MBA $321($Summer $2024)$: Data Analysis for Decision

Making Final Project

DESCRIPTION: Your final project will be a small research paper. This research paper will help you to think about

potential topics and analyze three scholarships in preparation for the real master's thesis or capstone projects that are

much more extensive. Think about a problem in business you would like to solve and research a possible solution you

would like to investigate for effectiveness using data analysis to help you apply decision$-$making with a possible solution

to a problem in business. The three scholarships can relate to the solution you would like to investigate or expand on

understanding the problem you would like to solve. Design a study that will help you to evaluate the problem$/$ solution

through data analysis you will learn from the course.

Basic Features of a Final Project

The final project is a research paper that is more substantial than a term paper. Depending on the topic and

methodology, it can be about $5$ pages, excluding tables or figures and the list of references. Your focus should

be on projects that entail extending a mathematical model, which will tend to be shorter than those that rely on

applied econometrics or descriptive statistical analysis or projects that rely on interpretive methodologies.

The final project goes beyond a literature review on a narrow topic in a field. It must build upon and extend the

relevant literature in the field. The relevant literature will likely be covered in one or more courses in the

Master$$s program. The project should discuss this literature as background to the more detailed literature that

pertains specifically to the project you are interested in doing.

The final project entails a contribution to the literature in the field. Thus, the student has to identify a gap in the

literature by discussing the literature, which the project then fills through the appropriate research methodology.

In empirical research papers, typical contributions entail evaluating either new or more recent data sources

and$/$or applying a new methodology. For example, the contribution of an empirical paper could be to update an

existing regression $($or descriptive statistical$)$ analysis using data from recent years. On the other hand, the

contribution of a theoretical paper may be a new interpretation of the literature, considering the latest writings

on the subject.

The final project should have the standard sections of a research paper, each addressing basic questions.

Because this is a graduate$-$level statistics class$$The methodology must comprise a quantitative analysis

of your research. This final project will comprise just the first three components that help you begin

thinking about a thesis or capstones you can build upon $($About $5$ pages double$-$spaced, $1-$inch margin,

$12-$font, APA format$),$ emphasizing quality and not quantity.

$1.$ Introduction$($About $1\mathrm{.}5$ pages double$-$spaced$)$

What is the project about?

Why is this an important research question?

How will you analyze this issue?

$2.$ Literature Review $(3$ Scholarships$)($About $2$ pages double$-$spaced$)-$summaries of the research, the study's results, the implications, and how this research relates to the

problem$/$solution you would like to analyze. $-$What do we already know about this issue? $($What have others said and provided evidence for?$)$

$3.$ Methodology$($ About $1\mathrm{.}5$ pages double$-$spaced$)$

How will you examine this issue? How can statistical inferences be used to analyze your results? Type

Statistical tests you would use to answer your questions.

$4.$ References

Which sources did you consult?

$5.$ Appendix $($for example, Description of Datasets; robustness checks of econometric

analysis$)$

Having sections is necessary and invaluable for the student and any paper reader. It helps the student to keep

track of the flow and substance of the paper. It helps the committee$/$other readers understand the nature of the

project$/$thesis without having to strain themselves, fishing for clues and solving a mystery embedded in the $5$

page text. The section titles do not have to be cut and dried as above, but it is important to choose section

headings that are clear enough to indicate to the reader what$$s in the section. For example, in a Project

examining the effects of microcredit in developing countries, the literature review section could be titled $$The

Debates on Microcredit.$$ Since there are different debates on microcredit, it may be a good idea to have

subsections that summarize and evaluate the separate debates: $$Impacts on Poverty Alleviation$$ and $$Impacts

on Empowerment of Women in Business.$$