Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx

Additional Files/BM0421_assignment_support-1.ppt
Business Research Analysis
BM0421
Week 12 - Assignment Guidance
*
Part A - Overview
The word limit of 1,250 words refer to the body of the
assignment.
You are required to present a copy of the questionnaire and its
coding plan in an appendix to your assignment.
The words in the body of the assignment relate to the critical
justification of the questionnaire and coding plan presented, as
well as other supporting documents.
*
Part A – Hints!
Write in “applied terms” by making reference to the case

scenario, avoid writing in a theoretical style.
Credit will be given to additional referencing to research
methods texts in support of the arguments you are making.
Think about issues relating to flow, structure, coding, question
types, presentation, instructions in your justification.
Do NOT go out and collect data with your questionnaire!
Part B- Overview
The word limit of 1,750 words refers to the body of the
assignment.
Any useful graphs and tables should be in the body of this
report, not hidden away in the appendices!
The assignment requires you to show how you have selected the
relevant graphs, tables, summary statistics and hypothesis tests,
so simply submitting Excel or SPSS output with no discussion
will result in few or no marks being awarded to this part of the
assignment.
Part B is a practical application to a problem, so unlike your
essay type subjects and Part A, does not require additional
referencing.
Part B – Statistical Analysis
You are required to justify the selection of presentation
techniques, summary statistics and hypothesis tests in terms of
data types, sample sizes, assumptions that can or cannot be
made etc.

For your hypothesis tests, present fully and if significance is
found, do provide indication as to why!
Use graphs and tables sparingly within your presentation,
sometimes you may be asked specifically, if so, present
accordingly, otherwise use your judgement.
Part B – Statistical Analysis – Hints!
Look for key words such as difference (then consider numbers
of samples, the relationship between them, sample size etc) or
association (consider data types involved).
Present all findings, significant or otherwise!
Part B – Managerial Implications
These are not a repeat of your findings but applications of these
findings in the decision making process, this is combined within
the section containing the analysis and findings.
Apply your analysis and the case scenario to any findings and
discussion, do not pluck ideas out of thin air or make very
general observations about the problem.
All results can play a part in this process, significant or
otherwise.
General Points I
This is an individual piece of work. Students are likely to

discuss the analytical aspects of the assignment (OK – this is a
positive part of the learning process), but any written results
and recommendations should be undertaken without discussion
and without electronically sharing of work.
General Points IIDo not submit any disks, CDs or memory
sticks or large appendices of un-annotated Excel/SPSS output,
any meaningful output will be used within the body of your
answer.Marking will involve writing on your assignments to
provide feedback. Any student who puts individual sheets of
paper in their own plastic wallet will have an assignment
returned with little or no specific feedback!
Additional Files/BM0421_SEM2_2012_13-2.sav
Additional Files/Decision Flowchart-1.ppt
Decision Flowchart
Additional Files/searching for research method books BM0421-
1.ppt
Uiversity Library
Library and Learning Services
Searching for books for your assignment
Click on the Library Catalogue

Uiversity Library
Type in the title and the author (check your spelling)
Search
Type in the title
Tip: you don’t always need to type in the whole of
a long title
Try searching for the other books recommended on your reading
list
*
Uiversity Library
Be aware of publication dates and editions. Choose the correct
one (where possible)
*
Uiversity Library
Or identify your keywords from the task or questionResearch
methodsBusinessQuestionnaireQuantitative methods Statistics
First you need to write down all the words that describe what

you are looking for
Your keywords could be:
*
Uiversity Library
Start searching…
Research methods is too broad a search as a keyword. It found
over 900 results
Try searching as a Title or add more keywords
*
Uiversity Library
Try Again…
Research methods as a title over 140 results
Uiversity Library
Finding the most recent books

Click on the “Sort by” drop down menu and select “date”
Then click on the
‘Z-A’ button. The newest books will be listed at the top
*
Uiversity Library
What next?
To get the best results you need to combine your search terms
together to find information try:Business research
methodsQuantitative methodsQuantitative methods AND
businessBusiness statistics
There are many more variations
Searching as keywords or titles will also have an effect on the
results you find.
*
Uiversity Library
Another example

Uiversity Library
1. Check the Location
2. Write down the Shelfmark e.g. 658.00727/BER
3. Check whether it is available to borrow
Final Steps…
4. If this was the book you wanted and all the copies were on
loan you could click on “Request” and fill in your Library
details. You will emailed when the book is ready for you to
collect.
*
Uiversity Library
Another example
Click on ‘connect to full text’ to access the book online. You
may be promoted for a username and password
Uiversity Library
Find the book on the shelves… There is a guide when you first
come into the Library that tells you which shelfmarks are on
which floorThe majority of the Business books are on levels 3,

4 and 5 When you get to the floor look at the end the shelves to
find out where the number is you are looking for. The books are
shelved in chronological order and then alphabetically by the
letters e.g. 658/PAL comes after 658/PEL
*
Uiversity Library
Now try it out for yourself!Access the Library Catalogue via the
Library home page www.northumbria.ac.uk/library or from the
designated PCs on each floor of the Library
Remember if you have any questions…
*
Uiversity Library
We can provide alternative formats of this presentation on
request. Please email [email protected]
*

Sample/BM0421 A S2-2.doc
Assessment Brief – Postgraduate
Module Code:
BM0421
Module Title:
Distributed on:
TBCHand in Date:
Please do not enter a date in this box. Please advise the
relevant programme office of the preferred week for hand in.
Instructions on Assessment:
(Some basic instruction if required here)
Important note about ARNA regulations
The regulations specify that students must complete every
assessment component contributing to the modules on their
programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined
in the module descriptor. Please note that:
· if any assessment component is not completed, students will
be failed in the module even if the module pass mark has been
achieved;
· if the requirements for referral specified in section 5 of
ARNA1 are met, a resit opportunity will be given;
· if unable to complete an assessment component because of
extenuating circumstances, students should follow the procedure
described in the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances1.
This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October
2009 in consultation with the Students’ Union. Students should
consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have
any queries. Independent advice and support is also available
from the Students’ Union Advice & Representation Centre

([email protected]) or from a student adviser in Student
Services.
1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances
Affecting Assessed Work are available from
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/as
sdocstud/
Word limits and penalties for assignments
If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no
penalty will apply.
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your
assignment and the assignment cover sheet. The word count
does not include:
· Title and Contents page
· Reference list
· Appendices
· Appropriate tables, figures and illustrations
· Glossary
· Bibliography
· Quotes from interviews and focus groups.
Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct
secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith,
2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.
If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under
ARNA page 30 Section 3.4 this will be regarded as academic
misconduct.
If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit,
10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will
be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70 marks
but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7

marks will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63.
Students are advised that they may be asked to submit an
electronic version of their assignment.
Time limits and penalties for presentations
The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to. At
the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be
marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.
Submission of Assessment:
All assignments must be submitted via the Postgraduate
Programme Office. Each assignment must be accompanied by
an Assessed Work Form which must be completed in full. The
assignment will not be accepted by the Postgraduate Programme
Office unless the form is completed correctly.
Marked assignments will be returned to students. It is advisable
to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records. Your
mark will be returned on the Assessed Work Form via the
Postgraduate Programme Office.
Referencing your work
The APA method of referencing uses the author's name and the
date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the
work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at
the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author's name.
The general format of an electronic journal reference in the
APA style is shown below:
Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don't Work. Harvard Business
Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th April 2012 from
EBSCOhttp://searchebscohost.com

Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of
publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the
journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state
the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages
where article can be located. Finally add the date the article was
retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the
web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather
than the full and extended web address.
For further information on why it is important to reference
accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills
Plus available from the Library website:
www.northumbria.ac.uk/skillsplus
You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you
with the skills involved in writing your assessments and
preparing for exams.
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the
Concise Rules of APA style and the APA
websitehttp://www.apastyle.org/learn
Plagiarism and Cheating
Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on
plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED
IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS
SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be
submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).
Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of
work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of
having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students
are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and
other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or
collude with one another or present any information that they
themselves have not generated.

For further information on Plagiarism, see the Referencing and
Plagiarism topic on Skills Plus.
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following
Postgraduate programme goals and objectives. (Insert an ‘X’ in
boxes where applicable, referring to appropriate programme
specification for mapping details)
Goal One: Be independent, reflective critical thinkers
1.
Demonstrate awareness of their personal strengths and
weaknesses through critical reflective practice.
2.
Understand and challenge personal patterns of thinking and
behaving.
Goal Two: Be culturally and ethically aware
1.
Demonstrate their ability to work in diverse groups and teams.
2.
Reflect on their own ethical values.
Goal Three: Have developed leadership and management

capability
1.
Demonstrate their personal contribution to team effectiveness.
2.
Communicate complex issues effectively.
3.
Demonstrate decision making and problem solving skills.
4.
Carry out presentations and lead discussions.
Goal Four: Have developed and applied knowledge of
international business and management theory
1.
Acquire, interpret and apply knowledge of international
business, management and organisational functions.
Goal Five: Have developed a range of research skills and
project capabilities
x
1.
Plan and complete a major individual piece of research on a
contemporary business, management or leadership topic of their
choice.
x
2.

Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application
of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business
issues.
Goal Six: Have developed specialist knowledge about the theory
and practice of your programme of study
1.
Demonstrate specialist functional knowledge in relation to your
programme of study.
Assessment Criteria (NBS)
General Assessment Criteria
Trait
0
Fail
1 – 39
Fail
40 – 49
Fail
50 – 54
Pass
55 – 59
Pass
60 – 69
Commendation
70 – 100
Distinction
Knowledge and Understanding
Work not submitted OR Work giving evidence of serious
academic misconduct (subject to regulations in ARNA Appendix
1) OR Work showing no evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. None of the
learning outcomes are met.
Work is not acceptable and provides little evidence of the

knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. Few
of the learning outcomes are met.
Work is not acceptable in providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. However a
majority of the learning outcomes are met and others are nearly
satisfied
Adequate work providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7 but only at a
bare pass level. All learning outcomes are met (or nearly met
and balanced by strengths elsewhere).
Satisfactory work providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All learning
outcomes are met.
Commendable work providing evidence to a high level of the
knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All
learning outcomes met, many are more than satisfied.
Excellent work providing evidence to a very high level of the
learning outcomes met, many at high level. Marks at the high
end of this range indicate outstanding work where all learning
outcomes are met at a high level.
Structure, Alignment and Research
Inadequate in some of the following aspects or seriously
inadequate in at least one: use of relevant material; development
of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory;
application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to
the problem in question; presentation of information to the
intended audience.
Adequate in most but not all of the following aspects: use of
relevant material; development of analysis and structure of
argument; evaluation of theory; application of relevant theory,
research methods and findings to the problem in question;
presentation of information to the intended audience.
Adequate in all of (or most of, with balancing strength
elsewhere): use of relevant material; development of analysis

and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of
relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem
in question; presentation of information to the intended
audience.
Satisfactory in all or most of: use of relevant material from a
variety of sources; development of analysis and structure of
Good in all or most of: use of up-to-date material from a variety
of sources; development of analysis and structure of argument;
critical evaluation of relevant theory, research methods and
findings to the problem in question; presentation of information
to the intended audience.
Excellent in all or most of: use of primary sources of literature
from a range of perspectives; development of analysis and
structure of argument; critical evaluation and creative use of
theory, research methods and findings; presentation of
information to the intended audience.
Module Specific Assessment Criteria
Trait
0
Fail
1 – 39
Fail
40 – 49
Fail
50 – 54
Pass
55 – 59
Pass
60 – 69
Commendation
70 – 100
Distinction

No appropriate quantitative techniques applied.
An attempt is made to apply quantitative techniques, but these
are either the wrong techniques are incorrectly applied.
Correct techniques are applied but there are many errors and
very little interpretation of the results.
Correct techniques employed, few major errors but numerous
minor errors. Limited interpretation of the results.
Correct techniques employed, no major errors but some minor
errors. Full interpretation of the results.
All correct techniques employed, limitations of the techniques
fully explained. Very few minor errors, detailed interpretation
of results including limitations.
fully explained. Virtually no errors, extensive narration of the
techniques and interpretation of results including limitations.
Poor structure, not aligned with assignment brief. No research
employed.
Structure does not meet requirements for the most part.
Extremely limited research grounding.
Structure has major errors and some key research concepts are
missing.
Coherent structure, with acknowledgement of key research
concepts.
Good structure, relevant research employed where appropriate.
Structure and narration guide the reader through the work very
effectively, current research is critically appraised to a high
degree.
Assignment makes full use of current research to support
arguments. Excellent structure and presentation.
Note:
For those assessments or partial assessments based on
calculation, multiple choice etc. Marks will be gained on an
accumulative basis. In these cases, marks allocated to each
section will be made clear.

Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment and
it must be made available within 24 hours of them requesting it
be submitted.
Assignment Brief: In this assignment you are required to
complete these parts:
Part 1
Total 40 marks
(a) Develop a questionnaire (15 marks)
(b) Discussion of distribution method and associated documents
[250 words] (10 marks)
(c) Critical evaluation of the questionnaire [1000 words] (15
marks)
Part 2
Total 60 marks
Data analysis, findings and managerial implications [1750
words] (60 marks)
The word count should be declared on the front page of the
assignment.
Scenario
Tynecastle Business School (TBS) is part of the University of
Tynecastle, located in the North East of England. It has a
reputation regionally, nationally and internationally. The
Business School uses its reputation to build and maintain
relationships with organizations.. This is key to its philosophy
which could be described as “leading business, business led”.
TBS runs a suite of 4-year Business and Management
programmes; the modules for years 1 and 2 are shown below.
Year 3 involves a 12-month placement (work experience) with

an external organisation and is managed by a full-time
Placements Unit within TBS, with year 4 being taught back
within the University.
Year One
Financial and Management Accounting
Business Operations
Introduction to Marketing
Introduction to Management
Business Environment and Organisations
Quantitative Methods for BusinessYear Two
Performance Management
Information Management
Preparation for Placements and Graduate Employment
Markets and Customers
International Finance
International and Global Business
Part 1 (a) – Develop a questionnaire (15 marks)
You are a self-employed professional analyst and have been
commissioned by the Placements Unit, within Tynecastle
Business School (TBS) to undertake an important market
research exercise involving their placement organisations. You
have two months to design a questionnaire, disseminate this
with support from the Placements Unit, code the survey returns,
analyse the data and provide a report for the Head of the Unit.
The Placements Unit is interested in determining organisational
perception of the degree programmes. Broadly, the Placement
Unit would like to know what organisations think of the
following:
· the degree content,
· the work skills developed by the students,

· the appropriateness and preparedness of these students for the
working/professional environment,
· the levels of support provided by the Placements Unit and
TBS.
This is intended to help assess the extent to which students are
prepared for graduate level work during their placement year.
You are required to develop a short questionnaire (a maximum
of three pages) to assess the various issues described here. You
should use the above information along with any further
research you may wish to do to decide on the questionnaire
content.
The questionnaire should be presented in an appendix to the
assignment.
Part 1 (b) – Discussion of distribution method and associated
documents(10 marks)
In this section you should discuss how the questionnaire should
be distributed in accordance with the wishes of the Placements
Unit. The Placements Unit will distribute this questionnaire to
all organisations on its database electronically, which will
involve 1200 potential respondents. Assess the benefits and
challenges of using this method of questionnaire dissemination,
including methods for tackling non-response.
You should also design a full and appropriate coding plan for
your questionnaire and include any other supporting
documentation.
The coding plan and any supporting documentation should be
presented in an appendix to the assignment.

Part 1 (c) - Critical evaluation of your questionnaire 1000 words
(15 marks)
In this section of the assignment you are required to provide a
critical evaluation of the questionnaire you have developed).
The evaluation of the questionnaire will consider your design
decisions: the structure, presentation, types of questions used
and supporting instructions for the potential respondents. You
should justify your design decisions by considering the case
scenario presented above and your justification should be
supported with reference to Research Methods textbooks and
journal articles.
Important information: The questionnaire and associated
documentation do not count towards the word limit because they
are included in the appendices. You are not going to use your
questionnaire to collect data and the questionnaire you design
should not aim to collect the data as presented in Part 2 below,
which involves a different perspective of the placement
experience (i.e. that of the students, not the organizations).
You will be provided with a set of data in Part 2. Although the
general scenario is the same for Parts 1 and 2 of this
assignment, there is not a direct link between your
questionnaire and the data in Part 2.
Part 2 – Data analysis, findings and managerial implications
For this part of the assignment, you have been provided with a
data set consisting of 375 responses from a survey carried out
by the Placements Unit, Tynecastle Business School. The
placements run for 12 months, commencing in June of each
year. The survey was undertaken in May 2012, by post
supported by a stamped-addressed envelope and two emails, the
first to introduce the survey ahead of its arrival by post, the
second as a reminder to students to participate. The students

were given three weeks to complete the questionnaire.
The data represents a response rate of 68.2% of the students
who undertook the placement in the academic year 2011/12.
The population profile consisted of 44% males, 9% mature
students, 43% taking a placement in the city or surrounding
region and 33% in London, with 30% taking work in each of the
manufacturing and finance arenas.
The data can be found in the Excel file
BM0421_SEM2_2012_13.xls and the SPSS file
BM0421_SEM2_2012_13.sav, both of which are available from
the module’s site on the e-learning portal (Blackboard).
Data provided:
The data consists of 375 responses as follows:
· The respondent ID number, recorded as 1 to 375 inclusive.
· Gender of student (1= female, 2 = male).
· Age of student on commencement of the placement (students
aged 23 and over would have been aged 21 and over on
commencement of their degree programme and are defined as
mature).
· Placement location (1 = City of Tynecastle, 2 = Northern
Region, 3 = Greater London, 4 = Rest of England).
· Placement sector (1 = manufacturing, 2 =
retail/distribution/services, 3 = banking/finance/related
industries).
· Placement salary (£k)
· The number of visits made by the placement tutor (2 is the

expected number).
· The number of additional telephone calls made to the student
whilst on placement (beyond arranging the visits).
· The number of years experience the placement organisation
has in providing opportunities for students from Tynecastle
Business School.
· The number of other students on placement at the site where
the student is located (these may not necessarily be from the
Business School or University).
· The satisfaction rating awarded by the student to the
placement (1 = very poor to 10 = excellent). Note: You should
treat satisfaction as a quantitative variable.
Analysis required:
In this section of the assignment, marks will be awarded for a
justification of the displays, measures and tests undertaken,
alongside their full interpretation.
For each section in your report, provide the Head of the Unit
with a brief summary of the managerial implications of the
results (this is particularly important when a null hypothesis has
been rejected).
You should show the main results using Excel/SPSS tables and
graphs, but these must be relevant and fully explained. Give an
explanation with your tables and graphs. Do not attempt
Multiple Regression (if relevant to the questions set). It is
recommended that you set out your answers as we have done in
the workshops. Any very large tables or graphs should be placed
in the appendices of your report. Where hypothesis tests are
undertaken, you should state the significance level you have
used.

