Department of Economics, Unit Catalogue 2009/10 |
ES10004: Core skills for economics: economic data analysis (formerly EC10004) |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Certificate |
| Period: | Semester 2 |
| Assessment:
| CW 60%, EX 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | EC10004 Reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take ES10003 |
| Description: | Aims: * To develop the practical side of statistical analysis associated with accessing and interpreting economic data. * To enable students to become competent users of Excel to represent and analyse economic data. * To develop teamwork and presentation skills. Learning Outcomes: * Students will have enhanced skills essential to undertaking and presenting quantitative research. * Students will have acquired and developed competencies in using Excel to represent and analyse economic data. * Students will have had an opportunity to participate in writing and presenting a group academic essay/project. In so doing they will have enhanced their understanding of economic relationships from first year Micro and Macroeconomics units. Skills: Problem-solving, information technology (particularly Excel), ability to work and communicate effectively in a team. Content: Weeks 1-9 Introduction, data retrieval and analysis, spreadsheets 1: basic skills, spreadsheets 2: model building, spreadsheets 3: financial functions, data analysis: displaying and describing data, analysis of bivariate data, introduction to regression analysis, topics in advanced excel: macros. Weeks 10-11: group presentations and revision. Key text: D. Whigham (2007) Business Data Analysis using Excel (Oxford). |