This course provides an analytical framework to help you evaluate key problems in a structured fashion and will equip you with tools to better manage the uncertainties that pervade and complicate business processes. The course aim to cover statistical ideas that apply to managers. We will consider two basic themes: first, is recognizing and describing variations present in everything around us, and then modeling and making decisions in the presence of these variations. The fundamental concepts studied in this course will reappear in many other classes and business settings. Our focus will be on interpreting the meaning of the results in a business and managerial setting.
While you will be introduced to some of the science of what is being taught, the focus will be on applying the methodologies. This will be accomplished through use of Excel and using data sets from many different disciplines, allowing you to see the use of statistics in very diverse settings. The course will focus not only on explaining these concepts but also understanding the meaning of the results obtained.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Test for beliefs about a population..
• Compare differences between populations.
• Use linear regression model for prediction.
• Learn how to use Excel for statistical analysis.
This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.
This course is part of the Managerial Economics and Business Analysis Specialization
Inferential and Predictive Statistics for Business
Offered By
About this Course
4.8
208 ratings
Skills you will gain
Statistical InferenceStatistical AnalysisStatistical Hypothesis Testing
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week
1Course Orientation
In the course orientation, you will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
2 videos (Total 7 min), 6 readings, 1 quiz
2 videos
Excel Data Analysis Toolpak1m
6 readings
Syllabus10m
About the Discussion Forums4m
Glossary15m
Using Excel for this Course10m
Updating Your Profile10m
Social Media4m
1 practice exercise
Orientation Quiz10m
Module 1: Hypothesis Testing
Watch any infomercial and you hear many outrageous promises. Use this cream and your skin will look 80% firmer! Use this supplement and you will lose 10 pounds in the first 10 days! Are they telling you the truth? Are they all lying? The only way to know the answer to any of these questions is to scientifically test the claim being made – that is what we call hypothesis testing and what we will learn in this module.
11 videos (Total 80 min), 2 readings, 6 quizzes
11 videos
1-2.1. Analyzing the Result8m
1-3.1. Two-Tail Test for Mean10m
1-3.2. Two-Tail Test for Mean in Excel4m
1-4.1. One-Tail Test for Mean5m
1-4.2. Left-Tail Test for Mean in Excel3m
1-4.3. Right-Tail Test for Mean in Excel6m
1-5.1. Testing the Proportion12m
1-5.2. Left-Tail Test for Proportion in Excel5m
1-5.3. Right-Tail Test for Proportion in Excel3m
1-5.4. Two-Tail Test for Proportion in Excel5m
2 readings
Module 1 Overview3m
Module 1 Readingsm
6 practice exercises
Lesson 1-1 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 1-2 Practice Quiz6m
Lesson 1-3 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 1-4 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 1-5 Practice Quiz15m
Module 1 Quiz30m
Week
2Module 2: Statistical Inference Based on Two Samples
Does the medicine a person is taking to treat his condition really work better than a sugar pill? Is the new chip-enabled credit card more secure than the magnetic card? How do you know whether the claims being made about anything being “better than” or “faster than” a competitor are true? In this module we will learn to make this comparison.
11 videos (Total 93 min), 2 readings, 7 quizzes
11 videos
2-1.2. Testing for No Difference in Means in Excel9m
2-1.3. Two-Tail Mean Test for Two Samples and Calculating the Confidence Interval in Excel6m
2-2.1. One-Tail Test of the Means9m
2-2.2. One-Tail Test of the Means in Excel5m
2-3.1. Testing for a Specific Value in Means6m
2-4.1. Paired Tests9m
2-4.2. Paired Test in Excel7m
2-5.1. Test of Proportions11m
2-5.2. One-Tail Test of Proportions for Two Samples in Excel6m
2-5.3. Two-Tail Test of Proportions for Two Samples in Excel3m
2 readings
Module 2 Overview3m
Module 2 Readingsm
6 practice exercises
Lesson 2-1 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 2-2 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 2-3 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 2-4 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 2-5 Practice Quiz15m
Module 2 Quiz30m
Week
3Module 3: Simple Linear Regression
Does your job involve a lot of sitting? If so, you are at higher risk of coronary heart disease. How do I know this? We got to know the relationship between coronary heart disease and sitting when researchers studied a cohort of London bus drivers and bus conductors from 1947 to 1972. If you want to know more, then read on!
