UMUC-EUROPE GRADUATE PROGRAMS
BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY

MGMT584 Syllabus

Course Title Management Statistics
Term TERM 4, 2003/2004
Education Center KAISERSLAUTERN-KAP-GRAD
Faculty Member Jaroslaw Krych - jkrych@faculty.ed.umuc.edu

Faculty Contact Information:

Instructor: Jaroslaw Krych
Email: jkrych@faculty.ed.umuc.edu 
Mailing address: HHC 1st ID, SMR 475, Box 925, APO AE 09036

Consultation:

I will be available 30 minutes before each class meeting or by appointment.

Required Texts and Readings:

Text used exclusively in this course --

Anderson, D.R., Sweeney, D.J. & Williams, T.A. (2003).Modern Business Statistics with Microsoft Excel, (1st ed.). New York: South-Western College Publishing.

Texts used in multiple courses --

Weiss, C.( 1997). Evaluation, (2nd ed.). Prentice. Chapters 6, 7, 12 only

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author.

Supplementary Readings:

All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.

Student will need:
- a handheld calculator with the capability to do exponentiation, roots and handle 2 variables x & y (the TI-30X IIB currently available at AAFES for ca. $12.95 is adequate);
- access to a personal computer with MS-Excel installed (either your home computer, your work computer with permission from your supervisor, or use the hardware and software at a UMUC computer lab). The use of a computer is highly recommended for working with larger data files assigned as homework and supplied on CD-ROM with the text book.

Optional:
- manuals for Texas Instruments calculators can be found at:
http://education.ti.com/us/global/guides.html
- reference book on MS-Excel

Recommended Journals:

A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the PA Webboard (http://webboard.ed.umuc.edu/~pa). In addition, the following websites are very useful:

http://www.census.gov
http://www.fedstats.gov

Course Description:

Prerequisites: The equivalent of College Algebra or permission of the Program Director.Provides the knowledge necessary to interpret published research results and to permit elementary research in business and public administration. Content includes: descriptive statistics, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, ANOVA, sampling, correlation, linear regression and multiple regression.

Course Goals:

As one of two research methods courses in the MPA program, this course provides graduate students with the conceptual and practical tools to develop proposals for and conduct non-experimental research projects, policy analyses, and program evaluations, as well as to evaluate and incorporate the implications of published reports into their practice as professionals. Upon completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of:
  1. Research methods as used in management settings.
  2. Quantitative research approaches.
  3. The of previous research and related literature.
  4. The process of hypothesis formulation and testing.
  5. Descriptive and inferential statistics.
  6. Data requirements for statistical procedures.
  7. Ethical considerations and constraints.
  8. The role of information technology in quantitative research and statistical analysis.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
  1. Determine when quantitative approaches are necessary and appropriate
  2. Interpret quantitative research
  3. Apply various inferential statistical tests
  4. Develop sampling and data collection techniques
  5. Utilize descriptive statistics to report findings
  6. Define ethical and legal constraints on research
  7. Present research findings in written and graphic or oral formats
  8. Analyze the application of information technology in research

Grading Information:

Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:

   A    90%
   B    80 – 89%
   C    70 – 79%
   F    Below 70%

Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion.  Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center.

Course Requirements:

Graduate school at the Masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, the following are required:

Participation & Homework...................15%
Completed Term Paper.......................25%
8 exams (2 with the lowest score dropped)..60%

Description of Course Requirements:

Successful graduate students dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in a face-to-face class. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job.

Participation and homework: The student is expected to participate regularly in discussions and complete homework and class assignments on time. A participation score will be assessed based on a student’s active discussion, positive attitude for learning, and communicative, cooperative attitude. A student must be prepared to discuss and work with readings during the session in which they are assigned; you must read ahead to be prepared for class.

Every class meeting is important. Attendance in class is mandatory. Emergencies, illnesses and duty assignments constitute excused absences. The student is responsible for material covered and assignments missed during an absence. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate make up work.

Term Paper Description: Complete 1 case from chapter #9 or #13, and 1 case from chapter #14 or #15 or #16. Completed cases should be presented in a well-organized paper resembling a report to higher management on the selected topics. 

