Assignment Paper

Assessment Brief
Level 4 Undergraduate
Page 1 of 5
BM9400 Assessment brief for Semester 2 2019-20
Module Code: BM9400
Module Title: BUSINESS ANALYSIS FOR DECISION MAKING – EXAMINATION PRE-WORK BRIEF
Distributed on: w/c 27th
January 2020
Hand in
Dates:
Examination pre-work brief – This is the brief for
the preparatory work required to be done prior
to the exam in the assessment period in May
2020. It includes a description of case study on
which the open notes examination will be based.
Assessment Criteria
This assessment is significantly based on calculation. Therefore, marks will be gained on a
cumulative basis. Marks allocated to each separate section (i.e. task) have been made clear in the
respective task briefs. These are then reflected in the respective short answer questions on the open
notes examination.
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following UG programme goals and objectives.
1. Knowledgeable about the theory and practice of responsible business and management in
an international context.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
x
Assess knowledge of contemporary professional practice in business and management
informed by theory and research.
x
Appraise knowledge of business and management to complex problems in professional
practice in order to identify justifiable, sustainable and responsible solutions
Conduct and critique innovative and/or entrepreneurial project work and research
Acquire an awareness of the cultural and ethical contexts in which
international business operates
2. Skilful in the use of professional and managerial techniques and processes
Objectives: Students will be able to:
Evaluate effective interpersonal communication skills and the ability to work in multicultural teams
Demonstrate creative and critical thinking skills that involve independence,
understanding, justification and the ability to challenge the thinking of self and others
3. Prepared for career and personal progression
Objectives: Students will be able to:
Critically self-reflect as a means of informing personal development planning
Critique their personal skills and attitudes for progression to post-graduate contexts
including professional work, entrepreneurship and higher level study
Assessment Brief
Level 4 Undergraduate
Page 2 of 5
Case Study: Smalltown Logistics and Transportation
Smalltown Logistics and Transportation is a company that works with the local businesses to help
manage their supply-chain logistics as well the distribution of their finished products. The company
owns mid-size trucks and employs dedicated drivers to transfer raw materials and retail goods to/from
their warehouses and the customer-selected locations. They own three warehouses in the city, which
serve as the main transfer hubs and codenamed as the central, eastern and western warehouses.
It’s a company policy to record all their operations and to collect accurate data, which is then analysed
by their analytics department for continuous improvement on their services.
The assessment for the BM9400 module focuses on the daily business this company runs. This is
supplemented by additional tasks to ensure the entire syllabus on the module forms part of the
assessment.
The module heavily focusses on using spreadsheets to undertake any mathematical calculation. In order
to assist with your time management, the overall exercise is broken down into several smaller tasks
(preparatory work) that align closely to the main topics covered by the syllabus.
The main topics being: index numbers (Task 1), correlation and regression (Task2), time series analysis
(Task 3), linear programming (Task 5) and summarising data (Task 4). The latter topic of summarising
data contains several strands such as questionnaire design, data presentation, summary measures and
the normal distribution. Therefore, the questions associated with summary measures will attract the
most marks on the final assessment.
The module is assessed by an open-notes examination. In practical terms, the open notes will consist of
the spreadsheet output you will have generated by completing the preparatory tasks. You are also free
to add and additional information which you may find helpful e.g. formulas, what the numbers mean
etc.
However, there is a limit of 12 pages i.e. 24 sides of A4 paper, which can be taken into the examination
with you.
You have been provided with an Excel File Smalltown Logistics which represents 4 worksheets to cover
every task. This data file and the worksheets will be used for the following topics: Worksheet [Task 1] for index numbers; Worksheet [Task 2] for Correlation and Regression; Worksheet [Task 3] for Time
Series Analysis.; Worksheet [Task 4] for Presentation, Summary Measures, Normal Distribution &
Probability;
For [Task 5] (Linear programming) you will be required to create another spreadsheet file from scratch.
Assessment Brief
Level 4 Undergraduate
Page 3 of 5
Task 1: Index Numbers
The figures in the Excel File Smalltown Logistics on the worksheet named [Task 1] represent the total
weight (tonne) of cargo transferred to/from the three warehouses (Central, Eastern and Western City)
between Feb – Sep 2016.
1. For each of the three warehouses please convert the figures provided into
a. Simple index numbers using the March 2016 as the base point.
b. Chain index number using the February 2016 as the starting point.
2. Construct two graphs which:
a. Compares the simple index numbers for the three warehouses
b. Compares the chain base index numbers for the three warehouses
The results you have produced will be referred to in the examination that takes place at the end of the
semester.
There will be 10 marks allocated to the section in the examination.
Add any additional notes you feel may be useful and print out ALL your preparatory work, but please
remember there is an overall limit of 12 pages/24 sides of A4 for this
Preparatory work for Task 2: Correlation and Regression.
