This document provides information about the Statistical Inference in Management course for the Winter Session 2014, including: 1) The course description, goals, and topics including methods for describing data, probability, significance tests, and regression. 2) Requirements including homework assignments, in-class assignments, and two exams that will determine the final grade. 3) A tentative schedule listing the topics, readings, and homework due for each class meeting from June 8 to July 9.

1. Statistical Inference in Management
MGMT276/ECON276
Lecture Section 1, Winter Session 2014
9:00-11:30 Monday-Friday
Instructor: Nicholas Thorne
Office: Social Sciences 134
Email: nothorne@email.arizona.edu
Office Hours: 11:30-1:30 Tuesdays and Wednesdays and by appointment
Course Description:
“Statistical Inference in Management” is the first introduction to business statistics
and is designed to complement the second course the sequence “Analytical Methods
in Business”. This class will lay the foundation for your future career in business by
helping you understand and use various statistical methods. Topics include:
methods for describing and summarizing data, probability, random sampling,
estimating population parameters, significance tests, contingency tables, simple
linear regression and correlation.” Three primary goals for the class are to:
1) Explore the assumptions and principles underlying empirical methodologies and
findings
2) Practice critical evaluations of data and claims both in the popular media and in
scientific publications
3) Obtain practice completing calculations and applying the solutions in making
decisions and conclusions
Textbooks
You may laugh at first, but both of these readings are incredibly useful and easy to
understand. Because this is a condensed summer course you need a textbook that

2. can convey needed information easily and efficiently. These books will do just that
and they are enjoyable to read. For far too long students have been plagued by
statistics books that are both dense, and difficult to read leading many students to
classify statistics classes as difficult for complicated. Its really not. Statistics is easy
and it is important to keep it that way. Plus, they are available through the UA
library website for free.
Attendance and class participation
Attendance will not be taken every class period but will be taken periodically. Since
this is a large class participation is encouraged, if you do not understand a topic
please ask questions and spur more class discussion. Chances are that if you do not
understand a particular topic there are many other who may not understand it
either.
Homework assignments
There will be homework assignments dispersed throughout each week. Each set of
homework assignments will be turned in before each exam. The purpose of these
assignments is to give you an opportunity to practice solving problems and highlight
areas and topics that you may require more of your attention. Not only do these
assignments compose a substantial portion of your final grade they will also greatly
prepare you for the exams.
In class assignments/pop quiz
In class assignments and pop quizzes will be given at random to both asses your
progress in the course as well as to reward people for attending class regularly.
Each will be worth 10 points.
Exams
There will be 2 tests during this class. Each will be cumulative and worth 100 points.
Grading
There is a total of 500 possible points in this class. Your grade will be determined by
your performance on:
 Class attendance
 Homework Assignments
 In class assignments/ Pop Quiz
 2 Cumulative Exams
Assignment Points
Attendance 130
Exam 1 100
Exam 2 100
Homework 100
In Class Assignments 70

3. Tentative Schedule of Topics and Readings
Date Topic Assigned Reading Homework
6-8-15  Introductory
Comments
 Making
Statistical
Inferences
 Overview of
Statistics
 Chapter 1: Statistics or
Sadistics?
6-9-15  Data
Collection
 Describing
Data Visually
 Chapter 21: The Ten
Commandments of Data
Collection
 Chapter 4: A Picture Really
is worth a thousand words
 Homework 1
and 2:
Questionnaire
Construction
and Database
Deign Using MS
Excel
6-10-15  Descriptive
Statistics
 Chapter 2: Computing and
Understanding Averages
 Chapter 3: Vive la
Difference
 Chapter 6: Just the Truth
 Homework 3:
Independence
and Dependent
Variables
 Homework 4
and 5:
Calculating
Descriptive
Statistics and
Presenting
Findings in a
Memorandum
6-11-15  Probability
 Probability
Distributions
 Chapter 8: Are Your
Curves Normal?
 Homework 6: Approaches
to probabilities
6-15-15  Continuous
Probability
Distributions
 Central Limit
Theorem
6-16-15  Normal
Curve and Z-
Scores
 Homework 7:
Calculating z-
score,raw
scores,and areas
under the
normal curve

4. 6-17-15  Estimation
and
confidence
intervals
 Homework 8:
Calculating
Confidence
Intervals
6-18-15  Review
6-22-15 Exam 1
6-23-15  Introduction
to Hypothesis
Testing
 Chapter 7: Hypotheticals
and You
 Chapter 9: Statistically
Significant
 Homework 9:
Examples of
Type 1 versus
Type 2 Errors
6-24-15  Hypothesis
Testing with
z scores
 Chapter 10: Only the
Lonely
6-25-15  Hypothesis
Testing With
t-tests
 Chapter 11: t(ea) for Two
 Chapter 12: t(ea) for Two
(Again)
 Homework 10:
One Sample z
and t hypothesis
tests
6-29-15  Correlation
Analysis
 Chapter 5: Ice Cream and
Crime
 Homework 11:
Hypothesis
Testing with
Correlation
Analysis
6-30-15  Introduction
to Analysis of
Variance
 Chapter 13: Two Groups
too many?
 Homework 12:
Completing
ANOVAs using
Excel
7-1-15  Analysis of
Variance
7-2-15  Multi-
Factorial
Analysis of
Variance
 Chapter 14: Two Too Many
Factors
7-6-15  Linear
Regression
and
Correlation
 Chapter 15: Cousins or Just
Good Friends
 Chapter 16: Predicting
Who’ll win the Super Bowl
 Homework 13:
Completing
Simple
Regression
Using Excel
7-7-15  Simple and
Multiple
Regression
7-8-15  Review

5. 7-9-15 Exam 2