You are required to carry out the following analysis:
Overview of the respondents
Provide a summary of the respondents’ profile in terms of
gender, age maturity, sector and location of placement
experience.
To what extent does sector and geographic location associate
with gender?
(12 marks)
Salaries achieved by the students
Describe the salary data using an appropriate graphical display
and relevant summary statistics.
The Placements Unit are aware that the mean annual salary for a
student from the University of Tynecastle undertaking a
placement is £15,500. For students from Business Schools
throughout the UK the mean annual placement salary is
£16,750. To what extent, if any, are the salaries awarded to
placement students from Tynecastle Business School different
to these figures? Are there any implications or limitations
regarding this salary assessment?
Do the salaries paid to placement students from Tynecastle
Business School differ by age maturity? Do salaries differ by
sector?
Are there any particular limitations that are evident from this
assessment of placement salaries?
(20 marks)

Satisfaction with placement experience
Describe the satisfaction data using an appropriate graphical
display and relevant summary statistics.
Does the level of satisfaction experienced by the student differ
by personal characteristics? What, if any, are the implication of
these results for the students and the Placements Unit?
To what extent is satisfaction influenced by salary, number of
visits or organisational experience? Support your answer using
appropriate statistics and graphical presentations. What are the
implications, if any, for the Placements Unit here in supporting
students and organisations?
Develop and evaluate an appropriate simple regression model to
predict an expected satisfaction level from a student at an
organisation that has 15 years experience working with TBS
who is being paid £17,500 and receiving 2 visits.
Are there any particular limitations that are evident from this
assessment of placement satisfaction?
(28 marks)
Total Part Two (60 marks)
End of assignment
Z:NBS AdminDocument TemplatesDocumentsLearning and
TeachingAssessmentsAssignment brief templates 2012-
13Assessment brief PG 2012-13.doc
Page 9 of 9
Sample/BRA_asignment_final.docx

BM0421
Assignment
Instructor: Andrew Robson
Word count: 3295
(
BUSINESS RESEARCH ANALYSIS
MSc
BUSINESS WITH MANAGEMENT
)
CONTENTS
PART A3
1.Introduction3
2.Questionnaire Evaluation3
2.1.Design4
2.2. Question types5
2.3.Wording and instruction5
2.4.Data collection method6
PART B7
3.Respondent profile7
a)Summary7

b)Male representativeness8
c)Threatened Description9
d)Is there association between14
4.Bus users17
a)Description No_Uses17
b)Mean comparison19
c)A means difference ?20
5.Price25
a) Donation Description25
b)Mean donation confidence intervals27
c) Correlation27
d) Variable selection to explain Donation30
e) Regression model31
Part C33
1.Findings33
2.Recommendations34
3.Statistical analysis34
4. Questionnaire Limitations34
Reference list35
Appendixes36
Appendix 1.Cover letter and questionnaire37
Appendix 2.Coding plan41
PART A1. Introduction
This document discusses Tyne and Wear University strategy for
ensuring students safety.TWU introduced a Safety bus to
transport first year undergraduate students from campus and
university accommodation elsewhere in the city.
To assess its success, the safety officer will send a
questionnaire by post to students and the assessment will be
done on the data collected.The university wishes to target the
view of 1,000 students in four weeks period and the collected
data will be analyzed by TWU marketing team during 6 weeks.

The first part critically evaluates the questionnaire.Further it
discusses the appropriate sampling technique to target these
1,000 students followed by appropriate data collection
method.The second part presents the collected data analysis.
2. Questionnaire Evaluation
Brown(2001) believed that questionnaire is a cost effective and
efficient way of data collection.Every respondent reads same
wording so data collected is expected to be reliable and
standardized. Good designed questionnaires can produce true
and valid information. Sekaran(2003) shares the same view and
adds that a questionnaire is a methodical set of written
questions edited by researchers who recognize essential details
to ask about and can assess the collected data.Questionnaire
structure is equally important for respondents as clearly and
concise written questionnaires motivate respondents to spend
time filling it in and it gives them a clear idea of what is the
research purpose (Carter & Thomas,1997)
2.1.Design
Questionnaire designing is important in a pilot survey as it acts
as a base for its efficiency. This questionnaire covers various
aspects of students’ satisfaction such as price and feeling of
safety at night.Besides it identifies the relative importance of
various factors in their perception of satisfaction.The
questionnaire is designed to appear as short as possible to
encourage participants to complete it.(Gillham,2000)
The questionnaire asks students about three areas:
1) Personal details
2) Satisfaction level and their overall experience
3) Student feeling of safety at night, their experience of crime
and their recommendation to new students
In personal details section, students must select their gender,
age group and nationality.Their feeling of safety at night might

differ depending precedent criteria. Further under the
satisfaction level section, students must rate different factors
such as safety bus timekeeping. It will capture students’
feelings about TWU service and help them react accordingly.
Additionally, students must rate their general feeling of safety
and describe their experience of crime in the city. Finally,
students must describe things they do to ensure their security
and if they will recommend Newcastle to other students.
Non-positive questions are avoided and no warnings are given
before any question as both might affect respondent’s
behavior.(Smith et al, 2008) Questions are arranged in a flow so
that respondents understand the purpose of the questionnaire.
2.2. Question types
A range of questions can be used such as open ended, close
ended, multiple choice and dichotomous questions(Baker,
2003;Hussey and Hussey,2000) The questionnaire is made of all
these types but uses multiple choice a lot because it helps to
save respondents ‘time and diminishes
misunderstanding(Kothari,2010) Besides, as respondents give a
definite value as their response, it becomes easier for the
researcher to code.(Lee and Lings, 2008)
The questionnaire includes multiple grid questions in which
similar questions and corresponding answers are arranged in a
grid format.Besides saving space it makes the answering easy as
respondents are able to answer based on a range of positive and
negative.(De Vaus,2002) Likert scales question also facilitate
respondents answering as they can select options which closely
match their opinion, as the options given are more descriptive.
This is also easy to code and analyze.(Lee and Lings, 2008)
In case of open ended question, respondents can provide their
opinion which can be beneficial for TWU but coding is difficult
and time consuming. Besides, respondents sometimes
misinterpret the question or answer the question they want
rather than the one asked(Collis and Hussey, 2009) This
questionnaire must include open ended questions to gather

students’ opinion about the service and modify it accordingly.
As most of questions have possibilities of getting a single
answer such as gender, living area, it is comparatively easy for
coding.
Lee and Lings(2008)and Sekaran and Bougie (2010)
recommended to use a variety of questions to maintain
participants interests since it would increase the data
effectiveness of the information collected.Therefore the high
number of similar questions in this questionnaire is a limitation.
2.3.Wording and instruction
Words used in a questionnaire influence respondents’ interest so
all the questions are written in simple format and the wording is
easy to understand.Questions are clear and straightforward
which make respondents comfortable.This gives them ease to
answer in a precise manner (Neelankavil,2007) Even the
questionnaire has clear instructions in each section therefore
respondents can progress easily.(Bougie and Sekaran, 2010)
2.4.Data collection method
Mailing paper,face to face or telephone interviews and email are
the four data collection methods available.(Groves et al,
2011)This questionnaire is distributed by post. It is cheaper,
increases anonymity, allows reaching wider geographical areas
and eliminates any interviewer bias.However response rates are
low, there is no possibility of clarification, late return is likely
to happen and response conditions are not controlled.(Robson et
al,2008; Anderson, 2009)
Online questionnaire seems more appropriate since it allows a
quick and inexpensive primary data collection and it is useful in
getting high response rate.Data collected can be linked to
electronic database which can facilitate its analysis.However
since respondents have little support from the research team the

response rate volume can be low.(Robson et al, 2008) Mailing
should be avoided during holiday when many respondents will
not be at home. Since internet is available mostly everywhere,
using electronic method might increase respond rate. However
if one still wants to use mailing method a systematic follow up
procedure is essential to reduce holiday impact on postal
surveys.(DeVaus,2002)
Covering letters and follows up increase response rate and early
return.TWU should contact students after sending
questionnaires.(Anderson,2009)Covering letters make clear the
research aim, the organization purpose and guarantee
respondent anonymity.TWU offers an addressed envelope with a
stamp and the raffle as incentives to increase response
rate.Before sending questionnaires it is recommended to
conduct a pilot test to check effectiveness and identify possible
weaknesses.(Robson et al,2008)
PART B
3. Respondent profile a) Summary
The majority of respondents are female (54.85%) and 45.15%
are male.
Respondents are mostly Home students with 79.34%

Respondents are mostly from Nx2 with 41.07% and Nx4 with
25.51%
b) Male representativeness
· One categorical variable from a single population
· Simple random sampling.N>>n with N population size and n
sample size
· 5% significance level
Chi square tests whether male observed proportion in sample
differs significantly from hypothesized proportion.
Ho: No difference exists between proportions observed and
hypothesized
H1: A difference exists between proportions observed and
hypothesized
Table 0: Test Statistics
Gender
Chi-Square
3.684a
df
1
Asymp. Sig.
.055
(
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected frequencies less than 5. The
minimum expected cell frequency is 196.0.
)

Sig 0.055 is greater than 0.05.
H0 accepted at 5 % significance level.
Males proportion who responded is representative of the total
population proportion.We can carry out the analysis at 5%
significance level.
c) Threatened Description
Threatened,qualitative discrete variable,bar chart used
Graph 1:
Graph 1 shows that majority of students feel threatened
Occasionally or Often
Table 1: distribution of the variable threatened
Threatened
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Cumulative Percent
Valid
Never
55
14.0
14.0
14.0
Occasionally
154
39.3
39.3
53.3
Often
132

33.7
33.7
87.0
Always
51
13.0
13.0
100.0
Total
392
100.0
100.0
It seems that 86 % of students feel threatened (graph1/table1)
· Occasionally 39.3%
· Often 33.7%
· Always 13%
Graph2
Table 2 : Gender * Threatened Crosstabulation
Threatened
Total
Never
Occasionally
Often
Always
Gender
Male
Count
31

85
49
12
177
Expected Count
24.8
69.5
59.6
23.0
177.0
% within Gender
17.5%
48.0%
27.7%
6.8%
100.0%
Residual
6.2
15.5
-10.6
-11.0
Female
Count
24
69
83
39
215

Expected Count
30.2
84.5
72.4
28.0
215.0
% within Gender
11.2%
32.1%
38.6%
18.1%
100.0%
Residual
-6.2
-15.5
10.6
11.0
Total
Count
55
154
132
51
392
Expected Count
55.0
154.0
132.0

51.0
392.0
% within Gender
14.0%
39.3%
33.7%
13.0%
100.0%
Female seems to feel more threatened than male
(graph2/table2). Feeling of insecurity is:
· Always: 18.1% female against 6.8% male
· Often: 38.6% female against 27.7% male
· Occasionally: 32.1% female against 48% male
Chi-squared test will show if the percentages are significantly
different.
(
Graph 3
)
Table 3 : Origin * Threatened Crosstabulation
Threatened
Total
Never
Occasionally
Often
Always
Origin
UK
Count
45
121

107
38
311
Expected Count
43.6
122.2
104.7
40.5
311.0
% within Origin
14.5%
38.9%
34.4%
12.2%
100.0%
Residual
1.4
-1.2
2.3
-2.5
EU
Count
4
10
13
2
29

Expected Count
4.1
11.4
9.8
3.8
29.0
% within Origin
13.8%
34.5%
44.8%
6.9%
100.0%
Residual
-.1
-1.4
3.2
-1.8
International
Count
6
23
12
11
52
Expected Count
7.3
20.4

