Learning statistics for many students is like taking some bitter-tasting medicine. Though the medicine is necessary to cure the illness, but it is very hard to take. In this respect, this book can be of help to the undergraduate students in the fields of economic, business, and finance. It is generally observed that many of the students possess certain degrees of stat-phobia and stat-aversion. This book can help them overcome these phobia and aversion. It can also help them understand why they must learn different statistical techniques, what connections exist among them, how they can be applied, and how they will equip the students in their careers and further studies.
The book provides a thorough but lucid exposition of most of the statistical techniques applied in undergraduate programs in economics, business, and finance. It deals with topics right from the very basics of statistics to relatively advanced areas of regression analysis and forecasting; covering in the middle the topics of organization and graphical presentation of data, descriptive statistics: numerical measures, probability, probability and sampling distributions, estimation, tests of hypotheses, analysis of variance and nonparametric tests, correlation analysis, index numbers, and time-series analysis.
Though the book directly caters to the needs of undergraduate students in economics, business, and finance; graduate students in these subjects will also definitely find the book an invaluable tool as a supplementary reading. The website of the book, www.emeacollege.ac.in/bsebf provides supplementary materials including data sets in Minitab® format.
E.K. Ummer, B.A. in Economics (University of Calicut), M.A. in Economics (University of Calicut), M.Phil. in Applied Economics (Cochin University of Science and Technology), Ph.D. in Economics (University of London, U.K.), is currently working as the Principal of MES College. Kochi, Kerala, India. He was previously associated with E.M.E.A. College of Arts and Science, Kerala; International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur; and the University of London, London. His current research interests include quantitative methods, economic theory, and economics of development and growth.