1 COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF VS. STARBUCKS: PRICE COMPARISON Hello Dr. Presicce! Awesome project - your sections flowed from one section of your project to the next section very nicely. The majority of students struggle with this key part that is so critical for those who read their work - especially if someone is reading a study for the first time and are not familiar with statistical language. You did a fabulous job of moving your reader through the project. As a side note - my experience has been - it doesn't matter if is a large research project, or a small one - (such as the ones we do in this class) - following a flowchart of topics keeps the researcher on point. 160/160 Stay in touch! Tom Tiffin XXXXXXXXXXXX University Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf vs. Starbucks: Price Comparison Submitted for Course Number MAT 513 Course Title: Statistical Methods for Managers Dr. Thomas EastXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2 COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF VS. STARBUCKS: PRICE COMPARISON By: Pietro Presicce Cincinnati, OH December 3rd, 2016 Research Question Are there large differences in the prices of thirty similar items purchased from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL) versus Starbucks? Introduction Although one can believe that expenses for food&dining cannot dramatically affect the family budget, a wise consumer should consider it seriously. Figure 1 shows my monthly family budget where the food&dining category (purple slice in the pie chart) represents 7.07% of my monthly expenses. Of note, such expenses almost equal to the ones belonging to bill category (green slice) (sic!), but maybe it is not surprising for frequent travelers as my wife and I (both researchers) are due to our job. Furthermore, with such a large portion of my budget going towards food&dining, I could save money if there is a price advantage of shopping at one coffee house over another. Figure 1. Monthly Family Budget 3 COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF VS. STARBUCKS: PRICE COMPARISON I chose to compare CBTL and Starbucks located at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) because I know very well both coffee houses and I use to regularly buy food and drinks from both of them when I am in California (at least 12 weeks/year since 8 years) for an on-going research project. It is important to state that I do not see any difference in terms of the quality of products sold. Thus, this project will focus on the prices to see if I can save some money buying products from one coffee house rather than from the another one. Finally, another thing to take into account is that on July 2016 Starbucks raised the price of some items as much as 30 cents as it contends with rising coffee costs. According to Starbucks, the average spending by a customer per visit will rise 1% and noted that prices on 65% of its beverages have not changed. Of note, this is the third year in a row Starbucks has raised prices (Whalba, 2016). My hypothesis is that the mean price at Starbucks is higher than the mean price at CBTL when the same products are compared (H0: W < G). Importantly, the null hypothesis is that there is no difference in the mean prices of the two coffee houses. 4 COFFEE BEAN & TEA LEAF VS. STARBUCKS: PRICE COMPARISON In 2015, Starbucks was the dominant specialty-coffee brand with more than 24,000 stores in 70 countries (\"Starbucks coffee international\$FL2@(#) IBM SPSS STATISTICS 64-bit Macintosh 23.0.0.0 ################<#########Y@22 Sep 1620:32:55 ###########################STORE ####Stores ########################PRICE ####Prices ####(############(###(##ITEM ####Items #################### #################### #################### #################### ##############?#Family Fair #######@#Meijers############################################################# ############ ############ ###############################(##################!###STORE=Store PRICE=Price ITEM=Item########################<###################7###Store:$@Role('0' )/Price:$@Role('0' )/Item:$@Role('0' )#######eeQ##@A1 Steak Sauce 10 oz. eg p= ?Aunt Millies Hamburger Buns (8 ct.) efBagel Bites Betty Creocker Cookie Mix p= ?Capri Sun 10ct. eGz#?Celery egCoffee Mate Creamer 32 oz. eR#Q#@Crystal Light On the Go 7-10 ct.ee###### @Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt 4pk. gegDean's Ice Cream 56 oz. eDoritos Chips #######@Eckrich eSmok-Y Links p= ?General Mills Ceereal 8.9-12.8 oz. p= ?Hunt's Ketchup 24oz. eGz#?Idaho Baking Potatoes (3lb. Bag)ep= ?Jell-O Pudding or Gelatin egeJohnsonville Breakfast Sausage feKellogg's Fruit Snacks 8-10 ct. R#Q?eeKellogg's Pop-tarts 12 pk. Kraft Maecaroni and Cheese 7.25 oz. p= ?Kraft Philadelpheia Cream Cheese 7-8 oz. p= ?Kraft Salad Dressing 14-e16oz. (\\#@Maxwell House Coffee 22-36.8 oz.ep= ?Nature Valley Granola Bars ee#######@Orange Juice 59.oz eQ##@Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Popcorn