17.5
6.8
52.0
% within Origin
11.5%
44.2%
23.1%
21.2%
100.0%
Residual
-1.3
2.6
-5.5
4.2
Total
Count
55
154
132
51
392
Expected Count
55.0
154.0
132.0
51.0
392.0
% within Origin
14.0%

39.3%
33.7%
13.0%
100.0%
From graph 3/table 3 it seems that:
· UK, EU and International students are mostly Occasionally
and Often unsafe
Chi-squared test will show if percentages are significantly
different.
(
Graph 4
)
Table 4: Postcode * Threatened Crosstabulation
Threatened
Total
Never
Occasionally
Often
Always
Postcode
NX1
Count
8
21
13
2
44
Expected Count
6.2
17.3

14.8
5.7
44.0
% within Postcode
18.2%
47.7%
29.5%
4.5%
100.0%
Residual
1.8
3.7
-1.8
-3.7
NX2
Count
31
68
48
14
161
Expected Count
22.6
63.3
54.2
20.9
161.0

% within Postcode
19.3%
42.2%
29.8%
8.7%
100.0%
Residual
8.4
4.8
-6.2
-6.9
NX3
Count
4
14
20
8
46
Expected Count
6.5
18.1
15.5
6.0
46.0
% within Postcode
8.7%
30.4%

43.5%
17.4%
100.0%
Residual
-2.5
-4.1
4.5
2.0
NX4
Count
3
42
33
22
100
Expected Count
14.0
39.3
33.7
13.0
100.0
% within Postcode
3.0%
42.0%
33.0%
22.0%
100.0%

Residual
-11.0
2.7
-.7
9.0
Other
Count
9
9
18
5
41
Expected Count
5.8
16.1
13.8
5.3
41.0
% within Postcode
22.0%
22.0%
43.9%
12.2%
100.0%
Residual
3.2
-7.1

4.2
-.3
Total
Count
55
154
132
51
392
Expected Count
55.0
154.0
132.0
51.0
392.0
% within Postcode
14.0%
39.3%
33.7%
13.0%
100.0%
From graph 4/table 4 it seems that the feeling of insecurity is:
· Often: 43.5% for NX3 and 43.9 for Other.
· Occasionally:47.7% for NX1, 42.2% for NX2 and 42% for
NX4.
Chi-squared test will show if percentages are significantly
different.
d) Is there association between
Threatened and Gender,Threatened and Origin,Threatened and
Postcode. Given we deal with 2 categorical variable,the extend
of the association is assessed using Chi-square for statistical

independence(Levine et al, 2005)
Threatened and Gender
Work at 5% significance level.
H0: No association exists between Threatened and Gender
H1: An association does exist between Threatened and Gender
Table 5: Chi-Square Tests
Value
df
Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square
22.129a
3
.000
Likelihood Ratio
22.777
3
.000
Linear-by-Linear Association
19.630
1
.000
N of Valid Cases
392
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 23.03.
Sig value (2-tailed) 0.000 < 0.05 and 0<0.01
Ho rejected at 5% and 1% significance level.
A clear significant association exists between Threatened and

Gender.
Compared to male, female (table 2) feel significantly:
· more threatened “Always” or “Often”
· less threatened “Occasionally”
Threatened and Origin
H0: No association exists between Threatened and Origin.
H1: An association exists between Threatened and Origin.
Table 6: Chi-Square Tests
Value
df
Exact Sig. (2-sided)
Exact Sig. (1-sided)
Point Probability
Pearson Chi-Square
7.268a
6
.297
.297
Likelihood Ratio
7.143
6
.308
.329
Fisher's Exact Test
6.869

.325
.450b
1
.502
.517
.264
.026
N of Valid Cases
392
a. 2 cells (16.7%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is 3.77.
b. The standardized statistic is .671.
Fisher exact test is used since 2 cells have expected count less
than 5.
Exact sig 0.325 >0.05
Ho is accepted at 5% significance level.No significant
association exists between Threatened and Origin.
Threatened and Postcode
H0: No association exists between Threatened and Postcode
H1: An association exists between Threatened and Postcode
Table 7 : Chi-Square Tests
Value

df
Pearson Chi-Square
35.680a
12
.000
Likelihood Ratio
39.727
12
.000
13.586
1
.000
N of Valid Cases
392
a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum
expected count is 5.33.
The sig value 2 tailes 0.000.
Sig (2sided) =0 <0.05 and 0<0.01
A clear significant association exists between Threatened and
Postcode.
Compared to students coming from NX1, NX2 and NX4,
students from NX3 and Other feel significantly (table 4):
· More “Often” unsafe
· Less “Occasionally” unsafe
4. Bus users
a) Description No_Uses

Graph 5: Histogram of No_ uses
It seems that :
· possible values of number uses is between 0 and 10.
· data are centered around the value 3
· distribution is symmetric and normal
· values 8, 9 and 10 have lower frequencies
Graph 6: Boxplot
Q3=4 number of uses.
Q1=2 number of uses.
Therefore 50% of respondents used 2, 3 or 4 times the bus.
Inter-quartile range= 2
Median=3.
Central position of the median indicates the central
tendency.Symmetric distribution.
Whiskers go from minimum value 0 to maximum value 7
5 outliers coded o, might be data capture mistake.
Table 8: Descriptives of No_Uses
Statistic

Std. Error
No_Uses
Mean
2.96
.093
95% Confidence Interval for Mean
Lower Bound
2.77
Upper Bound
3.14
5% Trimmed Mean
2.89
Median
3.00
Variance
3.402
Std. Deviation
1.845
Minimum
0

Maximum
10
Range
10
Interquartile Range
2
Skewness
.538
.123
Kurtosis
.379
.246
Skewness coefficient (-1<0.538<1) indicates reasonable level of
symmetry.
Since median, mean and mode(=3,from Excel) have similar
values, it confirms a suitable measure of central tendency.b)
Mean comparison
n > 30 therefore normal distribution assumed
One Sample t-test used to test the mean difference in number of
uses between sample and known value of population mean (2)
Work at 5% significance level
Ho: µ=2
H1: µ # 2
Two-sided alternative test because lower and upper possibilities

considered
Table 9: One-Sample Statistics
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
No_Uses
392
2.96
1.845
.093
392 answers are valid for variable No-Uses.
On average 2.96 uses/respondent/year
Table 10: One-Sample Test
Test Value = 2
t
df
Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean Difference
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Lower
Upper
No_Uses
10.269
391
.000

.957
.77
1.14
Sig (2-tailed)=0.000 ; 0.000<0.05 and 0.000<0.01
It is highly improbable that respondents come from a population
which uses the bus 2 times per year per student. The mean of
uses is significantly more than 2.
c) A means difference ?
No_Uses vs gender
n1 (female) >30; n2(male) >30
No_Uses quantitative variable normally distributed. Central
limit theorem applied.
Independent sample Test usedto test the mean (µ1 and µ2)
difference in number of uses between male and female.
H0: µ1 = µ2
H1: µ1 ≠ µ2
Table 11: Group Statistics
Gender
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
No_Uses
Male
177
3.02
1.942
.146

Female
215
2.90
1.763
.120
Table 12: Independent Samples Test
Levene's Test for Equality of Variances
t-test for Equality of Means
F
Sig.
t
df
Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean Difference
Std. Error Difference
95% Confidence Interval of the Difference
Lower
Upper
No_Uses
Equal variances assumed
.759
.384

.642
390
.521
.120
.187
-.248
.489
Equal variances not assumed
.636
359.626
.525
.120
.189
-.252
.492
Levine Test sig 0.384>0.05. Therefore equality of variances
assumed.
Sig (2- tailed) 0.521 > 0.05.
Ho accepted at 5% significance level.
Insufficient evidence to suggest that a difference exists in
means number of uses between male and female.On average,
male and female use at the same frequency the bus.
No Uses vs Origin
n1 (UK)> 30 ; n3 (international) >30
Since n2 (EU) < 30, Kruskal-Wallis Test should be used to test
if populations means are equal.
Ho: µ1 = µ2 = µ3
H1: At least one of µ1, µ2 and µ3 is different from the others

Table 13:Ranks
Origin
N
Mean Rank
No_Uses
UK
311
197.39
EU
29
209.07
International
52
184.14
Total
392
Table 14:Test Statisticsa,b
No_Uses
Chi-Square
1.024
df
2
Asymp. Sig.
.599
a. Kruskal Wallis Test
b. Grouping Variable: Origin

Sig value 0.599 > 0.05.
H0 accepted at 5% significance level.
No difference in mean number of uses according to origin.On
average EU, UK or International students use the bus at same
frequency.
No Uses vs Postcode
One-way Anova used to test the difference in means number of
uses among five postcodes.
Ho: µ1 = µ2 = µ3= µ4= µ5
H1: At least one of µ1, µ2, µ3, µ4 and µ5 is different from the
others
Table 15: Descriptives
No_Uses
N
Mean
Std. Deviation
Std. Error
Minimum
Maximum
Lower Bound
Upper Bound
NX1
44
3.57

1.634
.246
3.07
4.06
1
9
NX2
161
3.20
1.692
.133
2.94
3.47
0
9
NX3
46
3.04
1.861
.274
2.49
3.60
0
7
NX4
100
2.97
1.883
.188
2.60
3.34
0
10
Other
41
1.20

1.553
.242
.71
1.69
0
5
Total
392
2.96
1.845
.093
2.77
3.14
0
10
(
Test of homogeneity of variances show that Sig 0.807 > 0.05.
Therefore
populations
variances are equal.
Tukey
post hoc test is appropriate.
)
Table 16: Test of Homogeneity of Variances
No_Uses
Levene Statistic
df1
df2
Sig.
.402
4
387
.807

Table 17: ANOVA
No_Uses
Sum of Squares
df
Mean Square
F
Sig.
Between Groups
153.969
4
38.492
12.664
.000
Within Groups
1176.294
387
3.040
Total
1330.263
391
From Anova, sig 0.000< 0.05 and 0<0.01.Therefore Ho rejected
at the 5% and 1% significant level .
One or more of the means is not equal to the others under
consideration. Post hoc test results provided below are relevant.
Post hoc tests
Table 18: Multiple Comparisons
No_Uses
Tukey HSD
(I) Postcode

