Homework Problems

Each chapter within a unit is designed to provide the material for a weekly homework assignment at the end of the second section of the chapter. The problems at a chapter’s end come in three types: Mechanics and Technique Problems, Application and Reasoning Problems, and Memo Problems (which include Communication and Professionalism skills). Although we consider the memos to be the heart of any course using this book, the number of memos instructors choose to assign on a weekly basis will vary and the two other types of problems work very well to provide a balanced weekly assignment load.

Mechanics and Technique Problems.

These problems involve straightforward calculations by hand or, more often, with the computer, and use the basic definitions, formulas, and computer techniques from the chapter.

Application and Reasoning Problems.

These problems require students to analyze data or apply the concepts of the chapter to small decision-making scenarios. Many of these require students to explain their thinking in a few short sentences so that the inferences they have drawn from the data and other information are made explicit.

Memo Problems.

Each chapter concludes with a memo problem from a supervisor at Oracular Consulting. The memos are written in the style of a management memo, often having a rather open-ended feel, and will most often direct the analysis staff (the students) to analyze some data for a client, using the tools of that chapter (and possibly previous chapters). Students are expected to reply to these memos with their own professionally written memos or reports. Most memo problems usually permit more than one ”correct” response. We have developed detailed ”rubrics” for assessing each memo which are invaluable should the instructor choose to have students revise and resubmit their memos. These can be found in the Instructor’s Guide. These rubrics do not contain ”answers” per se, but rather statements to be checked off by the instructor that note lapses in analysis, missing pieces, incorrect or misapplied mathematical/computer procedures, or point out structural writing difficulties. These statements are divided into three discrete areas: Mechanics and Technique, Applications and Reasoning, and Communication and Professionalism, and each of these three is divided into two levels of competence, Expected and Impressive (see the appendices for an example). In the Instructor’s Guide we describe in detail how we arrive at grades.