SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
Albers School of Business and Economics
ECON 260-01 – Business Statistics
Fall Quarter, 2005
Section –01, MW, 7:45 a.m.-9:45 a.m., Pigott 200
C. Fred DeKay, Ph.D.
Office Hours:
Pigott 521
MTW, 10:00-12:00
206-296-5709, dekay@seattleu.edu
and by appointment
Angel website: Power Point presentations, data sets and examples of quizzes and exams can be
found here: http://angel.seattleu.edu
Content and objectives
Data drive decisions. Business Statistics introduces students to basic statistical procedures,
concepts and computer applications used in the business world to make decisions when the
outcomes of actions are uncertain. This course covers descriptive statistics, probability and
statistical inference so that students can be intelligent consumers of numerical information. The
topics include graphical, tabular and numerical methods of summarizing data, fundamental
concepts of probability, discrete and continuous probability functions, sampling and sampling
distributions, interval estimation, and hypothesis testing. Emphasis will be placed on applying
statistical techniques to making decisions in business with the help of Microsoft Excel.
Course Prerequisites: MATH 130 or equivalent, CSSE 103 or equivalent.
Text: Anderson, Sweeney and Williams, Essentials of Statistics for Business and Economics,
4th edition, (Thompson-South-Western), 2006. Optional: Study Guide.
Grading
6 quizzes, 15 minutes
2 Cases
2 midterm exams, 1 hr.
Final exam
Extra credit activity
25 points each; short essay, problems, multiple choice
50 points each
100 points each; short essay, problems, multiple choice
175 points; short essay, problems, multiple choice
Homework will not be graded, but must be handed in, in order to
be eligible to take the midterm exams. As in learning a foreign
language, doing homework in statistics is essential to learning.
The lowest one of the 6 quizzes will be dropped from your score. Instructor's personal evaluation
of progress and performance, partially based on homework, may affect grade. Quizzes may not
be made up without prior permission from instructor. Missed quizzes will be assigned a zero
score. One make up midterm exam will be scheduled for the hour following the final exam.
Grade scale A
94-100%
C+
76-79%
D- 55-57%
A90-93%
C
69-75%
F Below 55%
B+
87-89%
C65-68%
B
83-86%
D+
62-64%
B80-82%
D
58-61%
ECON260 – Business Statistics
Fall Quarter, 2005
All dates are subject to change. Students are responsible for all changes announced in class.
Reading assignments should be completed before the day assigned. Homework assignments are
due on the day they appear, usually on Wednesdays. Tests will normally be on Wednesdays.
WEEK 1: 9/22
Introduction: Populations and Samples: Ethical issues in statistics; using Excel
Introduction, Team formation, Case introduction.
Homework Assignment: In Class: Name, Class, Major, Telephone
number, e-mail address. Visit Angel website: angel.seattleu.edu
Ch. 1 & 2: Descriptive Statistics: Central Tendency and Variation
WEEK 2: 9/26-28 Reading: ASW, Ch. 1, Ch. 2
Ch. 1 & 2: Descriptive Statistics: Central Tendency and Variation;
Reading: ASW, Ch. 1, Ch. 2; 2.1, 2.2, 2.4 and Appendix 2.2, Excel
Homework Assignment #1 : Chapter 1: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14, 22
Chapter 2: 4, 15, 20, 33
Excel training; ADMIN 224 at 8:45 a.m.