(J) Postcode
Mean Difference (I-J)
Std. Error
Sig.
95% Confidence Interval
Lower Bound
Upper Bound
NX1
NX2
.363
.297
.737
-.45
1.18
NX3
.525
.368
.610
-.48
1.53
NX4
.598
.315
.321
-.27
1.46
Other
2.373*

.378
.000
1.34
3.41
NX2
NX1
-.363
.297
.737
-1.18
.45
NX3
.161
.291
.981
-.64
.96
NX4
.235
.222
.828
-.37
.84
Other
2.010*
.305
.000
1.17
2.85
NX3
NX1
-.525
.368

.610
-1.53
.48
NX2
-.161
.291
.981
-.96
.64
NX4
.073
.311
.999
-.78
.92
Other
1.848*
.374
.000
.82
2.87
NX4
NX1
-.598
.315
.321
-1.46
.27
NX2
-.235
.222
.828

-.84
.37
NX3
-.073
.311
.999
-.92
.78
Other
1.775*
.323
.000
.89
2.66
Other
NX1
-2.373*
.378
.000
-3.41
-1.34
NX2
-2.010*
.305
.000
-2.85
-1.17
NX3
-1.848*
.374
.000
-2.87

-.82
NX4
-1.775*
.323
.000
-2.66
-.89
*. The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.
Table 19: No_Uses
Tukey HSDa,b
Postcode
N
Subset for alpha = 0.05
1
2
Other
41
1.20
NX4
100
2.97
NX3
46
3.04
NX2
161
3.20

NX1
44
3.57
Sig.
1.000
.341
Means for groups in homogeneous subsets are displayed.
a. Uses Harmonic Mean Sample Size = 58.777.
b. The group sizes are unequal. The harmonic mean of the group
sizes is used. Type I error levels are not guaranteed.
The means difference between groups (table 18):
· “Other “and those of others groups (NX1 till NX4) is
significant.
· NX1 till NX4 is not significant.
It suggests that on average students from NX1 till NX4 use the
bus at the same frequency.
On average compared to NX1 till NX4, students coming from
Other use the bus less frequently.
5. Price
a) Donation Description
Graph 7: Donation

Statistic
Std. Error
Donation
Mean
1.040
.0316
Lower Bound
.958
Upper Bound
1.122
5% Trimmed Mean
.990
Median
.900
Variance

.391
Std. Deviation
.6251
Minimum
.0
Maximum
4.0
Range
4.0
Interquartile Range
.8
Skewness
1.413
.123
Kurtosis
3.150
.246
Statistic
Std. Error
Donation
Mean

1.040
.0316
Lower Bound
.978
Upper Bound
1.102
5% Trimmed Mean
.990
Median
.900
Variance
.391
Std. Deviation
.6251
Minimum
.0
Maximum
4.0

Range
4.0
Interquartile Range
.8
Skewness
1.413
.123
Kurtosis
3.150
.246
Among 392 respondents:
0.4149 (mean - standard deviation) < majority of donations <
1.6651 (mean + standard deviation)
Skewness coefficient (1.413>1) indicates a right skewed
distribution.

b)Mean donation confidence intervals
Table 20: 99% confidence interval for the mean (μ) is:
0.958<μ<1.122.We can be 99% confident that the population
mean amount that student will be willing to pay is between
0.958 and 1.122 pounds.New price (sample mean) is 1.040
pounds which is comprised in the interval
0.958<1.040<1.122.New pricing scheme would be advisable.
Table 21: 95% confidence interval for the mean (μ) is:
0.978<μ<1.102.We can be 95% confident that the population
mean amount that student will be willing to pay is between
0.978 and 1.102 pounds.New price (mean) is 1.040 pounds
(Table 21) which is comprised in the interval
0.978<1.040<1.102.New pricing scheme would be advisable.
c) Correlation
Donation, Distance_Home, Distance_Public,Rent are continuous
quantitative variables. Pearson correlation used to display
relationship between two variables.It identifies data strength
and spread.
Donation vs Distance Home
Scatter diagram shows a linear pattern appearing in the
points.The dots would be agglomerated very close to the
straight line.These points follow an upward direction.
We can suppose that a strong, positive linear association exists
between Donation and Distance_Home.We can determine
whether it is statistically significant.
Work at 1% significance level
Ho: ρ = 0 (No linear association between Donation and
Distance_Home)

H1 ρ ≠ 0 (A correlation exists between Donation and
Distance_Home)
Table 22: Correlations
Donation
Distance_Home
Donation
Pearson Correlation
1
.950**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
392
392
Distance_Home
Pearson Correlation
.950**
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
392
392
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Sig (2- tailed) = 0.000, 0 <0.01
Ho rejected at 1% significance level.
A linear correlation exists between Donation and
Distance_Home.
Correlation coefficient r=0.985 indicates that association
between Donation and Distance_Home is strong, positive and
statistically significant.
The more the distance from TWU to their door
(Distance_Home) increases the more their
contribution(Donation) increases.
Donation vs Distance Public
Scatter diagram shows a linear pattern appearing in the
points.The dots would be dispersed around the straight line.The
points follow an upward direction.
We can suppose that a positive linear association exists between
Donation and Distance_Public.We can determine whether it is
Ho ρ = 0 (No linear association between Donation and
Distance_Public)
H1 ρ ≠ 0 (A correlation exists between Donation and
Distance_Public)
Donation
Distance_Public
Donation

Pearson Correlation
1
.634**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
392
392
Distance_Public
Pearson Correlation
.634**
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
N
392
392
Sig (2- tailed) = 0.000 ; 0<0.01
Ho rejected at 1% significance level.
A linear correlation exists between Donation and
Distance_Public.
Correlation coefficient r=0.634 indicates that association
between Donation and Distance_Public is positive and
The more the distance from TWU Union to their door
(Distance_Public) increases the more their contribution
(Donation) increases.

Donation vs Rent
Scatter diagram doesn’t show a linear pattern appearing in the
points.
The diagram looks like a random scatter diagram.
Ho ρ = 0 (No linear association between Donation and Rent)
H1 ρ ≠ 0 (A correlation exists between Donation and Rent)
Donation
Rent
Donation
Pearson Correlation
1
-.099*
Sig. (2-tailed)
.050
N
392
392
Rent

Pearson Correlation
-.099*
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
.050
N
392
392
Sig (2-tailed) = 0.05 ; 0.05 >0.05
Ho accepted at 5% significance.
No linear association exists between Donation and Rent.
d) Variable selection to explain Donation
No linear association between Donation and Rent.Therefore
variable Rent is rejected.
A linear association exists between Donation and
Distance_Home and a linear association exists between

Donation and Distance_Public.
However correlation coefficient Donation vs Distance_Home (r
=0.985) is nearer to +1 than the correlation coefficient Donation
vs Distance_Public (r=0.634).
Therefore Distance_Home is the single continuous quantitative
variable which best explains how much students would be
willing to pay for the Safety Bus.
e) Regression model
Simple linear regression equation: y = α + βx
Table 25: Model Summary
Model
R
R Square
Adjusted R Square
Std. Error of the Estimate
1
.950a
.903
.902
.1953
a. Predictors: (Constant), Distance_Home
R-square 0.903 or 90.3% suggests that 90.3% of the Donation
(y) can be explained by variation of Distance_Home (x).
Table 26: Coefficientsa
Model
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized Coefficients
t

Sig.
B
Std. Error
Beta
1
(Constant)
.089
.019
4.798
.000
Distance_Home
.200
.003
.950
60.123
.000
a. Dependent Variable: Donation
Value ‘α’ (y-intercept) equal to 0.089 and ‘β’ (slope) equal to
0.200.Given ‘y’ (dependent variable) is Donation and ‘x’
(independent variable) is Distance_Home, the equation is:
y= 0.089 + 0.2x
Donation = 0.089 + 0.2 * Distance_Home
New students Forecast
Table 27: Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum

Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Distance_Home
392
.8
20.0
4.755
2.9710
Valid N (listwise)
392
Table 28Profiles of the two new students
Distance_Home (km)
Distance_Public (km)
Rent (£)
Student 1
7.5
1
740
Student 2
25
3.5
0
According to regression model, amount we would expect these
students to pay for a singleuse of the bus is:
1) Student 1, donation (y) with distance home (x=7.5).Since
0.8<7.5<20 (table 27), it is an interpolation:
Y=0.089+0.2x
Y=Donation=0.089 + 0.2*7.5

Y=Donation=1.589
2) Student 2, donation ( y) with distance home (x=25).Since
25>max 20 (table 27),it is an extrapolation:
Y= Donation = 0.089+0.2*25
Y=Donation =5.089
Student 1 living 7.5 km away could pay 1.589 pounds for a
single use of the bus.
Student 2 living 25 km away could pay 5.089 pounds for a
single use of the bus.
Forecasts confidence of prediction 90.3%(r square).We are more
confident for interpolation(y=1.589).
Part C
The analysis has identified the students’ feeling of safety and
their safety bus usage.
1. Findings
Respondent profile
· More than half of respondents are female(54.85%)
· 45.15% of respondents are male
· Most of respondents come from UK (79.34%)
· Most of respondents come from NX2 (41.07%)
Feeling about safety
· 86% of students feel unsafe (occasionally:39.3%; often:
33.7%; always: 13%)
· Feeling of insecurity is strongly linked to gender and affects
mostly girls (56.7% of female ,against 34.5% of male,feel at
least often unsafe
· Feeling of insecurity is linked to the residence area (NX3 and
Other: Often more than 43 % each / NX1, NX2 and
NX4:Occasionally: more than 42% each)
· Feeling of insecurity is not linked to student origin
.Safety bus usage

· The number of uses is on average significantly more than 2
times per year per student Your estimations are widely reached
· On average, male and female use it at the same frequency
· On average the EU, UK or International students use it at the
same frequency
· On average students who come from NX1 till NX4 use it at the
same frequency
· On average, students coming from Otherpostcodes use it less
frequently (approximately once a year) compared to those
coming from NX1 till NX4
Students donation
· For one bus ride,the mean price would be comprised between
0.958 £ and 1.122 £
· For one bus ride, the amount students will be willing to pay is
highly linked to the distance between their accommodation and
TWU.The more this distance increases the more the price
increases
· A tool is available to help you determine a price according to
a given distance
2. Recommendations
· Increase security measures for girls:Priority to access the
bus.More assistance and supervision during the journey, more
security guards, Emergency number for quick intervention
· More prevention to enable girls to ensure their own safety
(information)
· Review NX3 bus stops.Feeling of safety is low NX3, therefore
need to increase level of security
· Review bus stops for Other.Students from Other feel
threatened but they use bus only 1 time a year on average
Possible reasons: lack of bus stops, badly served zone, bus route
issues, problem with overall service
· Fix a price according to the distance covered

