QRM (Quantitative Element): Assessment information
There are two assessments for the QRM unit:
1. Research Methods element (50% of unit mark)
2. Quantitative Methods element (50% of unit mark)
The brief below relates to the Quants element only.
Please refer to the QRM (Research Methods) Moodle site for information on the RM element.
• Word count QRM (Quants): maximum 2000 words (excluding appendices which may include
the details of procedures, data and analysis); note also the bibliography is not included in
the word count.
• Format: pdf (of the whole assignment, including the appendices), as one document
• Submission method: Dropbox on Moodle
• Submission date: please refer to your course schedule
Assignment Brief
The aim of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to explore how some of the concepts and
techniques you have met in this unit can be applied in a practical situation. Choose one of the
following options:
A. This option requires you to apply some of concepts and techniques you have learned during
Quantitative Methods to a context of your own choosing. This may be a business context, or
it may be a home or leisure context. For example, students in previous years have used sport
and health to demonstrate the application of the theory. Please note that to contain the
scope of the assignment, the design of experiments and reliability topics are excluded from
this assignment. As the assignment is focused on the statistical process control part of the
unit, you are required to include control charts. You should make appropriate
recommendations, and discuss the problems experienced and the benefits gained. Obviously
you are only likely to use a small part of the content of the course. It is, of course, important
that the ideas you do apply are suitable for your problem.
B. This option requires you to critically review an existing business application for some of the
statistical concepts and techniques you have learned during Quantitative Methods. Please
note that to contain the scope of the assignment, the design of experiments and reliability
topics are excluded from this assignment. As the assignment is focused on the statistical
process control part of the unit, you are required to critically review a control chart for a
business application. You should describe the context and the statistical application, discuss
whether the methods used are appropriate, analyse the benefits and problems, and make
appropriate recommendations for improvements. Obviously you are only likely to bring in a
small part of the content of the course.
In your assignment you should state whether you are doing Option A or B. If you are doing A, it is, of
course, important that any data you use should be genuine! If you are doing B, you should clearly
distinguish between the existing application, and your own recommendations for improvement,
which might include reworking some of the data in a different way.
If selecting Option A, you are most likely to be including the analysis of data and should therefore
include the data in the appendices. Option B may/may not involve raw data. Include it in the
appendices if you feel it is appropriate.
To get a good mark you should demonstrate a good understanding of,
1) which concepts and techniques are appropriate to the problem
2) the use and interpretation of these concepts and techniques
3) the benefits of the concepts and techniques in this context
4) any difficulties or limitations with these concepts and techniques
In addition, you will not get a very good mark if the task you set yourself (under A or B) is too easy –
an assignment which only involved Pareto analysis, for example, might not allow you to demonstrate
a sufficient level of expertise for a good mark.
Please note also the MSc SQM Marking criteria. Clearly your assignment is not of the ‘typical’ essay
type as it may involve raw data and almost certainly involve diagrams and charts. I would suggest
that you adopt a ‘report’ style with numbered headings and sub-headings to organise your writing.
Equally whilst having the bulk of any calculations/diagrams/output in your appendices, you may
choose to insert key information (for example, diagrams or charts) into the main body of your
report. You may feel this ‘aids reading’. Alternatively if you feel that such insertions detract from the
reading, you may choose to leave this information in the appendices. This unit assesses your ability
to understand concepts and tools, part of which will be demonstrated in your application and
interpretation of statistics. As such, there is less need to include the number of journal articles used
in other assignments. You should still provide evidence of reading to support the theoretical
framework, but it is likely there will be a greater mix of textbooks and articles.
If you have any queries about your assignment, please ask.
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