Statistical

Analysis of
University of
Utah School of
Business
By Joshua Adams, Amber Hansen And Alex Sands
Summary
The University of Utah, College of Business is dedicated to providing exceptional education to
students pursuing degrees in the field of business. The school is trying develop new phone
applications that students can use to enhance their educational experience and as a phone app
developer, we were selected to determine the appropriate applications that will work best for the
business college. We examined several factors which include the following: what type of
smartphone most students use, the place where the get their apps, the students gender, and the
most common major of the students who use these phones. This information would allow us to
determine the most cost effective method that would meet student needs and enhance
profitability for the school and our company as a whole.

To develop an initial hypothesis regarding phone usage, a pilot study was conducted involving
sixteen subjects to determine the prevalence of the Apple App Store versus the Google Play
Android Store. This sample was taken using a questionnaire based upon the factors listed above.
After the data was collected, we developed an initial hypothesis based upon the results of the
pilot study. We believed that the Android App Store would be the most popular and profitable
choice, since 63 percent of the sample owned an Android phone.

To further test this initial hypothesis, we decided to expand the study to a larger sample
population. The sample size was increased from sixteen subjects to one hundred and three
subjects. We tried to sample an even number of male and female subjects. A questionnaire with
the same questions was given to each of these new test subjects, and the results were recorded.
We expected to find similar results based upon the initial hypothesis generated from the pilot
study; however, the final statistical results proved our initial null hypothesis to be incorrect. It
was determined that 59 percent of the surveyed sample actually used the iPhone App Store, while
only 37 percent used the Google Play Android Store. This caused us to reject our initial
hypothesis and to reformulate a new one.

Based upon the results of the study, we determined that the iPhone App Store is the more
profitable market for our firm and the business college as a whole. It will be the most cost
effective since it appears that it will appeal to the largest target audience. More students seem to
use the iPhone over the Android. An app for the iPhone would be the best possible choice for the
majority of students. Using this information, we will be able to develop a high quality product
that will enhance the educational experience for most students at the University of Utah, College
of Business. Students will be able to better interface with the Business College and the
University of Utah will be better equipped to meet the needs of its students.

Problem Definition
The University of Utah school of business is in the works towards developing new phone
applications (apps) specifically for its students and earn revenue from the ad space on such
devices. However; to be profitable, the school must determine from what type of phone the
student has (Android, iPhone or other) where they get their apps from (Android Market, iPhone
Market or Other) the gender of their students who use such phones (Male or Female) and what
college degrees are most prevalent amongst our target demographic.

A. Determine the most popular type of smartphone used by the schools business student
(Android or iPhone)
B. Determine where most students find their apps
C. Determine the most common gender of the students
D. Determine age of the demographic
E. Determine which college degree is most prevalent

Data Collection
Our original plan for data analysis was two fold. After having written up survey questions we
would post them online and then we would do in person surveys.

Online Survey
Our online survey was much less successful than our in person survey. While one of our group
members was able to find 3 people to answer the survey questions using his own Facebook
timeline, distributing the survey out to other Facebook groups that may be relevant to our
demographics yielded no additional survey data points. Thanks to this small number participants
and the technological capabilities of the tool it was easier to input data and check for accuracy of
the online survey than it was for the in-person survey of David Eccles School of Business
students.

The technology made it easy to count and figure out the proportions that our survey had asked
about and also made it so counting errors were less likely. Aside from that, it was possible to
require participants to answer certain questions while leaving others blank. The small number in
general helped when we were to input that survey into excel. While the previously mentioned
tech did not automatically put the information into an excel document, it was such a small
number that the possibility of error was low.

While these two factors did not make a big impact on overall statistics, if a larger sample size
was produced Facebook Survey could have given more accurate information and simplified the
process.

In Person Survey
While the online survey had technology on its side, we believe that the in person survey, with its
large number of data points make it so that this section of our plan was more accurate, despite its
flaws.
The large number of data points were able to come about because all three members of our group
were able to participate. In our first meeting as a group we came up with two different pages that
allowed for our pilot study to be conducted. These two pages had a slightly different way of
surveying. While the questions were exactly the same one page, referred to as page A, was
created in such a way that the surveyor would distribute out one page to every participant and
they would answer the question. The other page, which will be referred to as page B, was written
so that one page could hold numerous responses without printing more copies. Both page A and
B had a number of copies made to increase sufficiency and each was used in order to gather the
exact same kind of data from participants who were found inside the Spencer Fox Eccles
Business School in the David Eccles School of Business.

