Assignment

DATA EXERCISE #1

Due at the end of week 3

Format of the Project:

The Data Exercise must be posted to the LEO Student Assignments as a Attachments

are limited to a maximum two files in doc, docx., xls. xlsx., or rtf. formats. OTHER

FORMATS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE, will not be reviewed or graded.

Please note that hand-written and scanned works, pdf. files, jpg. files, as well as

files posted in google drive, will not be accepted or graded.

Please note that starting from the Fall 2020 semester the UMGC moved to the 7th

Edition of the APA Style. The links to the 7th Edition of the APA

Style methodology are posted in Content – Course Resources – Writing

Resources.

No more than 20% of the text of the project should be made up of quotes.

Please note that Use of the 7th Edition APA Citation Methodology is required for

all parts of the assignment.

Written projects:

1. Must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, with

one-inch margins

2. Must have the title page in APA-7th style

3. Must have in-text citations in APA-7th edition style

4. Must have reference list in APA-7th edition style. Please note that you must

reference the data you are using for the project

5. Must be prepared using word processing software (Microsoft Word preferred)

Data exercise #1 Assignment

Consists of two parts.

Part 1: Expenditures Approach to Calculating GDP (weight 45% of the assignment

grade)

BEA estimates the nation's GDP for each year and each quarter. But new GDP

statistics are released every month. Why? Because for each quarter, BEA

estimates GDP three times. The advance estimate, coming about a month after

the quarter's end, is an early look based on the best information available at that

time. The second estimate and third estimate each incorporate additional

source data that weren't available the month before, improving accuracy.(

www.bea.gov).

BEA publishes estimates of levels at annual rates (for most series) for ease of

comparisons with related and historical data. For example, in its February 2,

2004 personal income and outlays release, BEA estimated that personal income

for December 2003 was $9,335.8 billion at an annual rate. This is easily

compared to BEA’s estimates of personal income for the fourth quarter of 2003

($9,312.6 billion, at an annual rate) and for the entire year of 2003 ($9,187.4

billion).(www.bea.gov).

Published

January 13, 2006

Complete the following exercise

Visit the Bureau of Economic Analysis website at www.bea.gov. From the drop-down

menu under “Data”, click on “by Economics Account”.

Then click on “National”> “Gross Domestic Product > and “Full Release and Tables”.

(To find “Full Release and Tables” you need to scroll down the page to the section

“Current Release".

Use table 3 (Gross Domestic Product: Level and Change from Preceding Period).

Tables are located at the end of the Release, so you need to scroll all the way down to

the tables.

The left columns are nominal GDP (and its components) and the right half represents

real GDP (chained 2012 dollars).

a) Create the table that contains the following information for the last

available quarter. Please note that using the data for previous years and/or

previous estimates will produce grade zero for this part of the project.

You need this information from both parts of the table 3- (nominal GDP (and its

components) from left columns and real GDP (chained 2012 dollars) from the

right part of the table 3). Omit the intermediate lines found in Table 3 on the web

site.

 Gross domestic product

 Personal consumption expenditures

 Gross private domestic investment

 Net exports of goods and services

 Government consumption expenditures and gross investment

b) Calculate the percentage (the proportion) of each category in nominal

GDP and in real GDP.

Using Nominal GDP:

[Personal consumption expenditures / Nominal GDP]*100%

[Gross private domestic investment / Nominal GDP]*100%

[Net exports of goods and services / Nominal GDP]*100%

[Government consumption expenditures and gross investment/ Nominal

GDP]*100%

And using Real GDP:

[Personal consumption expenditures / Real GDP]*100%

[Gross private domestic investment / Real]*100%

[Net exports of goods and services / Real GDP]*100%

[Government consumption expenditures and gross investment/ Real GDP]*100%

Present the information that you received (a) and (b) as a table(s) in your project.

2. Write a report (2 pages double - spaced), which contains an analysis of

the results you received.

In this report consider, but do not be limited to the following:

1. Why was the nominal GDP greater than the real GDP? By how much?

2. GDP is composed of a number of categories. What category makes up the

largest portion of GDP? What category makes up the smallest portion of GDP?

3. What is “Gross private domestic investment”? What does gross private domestic

investment measure?

4. What is “Net exports of goods and services”? Why it is negative?

5. In the left part of the table 3 (nominal GDP) find the category “National defense”.

How much was the National defense for the last quarter? Calculate percentage

of National defense out of “Government consumption expenditures and gross

investment”. Calculate percentage of National defense out of GDP.

6. Please analyze and discuss the significance of the data that you received

for this Data exercise.

7. Reflect on what you have learned from this exercise.

Part 2: Income Approach to Calculating GDP (weight 45% of the assignment

grade)

Complete the following exercise:

Go to http://www.bea.gov/

Visit the Bureau of Economic Analysis website at www.bea.gov. From the drop-

down menu under “Data”, click on “by Economics Account”. Then click on

“National”, “Gross Domestic Product, and “Full Release and Tables”. Use table 7

(Relation of Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Product, and National

Income) and table 8 (Personal Income and its Disposition).

1. Create the table that contains the following information for the last

quarter where data required for this exercise is available.

Please note that using the data for previous years and/or previous

estimates will produce grade zero for this part of the project.

Omit the intermediate lines found in Tables 7 and 8 on the web site.

 Gross domestic product

 Gross national product

 Net national product (you should calculate it as Gross national product minus

Consumption of fixed capital)

 National income

 Personal income

 Personal Disposable Income

 Personal Savings

Present the information that you received in your project.

2. Write a report in your own words (2 pages, double-spaced), which contains the

analysis of the results you received. In this report consider, but do not be limited

to the following:

1. What is the difference between gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national

product (GNP)? What is the difference in what GDP measures compared to

GNP?

2. Based on the table, what calculations must you make to determine GNP from

GDP?

3. What is national income (NI)? What does NI measure?

4. Which was higher in this year, GNP or NI? By how much?

5. What calculations must you make to determine NI from GNP?

6. NI is composed of a number of categories. What category makes up the largest

portion of NI?

7. What calculations must you make to determine Personal Income from National

Income?

8. What calculations must you make to determine Personal Disposable Income and

Personal Savings?

9. Please analyze and discuss the significance of the data that you received

for this Data exercise.

10. Reflect on what you have learned from this exercise.

PRESENTATION OF THE DATA EXERCISE AND USE OF APA CITATION

METHODOLOGY (10%) of the project grade):

 Organization, format, and presentation of paper including the title page,

introduction, body, and summary. Begin each section with a subheading; use the

subheadings described in the assignment (3% of the project grade).

 Use of tables, figures, and other graphics to summarize and support analysis

presented in the paper. All tables and charts should have the numbering system:

“Table 1”, a substantive title, and a reference to the source of the information.

(3% of the project grade).

 Research sources and significance of research information and data, and use of

APA citation methodology (4% of the project grade).