Decision Making with Insight (Includes Insight.xla 2.0)

Rating:
Summary: Very practical! Inspiring! A turning point!
Review: Dr. Savage, a second generation statistician and consulting professor at Stanford University, provides a practical and hands-on introduction to analytical decision making. The book is jam-packed with extremely sound theory presented in an easy to read format. The methods presented use the familiar language of Microsoft Excel to crack complicated problems with relative ease! This book & accompanying software helped me better understand 6-years of advanced engineering and business training. If we had computers 2000-years ago, the entire sciences of calculus and statistics may never have evolved -- theory becomes far less important in a world of modeling and simulation! Highly recommended as an excellent resource for researchers, practioners, and educators alike.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Bang for the Buck!
Review: I wish we had this book at Wharton. This is an excellent book on Monte Carlo modeling and optimization, among other things. You just can't beat the value of the book + software, and I personally like XLSim better than Crystal Ball because it gives you the EXACT SAME result, but in a much faster time frame and with far less complicated programming. Dr. Savage teaches you while you do the examples in the book. It is truly a great way to learn a complex, but very rewarding subject. You'll never do an IRR or NPV proforma analysis in the same way again.

Rating:
Summary: The "algebraic cloud" has lifted!!
Review: In his book, Decision Making with Insight, Dr. Savage really does lift the algegraic cloud that hinders the learning of management science and modeling. I second the above remark, I wish I had this type of text when I was in MBA school. The examples are truely enlightening.

I am actually reading this book for plan fun!