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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ph.D. Statistics Analysis


Statistics is a form of mathematical science consisting of the collection, analysis, interpretation (or explanation), and presentation of data. Today, statistical analysis is the most sought after method for internal audit and performance reviews. PhD statistics analysis has great power in analyzing data, and in business decisions, which makes it absolutely indispensable in marketing, research, financial services and medical or clinical research. At a higher level, PhD statistics analysis is often used in solving business problems, consulting projects, term papers, and dissertations. Statistical analysis is required in nearly every aspect of life. Almost every type of business, risk assessment, data analysis, data mining and decision support can be carried out using statistics.

There are different methods involved in PhD statistics analysis, including but not limited to: Factor Analysis, which is used to describe variability among observed variables in terms of fewer unobserved variables called factors; Discriminant Analysis, used to determine the class of an observation based on a set of variables known as predictors or input variables; Cluster Analysis, the assignment of objects into groups (called clusters) so that objects from the same cluster are more similar to each other than objects from different clusters; and Multi dimensional Scaling, a set of related statistical techniques often used in information visualization for exploring similarities or dissimilarities in data. Other techniques include Logistic Regression, a model used for prediction of the probability of occurrence of an event by fitting data to a logistic curve; Conjoint Analysis, a statistical technique used in market research to determine how people value different features that make up an individual product or service; Structural Analysis, which comprises the set of physical laws and mathematics required to study and predicts the behavior of structures; and Time Series Analysis, a sequence of data points measured typically at successive times, spaced at (often uniform) time intervals.

It is very important for researchers and professionals alike to achieve exact and accurate results with PhD statistics analysis so that they can reach meaningful results and decisions. In order to get accurate results and conclusions, one has to be very careful with the techniques and resources with which research has been carried out. We are all aware that problems can arise due to the inaccessibility of resources or inefficiency of the skills, where professional and organized guidance in statistical analysis really helps. A statistical consultant is a professional who provides statistical tools and advice on how to implement them in to a project. PhD statistics analysis helps in many diverse scenarios, including evaluating the picture and making recommendations on which methods are most suitable for data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results. A statistical consultant may offer an array of services in PhD statistics analysis to suit different budgets and goals.

At the university level, consultants provide help to the students as well as to the teachers for achieving results. Statistical consultants can be an associate with the faculty in providing help and guidance to graduate students for their thesis, proposals and dissertations -- where students often need help. A consultant can be of great use to business people by taking care of the internal data flow and extracting useful information from it. Thus, having access to a statistical consultant can be very fruitful. For students, the experience is like having a supervisor writing their dissertation for them, while for business people, it is like having the experts weigh in, allowing them to forget about all their worries.

With all the benefits of hiring a statistical consultant, one should be very attentive to this decision, as the entire work is based on the quality of the services provided by the consultant. It should be a well thought out decision, where all the aspects of one’s requirements should be taken into consideration. Choose a consultant who is responsible and responsive to your needs with open communication and -- of course -- has the requisite skills and knowledge of the subject being researched. One should also be aware that hiring a consultant is not belittling one’s own knowledge; rather, it is utilizing available expertise. The key to hiring a statistical consultant is to realize one’s own needs and resources, and then utilize professional expertise to achieve the desired outcome.


Monday, March 9, 2009

Statistical Consultant


Statistics and data analysis are fast becoming the norm for conducting internal audits and performance reviews. In certain industry domains such as marketing, research, financial services and medical or clinical research, statistics are nearly indispensible. This significance stems from the immense power of statistics in analyzing data and in achieving important growth and efficiency objectives. We all know how critical it is for businesses and researchers alike to achieve robust, accurate results that can lead to meaningful results, interpretations and business decisions. The problem lies in the fact that in many cases, the necessary skills to harness the power of statistics are simply not available or accessible. This is where a statistical consultant can come in handy.

A statistical consultant can play a pivotal role in a research project as statistical consultants are trained to produce high quality results. A statistical consultant is a professional who provides statistical tools and advice, and who has the know-how to implement these tools in a project. Ideally, a statistical consultant should be able to step into diverse settings, evaluate the scenario and make recommendations as to which methods are most suitable for data collection, analysis and interpretation of results. Depending on the need, a statistical consultant may offer an array of services to suit different budgets and goals, ranging from hundreds, to thousands, to a few million or more.

