The data for the Assignment can be found in the file Research Report Universal Exports.xlsx on Blackboard

The Problem

Universal Exports is an import / export company that employs thousands of people Australia wide. Management recently hired an external research firm, Real Consulting, to look in to a range of human resource issues including employee performance, hiring practice, remuneration and satisfaction.

Real Consulting randomly selected 150 employees across divisions. As part of the process the employees were asked to carry out a series of three tests based around (a) firm procedures, (b) general knowledge and (c) a general intelligence test. All employees were then awarded a score out of 225 with each component being out of 75. To measure satisfaction, all employees were also asked about their desire to stay or if they were actively looking elsewhere (Intention to Leave). To ensure a degree of consistency across the sample all employees selected held at least a Bachelors Degree.

Information on the 150 employees is given in the file Research Report Universal Exports.xlsx. The table below provides an example (it is not the full data set) of the results for the first 10 employees along with other data collected in a .

Variables included are:

Income Employees annual income ($000)

GPA GPA standardised to a result out of 4.0 to account for different grading systems.

Part A Score on the Firm Procedures component of the test (Mark out of 75)

Part C Score on the General Intelligence test (Mark out of 75)

Test Total Result sum of the three parts (Mark out of 225)

Age Employee age in years

Years Employed Years employed at company

Leaving Intention Employees were asked if they were actively seeking alternative employment

Higher Degree (1 for Masters or Above, 0 for Bachelors only)

Gender (1 for Male and 0 for Female)

Work Division (Operations, Admin, Marketing, Finance, Senior)

As an employee of Real Consulting you have been asked to conduct and initial analysis of the data and provide a report to Universal Exports on the a range of questions covering employee performance, remuneration (income) and satisfaction.

Incomes

The first question of interest is how employees are being paid and whether or not that reflects the correct attributes of the employees. In particular there is substantial information available that female employees tend to be paid less than their male counterparts.

1. Using descriptive statistics and appropriate graphical methods compare income levels of male and female employees. Use the full range of descriptive statistics to tell highlight the relative income levels and distribution and point out any interesting or unusual features.

(7 Marks)

2. Conduct a test at a 5% level of significance to determine if there is any difference in income levels between male and female employees. Are the results of this test consistent with what you identified in Q1? How would the result differ if you wanted to specifically test if the average income of males was higher than that of females?

(7 Marks)

3. Conduct a regression analysis where you regress income on gender? How do the results of that regression compare to what you found in Q1 and 2?

(4 Marks)

4. Undertake a full regression analysis to determine which factors affect income. In doing so make sure you:

Adjust your data where necessary to convert qualitative variables to dummy variables. If you are unsure how to do this for the Divisions variable ask your tutor.

Conduct a correlation analysis to determine which variables to include in the first instance

Run regression on all variables you have identified

Conduct all tests necessary to identify the strength and validity of the model

Identify any changes to the variables to be included (e.g. should any be removed)

Run the final model, testing it fully and interpreting all results

(17 Marks)

Satisfaction

5. Real consulting has indicated there may be an issue with employee satisfaction if more than 10% of employees are considering leaving. Conduct a test at the 1% level of significace to determine if more than 10% (0.1) of all employees have expressed an intention to leave.

(5 Marks)

6. Construct a contingency table comparing leaving intention with work division. Does this data indicate there may be problems with any division in particular i.e. is leaving intention independent of work division? Which division(s) appear to be most at risk.

(5 Marks)

Work Performance

7. Construct a confidence interval for the average score on Test A for Males and a separate confidence interval for the average performance of females. Compare the two intervals and indicate what this means for whether or not there is any difference in performance between the two.

(5 Marks)

8. Consider the two variables GPA and Test Results A. Draw a graph and calculate an appropriate statistic to determine if there is a strong relationship between the two. What does this say about using GPA when hiring in relation to how well candidates may understand work practices at Universal Exports.

(4 Marks)

Summary Report

9. Write a brief report to Universal Exports describing what you have found in non-technical language. The report can be no longer than 200 words. Include information on any areas of concern you have found in your analysis.

(6 Marks)

(60 Total Marks)

In answering all questions:

Make sure you include any assumptions that are necessary in the .

Wherever possible conduct tests to back up your answers or use of procedures.

Ensure that you include any relevant Excel results as part of your analysis.

Submission Instructions

You should submit your response to as a single pdf document saved in the format: Studentname_BSB123report.pdf.

Submit your Excel file with the document saved as Studentname_BSB123report.xlsx. This file will not be looked at unless clarification is needed on information provided in the pdf.

Submit your assignment through the link in Blackboard

After uploading your research report files, it is your responsibility to go back into the TurnItIn submission item to check that your report was properly uploaded. Make sure that you record all details in the submission receipt. I recommend taking a snapshot on your phone for records.

If you encounter any technical problem during submission, you are strongly advised to email me your attempt before the due date and time.

