Assignment:

Welcome to Part B of the International Business Data Analytics module assessment. This assessment  focuses  on  a  crucial  aspect  of  modern  international  business  analytics  and strategy:  utilizing  data  analytics  for  global  expansion  strategy  in  business  operations. Throughout these tasks, you will  reflect  upon  the  practical  application  of  data  analytics techniques, including data mining and predictive analytics, that you have learned during the module, within a global business context.

Your assignment at-a-glance:

Carefully  read  the  assessment  brief  below  and  prepare  a  2500-word  consultancy  report (excluding tables, graphs, references, and appendices) presenting your answers and pertinent findings to Task 2.1 and Task 2.2, along with relevant questions. Visually support your analysis within the document with relevant charts and graphs. Appendall statistical analysis outputs. Cover key discoveries within each section following standard consultancy report formatting and style guidelines. Ensure your presentation includes relevant visualizations and include copies of all statistical analysis results in an appendix.

Introduction:

ABZ Corporation, a prominent player in the gaming industry, specialises in the production and distribution  of  cutting-edge  gaming   products.  The  company's  flagship  offerings   include custom-designed  immersive gaming chairs and, catering to the ever-growing demand for advanced  gaming  experiences.  With  a  strong  emphasis  on  innovation  and  quality,  ABZ Corporation has witnessed a rapid expansion into key international markets.

Having successfully established a presence in Central America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Oceania, and North Africa, the company is now seeking to enhance its understanding of customer  perceptions  and  satisfaction.  In  pursuit  of  this  goal,  the  company   recently conducted a comprehensive survey targeting its diverse customer base (see: Customer Survey Dataset). The survey aimed to capture valuable insights on customers' perceptions of both the company and its products, focusing on six key attributes.

These attributes form the foundation of the survey analysis,  providing a  holistic  view  of customer sentiments. The company is keen on leveraging your analytical expertise to extract meaningful insights from the gathered data. By delving into customer preferences, usage patterns, and overall satisfaction levels, ABZ Corporation aims to refine its customer strategy and foster a deeper understanding of its market positioning. The attributes evaluated in the survey include:

Product  Quality:  represents  the  aggregated  assessment  of  the  overall quality  and durability of ABZ Corporation's gaming chairs and monitors. Respondents rate the products on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating "poor" and 10 signifying “excellent” . This  attribute  encapsulates  customers'  perceptions  of  the  performance  and longevity of the gaming peripherals, providing valuable insights into the company's manufacturing standards and product satisfaction.

Design and Ergonomics: captures the aggregated feedback on the aesthetic appeal and ergonomic design features of ABZ Corporation's gaming products. Customers rate the design and ergonomics of the gaming peripherals on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating "poor" and 10 representing "excellent". This attribute evaluates the attractiveness and comfort of the  products,  shaping customer  preferences  and purchase decisions.

Value for Money: reflects the aggregated perception of the price-to-value ratio offered by ABZ Corporation's gaming peripherals. Customers rate the perceived value for money of the products on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 representing "poor" and 10 denoting  “excellent”.  This  attribute  assesses  the  affordability  and  perceived benefits of the products relative to their cost, influencing purchase decisions and customer satisfaction.

Shipping  Time Efficiency:  reflects the  aggregated assessment of the efficiency and promptness  with  which  ABZ  Corporation  fulfils  and  delivers  its  products  to customers. Respondents rate their shipping experience on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1  represents  "poor"  and   10  denotes  “excellent”.  This  attribute  measures  the effectiveness  of the  company's  logistics  and  distribution  processes,  influencing overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Customer Service:  encompasses  the  aggregated  assessment  of  ABZ  Corporation's responsiveness, support, and assistance provided to customers. Respondents rate their interactions with the company's customer service team on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 signifies "poor" and 10 indicates “excellent”. This attribute measures the effectiveness of the company's customer support efforts in addressing inquiries, resolving issues, and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Brand  Reputation:  captures  the  aggregated  customer  sentiment  regarding  ABZ Corporation's   brand   image   and    reputation   within   the   gaming   community. Respondents rate their perception of the company's brand reputation on a scale of 1  to  10,  where  1  indicates  "poor"  and  10  signifies  “excellent”.  This  attribute evaluates the company's credibility, trustworthiness, and perceived status among consumers, impacting brand loyalty and market positioning. 

