods
• Data Sources and Survey
Topic 3: Describing Data Visually Tutorial (chapter 2) ▪ Doane & Seward
• Visual description (2016), chapter 3
• Dot plots accompanying
2 • Frequency distributions and Histograms with computer
• Excel Charts, line charts, pie charts practices
• Scatter plots (students bring
• Deceptive graphs their own laptop)
Topic 4: Descriptive Statistics Tutorial and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Numerical Description (chapter 3) (2016), chapter 4
• Central tendency: mean, mode, median accompanying
• Dispersion: Variance, Coefficient variation with computer
3 • Standardized data practices
• Percentiles, Quartiles, and Box Plots (students bring
• Correlation and Covariance their own laptop)
• Grouped data
• Skewness and Kurtosis
Topic 5: Probability ▪ Tutorials and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Random experiments and probability (chapter 4) (2016), chapter 5
• Rules of probability: Marginal, union, join and
conditional probabilities
• Independent events
4
• Addition and multiplication laws
• Contingency tables
• Tree diagrams
• Bayes' Theorem
• Counting Rules
Topic 6: Discrete Probability Distributions ▪ Tutorials and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Discrete distributions vs. continuous (chapter 5) (2016), chapter 6
distributions
• Expected value, variance and standard deviation
of a discrete distributions
5 • Uniform distributions
• Bernoulli distributions
• Binomial distributions
• Poisson distributions
• Hypergeometric distribution
• Geometric distribution
Topic 7: Continuous Probability Distributions ▪ Review and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Uniform continuous distribution (chapter 2-7) (2016), chapter 7
• Normal distribution
• Standard normal distribution
6 • Normal Approximations
• Exponential distributions
• Tutorials and exercise (chapter 6)

Topic 8: Sampling Distributions and Estimation ▪ ▪ Doane & Seward

• Sampling variation (2016), chapter 8
• Estimators and sampling distributions
7
• Sample mean and the central limit theorem
• Sampling variation
• Estimators and sampling distributions

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SESSION LECTURE TUTORIALS READINGS

• Sample mean and the central limit theorem
• Confidence interval for a mean (µ) with known
population variance (s) and with unknown s
• Confidence interval for a proportion (π)
• Sample size determination for a mean and for a
proportion
• Confidence interval for a population variance, s2
Topic 9: One-sample hypothesis tests ▪ Tutorials and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Logic of hypothesis test (chapter 8) (2016), chapter 9
• Statistical hypothesis testing
8
• Testing a mean: known population variance and
unknown population variance
• Testing a proportion
Topic 10: Two-sample Hypothesis Tests ▪ Tutorials and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Two-sample tests (chapter 9) (2016), chapter
• Comparing two means: independent samples 10
• Confidence interval for the difference of two
means, µ1 - µ2
9
• Comparing two means: paired samples
• Comparing two proportions
• Confidence interval for the difference of two
proportions, π1 – π2
• Comparing two variances
▪ Tutorial and exercise on ▪ Doane & Seward
10 chapter 8, 9, and 10 (2016), chapter 8,
9, and 10
Groups present ▪ ▪
Topic 11: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) ▪ ▪ Doane & Seward
• One-factor ANOVA (Completely Randomized (2016), chapter
11 Model) 11
• Multiple comparisons
• Tests for homogeneity of variances
• Two-factor ANOVA without replication
• Two-factor ANOVA with replication
Topic 12: Simple Regression ▪ Tutorials and exercise ▪ Doane & Seward
• Visual displays and correlation analysis (chapter 11 & 12) (2016), chapter
• Simple regression 12
• Tests for significance
• Analysis of variance: overall fit
12
• Confidence and prediction intervals for
dependent variable
• Residual tests
• Unusual observations
• Other regression problems
● Note: Group list and schedule will be separately announced at the beginning of the class based on the
size of the class.

Tutorials
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 groups 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. It is required to set tutorial appointments with lecturer in a
prior notice via email.
Tutorial questions/exercises will be regularly set. 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.

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Learning resources
List of readings
Prescribed Doane, D. P. & Seward, L. E. (2016). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics (5th ed.).
Textbook McGraw Hill International Edition.
Recommended Berenson, M. L., David M. L., & Timothy, C. K. (2004). Basic Business Statistics (9th ed.). Prentice-
readings Hall.
Additional reading materials could be handed out in the class.

Online resources
Smart Library
E-library https://smartlib.ueh.edu.vn/
Sign in with student email and password.
E-learning https://lms.westernsydney.edu.vn/
Laptop Students are required to bring their laptops to class.

Referencing requirements
Student assignments are to contain original content created by the students. Assignments will be rejected if
they include plagiarised content or contain excessive amounts of quoted/cited material and minimal
original content. Students will receive a grade of ZERO (0%) for any assignments rejected for this reason.
Written assignments WILL BE RANDOMLY checked by the lecturer with Turnitin.com, an online plagiarism-
checking tool.
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.
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. It is imperative that
guidelines be reviewed before an assignment is begun. It is also important that the required submission
format be followed in compiling the final paper or assignment.

Course Evaluation and Quality Assurance

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback.
At the end of this course, students will be asked to complete some surveys, which provide a source of student
evaluative feedback on teaching and on course quality. Your input into this quality enhancement process is
extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching
learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards
enhancing educational quality.

Class Policies
Teaching times and location
Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer
to the ISB website (https://myisb.isb.edu.vn/) for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

Attendance requirement
UEH-ISB policy requires to check class attendance for each class. Class attendance is compulsory, and
students should provide reasons for the failure to attend the class on a particular lecture/workshop session.

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Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of all classes to secure class participation marks. Please
let your lecturer and/or UEH-ISB know if you are unable to attend any session.
Arriving to class late by 15 minutes at the beginning, arriving 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. Grade
reductions for the unit will be assessed when final grades are assigned if the above absence rule is violated
during the unit.

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

Email etiquette
Your lecturer receives 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. Firstly, all emails should have a concise and descriptive title, including the class and name
of the unit you are enquiring about as your teacher may be teaching more than one unit/class. Students
need to be clear about the intention of their emails, use appropriate tone and language, proof-read what is
written in the email before sending it. Students should also allow 3-4 working days for a response before
following up. If the matter is legitimately urgent, you may indicate this in the email subject header but be
sure that the email does require an immediate response before using this strategy. If your email request is
complex and requires a lengthy response it may be probably best to make an appointment with your teacher
to meet in person.

Student behaviour guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to always demonstrate respect for teacher and
fellow students. 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 course or program.
Students are to be punctual at every class session and group meeting. Homework, readings, and other
required assignments must be well prepared and completed as scheduled. Students must also actively
participate in classroom activities and discussions.
Any student caught (1) cheating on an exam, (2) collaborating with others on work to be presented, if
contrary to the stated rules of the course, (3) submitting, if contrary to the rules of the course, work
previously submitted in another course, (4) 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, or (5) plagiarising, may fail the class and be subject to further
disciplinary action. 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 Learning Guide may be revised at the discretion of the Unit Coordinator with approval from Program
Academic Director and School Academic Committee where appropriate.

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