3. Statistical analysis
Limitation
· Probability level 5 % or 1% of being wrong
· Population normality assumed.If distribution not normal and
we don’t know it, results are incorrect
· Sample representativeness assumed as well
· Statistical inference: conclusions drawn from data subject to
random variation therefore is it correct?(Robson et al,2011)
Strengths
· Data summarized in short format
· Quantification of confidence we have
4. Questionnaire Limitations
· Students may not agree to answer choices
· Inability to identify actual feedback due to answer choice
Other
Reference list
Anderson, V. (2009), Research Methods in Human Resource
Management, 2nd edn. London: CIPD.
Baker, M. J. (2003), Business and management research: how to
complete your research project successfully, Westburn,
Helensburgh,
Bougie,R. & Sekaran,U.(2010) Research methods-A skill
building approach,5th ed, Chichester: John Wiley and Sons
Brown, J. D. (2001), Using surveys in language programs,
Cambridge university press, Cambridge
Carter, Y. & Thomas, C.(1997), Research methods in primary
care, Radcliffe Medical Press Ltd, Oxon
Collis,J. & Hussey,R.(2009) Business Research-A practical
guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students,3rd ed,
Hampshire, MacMillan, Palgrave.

De Vaus, D. (2002), Surveys in social research, 5th ed, Midland
Typesetters, Maryborough.
Gillham, B. (2000), Developing a questionnaire, Continuum,
London.
Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J. & Couper, M. P. (2011), Survey
methodology, 2nd ed, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken.
Hussey, J and Hussey, R (2000), Business Research. A Practical
Guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, 2nd
Ed,Macmillan Business, Basingstoke
Kothari, C. R. (2010), Research methodology : Methods and
techniques, 2nd ed, New age international publisher, New Delhi.
Lee,N. & Lings,I.(2008), Doing Business Research: A guide to
theory and practice, Sage Publication, London
Levine, Stephan, Krehbiel, & Berenson. (2005) Statistics for
Managers . 4th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education.
Neelankavil, J. P. (2007), International business research,
M.E.Sharpe.Inc, New york.
Robson, A., Pemberton, J. and McGrane, A. (2008), Business
Research Analysis. Glasgow: McGraw-Hill.
Robson, A., Pemberton, J. & Mcgrane, A.(2011), Business
Research Analysis, 2nd ed, McGrawHill, New York.
Sekaran, U. (2003), Research methods for business: a skill-
building approach, 4th ed, Wiley, New York.
Smith, M. E.-S., Thorpe, R., & Jackson, P. R. (2008)
Management Research. 3rd Edition. Singapore: Sage
Publication.
Appendixes
Appendix 1.Cover letter and questionnaire
A Few Minutes of Your Time Will Help Us Make The Safety
bus a
Better Service for you!
Dear Student,
Your response to the enclosed survey is extremely important…
After the introduction of a safety bus to transport undergraduate

students from campus to accommodations elsewhere in the city,
Tyne and Wear University is conducting a Satisfaction Survey
to assess the safety bus success. You were selected at random to
receive this survey therefore it is important that you participate
We appreciate your time…
This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.
The survey will help us determining your level of satisfaction
and make decisions in order to improve the service.
Please complete and return your survey within the next four
weeks…
TWU Business School Marketing team will administer this
survey and present the results.
Your responses will remainconfidential.
Your participation is entirely voluntary. The data collected will
only be used to assess the safety bus success and establish
priorities for future developments. Only members of the
Marketing team will access your answers. This data will be used
in the strictest confidence and ID will be deleted so that no
student can be individually identified.
You might be the winner of the raffle !
Each completed questionnaire will be entered into a raffle and
the winner will be identified thanks to the student ID provided.
Please return your completed survey in the enclosed postage-
paid envelope addressed to TWU Business School marketing. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Best Regards,
Business School Marketing Team Tyne and Wear University
(

Coding
)Student Satisfaction Survey: Safety bus.
Tyne and Wear University is collecting information about
student’s experiences of the Safety Bus so we can make the
services better for you. Please fill it out.
(Please tick the appropriate option to indicate your response
like this)
(
1…
)
Student Id
General information
1. (
2
…
)What is your gender?
Male Female
2. (
3…
)What is your age group?
17-19
19-21
21 and above
3. (
4…
)Where do you come from?
UK EU INTERNATIONAL
4. Where do you live ?
(
5…
)
On campusOff campus with a roommateOff campus with family

Off campus aloneOther
(
6
…
)
If other specify :
5. What is the distance in km between your term
accommodation to TWU Union?
(
7
...
) (
km
)
6. (
8
…
) (
km
)What is the distance in km between your term accommodation
to nearest public transport?
(
9
….
) (
£
)
7. How much is your rent per calendar month?
Your opinion about the safety bus

(
10
…
)8.What do you think about the safety bus services provided by
the TWU university?
Poor
Below average
Average
Good
Excellent
9. (
11
…
) (
12
…
)How many times did you use the safety bus since its
introduction?
(
12
…
) (
£
)
10. How much are you willing to pay if you could choose the
safety bus price?
11. How would you rate your overall experience with us under
the following headings? (Tick the appropriate box)
Nature
Not applicable
Very bad
Poor
Average
Good

Very good
Excellent
Safety bus Timekeeping
(
13
…
)
Driving style
(
14
…
)
Equipments(belts)
(
15
…
)
Assistance

(
16
…
)
Safety bus cleanliness/comfort
(
17
…
)
(
18
…
)
12. How would you describe the road safety used by the safety
bus drivers?
Terrible
Very bad
Poor
Average
Good
Very good
(
19

…
)Excellent
If terrible, very bad or poor please give details of why:
13. (
20
…
)Have you been informed by Safety bus drivers that you could
not use the service? If so why? (many answers possible)
Too drunk
Bus too full
Hold on food on you
(
21
…
)
Other please specify:
14. (
22
…
) If you couldn’t access the bus for the above reasons, what
transport advice have you been given by the drivers? (many
answers possible)
Walk home
Call taxi
No advice
(
23...
)Other please specify:
(
24
…
)For further initiative ,student general feeling of safety at night
15. How would rate your general feeling of safety in the city? (5
the best mark)
1 2 3 4 5

16. (
25
…
)Have you ever experienced a situation in Newcastle in which
you felt unsafe or scared?
Never
Maybe once
Only a few
A lot
(
26
…
)If you were ever scared of felt unsafe in Newcastle please
briefly state the reason (thief, attack, mugging...)
17. (
27
…
)Do you think Newcastle is a dangerous city?
Yes No
(
28
…
)
18. Would you recommend the following student(s) to come to
Newcastle:
A girl by herself
A boy by himself
A group of people
(
29
…
)If you do not recommend new students to come either guys,
girls or groups of people please specify why:

(
30
…
)
19. What else would you recommend to new students to ensure
their safety ?
(
Return your survey quickly. You might be the winner of the
prize.
)
Appendix 2.Coding plan
Column
Question/Variable
Value(s)
1
Student_ID
Open Question, record text
2
Gender
Male = 1
Female = 2
3
Age group
17-19 = 1
19-21 = 2
21-above=3
4
Country
UK = 1
EU = 2

International = 3
5
Accomodation
On campus = 1
Off campus with a roommate = 2
Off campus with family = 3
Off campus alone = 4
Other = 5
6
Other_Accomodation
Open question
7
Distance accommodation_TWU Union
Open question
8
Distance accommodation_nearest public transport
Open question
9
Rent_monthly
Open question
10
Safety bus services
Poor = 1
Below average = 2
Average = 3
Good=4
Excellent=5
11
Number of uses
Open question
12
Donation
Open question
13 to 17
13 to 17
Not applicable = 1,Very bad =2 , Poor=3,Average = 4,Good =

5,Very good=6 , Excellent=7
18
Road safety
Terrible=1
Very bad = 2
Poor =3
Average=4
Good=5
Very good=6
Excellent=7
Why=8
19
Details_why
Open question
20
Access_refused
Too drunk=1
Bus too full =2
Hold on food on you=3
Other=4
21
Other_reason
Open question
22
Driver_advice
Walk home = 1
Call taxi =2
No advice =3
Other = 4
23
Other _advice
Open question
24
Safety_rating
1=1
2=2

3=3
4=4
5=5
25
Unsafe_experience
Never = 1
Maybe once =2
Only a few=3
A lot=4
Reason =5
26
Reason_description
Open question
27
Newcastle_dangerous
Yes=1
No=2
28
Student_selection
A girl by herself=1
A boy by himself = 2
A group of people =3
29
Student_selection_reason
Open question
30
Recommendation
Open question
Note: Missing values should be left blank in Excel data file.
(
43
) Business Research Analysis

Uiversity Library
What is Referencing?Referencing is providing
information on the sources that you
have used.
In-text citation.
Reference list
For Example…
*
What is Referencing
You need to reference your sources both in the text of your
assignment and this is called in-text citation.
You also need to provide a reference list at the end of your
assignment.
The references are listed in alphabetical order.
NEXT SLIDE FOR EXAMPLE
Uiversity Library
3 Reasons for Referencing
AcademicTo show the wide variety of sources you have usedTo
show that you have used relevant sourcesTo support the ideas

and arguments you discuss in your work
Practicalto help a reader to trace the sources you have usedto
help you to retrace the sources you have used in the past
Legalto avoid plagiarism
*
Why do it?
Uiversity Library
In text citation and reference list
According to RMIT (2005) referencing an information
source used in an academic work means to employ a
standardised method of acknowledging that source.
Pears & Shields (2005) state that the two principal
methods of citation used in higher education are the Harvard
(Author–date) system and the British Standard or Numeric
system.
Reference
Pears, J. & Shields, G. (2005) Cite them right: the
essential guide to referencing and plagiarism. Newcastle upon
Tyne: Pear Tree Books
RMIT university library info-trek (2005) Available at:
http://www.rmit.edu.au/library/info-trek/referencing. (Accessed:
24th October 2006).

