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Statistics for Decision- Making in Business - Maricopa Community ...

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6.3 Confidence Interval <strong>for</strong> ̂ 202<br />

7: Hypothesis Test<strong>in</strong>g<br />

7.1 The Concept Beh<strong>in</strong>d Hypothesis Test<strong>in</strong>g 208<br />

Appendices<br />

APPENDIX A:<br />

Answers to Select Problems<br />

220<br />

Chapter 1<br />

Fundamentals of <strong>Statistics</strong><br />

1.1 Data and Their Uses<br />

Our lives are filled with <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation. While at one po<strong>in</strong>t we didn‟t have enough data <strong>in</strong> the<br />

world, now we have so much of it that computers need to be revamped cont<strong>in</strong>ually <strong>in</strong> order to<br />

keep up with it. Facebook records rich <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>mation about hundreds of millions of users. Studies<br />

are reveal<strong>in</strong>g new conclusions that allow us to make decisions about choos<strong>in</strong>g the right type of<br />

treatment <strong>for</strong> medical conditions. Scientific data is establish<strong>in</strong>g the strong correlation between<br />

humans‟ <strong>in</strong>teraction with the planet and changes <strong>in</strong> climate. The power of data is limitless.<br />

However, due to our regularly fail<strong>in</strong>g media expertise, the results of studies are often<br />

miscommunicated because they are not understood. In order to fully extract the mean<strong>in</strong>gfulness<br />

of data, we must understand how to analyze them. We must be accurate and precise <strong>in</strong> what we<br />

measure and how we measure it.<br />

1.1.1 Three Good Reasons to Study <strong>Statistics</strong><br />

In no particular order, these are:<br />

1. To be <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>med<br />

2. To be able to make good decisions based on data and to understand current issues<br />

3. To be able to evaluate decisions that affect the operations of a bus<strong>in</strong>ess and our personal<br />

lives<br />

1. To be <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>med<br />

What does it mean to be <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>med To be <strong>in</strong><strong>for</strong>med we should be able to understand and <strong>in</strong>terpret<br />

tables, charts, and graphs. We should be able to make sense of conclusions of other's research<br />

<strong>Statistics</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Decision</strong>-<strong>Mak<strong>in</strong>g</strong> <strong>in</strong> Bus<strong>in</strong>ess © Milos Podmanik Page 5

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