Case 15.1: Dynamic Scales, Inc. Guidance and Further Instructions
In 2005, Stanley Ahlon and three financial partners formed Dynamic Weighing, Inc. The company was based on an idea Stanley had for developing a scale to weigh trucks in motion and thus eliminate the need for every truck to stop at weigh stations along highways. This dynamic scale would be placed in the highway approximately one-quarter mile from the regular weigh station. The scale would have a minicomputer that would automatically record truck speeds, axle weights, and climate variables, including temperature, wind, and moisture. Stan-ley and his partners believed that state transportation departments in the United States would be the primary market for such a scale.
As with many technological advances, developing the dynamic scale has been difficult. When the scale finally proved accurate for trucks traveling 40 miles per hour, it would not perform for trucks traveling at higher speeds. However, eight months ago, Stanley announced that the dynamic scale was ready to be field-tested by the Nebraska State Department of Transportation under a grant from the federal government. Stanley explained to his financial partners, and to Nebraska transportation officials, that the dynamic weight would not exactly equal the static weight (truck weight on a static scale). However, he was sure a statistical relationship between dynamic weight and static weight could be determined, which would make the dynamic scale useful.
Nebraska officials, along with people from Dynamic Weighing, installed a dynamic scale on a major highway in Nebraska. Each month for six months, data were collected for a random sample of trucks weighed on both the dynamic scale and a static scale. Table 15.3 presents these data.
Once the data were collected, the next step was to determine whether, based on this test, the dynamic scale measurements could be used to predict static weights. A complete report will be submit-ted to the U.S. government and to Dynamic Weighing
Students are to consider themselves managers who must prepare a report on the tests that were conducted by the technical experts. As such the results have been provided and it is their job to interpret, explain, and apply the results in a report with recommendations to the US government and Dynamic Weighing Board of directors.
Required Tasks that must be included in student’s submission:
1. Identify the central task of the statistical test.
2. Briefly summarize the data include an explanation of the results of descriptive statistics of the data, variables included, how the data was collected, and any pertinent information about the data available in the case study.
3. Explain what the dependent variable is, and what the independent variables are. Please also explain what considerations may be used to justify the inclusion of the variables that they chose. In other words why use a multiple regression approach instead of a simple linear regression?
4. The results of a multiple regression have been provided below. Explain briefly the procedures and method(s) by which researchers (using Excel language, options chosen, etc.) might use to obtain such results.