Q##@eOscar Myer Bacon 12-16 oz. (\\#@Plantersee Nut-rition Mix Progresso Vegetaeble Classic Soups (\\#@Totinos Pizza Rolls 90 cft. R#Q @A1 Steak Sauce 10 oz. fQ##@Aunt Millies Hamburger Buns (8 ct.) ffQ##@Bagel Bites ffBetty Crocker Cookie MixQ##@fCapri Sun 10ct. p= ?Celery f#Q @Coffee Mate Creafmer 32 oz. #######@Crystal Light On the Go f7-10 ct.Q#@Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt 4pk. f(\\#@Dean's Ice Cream 56 oz. ffQ##@Doritos Chips fQ#@Eckrich Smok-Y Links p= ?feGeneral Mills Cereal 8.9-12.8 oz. Hunt's Kfetchup 24oz. Q##@Idaho Baking Potffatoes (3lb. Bag)Jell-O Pudding or Gelatifn #Q##@Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage fp= ?Kellogg's Fruit Snacks 8-10 ct. ffQ##@Kellogg's Pop-tarts 12 pk. efKraft Macaroni and Cheese 7.25 oz. R#Q#@fKraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese 7-8 oz. p= ?Kraft Saflad Dressing 14-16oz. (\\#@Maxwell House Cofffee 2236.8 oz.Q##@Nature Valley Granola Bafgrs Orange Juice 59.oz fQ#@Orville Redenbacher's Microwave Popcorn ff(\\#@Oscar Myer Bacon 12-16 oz. fe(\\#@Planters Nut-rition Mix fProgresso Vegetable Classic Soups (\\#@Totinos ####Pizza Rolls 90 ct. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 99.99 Round Up Super Concentrate 1 Gallon 9.99 Flat Back Buckey 20 Quart 2.99 Hi Tensile Fence Strainer Ratchet 249.99 Metal Walk Through Gage 6 Foot 5.49 Engerizer Max 2 pack of C Batteries 3.99 Nylon Rope Halter for Lambs 49.99 Ivermectin Medicine 2.5 Liters 9.99 Seven Granuales 10 Lb. Bag 5.99 Hi Tensile Fence Strainer Handle 13.99 Treated Fence Post 6 Inch x 8 Foot 119.99 Muck Boots, Chore Classic 6.49 Bronco Fly Spray 32 Oz Bottle 3.29 6 Foot T-Fence Post 89.99 Ariat Terrain Mens Work Boots 99.99 Triangle 10 Cattle Vaccine 50 doses 250 ml 5.49 Ivercare Paste Horsewormer 1.87% .26 Oz 22.99 Probios 10.58 Oz Oral Gel 21.99 Y-Tex Ultratagger Plus Applicator 5.29 Y-Tex Ear Tag Removal Knife 6.99 Y-Tex Tag Ink Marker 19.99 Y-Tex All American 2 Piece Ear Tags, Yellow 25 ct. 7.99 Overfence Plastic 5 Quart Feed Pal 16.99 12 Pound Metal Hanging Chicken Feeder 10.99 OB Handle-Cattle Puller 17.99 13 Inch Cattle Dehorner 2.49 Plastic Balling Gun- Cow 10.99 OB Pulling Chain-Cattle 39.99 Safe-Guard Dewormer 25 Pound Block 1.49 Plastic Balling Gun- Calf 11.99 Hookover 14 Quart Plastic Feeder 99.99 Round Up Super Concentrate 1 Gallon 6.99 Flat Back Buckey 20 Quart 2.69 Hi Tensile Fence Strainer Ratchet 203.97 Metal Walk Through Gage 6 Foot 5.49 Engerizer Max 2 pack of C Batteries 3.29 Nylon Rope Halter for Lambs 41.95 Ivermectin Medicine 2.5 Liters 7.99 Seven Granuales 10 Lb. Bag 5.99 Hi Tensile Fence Strainer Handle 14.99 Treated Fence Post 6 Inch x 8 Foot 104.95 Muck Boots, Chore Classic 5.98 Bronco Fly Spray 32 Oz Bottle 3.29 6 Foot T-Fence Post 109.99 Ariat Terrain Mens Work Boots 99.99 Triangle 10 Cattle Vaccine 50 doses 250 ml 5.49 Ivercare Paste Horsewormer 1.87% .26 Oz 20.59 Probios 10.58 Oz Oral Gel 21.99 Y-Tex Ultratagger Plus Applicator 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4.99 Y-Tex Ear Tag Removal Knife 7.99 Y-Tex Tag Ink Marker 23.99 Y-Tex All American 2 Piece Ear Tags, Yellow 25 ct. 9.99 Overfence Plastic 5 Quart Feed Pal 15.69 12 Pound Metal Hanging Chicken Feeder 8.39 OB Handle-Cattle Puller 29.95 13 Inch Cattle Dehorner 2.00 Plastic Balling Gun- Cow 7.39 OB Pulling Chain-Cattle 39.99 Safe-Guard Dewormer 25 Pound Block 1.79 Plastic Balling Gun- Calf 11.99 Hookover 14 Quart Plastic Feeder Research Rural King vs. Tractor Supply Research Question to be Answered: "The objective of this study is to compare prices of thirty similar products from two major retailers, Rural King and Tractor Supply, to learn which retailer has a pricing advantage." Null Hypothesis: The prices will be the same. Alternate Hypothesis: The prices will be different. Statistical Test: The ttest for independent samples will be used, because this test will determine if the respective stores have different average values when comparing their means. Graphs: I will use a bar graph to show the relationship of the two independent variable's prices. A box and whisker plot will provide my project a sense of the data's distribution by examining a five number summary minimum, maximum median (or second quartile), the first quartile, and the third quartile. The Independent Variables: Independent variables are Tractor Supply and Rural King. Dependent Variables: Dependent variables are the prices of the products sampled. Plain Language Hello Class, Attached please find an article on plain language. Today, more than any other time in our educational journey, plain language has a place in the educational agenda. Too often we write to impress, rather than write to express. The surest way to frustration and shallow writing is to write to impress. If we sit down and tell ourselves it has to be good, we have to wow our manager/professor/peer with our query, or write a scene that will stun readers, then we won't be