This volume begins with an essay by Ruth A. Wienclaw, who overviews the basic use and purpose of business statistics. While she admits that statistics can be applied to a number of business problems in fields such as marketing, operations, and forecasting, Wienclaw recognizes that the value of statistics rests on the quality of the hypothesis being tested. In addition to the importance of sound hypotheses, Wienclaw also illustrates the utility and worth of regression analysis and variance. She stresses that both “can be invaluable to providing managers and other organizational decision makers with the information that they need to make informed decisions and develop plans to increase the effectiveness of the organization.” Intermediate applied statistics also help organizations reach their goals and objectives with the use of statistical procedures such as analysis of variance, the Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation, and linear regression. To better understand these, individuals rely on descriptive statistics. This variety often encompasses graphs, measures of central tendency, measures of variability, frequency distribution, and quality control chart differences.