Module 3 - SLPObtaining the Data for the Research ContextDescriptive statistics are used to learn about the characteristics of a measure that is collected over time or may be a measure of an item from a survey administered to many people. Typically, descriptive statistics are the average score (mean), the maximum, the minimum in the scores along with the variation. Descriptive statistics is used to describe the measures rather than to make inference centered around the same item or conceptual construct being measured. Thus, descriptive statistics is not inferential statistics and does not use probability to infer behaviors of a population from which the measures were drawn.Descriptive statistics fits the background analysis for your firm selected for your dissertation. Here you have financial and performance measures of the firm with respect to others in the same competitive space. In most cases descriptive measures can be used to generate trend lines to try and forecast based on past measures.Here is a descriptive spreadsheet for the United Way of Orange County that shows the average and standard deviation for revenues and expenses from the 990 Report we looked at in SLP 2. Here in this spreadsheet Figure 4 (click the image to open the file) you see by clicking the various tabs on the lower part of the spreadsheet graphs that can be generated from this 990 data. Columns F and G have the average and standard deviation of the revenue and expense measures, but they are rather static. To use the years of revenue and expense measures, you can click the Forecast Sheet tab on your tool bar. This is how the graphs for Revenues, Expenses, and Net were produced where a technique called exponential smoothly is used that factors in the four years of data to produce the trend lines in the forecast.Figure 4.Chapter 18 in:Carlberg, C. (2016). Excel sales forecasting for dummies, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 132620 in the search bar.SLP Assignment ExpectationsNow examine the secondary data you have on your firm from SLP 2 or add more to the data as needed. Look at the sample and review the Excel book and particularly the one on Exponential Smoothing. Calculate some descriptive statistics for your data and prepare some forecast charts. Remember the Forecast Sheet tool on the upper toolbar next to What If Analysis. Produce a spreadsheet with associated graphs; also provide a page or two to discuss this data analysis and the conclusions you have drawn. Add this to the growing work you have on the Background for the firm you are studying.Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:Assignment-Driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment.Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in-text citations and the reference list.Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.Module 3 - BackgroundObtaining the Data for the Research ContextRequired ReadingBarnett, J., Vasileiou, K. Thorpe, S., and Young, T. (2015, January). Justifying the adequacy of samples in qualitative interview-based studies: Differences between and within journals. In Quality in qualitative research and enduring problematics. Symposium conducted by the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Bath, Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from http://www.bath.ac.uk/sps/events/Documents/27_jan_2015_slides/julie_barnett.pdfChapters 1-4 in:Carlberg, C. (2016). Excel sales forecasting for dummies, 2nd edition. John Wiley & Sons. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 132620 in the search bar.Preface in:Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/XgdE-Z55@40.9:LnCgyaMt@17/PrefaceChapter 1 in:Dean, S., & Illowsky, B. (2014). Collaborative Statistics. Connexions: Rice University. Creative Commons License 3.0. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/gLOpQmDR@1.28:AkLGjuVA@15/Video-Lecture-1-Sampling-and-DataDudovskiy, J. (n.d.) Sampling. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from the Research Methodology website at https://research-methodology.net/sampling-in-primary-data-collection/Råheim, M., Magnussen, L. H., Sekse, R., Lunde, A., Jacobsen, T., & Blystad, A. (2016). Researcher–researched relationship in qualitative research: Shifts in positions and researcher vulnerability. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 11, 10.3402/qhw.v11.30996. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4910304/Rowley, J. (2014). Designing and using research questionnaires. Management Research Review. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/579515/1/Designing%20and%20using%20Research%20QuestionnairesREV18042013.pdfStockberger, D. (2016). Introductory statistics: Concepts, models, and applications. Missouri State University. Retrieved from http://www.psychstat.missouristate.edu/introbook/sbk19.htmTaherdoost, H. (2016). Sampling methods in research methodology: How to choose a sampling technique for research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM ), 5(2), 18–27.Yip, C., Han, N., & Sng, B. (2016). Legal and ethical issues in research. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 60(9), 684–688. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5037952/Video MaterialFlipp, C. (2014, Feburary 22). Qualitative Sampling [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dn4u9DPmDsFlipp, C. (2014, March 3). Quantitative sampling [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKUAop1Pre0Excel Campus - Jon. (2015, February 4). Introduction to pivot tables, charts and dashboards in Excel (part 1) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NUjHBNWe9MExcel ResourcesBrown, N., Lave, B., Romey, J., Schatz, M., & Shingledecker, M. (2018) Beginning Excel. OpenOregon, Creative Commons License. Retrieved from https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/beginningexcel/ and https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/beginningexcel/front-matter/introduction/ExcellsFun. (2016, May 20). Highline Excel 2016 class 15: Excel charts to visualize data: Comprehensive lesson 11 chart examples [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLmtGk7Ymy8&t=2003sChapter 10 in:Harvey, G. (2016). Excel 2016 for Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 117498 in the search bar.Book II: Chapters 1–4 andBook V: Chapter 1 in:Harvey, G. (2016). Excel 2016 All-in-One For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. Available in the Trident Online Library: Follow these instructions for Finding Skillsoft Books. Enter 112925 in the search bar.Kaceli, S. (2016, January 24). Excel 2016 Tutorial: A comprehensive guide on Excel for anyone [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lXerL3DHRw. Note: This video runs for 2 hours.Optional ReadingCooper, B. (2017). The best ways to persuade people. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from the Planio website at https://plan.io/blog/the-best-ways-to-persuade-people/Hearn, P. (2016). 5 ways to encourage people to complete your online survey. Retrieved May 10, 2018, from the MRDC Software website at http://www.mrdcsoftware.com/blog/5-ways-to-encourage-people-to-complete-your-online-survey

Advertising in the Digital Age: How to Cultivate Customers The responsiveness of social media allows brands to more easily tailor their messages to suit the needs of the immediate moment, even while staying true to their images and product lines. As more people are staying home due to the recent pandemic, home improvement brands could emphasize the stress release of home improvement and the need to make homes seem like a refuge and an entertainment playground simultaneously. Engagement, combined with enhancing entertainment on social media, can likewise be fostered by humor. For example, Wendy’s is a fast food brand that has always been second to McDonald’s in terms of its brand recognition and sales. However, it has cultivated a funny social media profile that has earned the restaurant chain many Twitter followers, as well as increased sales. In one exchange, someone asked Wendy’s on Twitter how much a Big Mac cost, to which the account (personified by a smiling red-haired little girl) responded, “Your dignity” (Bikker, 2019). This also enhances the pleasure of the experience with interacting with Wendy’s on social media and in real life, fostering a close relationship for the consumer with the brand. The brand allows the consumer to learn about new products. The brand is enhanced with more traditional television advertising depicting juicy, delicious burgers and tasty chicken sandwiches but has generated a new demographic of critical younger consumers who like the sassy, funny Wendy’s online voice. It should be cautioned, however, that not all brands could use Wendy’s social media strategy with the same ease. Wendy’s does not sell a serious product, so cultivating honesty, empathy, and trust is not as necessary, versus, say, health insurance or cars (Bikker, 2019). Its demographic is also very young, and savvy to the ways in which Twitter and online technology often make use of sarcasm and abrasiveness to make a point (Bikker, 2019). A product’s verbal and visual tone must be consistent, even if it adopts a slightly more informal tone on Twitter, where it may interact with followers on a one-on-one basis. Still, many companies could learn from Wendy’s approach in the digital age. Rather than simply promote deals or deliciousness, Wendy’s has created a persona and ethos for its product far edgier than its primary competitor, McDonald’s. Given that consumers online and coveted younger consumers in particular are mistrustful of brands that make use of strategies that obviously appear to be advertising, Wendy’s approach has proved useful. In this assignment, select 2 advertisements within the same industry (e.g., YouTube, newspaper, TV, or radio). Write a 5-page analysis of each advertisement for your marketing report based upon the following criteria: Describe the message conveyed about its brand. Is it consistent with the brand’s message throughout all of the media? How? Did you learn anything new about the brand by looking at the different channels? How does this view influence your perception of the brand? How can you improve the brand's messaging? What would you change to promote the brand further? Submitting your assignment in APA format means, at a minimum, you will need the following: Title page: Remember the running head. The title should be in all capitals. Length: 5 pages minimum Abstract: This is a summary of your paper, not an introduction. Begin writing in third person. Body: This begins on the page following the title page and abstract page and must be double-spaced (be careful not to triple- or quadruple-space between paragraphs). The typeface should be 12-pt. Times Roman or 12-pt. Courier in regular black type. Do not use color, bold type, or italics, except as required for APA-level headings and references. The deliverable length of the body of your paper for this assignment is 5 pages. In-body academic citations to support your decisions and analysis are required. A variety of academic sources is encouraged. Reference page: References that align with your in-body academic sources are listed on the final page of your paper. The references must be in APA format using appropriate spacing, hanging indent, italics, and uppercase and lowercase usage as appropriate for the type of resource used. Remember, the Reference page is not a bibliography but a further listing of the abbreviated in-body citations used in the paper. Every referenced item must have a corresponding in-body citation.

Assignment InformationIn this assignment, you'll participate in scenarios where you're in charge of budgeting decisions.In Part 1, the scenario involves an altercation over the percentage of completion of the department’s ending inventory in which you'll weigh in with calculations and comments on the matter. Although this assignment is required it will not be graded. The value of the assignment is to help build authentic application and prepare you to complete Part 2.In Part 2, the scenario puts you in charge of preparing a budget for the Redmond Management Association annual public relations luncheon.