ECO 3411: Business & Economic Statistics

CRN#11710 TR 1:402:55 p.m. Bldg 42 Rm 2115 CRN#11743 TR 3:054:20 p.m. Bldg 42 Rm 2115 Spring Semester 2014 CONTACT INFORMATION:
Instructor: Dr. Mary Beal-Hodges Office: 42/3403 (3rd Floor of Business Building) Office Phone: (904) 620-3712 Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs. 12:301:30 p.m.; 4:306:00 p.m. E-mail: m.beal@unf.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course teaches students to use appropriate inferential statistical methods to make business decisions properly and efficiently. Students use both spreadsheets and statistical software to enter, summarize, graph, and analyze data, applying the results to a variety of real business problems. The course covers hypothesis testing, chi-square analysis, analysis of variance, correlation, simple and multiple regression, time-series analysis, and the use of index numbers. Heavy emphasis is placed on the use of computer software to perform statistical testing.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Understand and apply hypothesis testing to analyze statistical data Explain and interpret statistical results using the jargon of statistics Explain and interpret statistical results in plain business English Analyze a new set of data, determine and implement the appropriate statistical technique(s), and interpret the results.

PREREQUISITES:
Introductory Statistics (STA 2023) or equivalent. In order to handle the tools in the course, students need a good knowledge of algebra and a working knowledge of computers.

COURSE MATERIALS:
Textbook: Statistics for Management and Economics by Gerald Keller, 9th Edition, 2012: ISBN 9780538477499. Regression Analysis: Understanding and Building Business and Economic Models Using Excel by Wilson, Keating, & Beal-Hodges, 2012: ISBN 9781606494349. Note that students may opt to use either another edition of the text or any business statistics text that covers the topics included in the course, since coverage is similar across editions and texts. Those students will have to identify the appropriate pages to read, but that should not be difficult. Minitab Software Student Version: Minitab Software is required for this course. It is available in the Matthews Computer Lab (15/2102) and the CCB Skills Lab by appointment. Appointments can be made in 42/2108 or at http://www.unf.edu/coggin/tech_services/Skills_Lab_Reservation.aspx. You may also rent the software online at http://www.onthehub.com/minitab/. Minitab is not available on MAC. Blackboard: All course materials, practice problems, assignments, announcements, and other relevant course information can be found on Blackboard. You may access this material by logging on to your UNF Blackboard account at http://blackboard.unf.edu. Please check Blackboard regularly.

GRADING/EVALUATION:
Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 Group Project 28 % 28 % 28 % 16 %

Grading Scale: Letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:
A AB+ B BC+ C D F 93-100% 90-92.9% 87-89.9% 83-86.9% 80-82.9% 77-79.9% 70-76.9% 60-69.9% below 60%

COURSE POLICIES:
Exams: Three exams will be administered each worth 28% of your final grade. The exams will be cumulative in the sense that much of the material in the course is cumulative so that an understanding of later material requires an understanding of earlier material. The tests are scheduled for: Thursday February 13 Thursday March 13 Tuesday April 22 Missed exams may be made up only with a valid and verifiable excuse. Valid excuses are illness (yours), death in the immediate family, or University-sponsored activities. Written verification of the excused absence (a note from the health center or a physician or from the activity sponsor, for example) must be provided. Work conflicts, transportation and parking difficulties, employment interviews, business or personal trips are NOT valid excuses. Group Regression Project: The group (4 members) regression project is worth 16% of your final course grade. The project requires collecting data, performing statistical analyses, and writing a formal report. Specific information will be provided after the first exam. The due dates for the project are: Proposal: Thursday March 27 Project: Thursday April 17 Practice Problems: Because the material covered in class is complex and builds upon previously covered material, there are practice problems posted on a regular basis. It is important that you complete these practice problems each and every class period! Class Attendance and Decorum: Class attendance is, of course, encouraged. However, attendance is actively discouraged for purposes other than listening to the class presentation, asking questions, and participating in organized discussion and learning activities. Discourteous, uncivil, or disruptive behavior is unacceptable. You may not use cell phones during class. No food/drinks in the lab. Also, printing is NOT allowed without permission. Assurance of Learning: Grades and/or test results may be used for program accountability (e.g., AACSB Accreditation) and research. Individual students work and grades will not be used or published for research. Only aggregate data will be utilized for purposes of research; there will be no intervention or interaction with individuals, and the information will not be individually identifiable.

CCB is a Wall Street Journal Partner School: Each student enrolling in one or more CCB courses numbered 3000 or higher is assessed a $10 fee during each fall and spring semester. The fee is just $10, regardless of how many CCB courses the student takes. The fee is assessed at the same time and in the same manner as all other UNF fees, and the student pays this fee when he/she pays his other tuition and fees. In return, each student is able to pick up a copy of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) from locations within the College. Moreover, each student will receive access to all of the WSJ's on-line editions through the UNF MyWings portal. Access to these publications is free during summer terms for students enrolled in these courses. Students who already have personal subscriptions can have the WSJ refund those dues. For more information on that process, as well as more about Coggins partnership with the WSJ, please visit http://www.unf.edu/ccb/wsj.htm. Withdrawal Policy: Students may withdraw from the course until Friday, March 28.

UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

In order to protect the integrity of the teaching, learning, and evaluation process, the University of North Florida expects all members of the academic community to respect the principle of academic freedom and to behave with academic integrity. Briefly stated, academic misconduct shall consist of any attempt to misrepresent one's performance on any exercise submitted for evaluation. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to: 1. Cheating: Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, notes, study aids or other devices in any academic exercise. This definition includes unauthorized communication of information during an academic exercise. 2. Fabrication and Falsification: Intentional and unauthorized alteration or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise. Falsification is a matter of altering information, while fabrication is a matter of inventing or counterfeiting information for use in any academic exercise. 3. Multiple Submissions: The submission of substantial portions of the same academic work for credit (including oral reports) more than once without authorization. 4. Plagiarism: Intentionally or knowingly presenting the work of another as one's own (i.e., without proper acknowledgment of the source). The sole exception to the requirement of acknowledging sources is when the ideas, information, etc., are common knowledge. 5. Abuse of Academic Materials: Intentionally or knowingly destroying, stealing, or making inaccessible library or other academic resource materials. 6. Complicity in Academic Dishonesty: Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty. Academic misconduct in any form in this course will not be tolerated. If an instance of academic misconduct takes place, all students involved will receive a failing grade for the course.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:

Students with disabilities who seek reasonable accommodations in the classroom or other aspects of performing their coursework must first register with the UNF Disability Resource Center (DRC) located in Building 57, Room 1500. DRC staff members work with students to obtain required documentation of disability and to identify appropriate accommodations as required by applicable disability laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). After receiving all necessary documentation, the DRC staff determines whether a student qualifies for services with the DRC and if so, the accommodations the student requires will be provided. DRC staff then prepares a letter for the student to provide faculty advising them of approved accommodations. Contact the DRC by phone (904) 620-2769, e-mail drcexams@unf.edu, or visit the DRC website www.unf.edu/drc. Miliary and veteran students may need both physical and academic accomodations and may contact the DRC to find further information. Military and veteran students who return from combat exposure may be utilizing the post 9/11 GI Bill to continue postsecondary education goals. Contact Military and Veterans Resource Center by phone (904) 620-2655 or e-mail mvrc@unf.edu

CONTINUITY OF INSTRUCTION:
In the event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to an emergency such as hurricane, pandemic or other unforeseen event or combination of events, the format of this course may be modified in order to enable completion of the course requirements. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version. It is your responsibility as a student participant to be proactive during any emergency to find instructions that I will post on Blackboard which you should check daily.

SYLLABUS CHANGE POLICY: This syllabus is a guide for the course and is intended to be a good representation of what you can expect in this course. However, the instructor reserves the right to make changes.

COURSE CONTENT AND OUTLINE:

The schedule of topics is tentative and subject to change.
Week 1 Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Feb Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Fri. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Tues. Thurs. Jan 7 Jan 9 Jan 14 Jan 16 Jan 21 Jan 23 Jan 28 Jan 30 Feb 4 Feb 6 Feb 11 Feb 13 Feb 18 Feb 20 Feb 25 Feb 27 Mar 4 Mar 6 Mar 11 Mar 13 Mar 18 Mar 20 Mar 25 Mar 27 Mar 28 Apr 1 Apr 3 Apr 8 Apr 10 Apr 15 Apr 17 Syllabus, Minitab Intro, Basic Statistic Concepts Hypothesis Testing Basics, Inference About a Population Inference About a Population Inference About Comparing Two Populations Inference About Comparing Two Populations One-Way ANOVA & Multiple Comparison Randomized Block ANOVA Two-Factor ANOVA Chi-Squared Goodness-Of-Fit Chi-Squared Test of Contingency Review Exam #1 Covariance & Correlation Simple Linear Regression Simple Linear Regression Multiple Regression Multiple Regression Nominal Independent Variables Review Exam #2 Spring BreakNO CLASS Spring BreakNO CLASS Model Building & Regression Diagnostics Model Building & Regression DiagnosticsProject Proposal Due Deadline to Withdraw from Spring 2014 Model Building & Regression Diagnostics Model Building & Regression Diagnostics Time Series Analysis & Forecasting Time Series Analysis & Forecasting Time Series Analysis & Forecasting ReviewGroup Project Due

Week 2

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Week 15

Final Exam Week

Tues.

Apr 22

Exam #3 at 1pm (1:40pm section) & 3pm (3pm section)