Case studies
Below you will find the case studies that are used in the workshops. You will get small reports to do based on some of these case studies. They are all in PDF format, so you may need to download a PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader.
All work must be posted through the Stage 1 Homework Submission Letterbox, at the Maths and Statistics General Office on the 3rd floor of the Herschel Building - don't forget to attach a completed cover sheet to the front of your work.
To make your equations look nicer in any MS WORD document, why not try the Equation Editor? See our interactive help guide for more details.
See some slides for a reminder about using the Stats mode on your calculator.
Deadlines
Case study 1
- Work starts in tutorials in the week beginning Monday 9th October 2017
- Written work to be submitted by 4pm, Friday 3rd November 2017
Case study 2
- Work starts in tutorials in the week beginning Monday 20th November 2017
- Written work to be submitted by 4pm, Friday 12th January 2018
Case study 3
- Work starts in tutorials in the week beginning Monday 5th March 2018
- Written work to be submitted by 4pm, Friday 11th May 2018
- You must use the correct dataset, as allocated to your group in workshops:
The Beckham Effect: Football shirt sales at Paris Saint-Germain
In the closing moments of the January 2013 transfer window, David Beckham made the dramatic move from American team LA Galaxy to French team Paris Saint-Germain. But when you buy David Beckham to play on your football team, you get more than just a highly skilled player - you get someone who attracts millions of pounds worth of advertising and merchandising revenue. We take a look at why signing Beckham may be worth the costly investment...
Feel free to download our example report to get a feel for what is expected in the write-up for your case study.
The price is right: How much should the new iPhone cost?
The high-end smartphone market is a very lucrative and competitive sector. Apple have been the market leader for many years since its pioneering iPhone was released in 2007, until recent figures suggested that South Korean firm Samsung now have the greatest operating profits, eclipsing Californian-based Apple for the first time. In order to regain their position as the market-leaders, Apple will have to choose the retail selling price for their new iPhone 6 very carefully.
Drinking to good health: alcohol tax in Thailand
Government taxes are applied to many things we buy. In some cases, these taxes are deliberately placed on unhealthy items from chocolate biscuits to cigarettes -- not just to raise revenues for the government but also to discourage the public from their unhealthy habits. We analyse the Thai government's decision to put a tax on alcohol.
Addicted to Facebook: Usage of social networking websites
Facebook has been celebrating recently, having breached a significant milestone in the number of users of its website. Meanwhile, other social networking websites - such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest - have also been gaining in popularity. With so many people now placing their lives online, we check in on how much time we spend on social networking sites.
How effective are adverts?
Advertising can have a crucial role to play in the success of a company. It's all about raising interest in, and awareness of, your product - to the right consumers, of course. But the way in which companies target the correct customer base has been changing over recent years. We look at the problems faced by advertisers, and why online adverts have become so popular to marketing companies. We also examine the role of freebies in the success of a product.
Dissecting night club profits: Pacha versus Green Valley
The Spanish party island of Ibiza is famous for it's hedonistic nightlife - being home, as it is, to some of the world's largest clubs. Pacha Ibiza, for example, has a capacity of nearly 4,000 and hosts world-famous DJs in the summer months of July-September. In this case study, we examine the huge profits made by these global 'super clubs', and compare the fortunes of Pacha Ibiza to those of the Green Valley club in Camboriu, Brazil.