The case problems are based on larger data sets available to the student on the CD-ROM supplied with the textbook. MS-Excel computer software is required to access the data on the CD. In each assignment, the case problem requires problem solving with statistical calculations and some analysis. The analysis is often as simple as answering three questions associated with the case problem. Even so, it is expected that the successful student will respond in complete sentences, organizing their responses, citing sources where necessary, and using correct standard English. Data, calculations, and tabular results may be presented either as computer-generated output (preferred) or in neatly organized and accomplished hand writing. Pages 122-205 of the 5th edition of the APA manual are especially useful in this course and should be followed in your term paper. Section 3.7. of the manual (pages 174-175) is of critical importance for those wishing to avoid charges of plagiarism.

Exams: This course requires multiple exams designed to insure that students are acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary for a passing grade. It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate make up exams.

The instructor reserves the right to modify the class schedule based on needs of the students and class progress in consonance with course objectives. Computer software [Excel, etc.] may be used for homework assignments and case problems. Handheld calculators are the basic tool for both homework and exams.

Course Schedule:

Classes will be hold every Monday and Wednesday
Hours: 18:45 – 21:30 (2:30h effective studying time)
Opening Date: March 29, 2004
Closing Date: May 19th, 2004

Please read specified chapters before each class. The numbers following each chapter refer to specific exercises in the chapter or at the end of the chapter. Some of these we will do together in class; some will be assigned as homework. Once we settle into a pattern, we will determine which exercises are most important.  

WEEK 1
03-29-2004
Introductions - review of syllabus - clarification of goals, objectives and requirements - orientation to subject
Chapter #1: 3, 4, 13, 20
Chapter #2: 3, 6, 16, 23, 30, 33

03-31-2004
Chapter #3: 5, 6, 17, 22, 26, 27, 33, 36, 50, 55
Chapters #6, 7, and 12 from Weiss textbook 

WEEK 2
Exam #1
04-05-2004
Chapter #4: 2, 4, 7, 10, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23, 29, 31, 32, 39, 42, 45
Chapter #5 (1st part): 1, 6, 7, 11, 15, 24 

04-07-2004
Chapter #5 (2nd part) (skip 5.6): 25, 30, 32, 37, 38, 40, 43
Chapter #6: 1, 3, 4, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 27, 28, 30, 32 

WEEK 3
Exam #2
04-12-2004
Chapter #7 (skip 7.6): 3, 8, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 28, 32

04-14-2004
Chapter #8 (skip 8.4): 2, 9, 13, 15, 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29

WEEK 4
Exam #3
04-19-2004
Chapter #9 (skip 9.6): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 29, 30, 33, 34, 38

04-21-2004
Chapter #10 (skip 10.4): 4, 6, 11, 15, 18, 23, 25, 29
Skip Chapter 11.

WEEK 5
Exam #4
04-26-2004
Chapter #12: 1, 4, 6, 9, (20, 21, 22, 24)

04-28-2004
Chapter #17: 1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 14, 20, 21, 26, 28, 32, 36

WEEK 6
Exam #5
05-03-2004
Chapter #13 (skip 13.3): 1, 3,6, 9, 19, 21, 22, 23, 27, 30, (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 43, 45)

05-05-2004
Chapter #14 (1st part): 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 23, 29

WEEK 7
Exam #6
05-10-2004
Chapter #14 (2nd part): 32, 36, 47, 49, 52, 54
Chapter #15 (1st part): 1, 2, 4, 8, 11, 12, 14,

05-12-2004
Chapter #15 (2nd part) (skip 15.8):19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35)
Chapter #16 (skip 16.2, 16.3, 16.5, 16.6): 1, 4, 7, 16, 18

WEEK 8
Exam #7
05-17-2004
Chapter #18 (skip 18.5, 18.6): 1, 2, 6

05-19-2004
Chapter #19: 1, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13
EXAM #8. Term paper due.
Course evaluation

Academic Policies:

Please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:

Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities

Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center.

Faculty Bio:

Jaroslaw Krych. I received my Masters of Economics (Major in Quantity Methods in Management) from Nicolas Copernicus University of Torun (UMK), Poland. Sample of my program output can be found in publication of Zeszyty Teoretyczne Rady Naukowej, Warsaw 1999 with the article “Break-Even-Point Analysis as a Tool of Financial and Economic Evaluation of a Company from Energetic Sector”.

My work experience relates to Accounting and Financial Control Departments. Among different tasks performed during that time I could mention: cost control and analysis, financial verification of decisions’ effectiveness, streamlining processes (inventory systems), software and database development, integration of internal computer systems.


Last updated by Jaroslaw Krych: March 2, 2004, 1:30 pm
Find this syllabus linked from the schedule at: http://www.ed.umuc.edu/schedule