Mkt 317 Qualitative Business Research

MKT 317 QUANTITATIVE BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS Fall, 2011 PROFESSOR: Dr. Page OFFICE HOURS: 2:30 – 4:30 Tuesday and Thursday, and by appointment OFFICE LOCATION: N332 North Business Complex PHONE: [phone] E-MAIL: [e-mail] TEXT: Complete Business Statistics, Seventh Edition, Aczel & Sounderpandian COURSE WEBPAGE: https://www.msu.edu/course/msc/317/ TEACHING ASSISTANTS: See the course webpage for teaching assistant office hours and contact information READ THE SYLLABUS COMPLETELY. YOU CAN EXPECT AT LEAST ONE QUESTION ON ITS CONTENT SOMETIME DURING THE TERM. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course focuses on the application of statistical techniques to real world business problems. Topics covered include applications of difference of means tests,
analysis of variance, regression and correlation, selected non-parametric tests, and forecasting. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To develop an understanding of the value and importance of applying statistical procedures to business decisions. 2. To develop the ability to recognize the appropriate statistical procedure for various decision making situations. 3. To develop skill in using statistical methods in practical business situations. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION There will be two lectures held each week. The lectures are designed to introduce and clarify the statistical topics to be covered in the course, and to relate those topics to business applications. The lectures will be primarily based on examples of the various statistical techniques. COURSE PREREQUISITES It is assumed that all students have completed Statistics 315 (or equivalent), and understood the concepts presented in that course. If such is not the case, then you must take Statistics 315 BEFORE taking this course. It is strongly recommended that students review the material from STT 315 as many of those concepts will be used in this course. EXAMS There will be three midterm exams and one final exam. Due to the nature of the material, all exams, including the final, are cumulative. They may cover any material previously covered in the course. Exam dates are listed on the schedule at the end of this syllabus and on the webpage. Midterms will normally consist of 25 questions and the final will consist of 30 questions. A PICTURE I.D. WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE ALL EXAMS. TESTS WILL NOT BE GRADED WITHOUT A VALID PICTURE ID WITH YOUR PICTURE ON IT. MAKE-UP EXAMS, IF NEEDED, WILL BE GIVEN AFTER THE REGULARLY

SCHEDULED EXAM TIME. NO EXCEPTIONS. THIS INCLUDES THE FINAL EXAM, SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY. Any make-up exam must be completed within three days of the scheduled exam time. Make-up midterms will not be given simply because a student has other exams on the same day. Make-up exams will require documentation of a valid excuse. The documentation will be verified, and if found to be false, no make-up will be given. Make up finals will NOT be given for any of the following reasons: 1) a common final exam at the same time (e.g., Accounting or Economics), 2) you are taking two classes at the same time, or 3) another course has changed its final exam time to conflict with the MKT 317 final. If you have three final exams in a calendar day and want to move your MKT 317 final, you will need to get a form from Professor Page to have signed by the professors of the other courses to verify that you do have three finals on the same calendar day. A copy of the University policy on final exams is provided in a folder on ANGEL. All make-up exams will be given after the regularly scheduled exam time. Students who plan to leave the country at the end of the term must schedule their departure AFTER the final exam. This applies even if your parents have made reservations for you without consulting you. Penalties will be imposed if you miss a midterm or the final exam because you simply forgot when it was scheduled. Once you have taken an exam, you cannot retake it because you were not feeling well during the exam, nor is that an excuse to have the exam weights altered. If you are ill the day of the exam, get a doctor’s note and schedule a makeup exam. DEAD GRANDMOTHERS —To paraphrase William Shakespeare: Cowards die many times before their death, grandmothers die but once. While in today’s society it is possible to have several “grandmothers” it is a fairly well established fact that they, along with all other relatives, can only die once. Unfortunately, this does occasionally happen on test dates. If it happens on an exam date a makeup exam can be scheduled. However, before the makeup exam will be given, the student must provide proof that 1) the person is actually dead, and 2) proof that the person was actually a close relative. GRADING Grades will be based on the following weights: Percent of Final Grade 25% 25% 25% 25%

EXAM #1 EXAM #2 EXAM #3 Final Exam

The weights are not negotiable and will not be altered due to poor performance on a particular exam, nor will improvement over the term be taken into account. There seems to be a tendency for some students to not perform well on the first midterm and then perform well on the remaining three exams. Since all exams are equally weighted, this can have a detrimental effect on the student’s grade. As previously stated, these weights cannot be changed based on performance on individual exams. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to perform well on all exams to avoid this issue. The following percentages, based on total points, will guarantee you the following grade (no rounding). 90.0000% and above 85.0000% to < 90.0000% 80.0000% to < 85.0000% 75.0000% to < 80.0000% 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5

