Statistics as a branch of mathematics can be defined the study of numerical information (data) and it involves collection, organization and analysis (statistics.about.com) whereas a database can be defined as a collection of information that is organized so that it can easily be accessed, managed, and updated (searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/database). According to (Crawshaw, J & Chambers, 1994), the data in a database can be in form of different variables namely;
Qualitative variables which describe values or measurements in form of grouping. These variables are measured on nominal or ordinal scales. Examples in this case is gender which either male or female, the eye colour, the hair complexion and similar data sets (wikieducator.org/MathGloss/Q/Qualitative_Variable).
Quantitative data which is measured using numbers normally on a ratio scale. On an interval or ordinal scale, it described with comparative terms like less or more and can be determined for example the number of goals scored per football match.
Discrete variables which can only be given by exact values like the number of cars passing a given check point in an interval of time say 10 minutes, the number of employees in a given company and such similar set of data.
Continuous variables or data that cannot take exact values but is always given only within certain range and measured to certain degree of accuracy or as may be specified.
Univariate variable is an expression, equation or function or polynomial which has only one variable whereas bivariate variables refer to expressions or equations that have two variables.
Statistics is an important mathematical tool. It is very much applied in various sectors which include business, psychology, economics, advertising, demography, management, finance, marketing, to mention but a few. In accounting, we can use random sampling to estimate the quality of whole accounts population. For finance, study of trend analysis and correlation are very common when forecasts in the economy are made. Whereas in management, sampling of opinion polls and data relating to personnel are courtesy of statistics as well as in marketing where customer surveys, the correlation between advertising expenditure and the increased revenues and market size estimates are all applications of statistics.
Statistics is very important for the fact that it can provide instant information on any type of subject that may under study. In fact statistics can be applied in office because it makes decision making very easy. This is achievable with proper use of statistics and proper use of statistical software packages on the gathered data. It helps managers take effective decisions, which can increase the profit levels in any business (www.scribd.com/doc/32264643/functions_of_statistics). When collected data has been grouped and decisions are to be taken, depending on the type of event or occurrence be it independent event, mutually exclusive or exhaustive event or conditional event, an informed choice can be made instead of speculating and guessing which shall not be backed with reason whatsoever.
Statistics can also simplify mass data when statistical concepts are used. The manager of a given organization can make decisions more easily when mass data has been simplified. However this is possible for the case when statistical methods have been used to reduce the complexity of the mass data and has been clearly understood. (www.scribd.com/3530536/Application_of_Statistics)
The importance and applications of statistics cannot be wholly exhausted. Its importance can range from helping school mangers about all aspects in the institution to solving any problems in any domain, supporting decisions made and eliminating chances of guess work.
In business, economics and finance, descriptive statistics is also important when it comes to index numbers which can be used to arrive at consumer price indices which are used to measure the inflationary tendencies of the state. This also important for development.
In this survey, the total number of individuals is 44, with 23 of them male and the 21 female.
With respect to tenure in the company, 23 of these individuals have been with company for less than 2 years, these include 11 male and 12 female. 10 individuals of which 5 are male and 5 female have been with the company for a period of 2 to 5 years whereas those who have been with the company for a period over years are 11 of whom 7 are male and 4 are female.
The individual attachments to departments with respective percentages are; human resources with 25%, information technology with 34.1% and finally administration department has 40.9% of all the individual workers
The sample mean for intrinsic value for the workers is 5.09 for male and also 5.09 for female. This makes the mean of the whole population stand at 5.09.
The probability distribution of the individuals in the sample by age is 0.2727 for the individuals between 16 to 21 years, 0.4318 for 22 to 49 years and 0.2955 lie in the age bracket of 50 to 65 years.
Other statistics show that the probability of overall job satisfaction above 5.2 is 0.5455, the probability that a female is in the human resources department is 0.0909 and the probability that a salaried employee has intrinsic value of more than 5 is 0.2045.
References
Crawshaw, J & Chambers, J (1994). A Concise Course in A- Level Statistics. Stanley Thornes Publishers Ltd.
www.scribd.com/doc/32264643/Functions_of_Statistics
www.scribd.com/doc/3530536/Applications_of_Statistics
statistics.about.com/od/HelpandTutorials/a/what_is_statistics
wikieducator.org/MathGloss/Q/Qualitative_Variable