In-text citation
In-text citation
Reference list
Uiversity Library
Referencing a bookAuthor (surname followed by initials)Year
of publication (in round brackets)Title (in italics)Edition (only
include the edition number
if it is not the first edition)Place of publication:
PublisherSeries and volume number (if relevant).
e.g.
Saunders, M. Lewis, P. Thornhill A. (2007) Research
methods for business students . 4th edn. Harlow: Financial
Times Prentice Hall.
Uiversity Library
Referencing a Journal Article (print)
Author, surname followed by initialsYear of publication (in
round brackets)Title of article (in quotation marks)Title of
journal (in italics)Issue information, Volume, part number,
month or seasonPage reference.
e.g.
Brown, R. (2004) “Consideration of the origin of Herbert
Simon’s theory of satisficing”, Management Decision, 42 (10)
pp.1240-1256.

Referencing an electronic journal is slightly different from the
print –the Quick Guide to Referencing to ensure you record all
the information.
*
This is the correct citation order for your journal article
reference
Uiversity Library
Referencing an extract from an internet database
Author
Year of publication (in round brackets)
Title of extract (in quotation marks)
Name of Database (in italics)
[Online] (in square brackets)
Available at: URL
(Accessed: date).
e.g.
Euromonitor (2005) ‘World market for retailing’,
Euromonitor Global Market Information Database [Online].
Available at: http://www.euromonitor.com/GMID/default.asp
(Accessed: 14 September 2008).
Uiversity Library
Or ask for further help!!

Uiversity Library
We can provide alternative formats of this presentation on
request. Please email [email protected]
*
Sheet1IDGenderAgeLocationSectorSalaryVisitsCallsYearsOther
sSatisfaction11203218.71120222213319.62120532203320.9215
1842234115.72001351224115.12200162224115.1221809712032
17.22122582204115.51171891243318.610818101201215.11150
8112203319.721426122213218.621508131212215.12112414120
2214.921518151203321.121414162201215.521503171304114.9
21316182201115.721828192232215.101539202202115.5101152
11204214.920506222203318.021408232203218.2213032422033
18.221211251202214.721426262234215.321201271201115.121
607281204215.522127292203318.800304302202317.722817311
201215.121309322212215.72110310332201316.3216093412022
14.911406351204214.721201361202215.721529371202215.701
115381204316.321227392201215.521809401302115.521007411
212115.510215421223118.522316431211317.911729442203118
.211003452203318.021102462263319.511205472263319.82151
6481203318.821201492202114.721739501224215.12130651121
1115.721518522223316.321707531304214.721201542214114.9
21227552204115.521302561204215.121113571213320.5218175
81202215.121317592204215.721301602202115.1217086112042
15.521829622204115.511618631204317.921628641202215.111
314651202214.721114662222215.521315672202315.921818681
242215.320217691203217.611708702212115.111408711201317

.521408721204316.721501731204215.120237741203218.12100
1751204316.322929762201115.521728772203320.12110278220
2215.321618792204115.721416802201215.521305811211214.7
21607822203321.321739832204115.521427841223218.4212068
52202115.121619862204215.712207871221114.7100018812113
17.321729892222214.901519901204214.720001911204114.921
103922201115.521209931233217.721105941201214.921608951
202115.521205961213218.411528971202215.720811098121321
7.921316991202214.9223081001234316.7213051012204115.52
11031022303320.9215171032203321.2213131042203320.32170
81052203320.0113011061302215.7215191072202114.92142710
82204318.1217181091204115.5211011101201215.32120611122
02115.5203071121224114.7216281131262317.32011711412012
14.9212061151201114.9213031162214115.51110291171204214
.7212011182201318.1211041192203322.1212011202201317.32
14181212263318.1213081222204316.9112011231212214.72161
91241213219.2213181251212316.9214181261214215.52120612
71304214.7213131281214115.5214061291202115.12110513022
23318.1112031311204215.7201021322214115.32162813312022
15.7118191341201215.3214281351202214.7212041362202115.
5115171372202115.5211151382203319.0114071392204315.320
0031401213320.3217291411203218.5011021421202214.911819
1431211214.9311041441204215.3218091452223117.921523146
2203320.6215081472212214.7210011482203217.821102149121
3219.5212011501203218.2216181511212215.722302152220211
5.7228291531301215.3115081541201215.5212021551201115.5
216181561212215.1118091571202214.9214041581204215.7202
171591202215.7210011601202317.7110011612202115.1226181
621203219.3213161632203218.7213051641224115.5210011652
204316.7217181661204114.9112021671234215.5113021682203
117.8213171691213218.2217171701213217.6100021712201316
.3213161721204214.9211021732203318.6216061742233322.12
12031752204215.3218191761203319.5217191772203217.62110
11782201115.3213171792201115.1211051801203217.71141718
12213118.1217071821203319.4211011831201115.32140718412
03319.5212031851204115.7204261862212114.92162818722033

19.0211011881203320.2212271891202214.9211031902214215.
5213021912224114.7216081921243320.2124181931202215.521
0131941213319.4210121951231215.52070101962224115.32110
11972302115.7210271981204215.7112051992204115.72151620
01223217.8210122012201215.1115182021264214.92160620312
02214.7213142042203318.4201032051204215.72110220612042
14.9211172071204316.7211022082211318.1212052092212114.
9217182101201114.9218292111202215.5213162122203319.921
3172132211215.5216172141203118.1010032151214214.921003
2162203319.7215162171213219.0211042181204114.721528219
1204115.1013012202203318.2215172212203319.501407222122
4115.72112292232221114.7213032242223316.72030322512312
15.7215062262203320.5212012272201317.3216072281212114.
9218172291201315.3014152301201215.1212042312202215.121
8182321212215.3200012331204316.3212172341201214.721509
2352264115.1212132362201115.7217182371203119.222207238
2204115.7214172391202215.5214072401212115.521023241122
2215.3110032421222316.1214152432202214.721306244121321
7.4213152451204215.1211012462204115.7212022471213319.8
203032481203318.5205162491201215.1117292502322115.3215
182511202215.5217192521242316.7216282531222115.3221042
541203218.3213052552223117.4211052561204215.5215082572
201115.5212172581202215.7214082591213318.5210122601204
114.9214052612203319.9213012621204115.5215172632214115
.3216282642211114.9212032651211214.7217072662204115.52
10012671201214.7217182681204215.3218292691214316.11161
82702213118.5215182712201316.7216072722213118.72110127
31204215.5114262741212214.9213072751261215.12101127622
13319.2211152771204114.9213272782202115.31150627922033
20.9114012802212215.7206092812203320.9212042821204115.
5215162832313118.9211142841274214.7200032851202115.521
3052861204215.3212172872204115.1200012881224115.120101
2891304115.3012052902212115.3218172912204215.721411292
1202317.5213142932203219.1114052942213217.421104295120
3319.6203052962203118.2210012972203320.920002298220332
1.4216062992203219.5112033001303321.5214283011204214.7

213173021252215.1116093031204214.7024063041203321.3223
073051241115.1216183062222115.5205093071224114.9210133
081304215.5112053091223218.1217083101243218.7210023112
211115.7216083121204215.5210013132232215.3212363141201
215.3215073151321215.5218173161202215.7215273172221114
.7217283181234317.5214123191213218.8206183201211215.52
15363212203218.9212273222203318.9212073232202115.52140
73241202214.9214273252213320.9214033262244115.51161732
71203320.8207193282204115.3211033291232215.32150833012
11214.7213253312203318.5212013322203318.82120333313022
14.9210273341304215.7216083352263321.6215063361214114.
9202023372212114.9312163381202214.9216173392204214.922
1023401202214.7213073411231215.5228183421202215.721217
3432212215.3212073441211215.72120103451204317.12040734
62223218.5216183472204115.7215053482241114.72141734912
03118.2010013501202215.1014193511223315.52140635222433
18.3214073531204215.1211013541202114.9216183551201114.
9012093562203319.2216283571204215.121152103581221316.7
214093591204214.9213163602204215.3212053611234214.7212
053622203319.8111123631203218.7211143641203217.6212253
652252316.3217173662202215.7217293671202316.5212243681
202215.5206193692213318.8217183701203217.2217193711202
215.7114163721211115.1214263732201115.5204033741201317
.5213083751213118.521403
Sheet2
Sheet3
Assessment Brief – Postgraduate
Module Code:
BM0421
Module Title:
Distributed on:
TBCHand in Date:
Please do not enter a date in this box. Please advise the

relevant programme office of the preferred week for hand in.
Instructions on Assessment:
Important note about ARNA regulations
The regulations specify that students must complete every
assessment component contributing to the modules on their
programme. This applies to all forms of assessment as defined
in the module descriptor. Please note that:
· if any assessment component is not completed, students will
be failed in the module even if the module pass mark has been
achieved;
· if the requirements for referral specified in section 5 of
ARNA1 are met, a resit opportunity will be given;
· if unable to complete an assessment component because of
extenuating circumstances, students should follow the procedure
described in the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances1.
This change was approved by Academic Board on 12 October
2009 in consultation with the Students’ Union. Students should
consult their Programme Leader or Guidance Tutor if they have
any queries. Independent advice and support is also available
from the Students’ Union Advice & Representation Centre
([email protected]) or from a student adviser in Student
Services.
1ARNA and the Student Guide to Extenuating Circumstances
Affecting Assessed Work are available from
http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/sd/central/ar/lts/assess/assproc/as
sdocstud/
Word limits and penalties for assignments
If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no

penalty will apply.
The word count is to be declared on the front page of your
assignment and the assignment cover sheet. The word count
does not include:
· Title and Contents page
· Reference list
· Appendices
· Appropriate tables, figures and illustrations
· Glossary
· Bibliography
· Quotes from interviews and focus groups.
Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct
secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith,
2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.
If this word count is falsified, students are reminded that under
ARNA page 30 Section 3.4 this will be regarded as academic
misconduct.
If the word limit of the full assignment exceeds the +10% limit,
10% of the mark provisionally awarded to the assignment will
be deducted. For example: if the assignment is worth 70 marks
but is above the word limit by more than 10%, a penalty of 7
marks will be imposed, giving a final mark of 63.
Students are advised that they may be asked to submit an
electronic version of their assignment.
Time limits and penalties for presentations
The time allocated for the presentation must be adhered to. At
the end of this time, the presentation will be stopped and will be
marked based on what has been delivered within the time limit.

