The Objective of this TMA

To provide an opportunity for students to apply the materials learnt in the course and to develop/sharpen the necessary technical skills and knowledge of Statistics.

Please note that:
i. The details of this case are fictional. Any resemblance to real-life situations is purely coincidental.
ii. As information is given throughout the case, you are advised to read the entire TMA document before working on the report.
iii. Students should not include the TMA questions in the report.

Background

Diabetes is a condition that happens when a person’s blood sugar, in the form of glucose, is too high. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas to allow the cells in the muscles,  fat, and liver to absorb sugar from the blood. Type 1 Diabetes develops when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin. Type 2 Diabetes develops when the body cannot respond properly to the effects of insulin. In diabetes, the excessive sugar not processed by insulin
causes harm to the body which may lead to problems such as inflammation, heart disease, nerve damage, and eye issues. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has identified Diabetes as a major health concern and promoted a national “Let’s Beat Diabetes” campaign (Health Promotion Board, 2023). It wishes to involve the community in this endeavour.

The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a value used to measure how much a specific food increases blood sugar levels. Studies have found an association between a high GI diet and a greater risk for Type 2 Diabetes (National Library of Medicine, 2022). As rice is a staple food, people are  concerned about the most common rice, White rice, which has a highly skewed GI distribution
with a population mean of 70 and a standard deviation of 10.

Bounty Agriculture Limited (BAL) owns paddy fields to produce rice. One of its rice species, the Bounty rice, is grown by using a fertiliser called Nito from Nito Supplies (NTS). BAL was recently approached by another fertilizer supplier, Oxy Chemicals (OXC), which promotes its fertilizer named Oxy. OXC claims that Oxy will produce rice with lower GI than that produced by Nito. BAL applies Nito and Oxy separately to different fields. After the harvest, BAL
packs and sells the rice under the common brand Bounty rice. BAL advertises Bounty rice as a healthier choice than White rice as it has lower GI which will help consumers to prevent diabetes.

Assuming you are a Data Analyst in BAL’s Operations Department. The CEO has assigned you to analyze decision-making. You collected data for a sample of rice produced by a mix of Nito and Oxy. The data are in the Bounty Rice GI Excel file.  

References

Health Promotion Board. (2023). War on Diabetes. https://www.moh.gov.sg/wodcj

National Library of Medicine. 2022 (2022). Glycaemic index and diabetes.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000941.htm#:~:text=Pure%20glucose%20has%20the%20highest,may%20help%20with%20weight%20loss.

Question 1

(a)
(I)   Using relevant Excel reports, provide a descriptive summary of the Bounty
rice’s Glycemic Index (GI). You are expected to describe and state relevant
descriptive statistics and use two types of charts to provide visualizations of the distribution of the data. You are also expected to make a preliminary conclusion on Bounty Rice’s GI.
Please limit the answer to within two (2) pages.

(ii)   By considering relevant probability, explain whether Bounty rice’s GI follows the GI distribution of White rice. Furthermore, explain if Bounty rice is healthier than While rice as claimed in the advertisement. You are expected to justify your analysis.

Please limit the answer to within one (1) page                                            (40 marks)

(b)        Use relevant descriptive statistics and a chart to conduct a preliminary comparison of the Bounty Rice’s GIs produced by Nito and Oxy.

Please limit the answer to within two (2) pages.                                        (20 marks)

(c)      The CEO has requested you to make a short presentation to the management regarding your findings. In particular, the management wants to know the Bounty rice’s effectiveness in preventing diabetes. They are also interested to know the relative performance of the nit and Oxy fertilizer. Develop a written script for the short presentation. You are expected to interpret the findings to provide insights that would be useful to the management. You also hope to use this opportunity to demonstrate to
management how quantitative information helps in decision-making. Your script should be less than 300 words. Please indicate the word count at the end of your answer.
(40 marks)