Ch 3: Descriptive Statistics: Numerical Methods
Reading: ASW: Ch. 3; 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5 and Appendix 3.2
Homework Assignment due: 8, 9, 18, 20, 26, 32, 34, 41, 48,50
Quiz 1: Chapters 1, 2
Ch. 4: Introduction to Probability
Reading: ASW, Chapter 4
WEEK 3: 10/3-5
Ch. 4 Homework Assignment Due: 6, 10, 12, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 34, 37, 55, 56
Case 1 analysis due
Ch. 5 Probability Distributions: Discrete Random Variables (5.1-5.4)
Reading: ASW, Chapter 5
Quiz 2: Chapters 3, 4
WEEK 4: 10/10-12
Ch. 5 Hmwrk Assignment Due: 4, 6, 10, 12, 18, 20, 22, 27, 28, 32, 34, 36, 56, 58
Quiz 3: Chapter 5
Ch. 6 Continuous Probability Distributions: (6.1-6.2)
The Uniform Probability Distribution
**The Normal Probability Distribution** Reading: ASW Chapter 6
Homework Assignment Due: 3, 6, 10, 15, 18, 20, 22, 42, 46
WEEK 5: 10/17-19
Ch. 6 Continuous Probability Distributions: (6.1-6.2)
Homework Assignment Due: 3, 6, 10, 15, 18, 20, 22, 42, 46
Review for Midterm
Ch. 7 Sampling Distributions/ Central Limit Theorem, Appendix 7.2
Reading: ASW Chapter 7
Midterm exam # 1: one hour Chapters 1-6
WEEK 6: 10/24-26
Ch. 7 Sampling Distributions/ Central Limit Theorem, Appendix 7.2
Reading: ASW Chapter 7
Homework Assignment: 10, 13, 16, 18, 22, 23, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 40
Ch 8: Confidence Intervals: σ known/ σ unknown Reading: ASW Chapter 8,
Appendix 8.2
Quiz 4: Chapter 7
WEEK 7: 10/31-11/2
Ch 8: Confidence Intervals: σ known/ σ unknown Reading: ASW Chapter 8,
Appendix 8.2 The t Probability Distribution; Sample Sizes /Population
Proportions/ Finite Populations/ Homework Assignment: 2, 5, 6, 10, 14, 15,
16, 26, 28, 35, 38, 40, 42
Quiz 5: Chapter 8
Excel training; ADMIN 224 at 8:45 a.m.
WEEK 8: 11/7-9
Ch. 9: Hypothesis Testing: (9.1-9.7)
Reading: ASW Chapter 9, Appendix 9.2
Hypothesis Testing: σ known/ σ unkown
Homework Assignment: 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, 16, 18, 20, 23, 27, 32, 33, 44, 48, 50, 56, 58
WEEK 9: 11/14-16
Ch 10: Statistical Inferences based on two samples (10.1, 10.2, 10.4, 10.5)
Reading: ASW Chapter 10, 10.1, 10.2 10.4 Sampling distributions and
hypothesis testing, Appendix 10.2
Testing the equality of Multiple means: ANOVA and the F distribution
Homework Assignment: 4, 8, 16, 18
Midterm exam # 2: one hour Chapters 7-9, date to be announced.
WEEK 10: 11/21-23
Quiz 6 Chapter 10: ANOVA
11/23 Thanksgiving Break
WEEK 11: 11/28-30
Ch. 11 Differences between proportions based on two or more samples;
Non-parametric tests: Chi-square distribution: Tests for Independence
Homework Assignment: 4, 8, 12, 16, 18, 26
WEEK 12: 12/05-08 Case 2 write up due. Case discussion, Review session
Final Examinations: Thursday, December 8, 2005, 8:00 to 9:50 a.m.
Please arrange your travel schedule to accommodate this exam date.
 This is a tentative outline. All dates and topics are subject to changes announced in class.
Academic Honesty
Seattle University is committed to the principle that academic honesty and integrity are important
values in the educational process. Academic dishonesty in any form is a serious offense against
the academic community. Acts of academic dishonesty will be addressed according to the Seattle
University Academic Honesty Policy. The policy can be found at the address below:
http://www.seattleu.edu/regis/Policies/Policy_2004-01.htm
If you are not sure whether a particular action is acceptable according to the Academic Honesty
Policy, you should check with your instructor before engaging in it.
Student Information: ECON 260 Fall 2005
Name: _________________________________
Phone number___________________________
Preferred E-mail_________________________
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Employer ________________________
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Class level:
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Major________________________________
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Prior Math/Econ Classes ___________________________________________________
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A surprising fact about yourself:
□ Freshman □
Sophomore
□ Junior □ Senior □ OTHER
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Interviewed:
Name__________________________________
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City of Birth _________________________________________
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Favorite Leisure activities _______________________________
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Statistics Topics of Interest:
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