Submission of Assessment:
All assignments must be submitted via the Postgraduate
Programme Office. Each assignment must be accompanied by
an Assessed Work Form which must be completed in full. The
assignment will not be accepted by the Postgraduate Programme
Office unless the form is completed correctly.
Marked assignments will be returned to students. It is advisable
to retain a copy of your assignment for you own records. Your
mark will be returned on the Assessed Work Form via the
Postgraduate Programme Office.
Referencing your work
The APA method of referencing uses the author's name and the
date of the publication. In-text citations give brief details of the
work you are referring to in your text. References are listed at
the end of the text in alphabetical order by the author's name.
The general format of an electronic journal reference in the
APA style is shown below:
Coutu, D. (2009). Why Teams Don't Work. Harvard Business
Review, 87(5), 98-105. Retrieved 29th April 2012 from
EBSCOhttp://searchebscohost.com
Author/s name and initials are listed first, followed by year of
publication in brackets. Then there is the title of article and the
journal where the article appears, which is in italics. Then state
the volume and issue number (in brackets) along with the pages
where article can be located. Finally add the date the article was
retrieved and then the name of the database, followed by the
web address. Wherever possible use the homepage URL rather
than the full and extended web address.
For further information on why it is important to reference

accurately go to the Referencing and Plagiarism topic in Skills
Plus available from the Library website:
You will find other useful help guides on Skills Plus to help you
with the skills involved in writing your assessments and
preparing for exams.
For further information on the APA style of referencing see the
Concise Rules of APA style and the APA
websitehttp://www.apastyle.org/learn
Plagiarism and Cheating
Your attention is drawn to the University’s stated position on
plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED
IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS
SOURCE (a full bibliography and/or a list of references must be
submitted as prescribed in the assessment brief).
Please note that this is intended to be an individual piece of
work. Action will be taken where a student is suspected of
having cheated or engaged in any dishonest practice. Students
are referred to the University regulations on plagiarism and
other forms of academic irregularity. Students must not copy or
collude with one another or present any information that they
themselves have not generated.
For further information on Plagiarism, see the Referencing and
Plagiarism topic on Skills Plus.
Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:
This assessment will contribute directly to the following

Postgraduate programme goals and objectives. (Insert an ‘X’ in
boxes where applicable, referring to appropriate programme
specification for mapping details)
Goal One: Be independent, reflective critical thinkers
1.
Demonstrate awareness of their personal strengths and
weaknesses through critical reflective practice.
2.
Understand and challenge personal patterns of thinking and
behaving.
Goal Two: Be culturally and ethically aware
1.
Demonstrate their ability to work in diverse groups and teams.
2.
Reflect on their own ethical values.
Goal Three: Have developed leadership and management
capability
1.
Demonstrate their personal contribution to team effectiveness.
2.
Communicate complex issues effectively.

3.
Demonstrate decision making and problem solving skills.
4.
Carry out presentations and lead discussions.
Goal Four: Have developed and applied knowledge of
international business and management theory
1.
Acquire, interpret and apply knowledge of international
business, management and organisational functions.
Goal Five: Have developed a range of research skills and
project capabilities
x
1.
Plan and complete a major individual piece of research on a
contemporary business, management or leadership topic of their
choice.
x
2.
Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application
of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business
issues.
Goal Six: Have developed specialist knowledge about the theory
and practice of your programme of study
1.
Demonstrate specialist functional knowledge in relation to your
programme of study.

Assessment Criteria (NBS)
General Assessment Criteria
Trait
0
Fail
1 – 39
Fail
40 – 49
Fail
50 – 54
Pass
55 – 59
Pass
60 – 69
Commendation
70 – 100
Distinction
Work not submitted OR Work giving evidence of serious
academic misconduct (subject to regulations in ARNA Appendix
1) OR Work showing no evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. None of the
learning outcomes are met.
Work is not acceptable and provides little evidence of the
knowledge, understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. Few
of the learning outcomes are met.
Work is not acceptable in providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. However a
majority of the learning outcomes are met and others are nearly
satisfied
Adequate work providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7 but only at a
bare pass level. All learning outcomes are met (or nearly met
and balanced by strengths elsewhere).

Satisfactory work providing evidence of the knowledge,
understanding and skills appropriate to level 7. All learning
outcomes are met.
Commendable work providing evidence to a high level of the
learning outcomes met, many are more than satisfied.
Excellent work providing evidence to a very high level of the
learning outcomes met, many at high level. Marks at the high
end of this range indicate outstanding work where all learning
outcomes are met at a high level.
Inadequate in some of the following aspects or seriously
inadequate in at least one: use of relevant material; development
of analysis and structure of argument; evaluation of theory;
application of relevant theory, research methods and findings to
the problem in question; presentation of information to the
intended audience.
Adequate in most but not all of the following aspects: use of
relevant material; development of analysis and structure of
Adequate in all of (or most of, with balancing strength
elsewhere): use of relevant material; development of analysis
and structure of argument; evaluation of theory; application of
relevant theory, research methods and findings to the problem
in question; presentation of information to the intended
audience.
Satisfactory in all or most of: use of relevant material from a
variety of sources; development of analysis and structure of
Good in all or most of: use of up-to-date material from a variety

of sources; development of analysis and structure of argument;
critical evaluation of relevant theory, research methods and
findings to the problem in question; presentation of information
to the intended audience.
Excellent in all or most of: use of primary sources of literature
from a range of perspectives; development of analysis and
structure of argument; critical evaluation and creative use of
theory, research methods and findings; presentation of
information to the intended audience.
Module Specific Assessment Criteria
Trait
0
Fail
1 – 39
Fail
40 – 49
Fail
50 – 54
Pass
55 – 59
Pass
60 – 69
Commendation
70 – 100
Distinction
No appropriate quantitative techniques applied.
An attempt is made to apply quantitative techniques, but these
are either the wrong techniques are incorrectly applied.
Correct techniques are applied but there are many errors and
very little interpretation of the results.
Correct techniques employed, few major errors but numerous
minor errors. Limited interpretation of the results.
Correct techniques employed, no major errors but some minor
errors. Full interpretation of the results.

fully explained. Very few minor errors, detailed interpretation
of results including limitations.
fully explained. Virtually no errors, extensive narration of the
techniques and interpretation of results including limitations.
Poor structure, not aligned with assignment brief. No research
employed.
Structure does not meet requirements for the most part.
Extremely limited research grounding.
Structure has major errors and some key research concepts are
missing.
Coherent structure, with acknowledgement of key research
concepts.
Good structure, relevant research employed where appropriate.
Structure and narration guide the reader through the work very
effectively, current research is critically appraised to a high
degree.
Assignment makes full use of current research to support
arguments. Excellent structure and presentation.
Note:
For those assessments or partial assessments based on
calculation, multiple choice etc. Marks will be gained on an
accumulative basis. In these cases, marks allocated to each
section will be made clear.
Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment and
it must be made available within 24 hours of them requesting it
be submitted.
Assignment Brief: In this assignment you are required to
complete these parts:
Part 1

Total 40 marks
(a) Develop a questionnaire (15 marks)
(b) Discussion of distribution method and associated documents
(c) Critical evaluation of the questionnaire [1000 words] (15
marks)
Part 2
Total 60 marks
Data analysis, findings and managerial implications [1750
words] (60 marks)
The word count should be declared on the front page of the
assignment.
Scenario
Tynecastle Business School (TBS) is part of the University of
Tynecastle, located in the North East of England. It has a
reputation regionally, nationally and internationally. The
Business School uses its reputation to build and maintain
relationships with organizations.. This is key to its philosophy
which could be described as “leading business, business led”.
TBS runs a suite of 4-year Business and Management
programmes; the modules for years 1 and 2 are shown below.
Year 3 involves a 12-month placement (work experience) with
an external organisation and is managed by a full-time
Placements Unit within TBS, with year 4 being taught back
within the University.
Year One
Financial and Management Accounting
Business Operations
Introduction to Marketing
Introduction to Management
Business Environment and Organisations

Quantitative Methods for BusinessYear Two
Performance Management
Information Management
Preparation for Placements and Graduate Employment
Markets and Customers
International Finance
International and Global Business
Part 1 (a) – Develop a questionnaire (15 marks)
You are a self-employed professional analyst and have been
commissioned by the Placements Unit, within Tynecastle
Business School (TBS) to undertake an important market
research exercise involving their placement organisations. You
have two months to design a questionnaire, disseminate this
with support from the Placements Unit, code the survey returns,
analyse the data and provide a report for the Head of the Unit.
The Placements Unit is interested in determining organisational
perception of the degree programmes. Broadly, the Placement
Unit would like to know what organisations think of the
following:
· the degree content,
· the work skills developed by the students,
· the appropriateness and preparedness of these students for the
working/professional environment,
· the levels of support provided by the Placements Unit and
TBS.
This is intended to help assess the extent to which students are
prepared for graduate level work during their placement year.
You are required to develop a short questionnaire (a maximum

of three pages) to assess the various issues described here. You
should use the above information along with any further
research you may wish to do to decide on the questionnaire
content.
The questionnaire should be presented in an appendix to the
assignment.
Part 1 (b) – Discussion of distribution method and associated
documents(10 marks)
In this section you should discuss how the questionnaire should
be distributed in accordance with the wishes of the Placements
Unit. The Placements Unit will distribute this questionnaire to
all organisations on its database electronically, which will
involve 1200 potential respondents. Assess the benefits and
challenges of using this method of questionnaire dissemination,
including methods for tackling non-response.
You should also design a full and appropriate coding plan for
your questionnaire and include any other supporting
documentation.
The coding plan and any supporting documentation should be
presented in an appendix to the assignment.
Part 1 (c) - Critical evaluation of your questionnaire 1000 words
(15 marks)
In this section of the assignment you are required to provide a
critical evaluation of the questionnaire you have developed).
The evaluation of the questionnaire will consider your design
decisions: the structure, presentation, types of questions used
and supporting instructions for the potential respondents. You
should justify your design decisions by considering the case
scenario presented above and your justification should be

Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx

Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx

Similar to Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx (15)

More from bobbywlane695641

More from bobbywlane695641 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Additional FilesBM0421_assignment_support-1.pptBusine.docx