Analytics Stories: Using Data to Make Good Things Happen - Paperback

by Wayne L. Winston (Author)

Inform your own analyses by seeing how one of the best data analysts in the world approaches analytics problems

Analytics Stories: How to Make Good Things Happen is a thoughtful, incisive, and entertaining exploration of the application of analytics to real-world problems and situations. Covering fields as diverse as sports, finance, politics, healthcare, and business, Analytics Stories bridges the gap between the oft inscrutable world of data analytics and the concrete problems it solves.

Distinguished professor and author Wayne L. Winston answers questions like:

• Was Liverpool over Barcelona the greatest upset in sports history?
• Was Derek Jeter a great infielder
• What's wrong with the NFL QB rating?
• How did Madoff keep his fund going?
• Does a mutual fund's past performance predict future performance?
• What caused the Crash of 2008?
• Can we predict where crimes are likely to occur?
• Is the lot of the American worker improving?
• How can analytics save the US Republic?
• The birth of evidence-based medicine: How did James Lind know citrus fruits cured scurvy?
• How can I objectively compare hospitals?
• How can we predict heart attacks in real time?
• How does a retail store know if you're pregnant?
• How can I use A/B testing to improve sales from my website?
• How can analytics help me write a hit song?

Perfect for anyone with the word "analyst" in their job title, Analytics Stories illuminates the process of applying analytic principles to practical problems and highlights the potential pitfalls that await careless analysts.

Back Jacket

FIND THE ANSWERS WITH ANALYTICS

Ever wonder how Madoff kept his felonious fund going? Or what caused the Crash of 2008? Are you curious about whether we can effectively predict where crimes are likely to occur? Want to know how to objectively compare hospitals? How about whether your favorite player has a shot at the Hall of Fame?

Using analytics, you can find out all that and so much more.

Yes, this book is about analytics. But it's not about tedious definitions or detailed mathematical functions. It's full of stories showing how analytics is applied to everyday situations. Whether "analyst" is in your job title or you just have an interest (professional or otherwise) in sports, politics, health care, business, marketing, finance, or practically any field, discover how analytics is used to determine what happened, what will happen, why it happened, and how to make good things happen.

Learn the answers to:

• Who REALLY won the 2000 U.S. presidential election?
• Is Carmelo Anthony a Hall of Famer?
• How does evidence-based medicine work?
• How does Target know you're pregnant?
• Why do political polls sometimes give bad forecasts?
• How should I allocate my retirement portfolio?
• Why do roundabouts work?
• Can analytics help me write a hit song?
• Why do I always bid too much on eBay?
• ...and more than 50 other burning questions!

Author Biography

Wayne L. Winston is Professor Emeritus of Decision Sciences at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. He currently teaches Sports Analytics at IU, and has taught analytics to organizations including Microsoft, eBay, Cisco, Deloitte, the U.S. military, Eli Lilly, JP Morgan, and more. A two-time Jeopardy! Champion, he has consulted on analytics for two top NBA teams.