Page A was easier for the participants to understand and could give an exact snapshot of that one
person, but was less effective in gathering additional data points due to the fact that one sheet of
paper could only survey one person at a time. Page B was easier to distribute and received the
most data points but it had its drawbacks to. Several copies of this page were distributed to
participants at a single point in time to receive data faster, but some participants reported
confusion. This confusion included how many questions there were, how to fill out the survey
and where to fill in answers. While Gender and Age are the most accurate concerning these
errors, the questions concerning the app store currently used, and current attendance at the
university of Utah are most likely to be negatively affected by this which is why we chose to
have a 90% confidence level.
Another problem that could have affected the in person survey could have been surveyor bias.
While it was always our intent to focus our study on business school students from the
University of Utah. All three of our surveyors would fit into that category and all three had to
deal with a tight deadline that was about 3 weeks after survey work had begun. The deadline that
these surveyors has the potential to cause hurried and sloppy work.

Selection bias, though not as large a contributor as surveyor bias may have also played a role. Of
the 97 respondents, three people surveyed had never attended the University of Utah. Two others
surveyed were once a student but do not currently attend. While these numbers are low, they do
contribute to a bias that should be recognized.

Data Analysis
As a result of our findings, we have determined that our original null hypothesis generated from
the pilot study was incorrect. We found that 59 percent of the surveyed sample used the iPhone
App Store, while only 37 percent used the Google Play Android Store. Based upon these results,
we recommend that designing an app for the iPhone would be the best use of our resources for
the University of Utah, College of Business. It would appeal to the largest number of users which
in turn would generate the most advertising space revenue.
As the iPhone app is created, if it is decided that it should be offered for free, then ad space
should be created. The following analysis should be able to guide the University of Utah in
determining which companies would want to advertise on this app and what products/services
they should market.
The population is 60% Male and 40% Female. That means that men constitute a 20% greater
number of respondents than women. If the a company plans to advertise to a specific gender,
then the male gender should be a little more successful, however the difference in percent is not
large enough to dedicate all resources to men.

The Age population, unlike gender, is much more skewed in one direction. The 18-24 bracket
constitutes 67% of all those who were surveyed, followed by 25-31 year olds at 22% followed by
those aged 31 and above whose total constitutes about 11%. If advertisers want to appeal to a
particular age bracket than those under 25 years of age are most likely to be using the app and
close to 90% of the potential audience for whom this app would be applicable would be under
the age of 31.

The level of education is mostly from sophomore to senior age. While post bachelors and
freshman students were nearly identical in distribution, the graph follows a nearly symmetrical
distribution pattern, with Junior being at the center.

When appeal to degrees, the outliers in this analysis fall under entrepreneurship with the lowest
amount at 7, and accounting and business administration being at 18 and 17 responses. This
means that in theory advertisers looking to market specifically to entrepreneurship majors would
have the least likely chance of success, while appealing to the accounting and business
administration should have the most likely chance of success. With those two outliers gone, all
other majors, including the category for other are evenly distributed with a mean of 13 degrees
with a margin of error + or - 3.

The most common cell phone carrier is AT&T by a little over 50%. If they were to advertise on
the app, then it would be most wise to advertise to already existing customers. The next most
popular carriers are Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. If those advertisers where to use the space, it
would be wise to combine marketing campaigns for existing users and campaigns that draw
customers away from AT&T.

Follow Up Survey
There are several things that we could have done to improve the accuracy of the results from our
original study. First we could have expanded the sample size to include more subjects. This
would give us a better idea of the distribution of our target audience and could have been done
through deadlines that were less tight, expanded resources, and by a more improved system to
encourage online survey participation.

Second, in order to reduce surveyor bias for our in person survey we could have improved the
pages to make it easier for the respondents to understand as well as increase amount of time our
surveyors had to work on the project.
If resources allow, then the next step in our business process could be to do a second study in
order to improve upon the results and accuracy of our survey. If this is not feasible then the next
step is to create the iPhone app that can generate revenue. The free version of the app would have
ad space that takes into consideration our respondents age, gender, year in school, completed
degree, and cell phone carrier all of which would encourage specific businesses to market to
those specific demographics. After the apps are created, a logical step would be to create
statistical analyses based on those criteria as well as financial criteria.

Appendix

Relevant Tables and Data

Hypothesis testing Data

Gender & Age Groups

Percentage of population in Bracket

Total Surveyed: 105

18-24 Bracket
 o Total of 71
o Percent: 67% (71/105)
25-31 Bracket
o Total of 23
o Percent: About 22% (23/105)
Brackets 31+
o Total of 11
o Percent: About 10.5% (11/105

Level of Education, Degree, & Attendance

App Store and Carrier
Distribution of Cell Phone Carriers

Total Respondents
o 94
AT&T
o 49 Total
o Percent: 52.1% (49/94)
Cricket
o 3 Total
o Percent: 3.2% (3/94)
Sprint
o 11 Total
o Percent: 11.7% (11/94)
Verizon
o 26 Total
o Percent: 27.7% (26/94)
T-Mobile
o 16 Total
o Percent: 12% (16/94)
Other Cell Phone Carrier
o 5 Total
o Percent: 5.3%

Survey
Page A (both sides)
Page B (Both Sides)