Research Methods – Data Analysis Techniques

Authors

Polona Tominc
University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7172-2316 (unauthenticated)
Vesna Čančer
University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5869-4760 (unauthenticated)
Maja Rožman
University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8546-4351 (unauthenticated)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18690/um.epf.1.2026

Keywords:

statistical methods, descriptive statistics, univariate statistics, multivariate statistics, data science

Synopsis

The tutorial Research Methods – Data Analysis Techniques is intended for master’s students of the programme Economic and Business Sciences, specialization Data Science in Business. It provides a systematic and practice-oriented overview of quantitative methods and statistical analyses using the SPSS software. The material connects theoretical foundations with real-world business examples, encouraging the development of data literacy and analytical reasoning. It covers topics such as descriptive statistics, sampling, normal distribution, parametric and nonparametric tests, regression and factor analysis, time series analysis, discriminant analysis, and Monte Carlo simulation. The publication equips students with practical research and analytical skills essential for understanding contemporary data-driven challenges and for making evidence-based decisions in business environments.

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Author Biographies

Polona Tominc, University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Prof. Tominc focuses her research work on various aspects of the use and development of quantitative research methods in the fields of management and business sciences, especially in the field of entrepreneurship. She leads the research program Entrepreneurship for Innovative Society. She has participated in more than 40 scientific and professional foreign and domestic conferences, is the author or co-author of chapters in foreign and domestic scientific monographs and scientific and professional articles published in esteemed foreign and domestic journals. She is teaching at the doctoral, master and bachelor level at the Faculty of Economics and Business University of Maribor and has conducted several invited lectures in Slovenia and abroad.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: polona.tominc@um.si

Vesna Čančer, University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Vesna Čančer, Ph.D. in economic and business sciences, is a full professor of quantitative methods in business science at the University of Maribor’s Faculty of Economics and Business. Her research focuses primarily on decision analysis with an emphasis on multi-criteria decision-making and creative problem solving, research methods, data analysis techniques, and operations research. She headed several research projects for the application of multi-criteria methods in business practice. She also transfers the results of her research work into pedagogical work at all three levels. She is a member of the Section for Operational Research of the Slovenian Society Informatika.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: vesna.cancer@um.si

Maja Rožman, University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Maja Rožman, PhD is an assistant professor in the field of quantitative economic analyses at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of Quantitative Economic Analyses. Her research work is focused on structural equation modelling and on contemporary management challenges in organizations. She is interested in quantitative methods in economics and business sciences. Her research work at a foreign university was done at the University of Zadar, Department of Economics. As a researcher and member of the Institute for Operational Research, she is involved in several international and market research projects. Also, she leads smaller domestic projects for the economy and some projects where she is connected to international streams of research.

Maribor, Slovenia. E-mail: maja.rozman1@um.si

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Published

January 21, 2026

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Copyright (c) 2026 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press

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Details about this monograph

COBISS.SI ID (00)

264425987

THEMA Subject Codes (93)

KJB

ISBN-13 (15)

978-961-299-098-5

Date of first publication (11)

2026-01-21

How to Cite

Tominc, P., Čančer, V., & Rožman, M. (2026). Research Methods – Data Analysis Techniques. University of Maribor Press. https://doi.org/10.18690/um.epf.1.2026