The  survey  also  covered  questions  regarding  overall  satisfaction  and  adoption  rates  and demographic factors, including:

Extended Product Adoption Rate: measures the percentage of the survey respondent firm's total gaming product needs, beyond their main or initial purchase, that are sourced from the company. The scale ranges from 0% to 100%. This variable offers crucial insights into the depth of customer engagement, showcasing the extent to which customers have incorporated additional products from the company into their purchasing portfolio. A  higher extended adoption  rate signifies a stronger reliance on the company's diverse offerings, influencing strategic decisions and solidifying supplier relationships within the gaming product market.

Overall  Satisfaction  Level:  represents  the  aggregated  survey  respondent's  overall satisfaction with past purchases from the company. Measured on a scale of 1 to 10, where  1  indicates  "poor"  and  10  signifies  "excellent"  this  attribute  gauges  the customer's contentment  based  on their  historical  interactions  and  transactions with the company.

Customer   Region:   categorizes   customers    based   on   their   geographic   location, representing the region from which they originate. It is measured on a scale of 1 to 5,  with  each  number  corresponding  to  a  specific  region:  Central  America  (1), Caribbean  (2),  Middle  East  (3),  Oceania  (4),  and  North  Africa  (5).  This  variable facilitates   the   segmentation   of   customers   according   to   their   geographical distribution,  providing  insights  into  regional  preferences,  trends,  and   market dynamics.  Understanding the geographic distribution of customers enables ABZ Corporation to tailor  its  marketing  strategies,  product  offerings,  and  customer service initiatives to cater effectively to the unique needs and preferences of each region.

Purchase Method: is a categorical variable that denotes the method employed by the respondent when making a purchase. A value of 1 designates a "Direct Purchase" from  the  company's  website,  indicating  customers  who  buy  directly  from  the company.  Conversely,  a  value  of  2  signifies  "Retail  Intermediary  Purchase," representing  customers  who  prefer  buying  through  a  retail  intermediary.  This variable is instrumental in understanding the preferred purchasing channel of the customer base, enabling the company to tailor its sales strategies to align with customer preferences and optimize the overall purchasing experience.

Customer Type: is a categorical variable that classifies respondents into two distinct groups based on their purchasing history with the company. A value of 1 represents "New  Customers,"  indicating  individuals  making  their  initial  purchase  from  the company.  Conversely,  a  value  of  2  denotes  "Returning  Customers,"  identifying those who have previously engaged with the company and made repeat purchases. This variable plays a crucial role in understanding the composition of the customer base, facilitating targeted marketing efforts and informing customer relationship management  strategies  aimed  at  nurturing  both  new  and  existing  customer relationships.

Task.2.1: Harnessing Gaming Data Analytics for Competitive Advantage

The attributes  evaluated  by  each  respondent  in  the  survey  serve  as  crucial  indicators  of customer sentiment. As the company embraces the survey findings, it aims to embark on a journey of refinement and innovation, ensuring that its gaming products not only meet but exceed the expectations of a diverse global clientele. Your analytical skills will play a pivotal role  in  deciphering  this  data  and  uncovering  actionable  insights  that  can  guide  strategic decision-making within the company. ABZ is committed to  harnessing the  power of data analytics to drive customer-centric initiatives, ultimately strengthening its competitive edge in the  global  gaming  market.  Your  task  is  to  navigate  this  journey,  providing  actionable insights that contribute to the company's ongoing success in the dynamic gaming market.

