Syllabus
| Mission Statement | Description | Objectives | Grading | Academic Integrity | Text |
School of Business Administration Mission
Statement:
"Committed to developing socially responsible leaders and
improving global business practice through innovative,
personalized education and applied research.”
"In God we trust, all others bring data." - W.
Edwards Deming
This course examines how managers use data as the key input
for systematic business problem-solving. Topics include
collecting data, describing and presenting data, probability,
statistical inference, regression analysis, forecasting and risk
analysis. Extensive use of Excel for data analysis with a focus
on applied business decision-making. Common business processes
and business skills practiced are gathering and organizing data,
quantitative data analysis, forecasting, decision-making under
uncertainty and communicating or presenting results.
Prerequisite: GSBA 501 or GSBA 515 or concurrent.
The topics covered in this
class have direct application, as will be illustrated in the
examples used in class. They will also be
applied in classes such as GSBA 503 (Problem Formulation and
Decision Analysis), GSBA 505 (Financial
Management and Analysis), GSBA 509 (The Economic Environment of
Business), GSBA 528 (Business Cycles and
Forecasting), GSBA 570 (Program/Project Management), and GSBA 574 (Introduction to Information Technology).
Class interaction is welcome and encouraged, but the nature
of the subject means that there will be less discussion and more
lecture than in the other classes in
the MBA program.
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
- find sources of data and understand the methodology of
their collection,
- apply the appropriate statistical techniques to
analyze data and interpret the results,
- use spreadsheet software to do statistical analysis and
present the results of the analysis, and
- recognize the ethical issues involved in the use and
misuse of statistical analysis.
Grades in this class will be based on
examinations (60%) and out-of-class assignments
(40%):
- There will be three tests during the session, each worth
20% of your grade. Each exam
will consist primarily of problem type
questions. Click here
to get an idea of what the exams will be
like. You may use your notes and book
during each exam. Make-up exams will be
given only if you have a written excuse.
- The three out-of-class assignments will allow you to
apply the concepts discussed in class, using spreadsheet
software to do statistical analysis. Although most of you
will be familiar with the use of Microsoft Excel, the text
has an appendix (B, pp. 672 - 678) dealing with its use if
you need a refresher. The use of Excel is integrated
throughout the text. For those of you using Macs, here
is a site that has free data analysis software:
www.AnalystSoft.com
Grades
will be assigned based on the total points earned during the
term, according to the following schedule:
| % |
Grade |
| 93 - 100 |
A |
| 90 -92 |
A- |
| 87 - 89 |
B+ |
| 83 - 86 |
B |
| 80 - 82 |
B- |
| 75 - 79 |
C+ |
| 70 - 74 |
C |
| 65 - 69 |
C- |
.
Ethical behavior is expected at all times.
From the Graduate Bulletin: "Academic
dishonesty is an affront to the integrity of
scholarship at USD an a threat to the quality of
learning. . . Violations of academic integrity
include: a) unauthorized assistance on an
examination; b) falsification or invention of
data; c) unauthorized collaboration on an
academic exercise; d) plagiarism; e)
misappropriation of research materials; f) any
unauthorized access to an instructor's files or
computer account; or g) any other serious
violation of academic integrity as established by
the instructor. An act of dishonesty can lead to
penalties in a course such as reduction of grade;
withdrawal from the course; a requirement that
all or part of a course be retaken; and a
requirement that additional work be undertaken in
connection with the course."
 David M. Levine, David
Stephan, Kathryn A. Szabat, Statistics for Managers Using
Microsoft Excel, 7th Edition, Prentice-Hall,
Inc., 2014.
The companion site to the text allows you to download the
Excel files with the data used for the examples in the text.
The companion site is at the following address:
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/bp/bp_Levine_StatMan_7e/dpage/index.html
Prentice-Hall has a supplement to Excel called PHStat2.
While PHStat2 is not required to complete this course, it helps
greatly in doing some of the required analysis.
There is a charge of $10 to download the supplement at this
location:
http://wps.aw.com/phstat/
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