Part 1: Data description

You work in the Dean’s office at the Harvard Business School. Your supervisor, Naomi Freewoman, has asked you to prepare a report in which you analyze and describe data (HBSMBA.xls) [HBSMBA.XLS Download HBSMBA.XLS] on first-year Harvard MBA students. The Dean plans to use this report for an accrediting agency which is interested in a profile of the students.

Mrs. Freewoman has asked that you answer the following questions in your report. Mrs. Freewoman has emphasized that she is interested in more that simple written comments; she wants to see any charts or graphs which support your description and conclusions.

This report should be written in a memo style including your conclusions and supported by your analysis.

Describe the variables included in the data set. Augment this description with whatever charts and/or graphs that you feel are appropriate.

Use the most appropriate tools or summary statistics to describe the relationship between first-year average and college GPA as well as first-year average and total admissions test score. Which is the better predictor of first-year average: college GPA or total admissions test score?

Are there any problems with the dataset? What additional information could better support your conclusions?

Part 2: Analyzing differences

Data Set: smoking.xlsDownload smoking.xls

You are doing volunteer work for the American Cancer Society and have been assigned a project that can take advantage of the analytical skills that you are learning in your MBA program. Your volunteer leader has given you a data set (smoking.xls) to analyze. You have been asked to analyze any gender differences found in the data. Write a brief summary of your analysis. Your supervisor has asked that you please include any analyses you conduct to support your conclusions. Finally she asks that you include in your report a discussion about any problems with the data set and any additional information that could better support the conclusions.

Your report should be formatted in a Memo style focused on the following questions:

Do you see any evidence of gender differences in the data?

Are there any limitations of the data?

HBSMBASP23XLS