ABSTRACT
Mature students who are line managers in the local public or private sector and who are studying for a three-year, part-time Masters in Business Administration (MBA) provide the setting for the example provided in this chapter.
Poor appreciation of quantitative methods has implications for the workplace and managerial decision making. Many with numeracy and literacy limitations do not see it as a problem, carrying the attitude to the workplace and thus causing employers dissatisfaction.
In the example utilized here, the practical application directly promotes the usefulness of quantitative methods by introducing software to support decision making. This occurs first of all in the classroom but is assessed with reference to work conducted in the student’s office or factory.
Work-based assessment enhances the taught aspect by developing a critical evaluation of, and competency in, the numerical techniques. Students are sufficiently inspired to advance the techniques into their work environment, through the self-collection of data and selection of appropriate analysis and software.