This assessment is due by 11:59pm on Sunday 5th June. Late submissions without approval will attract the usual QUT penalties.

For more information go to: https://qutvirtual4.qut.edu.au/group/student/study/assignments/submitting/late-assignments-and-extensions

Title of the Work

Your Name

Institution Name

Course Name

Faculty Members Name

Assignment Due Date

Critical Reading: Deconstructing a Non-Scholarly Text Worksheet

Locate 1 short, opinion- or position-based article or work, preferably written by only 1 author. In addition:

Please do not select a peer-reviewed, scholarly source for this assignment.

Ensure the selected article or work is from a popular publication (e.g., newswork editorials, blogs, political pundit websites, or educational or health care activist organization websites).

Engage in a systematic process of closely reading the article or work. Attempt to derive a sense of meaning from the writing that is not an explicit argument the author is making, but is empirically grounded in the text. Examples of this sense of meaning might include:

Uncovering a political or ideological position based on the historical nature of examples used by the author

Determining an author’s value system around a particular issue by analyzing hierarchical structures in their work’s organization

Complete Parts 1 and 2 using your selected assignment text and follow the provided instructions.

Cite references to support your assignment.

Format citations and references according to APA guidelines.

Part 1: Deconstructing Non-Scholarly Text

Provide the following information:

Author of the text:

Title of the text:

Type of text (e.g., editorial, blog, etc.)

Complete the following 5 tables by using the information in the Questions to Consider columns to provide answers in the General Description, Examples From the Text to Support Your General Description, and What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example or What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing columns.

Table 1: Uncovering Explicit Meaning

Questions to Consider

General Description

Examples From the Text to Support Your General Description (e.g., words, phrases, or passages, including page numbers)

What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example

What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing

What is the explicit meaning? For example:

What is the authors intended message?

How does the author convey this message?

Table 2: Uncovering Implicit Meaning

Questions to Consider

General Description

Examples From the Text to Support Your General Description (e.g., words, phrases, or passages, including page numbers)

What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example

What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing

What is the implicit meaning? For example:

What assumptions underlie the authors message?

What belief system does the text convey?

What contradictions exist between the explicit and implicit meanings you identified?

Table 3: Evaluating the Authors Support for Assertions and Conclusions

Questions to Consider

General Description

Examples from the Text to Support Your General Description (e.g., words, phrases, or passages, including page numbers)

What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example

What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing

How would you evaluate the authors support for assertations and conclusions? For example:

What is the authors primary source of authority? Are there secondary sources?

What type of evidence is offered: anecdotal, quantitative, or qualitative?

Whose voices are privileged?

How is the author situated within the larger discourse in the field?

Table 4: Identifying Gaps

Questions to Consider

General Description

Examples from the Text to Support Your General Description (e.g., words, phrases, or passages, including page numbers)

What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example

What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing

Which gaps did you identify? For example:

What is omitted?

Whose voices are silenced?

How do these omissions influence your interpretation of the text?

Table 5: Evaluating the Authors Thinking

Questions to Consider

General Description

Examples from the Text to Support Your General Description (e.g., words, phrases, or passages, including page numbers)

What You Would Like to Emulate From This Example

What You Would Do Differently in Your Own Thinking and Writing

How would you evaluate the authors thinking? For example:

What are some examples of deductive logic?

What are some examples of inductive logic?

What are some examples of abductive logic?

What are some faults in the logics?

Part 2: Thinking About What You Read

Develop 2 questions that would require the author to think about the issue presented in the reading in different ways. This will require abductive thinking and/or perspective switching.

Provide question 1:

Provide question 2:

References

Instructions:

Consider that the acronym, SOAP, stands for the following:

S = subjective
O = objective
A = assessment
P = progress/plan

Complete the meeting information and each SOAP component below, and ensure:

Summaries are written using third-person point of view.
The appropriate audience is considered. In your social work career, this document would be for your official records; however, your employer would also have access to these notes, so ensure your writing is concise and clear. Your employer should be able to read your notes without effort and understand your statements with ease.
Responses to each SOAP component prompt are:
- Thorough and complete
- Accurate and logical
- Carefully edited for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors

Meeting Information

Provide the following information:

Clients name:
Social work students name:
Date:
Time and duration of the meeting:

S: Subjective

Summarize subjective data from your interactions with the client. This can include:

The clients current need or concern
Important statements made by client or family members attending the meeting
Feelings, thoughts, actions, opinions, and recurring themes
Treatment objectives
Quotations of statements made by the client (Avoid judging or interpreting these statements.)

