Practical Forecasting for Managers

In making conscious decisions, we all make forecasts. We may not think that we are forecasting, but our choices will be directed by our anticipation of results of our actions or omissions. This book is intended to help managers and administrators do a better job of anticipating and hence a better job of managing. "Practical Forecasting for Managers" is a textbook based on the authors' experience of teaching business forecasting courses to students on undergraduate commerce and management information systems programmes and to MBA candidates. The main objective of the book is to demonstrate, through the use of examples and practical tools (conceptual, graphical, statistical and computational), the practice of forecasting techniques in the analysis of data and problems. The methods described are relevant in a wide range of application areas, moving beyond the traditional focus on sales figures to include relevant public and health policy issues. Topics of strategic interest - long term and qualitative forecasting used in planning new products and services - are presented early, with tactical and short-term quantitative forecasting following.
The book ishould be an ideal teaching tool as it provides real-world data sets for student anlaysis, project and essay topics, and assignment problems. The examples will cover subjects important for business and administrative planning, including topics such as AIDS, traffic fatalities and housing. These examples will be fully international, reflecting the growing trend in business schools to seek to provide "globally aware" graduates. book will have a complementary web site to provide software and examples. This is particularly important as new software which can be used in forecasting, including freeware, is constantly emerging. References are given to tools that can be found on the Internet, some of which are freely available.