By   leveraging  advanced  data  analytics  techniques,  ABZ  Corporation  seeks  to  extract actionable insights from the survey data. These insights will play a crucial role in shaping the company's customer-centric approach and refining its product offerings to better align with consumer preferences and expectations. As an internal business data analyst, you have been tasked with  analysing  the  survey  data  to  uncover  valuable  insights  that  will  inform  ABZ Corporation's  future  strategic  decisions.  Your   role  extends   beyond  numerical  analyses, encompassing the crafting of a narrative that outlines the customer journey across continents and diverse cultures. Each data point contributes to a holistic understanding of customer satisfaction   and    underscores   the   company's    dedication   to    meeting   and    exceeding expectations.

As an international business data analyst, you are tasked with harnessing advanced analytics techniques to derive actionable insights from the survey data. Your analysis will play a pivotal role  in  shaping  ABZ  Corporation's  customer  strategy,  enabling  the  company  to  enhance customer satisfaction, drive product innovation, and maintain its competitive edge in the dynamic  gaming  market.  You  are  required  to  apply  different  data  mining  techniques  to provide recommendations based on addressing the following key questions:

•   T2.1Q.1: Can you segment customers into distinct groups based on their perceptions of  the  company?   If  yes,  what   are  the   key  distinct   attributes  of  each  segment identified?

•   T2.1Q.2:  What  are  the  key  drivers  of  Extended  Product  Adoption  Rate  and  their Overall Satisfaction based on their ratings of the 6 attributes? Which attributes have the  highest  level  of  association  with  the  outcome   metrics?  Which  market   have performed better across different attributes?

•   T2.1Q.3:  Do  significant  differences  exist  in  attributes,  Extended  Product  Adoption Rate and their Overall Satisfaction when comparing customer subgroups based on their  region?  If  yes,  provide  details.  estimates  the  size  effect that  belonging  to  a particular  region  has  on survey  metrics compared to a  baseline, all else constant. Significant  regional  effects  in  the  model  highlight  attributes  and  outcomes  with geographic variations.

Task.2.2: Data-Driven Gaming Sales Forecasting and Market Prioritisation

Your client has the records of their main product monthly sale data in their main markets for the past 5 financial years, up to December 2023 (see: Forecasting Dataset). They also have industry level sales data related to their flagship products across key markets:

Monthly Gaming Chairs Unit Sales: represents the total number of gaming chairs sold by the company within a given month across key markets. This metric provides insight into the demand for the company's gaming chairs overtime, helping to track sales   performance,    identify   trends,   and    inform    production   and    inventory management decisions.

Monthly High-refresh-rate Gaming Monitors Unit Sales: refers to the total number of high-refresh-rate gaming monitors sold by the company in a specific month across key  markets.  This  metric  offers  valuable  information  on  the  demand  for  the company's high-performance monitors, allowing for the assessment of sales trends and the identification of market opportunities.

Monthly Industry Gaming Chairs Unit Sales: represents the total number of gaming chairs sold within the gaming industry as a whole during a given month across key markets.   This   metric   offers   a   broader   perspective   on    market   trends   and competition   within   the   gaming   chairs   segment,   enabling   the   company   to benchmark its sales performance against industry averages and identify areas for improvement or growth.

Monthly High-refresh-rate Gaming Monitors Unit Sales: refers to the total number of high-refresh-rate gaming monitors sold across the gaming industry in a specific month across key markets. This metric provides insights into the overall demand for high-performance monitors within the gaming market, allowing the company to gauge its market share and competitiveness in this segment.

Using the provided product sales data:

•   T2.2Q.1: Apply suitable forecasting techniques to project monthly sales for different markets for the year 2024, and also apply appropriate forecasting techniques for all  industry-level data across different markets to project the monthly sales volume in    2024.

•   T2.2Q.2: Predict the expected monthly and annual percentage of market share that will beheld by ABZ Corporation for each of their flagship products. Explore the

growth of the market share rate in each market and identify the markets with the highest growth rate.

•   T2.2Q.3:   Based   on   the   segmentation   analysis   you   conducted   earlier,   provide recommendations to your client on which markets they should devote effort for 1) further improvement and 2) aggressive sales, considering the potential sales growth. With a focus on the sales forecast, market share, and identified markets with the highest growth rate, identify the best market for the managers of ABZ Corporation to concentrate on and justify your recommendation with evidence.

