Due Sunday evening

Original Paper below (I got an F because the prior teacher did not follow directions) See Professors comments.

This is sample paper professor gave me as a guide (don’t use any of this)

Methodology

The research team conducted the study through an iterative research process that first clarified the research question and developed the hypothesis statements. The research design was then established by outlining the data collection and sample design.  Data collection, preparation, analysis, and interpretation were then conducted.

Sample

The total population being tested was all Stop-N-Shop customers; however, the target population were those men and women making hot food purchases. To address the objectives of the study, as stratified random sample of men and women that made hot food purchases was collected; customers who were not making hot food purchases were excluded, as they did not meet the criteria for the research. The study data was collected by observing customers as they completed their purchases of hot food items; the total sale in dollars and the sex of the customer were recorded.

In order to calculate the proper sample size, a pilot study was conducted over a 30-day period. The pilot study results were used to estimate the sample size based on a parameter estimate of the population mean (McClave, Benson, & Sincich, 2011, pp. 297-299).  The details of the calculation are presented in Appendix A.  The results indicated that a minimum sample size of 132 observations was required to meet the objectives of the study.  A stratified random sample of 66 men and 66 women was targeted.

Validity and Reliability

Reliability was ensured by using the required 132 observations for the stratified random sample. The team ensured validity by allowing all customers to be observed and not narrowing the observations down to any specific group based on attributes other than their sex. This process removed the possibility of bias results. The high level of reliability and validity makes it possible for the study to be repeated with similar results at other locations.

Data Collection and Storage

The study data was collected through direct observation of customer purchasing behavior. Two buttons were added to the POS (point of sale) system at stores labeled “male” and “female”. Each time a hot food item was purchased during the data collection period, the cashier used the button prior to finalizing the transaction to identify the purchase as being from a male or female customer. This information was then downloaded from the POS archival data each day to be added to the master research database.

It was determined that the raw data would be stored for a 3-year archival period in two locations: (a) a replication server at the organization’s internal data center, and (b) offline flash and data cartridge storage located at a third party archival service for disaster recovery purposes. All active and archived files were encrypted and password protected to assure data security. The research team conducted  random checks of employees to assure that they were collecting data within the established parameters.

Protection for the human subjects in this study was assured by (a) conducting random, anonymous observations, and (b) designing the data collection mechanisms to be as an integrated component of the POS system to be unobtrusive to the subjects. No personal information about the customers was collected other that (a) the sex of the customer, and (b) dollar amount spent on hot food items.

Appendix A. Sample Size Calculation

As the dependent variable for the project was quantitative, the sample size was calculated based on a parameter estimate of the population mean (McClave, Benson, & Sincich, 2011, pp. 297-299) .  The sample size was calculated in the following manner:

·                     The team estimated the mean for hot food purchases to be $1,114.13 based on pilot study observations.

·                     The standard deviation of the pilot study sample was $325.40.

·                     A z-score of 1.96 was used for a 95% confidence interval.

·                     The acceptable margin of error for the project was 5% (.05).

·                     The sampling error was calculated to be 55.707 (1,114.13 * .05 = 55.707).

·                     When these parameters were applied, it was determined that a minimum sample size of 132 was required to meet the objectives of the study.

·                     To assure a balanced design, a total of 66 observations were collected from male customers, and 66 observations from female customers.

(From Professor) - Please review the paper and comments. If you can make corrections, I will regrade it for additional credit. Additional comments: •Your efforts are appreciated. •It appears that there may have been confusion on the assignment, as most required deliverables are missing. •Please review the sample paper, and review the discussion and resources from Week 3 related to sample size calculation. Your sample size calculation is based on estimates associated with your dependent variable. •Please review the comments, along with the variables you presented in the Week 2, and work through an appropriate sample size calculation. •

Variables

For this research project, the qualitative dependent variable (DV) is cell phone services. The values used to delineate the unique categories for DV are Voice only, Data only, Voice and Data. The qualitative independent variable (IV) is customer's age range. The values used to delineate the unique categories for IV are "20s", "30s", "40s", "50s", "60s", "and 70s".

Based on the information provided, New Wave’s research question for this study is:

RQ: Is there a relationship between customer’s age range and cell phone services a customer buys?

Based on this research question, the hypotheses for the study were:

Ho: There is no relationship between the type of cell phone service a customer buys and customer’s age.

HA: There is a relationship between the type of cell phone service a customer buys and customer’s age.

QNT/561

Name

University of

Professor

Based on the coefficients of correlation, the stated hypotheses has a positive relationship.. The null hypothesis was confirmed at 95% level of significance. Hence, it was clear that there is a significant relationship between the types of cell phone services the customer purchases and the age of that consumer. Comment by Ross DePinto: Not sure what this means, as you have not performed a statistical inference test. This is not done until Week 5.

Quantitative Variables

The quantitative variables in this study are the type of cell phone services and the number of consumers that purchase the products Comment by Ross DePinto: This is not correct. Service type cannot be a quantitative variable. It would only be a qualitative, category based nominal variable.

Dependent and Independent Variables Comment by Ross DePinto: This does not make sense. Based on the team’s Week 2 paper, your variables are age and service category.

The dependent variable in this evaluation is the time the number of purchases made by the consumer. On the other hand, the independent variable according to the research question is the ages of the customers.

Quantitative Research Method design

The appropriate research design applicable for this study is correlational research design. Such a research method is a quantitative research design. We have the two quantitative variables that come from a similar group. These groupings are identified, and the existing connection between them is evaluated to show whether the relationship is positive or the relationship is negative. The similarity that is between the two perceived variables is their covariance. Overly, the two quantitative factors can be proven to have a correlation provided that the scores for the two variables are coming from the same group of the participants (Vogt etAl, 2012). Comment by Ross DePinto: This is not correct, and not part of the sampling plan. Please review the sample paper for Week 3, and review your Week 2 paper regarding the two variables for your study. Comment by Ross DePinto: APA citation error.

Consent

The underlying ethical concern for the study is rising from the privacy that the participants should be administered with regarding the survey. In most instances cases arise regarding the studies that are carried out anonymously. Comment by Ross DePinto: This should be edited to be more concise.

Such issues of anonymity and the privacy of the basic subject of the review. The participants have to be assured of the level of secrecy, for instance, not writing their names on the materials designed for questions. The scores from the tests by each person will not be shared with the public. The researcher has given certain codes to those participating concerning the issue of the privacy and has not failed to take special consideration for their rights. All assurance has been granted to the subjects of the survey about the privacy of their responses. Consequently, the survey results would not be evaluated by the individual but will be concluded as a judgment from the group.

Reference Comment by Ross DePinto: References

Vogt, W, P., Gardener, C, D., and Haeffele, L, M. (2012) When to Use What Research De sign. Guilford Press: Social Science Comment by Ross DePinto: APA errors in reference list entry. Your efforts are appreciated. The sample size calculation assumptions and sample size estimate have not been presented. There are also other required deliverables that are missing. Please review the sample paper and grading rubric to identify the items that need to be presented.