Basic business statistics : concepts and applications [book]

Authors: Mark L. Berenson & others

An introductory textbook covering: presenting and describing information, probability, regression analysis and much more.

See it in the library at: 519.5 BAS 2010 or

Click here to request a copy through your library.

Beyond GDP: We need a dashboard for the whole economy (journal article)
by Mike Holderness
from New Scientist No 2731, 21 October 2009
"HOW much political power can one number exert? Gross domestic product (GDP) is a strong candidate for the world's most potent numerical indicator. Politicians use it to rank states in order of production, and to guide policies to maintain their place in the pecking order. Its year-on-year changes dictate whether an economy is "in recession", which in turn influences what you pay for the loan to buy your home or run your business - and, indeed, the price of fish.
But look under the hood at the factors that feed into the calculation of GDP and you'll see some strange goings-on. For one thing, it's full of virtual production and trading. People who own their houses, for example, are deemed to pay themselves rent, which is included in GDP; it has to be this way, to keep the books tidy."

INNvestment Australia
Colliers International Hotels
from Hotels and Leisure, Spring Quarter 2009
"Investors in Australian hotels are displaying a change in sentiment, with the general belief that the sector is now moving past the bottom of the market cycle. Recent results from Collier’s Hotel Industry Survey reveal that expectations for trading performance for hotel assets have now stabilised, and the majority view is that hotel occupancy is likely to have bottomed. In the marketplace, this has been reflected by an uptake in transaction activity in recent months, with several notable hotel investment sales and others currently in negotiation."

OECD in Figures 2009 [online]

Author: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"Simple to use, pocket data book. As ever, this 2009 edition contains key data on the OECD-wide economy, society and the environment. There are comparable tables on the entire spectrum of the organisation's work, from national income and industry through employment and research to banking and public finances. Our customary OECD in Graphs section highlights key challenges such as public debt, joblessness and climate change. "

Methods explained: The balance of payments (journal article)
by Graeme Chamberlin
from Economic & Labour Market Review, vol 3, no 9, pp 44-51
"This article describes the main features of the United Kingdom Balance of Payments. The Balance of Payments essentially records one nation’s transactions with the rest of the world – relating to conventional trade in goods and services, income flows and the transfer in ownership of financial assets across borders. The International Investment Position, or net asset position, is the part of the Balance of Payments that records net stocks of the UK’s foreign assets and liabilities. The relationship between this and investment income is also analysed. Finally, the impact of the global recession and credit crunch on recent Balance of Payments data is presented."

OECD Economic Outlook, June 2009 [online]

Source: OECD

"Provides analysis of recent economic developments and economic projections for OECD and major non-OECD countries through the end of 2010. Its comprehensive statistical annex is a useful reference tool for international economic comparisons. This issue finds that a recovery is in sight but that damage from the crisis is likely to be long-lasting. " - abstract.

The World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2009 [reference]

Author: IMD

"Based on more than 300 criteria, the WCY offers a unique and comprehensive appraisal of competitiveness, emphasizing hard, quantifiable statistics that represent 2/3 of the overall ranking."

Now available in Library & Research Services' Reference Collection.

OECD regions at a glance, 2009 [online]

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"Measuring such factors as education levels, employment opportunities and intensity of knowledge-based activities, this publication offers a statistical snapshot of how life is lived - and can be improved - from region to region in the OECD area." - abstract.

Understanding economic statistics : an OECD perspective [online]

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"The aim of this book is to help the reader to better understand how to use economic statistics in general and OECD statistics in particular. It introduces the main concepts used by statisticians and economists to measure economic phenomena and provides tables and charts with relevant data." - cover.