STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

Unit Guide

SEMESTER 1 2024-2025
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 1 2024

About Statistics For Business (MAT102)

CONTACTS
Tran Minh Hoang
Unit Instructor [email protected]

An Nguyen
B1.1102, 11th floor, 279 NTP, District 10, HCM
Program Administrator
Phone: (028) 3920 9999 -
Email: [email protected]
Ext: 305

UNIT OVERVIEW

This unit provides an introduction to statistical 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

Page | 1
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

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
1.
measures of 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.
Understand sampling distributions, biased and unbiased estimates, and the Central Limit
3.
Theorem.
Calculate and interpret confidence intervals for population means and determine the
4.
appropriate sample size to obtain a confidence interval.
Understand the principles of hypothesis testing and hypothesis testing to test a mean or
5.
variance.

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

7. Understand some applications of statistics in business.

Perform statistical analysis operations using statistics software like Mega Stat, Minitab and
8.
SPSS.

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.

Page | 2
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

Ethics
6. An ethical perspective, including an understanding of the ethical responsibilities of
organizations.
Cultural Diversity
A global mindset, including an understanding of the different business settings, the ability to
7.
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
1. 10% ULO1-8
participation (Individual)
7 days after ULO1-8
2. Homework (individual) completion of 10%
each session
3. Group Assignment TBA 20% ULO1-8
4. Mid-term exam (individual) TBA 20% ULO1-3
5. Final exam (individual) TBA 40% 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 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.
 Attend 80 per cent of class time. See attendance requirements in the section of class
policies and rules below.

Assessment 1: Class attendance & participation (10%)

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

Page | 3
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

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.

Assessment 2: Homework (10%)

Overview
Due: will be informed in each session.
Length: On average, for each session a student needs about 90 minutes for
homework assignments.
Details
The objective of this form of assessment is to encourage students 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.

For each session you are required to do some homework problems. There will be
occasional exercise classes where students are required to present their solutions.

Marking criteria and standards

For homework assignments, the assessment criteria for each question are the
correctness and the completeness of the solution given by the student. Marks will
not only be given for final answers, but for the argument leading to a solution and
support data, so you must make sure that you explain all steps of your solution and
provide appropriate output data.

Assessment 3: Group assignment (20%)

Overview
Due: TBA.
Details
For this assignment, the class will be divided into groups of 4 or 5 students. The
assignment will consist of both problem-solving component and data analysis
component. Each group will submit a report detailing their solutions. The report will
be marked for their correctness as well as their presentation.

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

Overview
Due: Session 7
Length: 90 minutes

Details
The mid-term exam is closed-book and will be held in Session 7. The goal of this
assessment is to give students feedback on how well they understand the topics

Page | 4
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

covered from session 1 to 6. The mid-term exam will contain 35 multiple choice
questions.

Assessment 5: Final exam (Individual) (40%)

Overview
Due: TBA
Length: 125 minutes
Details
The final exam is a closed-book exam. Students are allowed 2 A4 sized, double-sided,
handwritten formula sheets in the exam. 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 25 multiple choice questions and 3 written questions. The
multiple-choice questions account for 45% of the total score and the short answer questions
account for the other 55%. You will have 125 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.
 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 organisation.
 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:
Class_GroupNumber
For e.g.: SB8_Group3
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 is granted by
the coordinator. In case such an authorisation is not granted, a grade deduction will

Page | 5
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

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.

Page | 6
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 1 2024

Teaching Activities
LEARNING RESOURCES
Textbook  Doane, D. P. & Seward, L. E. (2016). Applied Statistics in Business and Economics
(5th ed.). McGraw Hill International Edition.

Reference  Berenson, M. L., David M. L., & Timothy, C. K. (2014). Basic Business Statistics (9th
ed.). Prentice-Hall.
Reading  Additional reading materials could be handed out in the class.

ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES

E-library http://search.proquest.com/login
Username: UEHCMC2010
Password: thuvien0810

E-learning http://elearning.isb.edu.vn/

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

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

Topic 3: Describing Data Visually

 Visual description Doane & Seward
 Dot plots (2016), chapter 3
2  Frequency distributions and Histograms accompanying with
 Bar charts, line charts, pie charts computer practices
 Scatter plots (students bring their
 Deceptive graphs own laptop)
 Tutorial (chapter 2)
Topic 4: Descriptive Statistics Doane & Seward
3  Numerical Description (2016), chapter 4
 Central tendency: mean, mode, median accompanying with
computer practices

Page | 7
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

READINGS &
Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE
ACTIVITIES
 Dispersion: Variance, Coefficient variation (students bring their
 Standardized data own laptop)
 Percentiles, Quartiles, and Box Plots
 Correlation and Covariance
 Grouped data
 Skewness and Kurtosis
 Tutorial and exercise (chapter 3)
Topic 5: Probability
 Random experiments and probability
 Rules of probability: Marginal, union, join and conditional
probabilities Doane & Seward
 Independent events (2016), chapter 5
4  Addition and multiplication laws
 Contingency tables
 Tree diagrams
 Bayes’ Theorem
 Counting Rules
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 4)
Topic 6: Discrete Probability Distributions
Doane & Seward
 Discrete distributions vs. continuous distributions (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
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 5)
Topic 7: Continuous Probability Distributions
 Uniform continuous distribution Doane & Seward
 Normal distribution (2016), chapter 7
6  Standard normal distribution
 Normal Approximations
 Exponential distributions
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 6)

Doane & Seward

7
Revision and Tutorials – online (2016), chapter 1-6.
8 Mid-term exam

Page | 8
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

READINGS &
Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE
ACTIVITIES
Topic 8: Sampling Distributions and Estimation
Doane & Seward
 Sampling variation
(2016), chapter 8
 Estimators and sampling distributions
 Sample mean and the central limit theorem
 Confidence interval for a mean (µ) with known population
9 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

 Logic of hypothesis test Doane & Seward
(2016), chapter 9
 Statistical hypothesis testing
10  Testing a mean: known population variance and unknown
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
 Comparing two means: paired samples Doane & Seward
11  Comparing two proportions (2016), chapter 10
 Confidence interval for the difference of two proportions
 Comparing two variances
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 9)

Topic 11: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)

 One-factor ANOVA (Completely Randomized Model)
12  Multiple comparisons Doane & Seward
 Tests for homogeneity of variances (2016), chapter 11
 Two-factor ANOVA without replication
 Two-factor ANOVA with replication
Topic 12: Simple Regression
 Visual displays and correlation analysis
 Simple regression
 Tests for significance
 Analysis of variance: overall fit
Doane & Seward
13  Confidence and prediction intervals for dependent
(2016), chapter 12
variable
 Residuals test
 Unusual observations
 Other regression problems
 Tutorials and exercise (chapter 11 & 12)

Page | 9
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

READINGS &
Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE
ACTIVITIES

Doane & Seward

14 Revision and Tutorials – online (2016), chapter 2-
12.

15 Reservation

16 Final exam: TBA

Tutorial
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 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.

Page | 10
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

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
organisation.

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

No late assignments will be accepted unless prior authorization is 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

Page | 11
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

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 the 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
authorized 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.
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 probably be best to make an appointment with your lecturer/instructor to meet in
person.

Student behavior guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to always demonstrate
respect for their teacher and fellow students. Behaviors that are 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

Page | 12
 MAT102 - STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS

T R I M E S T E R 3 20 21

 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:
 The first violation will result in a grade ZERO (0%) for that assignment.
 The 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.

Page | 13