Communicates the Meaning of Variation in a Business Context.
Variation exists everywhere in the world around us. Successful businesses know how to measure variation. They also know how to tell when variation should be responded to and when it should be left alone. The text explains how businesses do this.

Uses Real Data and Real Business Applications.
Examples, case studies, and problems are taken from published research or real applications whenever possible. Hypothetical data are used when it seems the best way to illustrate a concept.

Incorporates Current Statistical Practices and Offers Practical Advice.
With the increased reliance on computers, statistics practitioners have changed the way they use statistical tools. The reader will learn the current practices and why they are used. The text also explains when each technique should not be used.

Provides More In-Depth Explanation of the Why and Lets the Software Take Care of the How.
It is critical that student understand the importance of communicating with data. Today's computer capabilities make it much easier to summarize and display data than ever before. The authors demonstrate easily mastered software techniques using the common software available. They also spend a great deal of time on the idea that there are risks in decision making and those risks should be quantified and directly considered in every business decision.

Provides A Selection of User Friendly Software.
There are different types of software for statistical analysis, ranging from Excel's functions to stand-alone packages. Excel is used throughout this book because it is available everywhere. But calculations are illustrated using MegaStat, whose Excel-based menus and spreadsheet format offer more capability than Excel's Data Analysis Tools. MINITAB menus and examples are also included to point out similarities and differences of these tools. To assist students who need extra help or "catch up" work, the student CD contains tutorials or demonstrations on using Excel or MINITAB for the tasks of each chapter. At the end of each chapter is a list of LearningStats and Visual Statistics demonstrations, case studies, and applications that illustrate the concepts from the chapter. From the CD, the student can install MegaStat, LearningStats, and Visual Statistics on their computer.

Uses an Accessible Math Level.
The assumed level of mathematics is pre-calculus, though there are rare references to calculus where it might help the better-trained reader. All but the simplest proofs and derivations are omitted, but key assumptions are stated clearly. The student is advised on what to do when these assumptions are not fulfilled. Worked examples are included for basic calculations, but the textbook does assume that computers will do all calculations after the statistics class is over. Thus, interpretation is paramount. End-of-chapter references and suggested Web sites are given so that interested readers can deepen their understanding. LearningStats includes a brief review and self-test on basic math concepts used in the textbook.

Includes Various Types of Exercises.
Simple practice exercises are placed within each section. End-of-chapter exercises tend to be more integrative or to be embedded in more realistic contexts. The end-of-chapter exercises encourage students to try alternative approaches and discuss ambiguities or underlying issues when the statistical tools do not quite "fit" the situation. Many exercises invite mini-essays (at least a sentence or two) rather than just quoting a formula. Exercises marked * involve optional chapter material or more time-consuming answers (not tougher math). Answers to odd-numbered exercises are in the back of the book. The CD has Excel data sets for each chapter's examples and exercises, so there is no need to enter a lot of data.

LearningStats.
LearningStats is a major supplement. It allows the student to explore data and concepts at their own pace. Students who have used LearningStats say that they continue to find it useful after the class is over, sometimes for projects in other classes they are taking or to finally understand a difficult concept (e.g., what does 95 percent confidence mean?). LearningStats is a menu-driven system that has two parts: Demonstrations Includes illustrations, examples, and case studies using Microsoft™ Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, with suggested exercises for individual inquiry. Many case studies use simulation (e.g., to illustrate sampling). Samples of student reports and presentations are included for chapters that require data analysis. Data Sets Contains thousands of variables, many of which were collected by students. Files are grouped by data type (cross-sectional or time-series) and topic (e.g., food, health, etc.). In some data sets, short file names are provided to facilitate import of data into MINITABTM or other statistical packages (e.g., Visual Statistics, SPSS).