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This book is about the power of statistical experiments. In the past, books on experimental design focused almost entirely on manufacturing problems. In contrast, although this book is relevant to manufacturing and includes useful examples in that area, its emphasis is on applications to marketing and service operations. The authors provide a fresh and practical treatment of the key topics in designing and analyzing experiments. Testing in the business world is commonplace, and the usual approach is to change one factor at a time while holding other factors constant. This approach may seem logical and appealing, but, as the authors explain, it is highly inefficient, and may lead to wrong conclusions. The better method, the authors propose, is to test all factors simultaneously. Doing so not only reduces the costs of experimenting but also provides the decision-maker with better information.
Throughout the book, the authors illustrate concepts with practical examples. In addition, the book includes a set of 13 separate real-world cases based on the actual implementation of experimental design methods.
"Ledolter and Swersey succeed in conveying their passion for experimental design and sharing the power and practical value of these methods. The real-world examples used in the book are excellent."—Bovas Abraham, University of Waterloo
"The authors present a wealth of interesting examples, many of which come from marketing, to minimize mathematical formalism and to help students learn how experimental design methods work and why they are so potentially useful. At last we have an accessible and relevant resource to learn about these powerful ideas."—Bert Gunter, Principal Biostatistician, Genentech
"Ledolter and Swersey bring the powerful methodology of statistically designed experiments to the market researcher and service systems analyst. They provide a wealth of detailed real world examples, share many practical insights, and provide just the right amount of theory so that the methods can be understood and used properly. This is an empowering book." —Peter Kolesar, Professor Emeritus, Columbia Business School
"The authors are to be commended for their presentation of an eminently readable text that broadly—yet thoroughly—exposes marketers to statistical experimentation. The marketing practitioner will find case studies that amply demonstrate the benefits of the experimental approach. The marketing researcher will find assured guidance on how to design, execute, and analyze experiments of some complexity. This unique combination makes it a timely, important, and highly recommended text." —Martin Koschat, International Institute for Management Development
"The exposition is crisp and the basic concepts of experimental design are made readily accessible through uncommonly clear explanations. The strong emphasis on the efficiency of factorial experimentation over changing one factor at a time provides the reader with clear understanding of the benefits of the former approach." —American Statistician
"The authors are to be commended for writing a book that specifically targets the use of Design of Experiments (DOE) in non-manufacturing environment...This book fills an important void in the DOE because it targets an application area of DOE where very little has been previously published." —Journal of Quality Technology