9 videos (Total 70 min), 2 readings, 6 quizzes
9 videos
3-2.1. Least Square Methods7m
3-2.2. Least Square Method in Excel3m
3-3.1. Assessing the Regression Model10m
3-3.2. Testing the Significance in Excel4m
3-4.1. Using the Model10m
3-4.2. Simple Linear Regression: Excel Output Analysis7m
3-5.1. Model Assumptions and Limitations8m
3-5.2. Residual Analysis in Excel4m
2 readings
Module 3 Overview3m
Module 3 Readingsm
6 practice exercises
Lesson 3-1 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 3-2 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 3-3 Practice Quiz4m
Lesson 3-4 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 3-5 Practice Quiz15m
Module 3 Quiz30m
Week
4Module 4: Multiple Linear Regression
You are trying to predict next month’s sales numbers. You know that dozens, maybe even hundreds, of things like the weather, competitor’s promotions, rumors, etc. can impact the number. You talk to five people and each one has an idea about what makes the biggest impact, and the only thing they offer is “trust me.” Do you wish there was a better way of doing this rather than relying on blind faith? Well, there is. We can use Multiple Regression to sort through this mess and bring the focus to factors that really do matter.
7 videos (Total 56 min), 2 readings, 4 quizzes
7 videos
4-1.2. Developing Multiple Regression Model in Excel6m
4-1.3. Multiple Regression: Excel Output Analysis5m
4-2.1. Qualitative Data – Two Categories12m
4-2.2. Dummy Variable in Excel – Two Categories6m
4-3.1. Qualitative Data – Many Categories6m
4-3.2. Dummy Variable in Excel – Many Categories5m
2 readings
Module 4 Overview3m
Module 4 Readingsm
4 practice exercises
Lesson 4-1 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 4-2 Practice Quiz15m
Lesson 4-3 Practice Quiz15m
Module 4 Quiz30m
4.8
39 ReviewsTop Reviews
By SG•May 20th 2017
Very good introductory Statistics course. The topic selection is very pertinent to meet the need of a manager to analyze data and to make decision. Quality of teaching is GREAT.
By MC•Oct 6th 2016
Really great course! With a little bit of data you can explain anything! The course is really easy to understand with great and interesting examples! Thanks a lot!
Instructor
Fataneh Taghaboni-Dutta
Clinical Professor of Business AdministrationUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Business Department of Business Administration
Start working towards your Master's degree
This course is part of the 100% online Master of Business Administration (iMBA) from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.
About University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.
About the Managerial Economics and Business Analysis Specialization
In order to effectively manage and operate a business, managers and leaders need to understand the market characteristics and economic environment they operate in. In this Specialization, you will build a solid understanding of the operation of markets and the macro-economic environment with real-world examples. You will be able to identify firm and country-level economic factors that impact business decisions, develop an analytical framework using statistical tools, and apply economic theory and data in the analysis of business environment and trends to make effective business decisions.
The capstone project involves an in-depth analysis of an actual business situation in which you will examine the global economic environment of a business. The final project will be a business plan that uses statistical tools and economic theory to create a comprehensive analysis of the microeconomic and macroeconomic environment in which the focal company operates.
This Specialization is part of the University of Illinois Masters of Business Administration degree program, the iMBA. Learn more about the admission into the program here and how your Coursera work can be leveraged if accepted into the program. You can also start with for-credit courses within the Illinois iMBA degree program.
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Once you enroll for a Certificate, you’ll have access to all videos, quizzes, and programming assignments (if applicable). Peer review assignments can only be submitted and reviewed once your session has begun. If you choose to explore the course without purchasing, you may not be able to access certain assignments.
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
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