Quantitative Approaches in Business Studies

This study provides an introduction to the effective use of mathematical and statistical techniques in business operations and builds towards a complete understanding of quantative methods as required on first level undergraduate, graduate and professional courses.

Abstract

PART ONE: NUMBERS - HOW DO WE HANDLE THEM. 1. Tools of the trade: basic numeracy skills. 2. Computational aids: excel and minitab. PART TWO: NUMBERS - A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. 3. Obtaining the figures: sampling methods. 4. Making sense of the figures: data interpretation. 5. Presenting the figures: tables and diagrams. 6. Summarising the figures: measures of location and spread. 7. Measuring changes: index numbers. PART THREE: NUMBERS - A BASIS FOR DEDUCTION. 8. A firm foundation: elementary probability. 9. Patterns of probability: some distributions. 10. Estimating from samples: inference. 11. Checking a theory: Hypothesis testing. 12. Making it better: Statistics and quality improvement. 13. Looking for connections: correlation. PART FOUR: NUMBERS - A TOOL FOR PLANNING. 14. Spotting the relationship: line fitting and forecasting. 15. Multiple regression. 16. More about forecasting: time-series and exponential smoothing. 17. Allowing for interest: financial mathematics. 18. Planning an inventory policy: stock control. 19. Planning production levels: Linear programming. 20. Planning a project: network analysis. 21. Cutting down on queues: simulation. 22. Using quantitative methods for research projects.