New Features in the Canadian Edition

Content The text has been thoroughly adapted for Canadian students, with new and revised material in every chapter. Several chapters in the text have been heavily revised for the Canadian edition, including Frequency Distribution and Graphic Presentation (2), Sampling Methods, Confidence Intervals, and Tests of Hypothesis (8–10), Linear Regression and Correlation (13), Multiple Regression Analysis (14), and Decision Theory (20). Other chapters have undergone major revisions to reflect our aims and objectives in producing this Canadian edition of the book. We have also added several techniques, such as remedies to problems encountered in multiple regression analysis, to enable an interested student to gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Material of an advanced nature has been placed in chapter notes, chapter appendices, and/or the CD-ROM to allow a smooth flow of the primary material.

“Pioneers” Vignettes Each chapter opens with a “Pioneers” vignette introducing the background to the material being studied in the chapter, focusing on a pioneer in the development of the major statistical techniques discussed in the chapter, and illustrating the importance and pedigree of the technique or concept. Additional vignettes also appear in selected chapters. We hope the origin of and the struggle in the development of the concepts and the lives of the pioneers will inspire students and develop their sense of appreciation of the subject.

“Statistics in Action” Vignettes Thoroughly reworked for the Canadian edition, each chapter contains a number of Statistics in Action vignettes. Each vignette includes brief notes from published material that feature real-life usage of concepts and techniques covered in the chapter. These interesting applications, we believe, will enable students to realize the importance of the concepts/techniques in real-life situations and their long-lasting impact on the world around us. It will also enhance their understanding of the concepts.

Excel/ MegaStat and Minitab Minitab is an easy-to-use and comprehensive software for statistical techniques. It is available on networks at many colleges and universities as well as in a student-edition version that is available to students for a nominal price. Microsoft ® Excel ® is widely used in business settings. We have therefore integrated the usage of these packages throughout the text. Inputs, outputs, and in-between steps are presented visually and are accompanied by step-by-step instructions for students to facilitate ease of use. This will enable instructors to focus on teaching concepts and techniques rather than spending an enormous amount of time explain-ing the usage of the computer software to students. However, Microsoft Excel does not contain a num-ber of statistical techniques. We have therefore included a separately written software package called MegaStat, which adds to the functionality of Excel for statistical techniques not covered by Excel. MegaStat version 9.0 is available on the CD-ROM packaged with this book and can easily be downloaded into Excel by Excel users.

A Canadian Focus Real-life examples from Canadian economy and business are used throughout the text, in introducing the subject, in examples and problems, and in many end-of-chapter exercises and case studies. This will motivate students learning statistical techniques by relating them to real life around them as well as contributing to their understanding of the Canadian economy and business.

Caveats Each concept and technique must be used with caution to avoid a misunderstanding and mis-interpretation. For this reason, we have inserted caveats after the discussion on the concepts and techniques where such possibilities exist. This will enable students to become critical consumers of information and avoid a misunderstanding of the concepts/techniques.

Internet Exercises To familiarize students with the sources of data on Canadian economy and business and to satisfy their appetite for exploratory data analysis, each chapter contains a number of exercises that guide students to explore and obtain data on aspects of the Canadian economy and business. Most of these Internet exercises are of a comprehensive nature for the material covered in that chapter and therefore can also be assigned as case studies. As case studies, these exercises will provide students a great deal of satisfaction in terms of a sense of ownership in their work.

Computer Data Exercises In most chapters, the last few exercises refer to large business data sets. A com-plete listing of the data sets used is available on the CD-ROM (easily downloadable in both Excel ® and Minitab) included with the text. Many of the exercises associated with these data sets are of a comprehensive nature for the material covered in the chapter, and therefore enable the instructor to assign them as case studies for the material associated with the chapter.

Case Studies Each section (a group of related chapters) contains a number of case studies that will allow students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the material covered in the group of related chapters.

Attractive Diagrams/ Figures Concepts and tech-niques are illustrated by attractive diagrams and figures interspersed throughout the text. These enhance readability, enabling students to grasp the meaning of the more difficult concepts.

New Design The book has been thoroughly redesigned to enhance readability, to make key elements—such as definitions and formulae—easier to find, and to incorporate new visual elements into the text.

Other Features

Learning Objectives Along with each opening vignette is a set of learning objectives. These are designed to provide focus for the chapter, to motivate learning, and to indicate what students should be able to do after completing the chapter.

Introduction At the start of each chapter, we review the important concepts of the previous chapter(s) and describe how they link to what the current chapter will cover.

Definitions Definitions of new terms or terms unique to the study of statistics are set apart from the text in boxes and indicated by icons. This allows easy reference and review.

Formulae Whenever a formula is used for the first time it is shaded and numbered for easy reference. In addition, a formula card that summarizes the key formulae can be found in easily-printable PDF format on the Student CD-ROM and Online Learning Centre.

Examples/ Solutions We include numerous examples with solutions. These are designed to show immediately in detail how the concepts can be applied to business situations.

Self-Reviews Self-reviews are interspersed throughout each chapter to help monitor progress and provide immediate reinforcement for that particular technique. The answers and methods of solution are located at the end of the chapter.

Exercises We include exercises within the chapter for each technique/concept, after the Self-Reviews, and at the end of the chapter. Brief answers for all odd-numbered exercises are given at the end of the book. Detailed solutions, together with guidance for interpreting results, are included in CD-ROM packaged with the book.

Chapter Outline As a summary, each chapter includes a chapter outline. This learning aid provides an opportunity to review material, particularly vocabulary, and to see and review formulae again.

Section Reviews After each selected group of related chapters, a section review is included. This review also includes a brief review of the chapters, a glossary of the key terms, case studies, and a practice examination of the material covered. This review also includes cases that let students make decisions using tools and techniques from a variety of related chapters.