Present your findings in a consultancy report format, adhering to a word limit of 2500 words (excluding  tables,  graphs,  reference  list,  and  appendices).  Your  report  should  cover  the following  topics   and  relevant  findings,   namely  Customer  Segmentation  Analysis,   Sales Forecasting, Recommendations, Conclusion and Next Steps, in separate sections (see Note 2). Ensure your analysis is supported by relevant visualizations. Include (copies of) all the results of statistical analyses in the appendix section of your report.

Note:

1.   For tasks 2.1 and 2.2, you are assigned a set of simulated datasets.

2.   The customer segmentation analysis section details the methodology used to group customers based on survey perceptions and preferences into distinct segments. It    profiles each segment, highlighting distinguishing attributes, demographics/firmographics, and actionable insights. Finally, it discusses how these insights can inform ABZ Corporation's future marketing and customer experience strategy.

The outcome drivers analysis section describes the correlation analysis used to uncover associations between product/service attributes and key customer outcome metrics like satisfaction and product adoption. It presents the most influential drivers of positive outcomes and notes any substantial regional variations relevant to ABZ Corporation’s diverse customer base. Finally, it analyses the implications of these results to advise where ABZ might prioritize improvement efforts to measurably influence future customer outcomes.

The regional comparison analysis section elaborates on the statistical tests used to  assess differences across regions in both product attributes perceptions and overall customer outcome measures. It summarizes any significant regional variations

discovered through examining the data. Finally, it discusses critical insights yielded    into detecting meaningful geographic differences relevant to ABZ Corporation, along with recommendations based on those territorial divergences.

The sales forecasting sections applies quantitative and qualitative techniques to

develop projections for ABZ Corporation's future product and geographic market

sales based on historical data. It presents summarized forecasts and graphs of

expected company and industry sales trajectories, enabling contextualization via

trend analysis,growth rates, and benchmarking. It identifies shifts in expected ABZ  market share by territory to highlight highest potential and most vulnerable growth markets to focus strategic decision-making.

The recommendations section translate impactful analysis into practical suggestions tailored to ABZ’s customer analytics goals. They open by highlighting key opportunities to enhance customer experiences, refine strategic growth plans, and improve future gaming product performance across targeted international markets. This establishes alignment between the survey analysis and sales forecasting that revealed actionable findings.

Module Learning Outcomes:

In this assessment the following learning outcomes will be covered:

LO 1. Comprehend and interpret the role of business data in generating new information and knowledge.

LO 2. Critically evaluate how data can be used to generate actionable insights within international business strategic decision-making processes. 

LO 3. Appraise the complexities when gathering/ managing and analysing data in the context of a task and finishing the business project.

LO 4. Evaluate and critically appraise data in application to existing and emergent

international business contexts and challenges.

Grading Criteria:

Structure and logical flow (20 marks): will evaluate the logical flow and transitions between

analysis components. Higher marks for smooth, cohesive structure that maintains reader    engagement. Lower marks for disjointed ideas, abrupt transitions, and lack of alignment to issues.

Application of analytical methods and data interpretation (30 marks): depend on technical rigour in analytics approaches and ability to discover insights from data. Higher marks for

innovative analytical thinking that deepens understanding. Lower marks for limited analysis without Attempt at interpretation.

Reasoning and critical evaluation (20 marks): evaluate objectivity, logic and critical thinking in reasoned evaluation of perspectives. Higher marks for considerations of limitations and alternative outlooks to balance insights. Lower marks for biased or unsupported claims  without evidentiary bases.

Strategic conclusions and recommendations (30 marks): evaluate feasibility, clarity and linkage of  client-relevant conclusions and strategic recommendations to the analysis and remit needs. Higher marks for creative and customised recommendations synthesizing insights to inform management decisions. Lower marks for recommendations unrelated to analysis or remit situation.