Provide your response:

O: Objective

Summarize objective data from your interactions with the client. Your observation of your client during your meeting could include:

Body language and facial expressions
Health and wellness
Mental status
Emotional status

Provide your response:

A: Assessment

Write a general assessment of the client in which you synthesize the subjective and objective data you provided in the Subjective and Objective sections in this document. The diagnostic and theoretical interpretations of functioning could include:

Risk assessment (i.e., Is the client a danger to themselves or others?)
Stressors impacting goals or progress
Factors that will facilitate success or progress
Strategies the client has used to remedy their issue(s)

Provide your response:

P: Progress/Plan

Describe 1 or 2 steps, objectives, or future goals you or your client will take to address their needs. Explain the following in your response:

How will you (the social worker) collaborate with the client to create a treatment plan?
How will the steps be communicated to the client?
How will these steps support the client? Support your response with quotations and/or details from your client.

Provide your response:

Advanced Macroeconomics: Coursework

Consider a deterministic DGE model for an economy populated by a large number N of identical individuals, each receiving an endowment of income in every period. The preferences of the representative individual are described by the intertemporal utility function , with In every period the representative individual faces the budget constraint . The initial asset holding is given by All variables and parameters have standard interpretation.

Question 1

Let ; when and when ; with . Derive the equilibrium allocation and provide its economic interpretation. Explain how the equilibrium allocation changes if instead when and when . Ref:

Question 2

Suppose that the financial market is contemplating the introduction of three alternative types of financial sanction. The first is: for . The second is: for . The third is to set the rate of interest to for [Hint: in the third case you can assume that utility is logarithmic and , so that ]. Provide an economic interpretation of each type of sanction. Explain how the two equilibrium allocations derived in question 1 would change under each type of financial sanction.

Question 3

Suppose now that instead of all individuals in the economy being identical, there are two types in equal proportion. These two types differ only for their lifetime income allocation. The first type receives when and when . The second type receives when . As above . Derive the equilibrium and provide its economic interpretation. Consider now how fiscal policy can be used to achieve income equality among the two types in each period t and what are the macroeconomic implications of this type of policy [Hint: To this end you can assume that the government uses a proportional tax on income and derive the optimal tax rate].

BSB123 Data Analysis

Assessment 2: Research Report (30% of total grade)

Marking Criteria

Criteria

Grade

Weight

KS (1.1): Demonstrate and apply integrated discipline (including technical) knowledge across the broad field of business with depth in one or more core business disciplines

Application of statistical knowledge

Selects and correctly uses relevant graphs and statistical concepts throughout the report

Selects mostly relevant graphs and statistical concepts, and uses them appropriately throughout the report

Selects mostly relevant graphs and statistical concepts, but with occasional inappropriate use

Selects only a limited range of relevant graphs and statistical concepts, with some incorrect use

Unable to select and use relevant graphs and statistical concepts

20%

KS (1.2): Apply technical and technological skills appropriate and effective for real world business purposes and contexts

Analysis of data

Analysis methods appropriate for comprehensively and critically investigating the research question were selected; all analyses and calculations were correctly performed

Appropriate analysis methods were selected comprehensively investigating most aspects of the research question ; most analyses and calculations were correctly performed

Analysis methods relevant to some aspects of the research question were selected, though narrowly addressing the research question ; most analyses and calculations were correctly performed though minor errors are present

Some analysis methods relevant to the research question were selected, though minimally addressing the research question ; substantive errors are evident in the analysis and/or calculations

Analysis methods were not appropriately selected or were not relevant to the research question; multiple major errors present in analysis and/or calculations

50%

HO (2.1): Exercise independent judgment and initiative in adapting and applying knowledge and skills for effective planning, problem solving and decision making in diverse contexts

Interpretation and explanation of research findings

Results are presented clearly and interpreted correctly and comprehensively; research findings are critically discussed in depth and are coherently related to all aspects of the analysis and research problem

Results are presented clearly and interpreted correctly in some detail; research findings are well discussed in detail in relation to most parts of the analysis and research problem

Results are mostly presented clearly, though minor errors of interpretation are evident; research findings are well discussed in relation to some aspects of the analysis and research problem, though explanation is lacking in detail in parts

Some results have been presented and interpreted correctly though substantive errors in explanation and/or interpretation are present; research findings do not sufficiently address the research question and/or analysis, and contain minimal explanation

Little or no attempt to present or interpret results, or attempt contains major interpretation errors; research findings lack relevance to the analysis and/or research question and are provided with little or no explanation

20%

PC (3.1): Use information literacy skills, and communicate effectively and professionally in written forms and using media appropriate for diverse purposes and contexts

Written expression and integration of relevant statistical findings

Writes fluently and clearly using language, format, and structure that always adheres to the report genre; meaning is clearly articulated and effectively expressed, and relevant to task

Language is generally fluent and clear; format and structure mostly appropriate for the report genre; meaning is effectively expressed and relevant to task

Writes generally fluently with occasional grammatical errors; format and structure not always appropriate for report genre; meaning generally clear and relevant to task but lacks clarity in parts

Meaning is apparent but not clearly and fluently expressed, with limited relevance to the task; format and structure not always appropriate for the report genre

Meaning is confusing or mostly irrelevant to task with frequent grammatical errors; format/structure inappropriate for the report genre (or not meeting proper academic standard, e.g. plagiarism)

10%