The application of a statistical consultant is frequently within an academic environment such as a university. More importantly, a statistical consultant is valuable on all levels of academia. In other words, it is not just with major research projects that statistical consultants are involved. Rather, statistical consultants are invaluable on a micro level as well. In such a setting, a statistical consultant is hired with the purpose of helping graduate students and faculty members with statistical issues related to their research. This encompasses subjects outside the normal statistics-related subjects as there are other subjects that may, in whole or part, involve statistical analysis. Besides lending a helping hand to students and faculty members, a statistical consultant can also provide consultation on statistical methodologies and research design. They can even help in writing up data analysis plans and results of statistical analysis, as well as prepare for theses presentations and proposals.

A professional statistical consultant can also provide immense support for businesses by helping them take charge of their internal data flow. Thus, a statistical consultant can extract meaningful information from internal data and can thereby help a business be more successful. Overall, be it an academic, research or business exercise, the key benefits of using a statistical consultant is the ability to have a high level of skill in a critical field, on an ad-hoc basis. In short, it is like having an expert come in and do the job needed, without having to worry about payroll or other issues.

Hiring a statistical consultant should be a well thought-out business decision, rather than a “make-up” decision to appease shareholders or upper management. With a sound plan and real commitment with overall buy-in, a statistical consultant can do wonders. Of course, a caveat is that the statistical consultant must actually fit the bill in terms of skills, personality and abilities. The first step is to choose a consultant who is professional, responsive and sensitive to your needs and who is able to communicate effectively. Of course, skills and knowledge are a must, in addition to experience, which can never be too great. He or she must listen and understand your problem effectively and devise a strategy that not only works, but works in a desirable manner without too much collateral damage. In other words, it is important to hire someone who understands both the quantitative and the qualitative aspects of business or academia—one who is able to deliver results while seeing the larger picture of what you want to achieve and how exactly, you want to achieve it.

All in all, a statistical consultant can be an excellent asset for projects involving statistical analysis and design. Whether it is a small scale business or a very large one, statistical consultants can help provide the necessary inputs and expertise to take your business to the next level or land that million dollar patent. It is important to remember, however, that it is not a panacea, and a statistical consultant can only provide the tools and guidance. The actions or steps still have to be implemented and this goes to underline the importance of commitment. In an academic setting, the right statistical consultant will provide the necessary guidance and advice, but never attempt to sideline ethics and standards of academic honesty. Thus, your work will be your work, though your final outcome will have been both expedited and made easier with the invaluable help, guidance and support of a statistical consultant.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Statistical Consulting Service


This is the era of stiff commercial competition among organizations, which must constantly strive to remain on top or fizzle out as a has-been. Today, organizations are using every available means to topple other organizations out of the business. Evaluating internal performance and efficiency can benefit greatly from the use of statistical analysis to identify key areas of development along with success factors. In addition, academics can employ a statistical consulting service to support their academic pursuits including theses, dissertations, term papers and much more. Typically the ideal statistics consulting service is one that is open with communication and provides innovative ideas on how to improve performance. The focus should be not on measurement, but also on interpretation.


In universities, a statistics consulting service can help tremendously in improving the output from research activities. Universities and colleges act as the source of new knowledge in our society and for these universities, the vast array of research projects can sometimes become overwhelming, especially when managing the projects on strict schedules and budgets is required. Frequently, graduate students hire a statistical consulting service to help them interpret the data that they have collected for theses and dissertations either because they don’t have time to do so or they just don’t have the expertise that they need to get a good grade. In addition, a number of students outside the area of statistics, say in medicine, are preparing theses or dissertations that require statistical analysis of large amounts of data. Frequently, such students have no clue as to what methods to use to answer their research questions, much less actually carry them out.