Using the Excel file Smalltown Logistics and the worksheet named [Task 2], please carry out the
following:
(a) Construct two suitable graphs to illustrate any potential relationships between
• average travel distance and the driver performance score
• volume of cargo and the driver performance score
(b) Calculate suitable correlation coefficients for the two relationships defined above
(c) For the strongest of the two relationships calculate the values which will be required to
represent the relationship as a regression line
Ensure that you have labelled all of the new summary material created in points (a) to (c) appropriately.
Add any additional notes that you feel are relevant and print out the summary information in points (a)
to (c). It will not be necessary to print out each of the customers individual records. Please remember
to save your work as the data generated will be used in subsequent tasks.
There will be 20 marks allocated to the section in the examination.
Add any additional notes you feel may be useful and print out ALL your preparatory work, but please
remember there is an overall limit of 12 pages/24 sides of A4 for this
Assessment Brief
Level 4 Undergraduate
Page 4 of 5
Preparatory work for Task 3: Time Series Analysis.
The data in the Excel file Smalltown Logistics on the worksheet named [Task 3] shows the total number
of cargo transfers to/from the warehouses (Central, Eastern and Western City), quarterly, between 2011
– 2018. The company wants to produce forecasts for all the quarters (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) of the upcoming
year, 2019.
In preparation for the examination questions linked to Task 3, please carry out the following.
(a) Construct a suitable graph to display the data
(b) Carry out a time series decomposition on the dataset for both
• An additive model
• A multiplicative model
(c) Determine which model most appropriately represents the data set.
The results you have produced will be referred to in the examination that takes place at the end of the
semester. Therefore is vital that you print out the completed work, add any extra notes you may find
useful and bring these to the examination with you.
There will be 20 marks allocated to the section in the examination.
Add any additional notes you feel may be useful and print out ALL your preparatory work, but please
remember there is an overall limit of 12 pages/24 sides of A4 for this
Preparatory work for Task 4: Presentation, Summary Measures, Normal Distribution &
Probability
The data in the Excel file Smalltown Logistics on the worksheet named [Task 4] contains information
concerning the performance of three types of Lorry tyres they use (A, B and C) with respect to tyre life
(measured in miles). Please conduct the following analysis:
• Create frequency tables for each brand of tyre, using 12 equally spaced groups, starting with
>6000 to 7000.
• Add columns to your tables to show the probabilities for the frequencies calculated and create a
single frequency polygon chart to show information on each of the three brands.
• Calculate a range of summary statistics, including measures of central tendency and dispersion
to summarise the performances of these brands.
The results you have produced will be referred to in the examination that takes place at the end of the
semester. Therefore is vital that you print out the completed work, add any extra notes you may find
useful and bring these to the examination with you.
Add any additional notes you feel may be useful and print out ALL your preparatory work, but please
remember there is an overall limit of 12 pages/24 sides of A4 for this
There will be 40 marks allocated to the section in the examination.
Assessment Brief
Level 4 Undergraduate
Page 5 of 5
Preparatory work for Task 5: Linear programming
Due to a new 3 year contract with a Pub Chain, Smalltown Logistics will need to buy some freezer /
chiller vans to manage the transportation of ready-made foods for ABC limited. Three types of vans are
to be considered: the Transgo (T), Maxima (M) and the Premier (P).
The prices after bulk buyer discounts are given in the table below:
Van Price
Transgo £26,500
Maxima £28,300
Premier £35,000
Smalltown Logistics are expected to deliver 500 m3 (cubic metres) of chilled food and 90 m3 of frozen
food per day to the chain of Pubs. The table below gives the available space for chilled and frozen food
per van by type:
Van Chilled (m3
) Frozen (m3
)
Transgo 60 10
Maxima 52 20
Premier 78 33
You may assume that the efficiency of the vans are broadly the same, as measured by miles per gallon of
diesel. Therefore, fuel costs may be ignored and servicing costs. Smalltown Logistics believe they will
need at least 7 vans to effectively manage the contract due to scheduling issues with other similar
contracts.
• Formulate this as a cost minimisation problem to determine how many vans of each type
to Buy
• Solve the resulting problem in Excel
• Report the overall cost of buying vans to support this contract and the optimal mixture of
van types to buy
Note: the solution provided by Solver for the number of a particular van type required may not be an
integer e.g. 3.34. It is clearly not possible to buy part of a van, so in reality, the number required would
have to be rounded up. Therefore, if this happens, round up the number (i.e. 3.34 would be rounded up
to 4) and calculate the overall cost using the rounded up number.
When undertaking this process, please ensure you request a sensitivity report as part of the solution.
The results and sensitivity report you have produced will be referred to in the examination that takes
place at the end of the semester. Therefore is vital that you print out the completed work, add any
extra notes you may find useful and bring these to the examination with you.
Please note when preparing your work for printing that there is a maximum limit of 24 sides of A4 for all
tasks.
There will be 10 marks allocated to the section in the examination.