70.0000% to < 75.0000% 65.0000% to < 70.0000% 60.0000% to < 65.0000%

2.0 1.5 1.0

Whether or not the cutoff points are adjusted downward will depend on the overall class average obtained after all scores are in.
Therefore, the degree of adjustment, if any, cannot be determined until after the final exam. If there is any downward adjustment to the cutoff points, all categories will be adjusted by the same amount. Individual exams scores are not adjusted. Once the determination for cutoff points for individual grades has been made, and grades have been assigned, requests for higher grades will not be considered except in the case of recording or calculation errors. This is a departmental policy. A copy of this memo is provided in a folder on ANGEL. There will always be some people who are just below the cutoff for the next highest grade. This is unfortunate, but it is NOT a reason for changing a grade. While you may not feel that your final grade accurately reflects your effort in this course, unless there has been a recording or calculation error, it most likely does, and this does not constitute a reason for changing a grade. Also, there are no extra credit options for the class. MISSED CLASSES If you miss a class, it is strongly recommended that you get the notes from several people. After you have had time to go over them, see Professor Page or a TA if you have any questions. Copies of the overheads used in class are not given out. Coming late to class or leaving early is not an excuse to request copies of overheads used in class. CHEATING Cheating of
any form on exams will not be tolerated. If cheating is detected, penalties will be assessed which could include suspension from the University. A copy of this Business School Honor Code is provided in a folder on ANGEL. VERIFIED INDIVIDUALIZED SERVICES AND ACCOMMODATIONS (VISA) If you are a student who has a VISA, you must make the needed arrangements within the first week of classes. Please see Laurie Fitch in the Marketing office (N370 BCC) immediately in order to ensure that the required accommodations are available for the entire term. Failure to do so may result the department not being able to provide the needed accommodations, especially if it is a last minute request. LOST EXAMS If we do not have a signed scan sheet or a signed copy of the exam, it will be assumed that you did not take the test. A WORD OF ADVICE Do not wait until the end of the term to ask for help. If you are having difficulties, let us know. We are here to help. Do not come into our offices at the end of the term after having done poorly on the tests and ask what you can do to bring up your grade. Unfortunately, by that time it is often too late. You have ample opportunity to demonstrate your competence with the course material. Therefore, under no circumstances will extra credit work be given. Also, you should make us aware of extenuating circumstances as soon as possible. Waiting until the end of the term to discuss a problem that occurred earlier will not be of value.

TUTORS We are often asked if tutors are available for this class.
If someone identifies themselves to us as being willing to tutor MKT 317 students, we keep their contact information and give it to anyone who asks. Also, the Learning Resource Center in Bessey Hall often has students willing to tutor for MKT 317. Check their webpage at www.msu.edu/user/lrc Otherwise, if you feel you need a tutor, my advice is to go to the statistics department and ask if any grad students are interested. The marketing department does not keep a list of tutors. HONORS OPTIONS Honors Options are not available for this class. WEB PAGE and ANGEL The course web page can be accessed at the following address: http://www.msu.edu/course/msc/317/ Check this page for useful course material. The course is also listed on ANGEL. In addition, practice exams are available on ANGEL under the lessons tab. THE MKT 317 FAQ FILE Since this may be the only part of the syllabus that you will read (which may end up costing you points on an exam), the following is a summary of the most frequently asked questions in MKT 317, along with the correct answers! 1. Should I have already taken STT 315? YES. 2. Can I do extra credit work? NO. 3. Can I negotiate different weights for the exams if I did not do well on one? NO. 4. Is the final cumulative? YES. 5. My flight leaves two days before the final. Can I take the makeup final earlier? No, you may take an incomplete and take the final when you return. However, this problem
should have been avoided in the first place.

SCHEDULE DATE* 9/1 9/6 9/8 9/13 9/15 9/20 9/22 Course Introduction Review of Hypothesis Testing Procedure Levels of Measurement Difference of Two Means Test Difference of Two Means Tests—Paired Samples Difference of Two Proportions Tests Involving F-Distribution and Variances 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 8.1, 8.3 8.2 8.4 8.5 TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENT: CHAPTER, SECTION

9/27 9/29 10/4 10/6 10/11 10/13 10/18 10/20 10/25 10/27 11/1 11/3 11/8 11/10 11/15 11/17 11/22 11/29 12/1 12/6 12/8

Topic To Be Determined EXAM #1 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)--One Factor ANOVA—Multiple Comparisons ANOVA—Two Way ANOVA—Interaction Effects Introduction to Regression Simple Regression and Least Squares Method Linear Regression—Various Topics Linear Regression—Various Topics Linear Regression and Correlation Coefficients EXAM #2 Multiple Regression - Introduction Multiple Regression – Various Topics Multiple Regression - Polynomial & Dummy Variables Forecasting-Time Series Forecasting - Seasonal Adjustment EXAM #3 Chi-Square--Goodness-of-Fit Chi-Square—Contingency Tables Summary 14.1, 14.9 14.10 11.1, 11.2 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.11 11.8, 11.9 12.1, 12.2 12.3, 12.4 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4 9.5 9.6, 9.8 9.7 10.1, 10.2 10.3, 10.4, 10.6 10.4, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 10.4, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 10.5, 10.10

FINAL EXAM: Friday, December 16, 7:45 to 9:45AM – in the regular classroom *Note: Every effort will be made to cover the assigned topics on the scheduled days. However, some adjustment in either direction may occur. If the dates of the exams need to be changed, announcements will be made as soon as possible.

ANY QUESTIONS – PLEASE READ AGAIN