The sixth edition of Business Forecasting with ForecastX™ builds on the success of the first five editions. While a number of significant changes have been made in this sixth edition, it remains a book about forecasting methods for managers, forecasting practitioners, and students who will one day become business professionals and have a need to understand practical issues related to forecasting. Our emphasis is on authentic learning of the forecasting methods that practicing forecasters have found most useful. Business Forecasting with ForecastX™ is written for students and others who want to know how forecasting is really done.

The major change to the sixth edition of the text is a new chapter on data mining as a tool in business forecasting. As with the fifth edition, we again use the ForecastX™ software as the tool to implement the methods described in the text. This software is included on a CD with each copy of the text and has been made available through an agreement with John Galt Solutions, Inc. Every forecasting method discussed in the text can be implemented with this software (the data mining techniques, however, require separate software). Based on our own experiences and those of other faculty members who have used the fifth edition, we know that students find the ForecastX™ software easy to use, even without a manual or other written instructions. However, we have provided a brief introduction to the use of ForecastX™ at the end of each relevant chapter. There is also a User's Guide on the CD with the software for those who may want more extensive coverage, including information on advanced issues not covered in the text, but included in the software.

John Galt Solutions provides us with the ForecastX software that does contain proprietary algorithms, which in some situations do not match exactly with the results one would get if the calculations were done "by hand." Their methods, however, have proven successful in the marketplace as well as in forecast competitions.

We are confident that faculty and students will enjoy using this widely adopted, commercially successful software. However, the text can be also used without reliance on this particular package. All data files are provided on the student CD in Excel format so that they can be easily used with almost any forecasting or statistical software. As with previous editions, nearly all data in the text is real, such as jewelry sales, book store sales, and total houses sold. In addition, we have continued the use of an ongoing case involving forecasting sales of The Gap, Inc., at the end of each chapter to provide a consistent link. Additionally, a number of excellent sources of data are referenced in the text. These are especially useful for student projects and for additional exercises that instructors may wish to develop.

Comments from the Field by forecasting practitioners provide quick insights into issues and problems faced daily by individuals who are actively engaged in the forecasting process. These offer a practical perspective from the "real world" to help students appreciate the relevance of the concepts presented in the text. Today, most business planning routinely begins with a sales forecast. Whether you are an accountant, a marketer, a human resources manager, or a financial analyst, you will have to forecast something sooner or later. This book is designed to lead you through the most helpful techniques to use in any forecasting effort. The examples we offer are, for the most part, based on actual historical data, much like that you may encounter in your own forecasts. The techniques themselves are explained as procedures that you may replicate with your own data.

The Online Learning Center accompanying the book includes all data used in the text examples and chapter-ending problems. In addition, Excel sheets with suggested answers to these problems are on this Web site.

The authors would like to thank the students at the University of Notre Dame and Central Michigan University for their help in working with materials included in this book during its development. Their comments were invaluable in preparing clear expositions and meaningful examples for this sixth edition. Comments from students at other universities both in the United States and elsewhere have also been appreciated. It has been particularly gratifying to hear from students who have found what they learned from a course using this text to be useful in their professional careers.

The final product owes a great debt to the inspiration and comments of our colleagues, especially Professors Thomas Bundt of Hillsdale College, Portland, and Tunga Kiyak at Michigan State University. In addition, we would like to thank the staff at John Galt Solutions for facilitating our use of the ForecastX™ software.

Adopters of the first five editions who have criticized, challenged, encouraged, and complimented our efforts deserve our thanks. The authors are particularly grateful to the following faculty and professionals who used earlier editions of the text and/or have provided comments that have helped to improve this sixth edition.

Paul Altieri
Central Connecticut State University

Peter Bruce
Statistics.com

Margaret M. Capen
East Carolina University

Thomas P. Chen
St. John's University

Ronald L. Coccari
Cleveland State University

Lewis Coopersmith
Rider University

Ali Dogramaci
Rutgers the State University of New Jersey

Farzad Farsio
Montana State University

Robert Fetter
Yale University

Benito Flores
Texas A & M University

Kenneth Gaver
Montana State University

Rakesh Gupta
Adelphi University

Joseph Kelley
California State University, Sacramento

Thomas Kelly
BMW of Canada

Eamonn Keogh
University of California, Riverside

Krishna Kool
University of Rio Grande

John Mathews
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Joseph McCarthy
Bryant College

Elam McElroy
Marquette University

Rob Roy McGregor
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

John C. Nash
University of Ottawa

Thomas Needham
US Bancorp

Nitin Patel
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Gerald Platt
San Francisco State University

Melissa Ramenofsky
University of Southern Alabama

Helmut Schneider
Louisiana State University

Stanley Schultz
Cleveland State University

Nancy Serafino
United Telephone

Galit Shmueli
University of Maryland

Donald N. Stengel
California State University, Fresno

Kwei Tang
Louisiana State University

Dick Withycomb
University of Montana

We are especially grateful to have worked with the following publishing professionals on our McGraw-Hill/Irwin book team: Dick Hercher, Christina Lane, Rhonda Seelinger, Lori Hazzard, Joanne Mennemeier, Debra Sylvester, and Balaji Sundararaman.

We hope that all of the above, as well as all new faculty, students, and business professionals who use the text, will be pleased with the sixth edition.

J. Holton Wilson
Holt.Wilson@cmich.edu

Barry Keating
Barry.P.Keating.1@nd.edu