Forecasting Sales with the Personal Computer: Guidelines for Marketing and Sales Managers

Provides guidance for sales and marketing managers involved in market planning, and uses case studies to explain effective forecasting techniques. Also offers suggestions on how to select the proper equipment, and contains a glossary of statistical terms commonly used in forecasting. "Marketing News"

This book is for the sales or marketing manager involved in market planning who must prepare sales forecasts and relate anticipated market conditions as well as promotional efforts to the forecast results. It offers practical guidance in forecasting with the personal computer using the casual method--a method based on the premise that the variable to be forecast has a casual or dependent relationship to one or more independent predictor variables. Based on this relationship, a linear regression equation is used to calculate forecast values. Berry fully explains the use of statistical techniques for the analysis of historical data in determining the specific economic factors responsible for obtained results.