However, be it telecommunications, financial services, research or marketing, nearly every entity can benefit from a statistics consulting service as it helps bring in not only expertise, but also a real world perspective as well as the benefit of an outsider’s bias-free opinion. There may be a generic statistics consulting service or a specialized one. The suitability of one versus the other depends on the needs of the specific project. For instance, a statistics consulting service may specialize in solutions for financial services. This may be due to the team’s education orientation or experience, or simply their core area of expertise. At other times, a statistics consulting service will be more generic, and able to provide holistic solutions to most industry verticals.

It is pretty much essential that the statistics consulting service in question must have required knowledge and expertise in various statistical methodologies and packages. At the same time, the statistics consulting service must exhibit a strong offering in terms of quantitative aspects such as professionalism, attention to detail, the ability to listen to and understand client requirements in detail and so on.

Producing output is one thing, converting it into meaningful decisions another. Be it a student or a CEO of a large corporation, the key difference between an average and great statistics consulting service is the ability to make sense out of large amounts of data.

In choosing a statistics consulting service, emphasize open exchange of information. Besides the requisite qualifications of the team, including atleast one Ph.D qualified statistician, the team members must possess the requisite knowledge and experience in dealing with real world problems. For research clients, designing experiments, carrying out surveys, data cleansing are also critical components. Particularly at the academic level, it is important to ensure that the students’ original intention is kept intact and the individual flavor of the dissertation is maintained.


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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Statistical Analysis Help

Statistical analysis help can go a long way in analyzing complex statistical problems faced by students, researchers and members of the business community. For example, a good statistical analyst can understand the underlying research problem, create a meaningful survey, and analyze the results to generate useful information.

Statistical analysis is often used in clinical research, market research and other business organization to evaluate the business environment based on surveys, statistics and empirical evidence. At the university level, statistical analysis is often used in solving business problems, consulting projects, term papers, theses and dissertations. Statistical analysis help can aid not only in controlling costs in a business environment, but also making the research or academic exercise accurate and meaningful, particularly for those not skilled in statistics.

There are several applications of statistical analysis in nearly every aspect of life. In business, risk assessment, data analysis, data mining and decision support can all be carried out using statistics. A general understanding of statistics should be present in every team member in order to have a strong understanding of business efficiency and quality metrics. In the academic context, statistical analysis help can aid in the development of interesting business ideas and propositions, with empirical validity. There are often cases where a term paper involves writing on a subject which requires statistical validity- that’s where statistical analysis help can come in handy.

In the research setting, be it in a university or a large pharma or biotech firm, statistical analysis can be applied to developing more robust models for clinical subjects and/or creating a more reliable solution for any disease or ailment. The case for statistical analysis help is similar to the case for a management consultant- the enterprise or student may be well versed in the subject matter but may not always have the benefit of the outsider view, which a consultant has. Statistical analysis can provide that benefit.

Particularly where large amounts of internal data need to be analyzed, external assistance with statistical analysis can aid in unbiased and critical evaluation of metrics that can aid better business decisions and essentially create a more efficient platform for operations. These decisions can go a long way in enhancing the growth rate of an organization in the long run.

Statistical analysis help can be obtained from experts including professors, business consultants, researchers and specialized statistical consultants. The selection of the specific expert should be based on your needs and budget, along with the qualifications of the respective firm or professional that you select. In addition, it’s important to emphasize the qualitative aspect of the relationship in terms of whether or not there is a style and ideological fit between the student or researcher and the statistical consultant. For instance, there are people who would like to completely write a dissertation themselves, while others are simply looking for support in the form of guidance or corrective advice. A qualified consultant will be able to understand and fulfil the specific needs of the client rather than enforce their cookie-cutter based products on them.

Nearly everyone today requires statistical analysis help or consulting, even if it’s a highly qualified statistician. The reason is not shortage of skills or lack of understanding. The simplest way to think about it is a more efficient use of available time and resources. For instance, a student who works full time to pay for school, may not have enough time to devote to actually doing the SPSS tasks required to complete the analysis. In addition, there may be some problem areas that even a Ph.D level candidate may need a second opinion on.

Thus, statistical analysis help doesn’t have to mean that a person in need of such help is poorly qualified or doesn’t know enough to do their job themselves. Often, it’s a question of efficiency and accuracy in the larger interest of which, it makes sense to obtain external help. Given the right source, it can often mean the same thing as asking a friend for help.


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