Applied Business Statistics : Methods and Excel-Based Applications (2 Rev ed)

This title contains book & CD. This is an introductory Statistics text written specifically for Management students who require an understanding of the role of Statistics in analyzing business data from the areas of Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, Production and Logistics.

This text shows the importance of Statistics as a decision support tool in management decision making.

Emphasis is therefore placed on the data requirements for the various techniques and issues of data quality; identifying likely application areas through numerous illustrative examples; noting the limitations of techniques for decision analysis, and, of great importance, the valid management interpretation of statistical findings.

The text is divided into three major sections - exploratory data analysis, statistical inferences, and statistical modeling - with each section focusing on a different role of Statistics as a decision support tool. Overall, the primary focus of the text is to empower students of management with statistical decision making skills so that they become active participants rather than passive observers in business situations where statistical findings are reported and discussed as part of a management decision making process.

A new feature of this edition is the use of computer software such as Excel to perform statistical analysis.

This text illustrates Excel's statistical capabilities through numerous worked examples.

It also gives management students the opportunity to develop hands-on familiarization with Excel's statistical capabilities by applying them to datasets of business problems which are available on the accompanying CD.

By having a working knowledge of Excel's statistical capabilities, managers can design and conduct their own statistical analysis, thus building confidence in their use of statistical analysis and findings.

The text assumes only a basic level of mathematical ability.

Each statistical technique is developed through business-related worked illustrations. In this way, a student can readily grasp the basic concept of the technique as well as see how it would apply in practice.

This approach emphasizes the strong business application orientation of the text, hence its carefully chosen title of Applied Business Statistics.