Introductory Statistics

Aims of the course

Objectives:

To make students familiar with the range and usefulness of statistical methods and statistical information in the business environment that in practice support decision making.
To introduce students to the basics of statistical research at the level of business, industry and national economy.
To enable students to correctly use data from official statistics and results of statistical research prepared by specialised research agencies.

Course syllabus

1. INTRODUCTION

• History of statistics;
• Quantitative literacy in information society and role of statistics in achieving it;
• Statistics in business and economics;
• Levels and tools of analysis in business and economics.


2. STATISTICAL MEASUREMENT

• Statistical units, population, sample;
• Concepts and variables;
• Data typologies;
• Variable typologies.


3. DATA SOURCES

• Secondary data: role and usefulness, advantages and disadvantages, and sources;
• European and Slovenian statistical system and the importance of statistical standards;
• Secondary data search and quality assessment;
• Primary data collection methods.

4. DATA PREPARATION AND BASIC VISUALISATION

• Data preparation for analysis;
• Basic tabular and graphical visualisation approaches;
• Problematic visualisations;
• Guidelines for better visualisations.

5. RELATIVE NUMBERS: STRUCTURES

• Typologies;
• Basic tabular and graphical visualisations;
• Applications in practice.

6. RELATIVE NUMBERS: COEFFICIENTS

• Typologies and calculation;
• Basic tabular and graphical visualisations;
• Applications in practice.

7. RELATIVE NUMBERS: SIMPLE INDICES

• Typologies and calculation;
• Basic tabular and graphical visualisations;
• Analysis of temporal dynamics;
• Analysis of index series;
• Applications in practice.

8. RANKING AND FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS

• Basic tabular and graphical visualisations;
• Quantiles and quantile ranks;
• Applications in practice.
9. MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY

• Typologies and calculation;
• Average relative numbers;
• Average indicators of temporal dynamics;
• Applications in practice.

10. RELATIVE NUMBERS: AGGREGATE INDICES

• Typologies and calculation;
• Analysis of index series: deflation;
• Applications in practice.

11. MEASURES OF VARIABILITY AND CONCENTRATION

• Typologies and calculation;
• Variability and distributions;
• Graphical visualisation;
• Applications in practice.

Course director(s)