able to write a darn thing, or what we write won't have depth. It's a trap we all fall into because, of course, we do want to impress those agents mentioned and editors and readers. Our hopes and dreams are tied to the reaction of those who read our work. But when we write to impress, our focus becomes shallow. When we write to express, we look inward, deeply inside ourselves, our story, our character. What emerges might or might not be lovely prose (and if not, that's what revision is for), but it will be strong, and clear, and have the potential to make a genuine connection. Plain language assists us to reach the majority of readers rather than the occasional scholarly readers. Writing in plain language might just bring statistics out of the clouds and down to earth, removing the fears of this subject that are unfounded. Hope you enjoy the article. Creating an Independent t-test in SPSS. 11 days ago Hello Class, Many of you opted for the Independent ttest for your Final Project please keep in mind when placing your data in the data view you will want to place the data in Groups. "Okay, that sounds hard and I am totally confused." Not really below is about the simplest example I can give you that will most likely be extremely close to what you will actually end up with after you have collected your prices I have two groups Group 1 is, let's say Crowgar, and Group 2 is Giant Pelican these are my two groups and next to each of the groups are the prices I have collected for the products I want to compare make sense so far? When calculating an Independent ttest from a single sample ttest the only difference involves the way the data is formatted in the datasheet. The data sheet must include both the raw data and group coding, for each variable. Take a look at the following table to get a feel for how to code your data. Store Price s s 1 2.00 1 3.34 1 4.10 1 6.12 1 1.09 1 2.43 1 4.34 1 1.09 1 1.06 1 1.09 2 1.14 2 8.89 2 1.04 2 1.04 2 6.91 2 5.96 2 3.90 2 3.33 2 1.14 2 1.32 From the above you can see that I used the "Group" variable to code for the two variables. The value of 1 was used to code for "Crowgar", while a value of 2 is used to code for "LBWGiant Pelican". We okay thus far? To generate the tstatistic, Click on [Statistics => Compare Means => IndependentSamples tTest] to launch the appropriate dialog box. Select "Prices" the dependent variable list and move it to the Test Variable(s): box. Select "Group" the grouping variable list and move it to the Grouping Variable: box. The final step requires that the groups be defined. That is, we must specify that Group1 Crowgar in this case is coded as 1, and Group2 Giant Pelican in this case is coded as 2. To do this, click on the [Define Groups...] button. Click on the [Continue] button to return to the controlling dialog box. Run the analysis by clicking on the [OK] button, but only after you close your eyes. (Just kidding about the closing of your eyes). Below is an Output analysis extracted from an output window looks like the following (this is different than the data, but it was the only one I could get my hands on here at work). I am happy to help anyone who is having issues with running this test. The pvalue of .004 is way lower than the alpha that was set for this test at a .025 (95% confidence this is a twotail test, BTW), and that suggests that the means are significantly different. Further, a Levene's Test was performed to ensure that the correct results are used. In this case the variances are equal, however, the calculations for unequal variances are also presented, among some other statistics some not presented. In truth, you should be able to work through many statistics with your current knowledge base about SPSS, and the use of the help files, including correlations and regressions. Most statistics can be calculated with a few clicks of the mouse in SPSS and keep in mind it isn't going to bite you, kick you or punch you in the gut. Class, once you decide the Independent ttest is your test for your data set follow these instructions and you should be fine. Best, Things To Keep In Mind When Working The Final Project 19 days ago 7 replies Last 11 days ago 1. Did I begin each paragraph with a proper topic sentence 2. Have I supported my comments properly with documented proof or examples? APA 3. Any runon or unfinished sentences? 4. Any unnecessary or repetitious words or phrases? 5. Varying lengths of sentences? 6. Does one section or idea flow smoothly into the next? 7. Any spelling or grammatical errors? 8. Quotes accurate in source, spelling, and punctuation? 9. Are all my citations accurate and in correct format? 10. Did I avoid using contractions? Use "cannot" instead of "can't", "do not" instead of "don't"? 11. Avoid using phrases such as "I think", "I guess", "I suppose". 12. Have I made my points clear and interesting but remained objective? 13. Did I leave a sense of completion for my reader(s) at the end of the paper? Best, Dr. T