Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis,
8th Edition

1. Introduction to Modeling and Decision Analysis.
2. Introduction to Optimization and Linear Programming.
3. Modeling and Solving LP Problems in a Spreadsheet.
4. Sensitivity Analysis and the Simplex Method.
5. Network Modeling.
6. Integer Linear Programming.
7. Goal Programming and Multiple Objective Optimization.
8. Nonlinear Programming & Evolutionary Optimization.
9. Regression Analysis.
10. Data Mining.
11. Time Series Forecasting.
12. Introduction to Simulation Using Analytic Solver Platform.
13. Queuing Theory.
14. Decision Analysis.
15. Project Management (Online).

• Cliff Ragsdale

  A leading innovator in spreadsheet instruction and highly regarded pioneer in business analytics, Dr. Cliff Ragsdale is the Bank of America Professor of Business Information Technology and Academic Director of the Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, where he has taught since 1990. Dr. Ragsdale received his Ph.D. in management science and information technology from the University of Georgia. He also holds an M.B.A. in Finance and B.A. in psychology from the University of Central Florida. Before pursuing his Ph.D., he supervised benefit finance and qualified plans at the international headquarters of Red Lobster, Inc. He has served as an information systems and statistical consultant for a variety of companies and as an expert witness in the area of spreadsheet forensics. Dr. Ragsdale's primary areas of research interest include applications of artificial intelligence, mathematical programming and applying statistics to business problems. His research has appeared in numerous publications, including Decision Sciences; Naval Research Logistics; Omega: The International Journal of Management Science; Computers & Operations Research; Operations Research Letters and Personal Financial Planning. He has received both the Pamplin Award for excellence in teaching and the Outstanding Doctoral Educator Award from the Pamplin College of Business Administration at Virginia Tech. Dr. Ragsdale is a fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) and active member of DSI and INFORMS.

• NEW MINDTAP® DIGITAL LEARNING SOLUTION HELPS YOU ENGAGE TODAY’S STUDENTS. This all-digital version of the book enhances student learning in each chapter with an engagement video and discussion, a quiz with rich feedback, videos by the author that explain chapter concepts, and end-of-chapter assignments that are tailored to work well digitally.

• THE LATEST VERSION OF MICROSOFT EXCEL 2016 IS FEATURED THROUGHOUT. All screen shots and instructions throughout this edition reflect the latest version of Excel to prepare your students with the contemporary skills they will need.

• EXPANDED DISCUSSION EMPHASIZES GOOD DECISION MAKING. This key discussion in Chapter 1 clearly defines good decision making while updated examples highlight successful applications of business analytics in large organizations.

• NEW COVERAGE HIGHLIGHTS THE LINE BALANCING PROBLEM. New, key material in Chapter 6 (Integer Linear Programming) provides a new example of integer programming that is interesting, challenging, and practical.

• MAJOR UPDATES REFLECT CHANGES IN THE XLMINER PLATFORM SOFTWARE. Coverage in Chapter 10 (Data Mining) now also covers ROC and AUC graphs as well as the concepts of precision, recall, specificity, and the F1 score.

• NEW AND REVISED END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS CHECK READER UNDERSTANDING. New question and application opportunities throughout the book ensure students understand key principles.

• UPDATED CONTENT REFLECTS MICROSOFT® OFFICE EXCEL® 2016. This timely coverage provides students with the most current information for dealing with key business analytics decision making problems.

• ALGEBRAIC FORMULATIONS AND SPREADSHEETS ARE USED SIDE-BY-SIDE TO HELP DEVELOP CONCEPTUAL THINKING SKILLS. Step-by-step instructions and numerous annotated screenshots make examples easy to follow and understand.

• ANALYTIC SOLVER PLATFORM PROVIDES HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART BUSINESS ANALYTICS SOFTWARE. Powerful tools in the Analytic Solver Platform enable students to perform optimization and simulation and work with decision trees in Excel. This tool also provides the capabilities for performing simulation optimization and robust optimization methods.

• XLMINER PLATFORM OFFERS A COMPLETE SUITE OF TOOLS FOR HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE. This leading business analytics software provides a variety of data mining tools and techniques including data import and cleansing, data exploration and visualization, feature selection, clustering, affinity analysis. Students also find a variety of techniques for predictive analytics including discriminant analysis, neural networks, logistic regression, classification and regression trees, k-nearest neighbor, naïve Bayes, and times-series analysis.

• AUTHOR-CREATED TEACHING RESOURCES ENHANCE CLASS PRESENTATION AND REDUCE PREPARATION. A thorough and carefully crafted set of PowerPoint® slides and Excel solution files prepared by the text author reduce your preparation time while providing tools to clarify concepts in your course.

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Ragsdale's Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis
9781337274838

Cengage Testing, powered by Cognero® for Ragsdale's Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis, Instant Access
9781337274845

Instructor’s Companion Website for Ragsdale's Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis, 8th
9781337274821

VitalSource eBook: Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis 12 Months
9788000009803

MindTap: Spreadsheet Modeling & Decision Analysis 12 Months
9781337298117