analysis a‧nal‧y‧sis [əˈnælss] noun analyses PLURALFORM [-siːz] [countable, uncountable]
1. a careful examination of something in order to understand it better:
• The researchers carried out a detailed analysis of recent trends in share prices.
• different methods of statistical analysis
a method of studying how much profit a business or product can make, by showing at what level of production costs are just covered by income and neither a profit nor a loss is being made
ˈcluster aˌnalysis
STATISTICS the process of studying things in order to find groups that have characteristics in common:
• Where cluster analysis can show the existence of large groupings, then these may be used as marketing targets.
the study of competing companies in an industry to see how each works, what makes them successful etc:
• Competitive analysis is a powerful tool in formulating a strategy, because it can spot gaps between you and your competitor in cost, quality and timeliness.
ˌcost-ˈbenefit aˌnalysis written abbreviation CBA COMMERCE
a study of the advantages of buying equipment, building new buildings etc in relation to their cost:
• The airport will have to do a cost-benefit analysis before building the new runway.
ˈcredit aˌnalysis
ˌcritical ˈpath aˌnalysis also ˌcritical ˈpath ˌmethod ( CPM), ˌcritical ˈpath ˌplanning ( CPP) MANUFACTURING
a method of planning a large piece of work by planning the different stages of it so that there will be few delays and the cost will be as low as possible
study of economic systems or a study of a production process or an industry to see if it is operating effectively and how much profit it is making:
• a detailed economic analysis of the plant's conversion to gas power
ˈfactor aˌnalysis
STATISTICS a way of understanding a large amount of
data by putting similar results together in a group:
• A factor analysis identified ten significant factors affecting women's rights in the workplace.
analysis of the financial state of a company or person:
• Decisions about where we invest the stockholders' money will be based on financial analysis.
a method of examining an area of business and comparing what customers want with what is already available, and used especially when developing new products
analysis of conditions in an industry at a particular time, including the behaviour of and relations between competitors, suppliers, and customers:
• The director of industry analysis at Alcan says he can see signs of a pickup in aluminum demand.
analysis of a job to see what it involves and what skills and experience are needed in order to do it, so that an employer can choose the right person for the job
the study of all the effects that a product has on the environment during its life:
• Life-cycle analyses are difficult because no one knows just how to measure and compare all the environmental risks associated with products.
Paˈreto aˌnalysis STATISTICS
a method using Statistics that helps you to discover the most important causes of an effect. This information helps you to decide which action will be the most effective:
• Pareto analysis not only shows you the most important problem to solve, it also gives you a score showing how severe the problem is.
an analysis of a market in which political, economic, social, and
technological matters are considered
a method of calculating how a company is performing by comparing the relationships between different figures, for example the ratio of profits to sales:
• Ratio analysis can provide a useful snapshot of a company's finances.
reˈgression aˌnalysis
STATISTICS a method of measuring the relationship between the changing value of one thing and the changing values of other related things:
• Regression analysis is a statistical technique for predicting demand for a product from the value of one or more other factors.
ˈrisk aˌnalysis
1. ACCOUNTING when you calculate how much risk there is of not being paid if you supply a company in a foreign country with goods or services
2. BANKING when a bank calculates how much risk there is of not being paid if it makes a loan to a foreign country:
• Despite the use of country risk analysis, it must be admitted that competition for loan business has sometimes encouraged banks to indulge in unwise lending.
3. MANUFACTURING when a check is made on a factory to see that it is operating safely:
• The plant, which treats hazardous wastes, had a risk analysis carried out last year in response to public concern.
— risk analyst noun [countable] :
• A bank's country risk analysts must consider a country's political structure.
ˈsales aˌnalysis
MARKETING a careful examination of a company's sales records, that is done to measure the company's performance and to try and improve it:
• Research into market trends is provided by the statistics contained in sales analysis.
sensiˈtivity aˌnalysis
STATISTICS a careful analysis of a particular situation, that measures how possible changes in the future will affect it:
• A sensitivity analysis will improve the quality of the final decision.
a careful examination of the most important things which have an influence on the success of an organization:
• a strategic analysis of competitive strengths
• the links between strategic analysis and accounting
ˌstructural aˈnalysis
1. COMMERCE the careful examination of the structure of a whole industry, organization etc in order to find out how its parts relate to each other and to make plans for the future
2. PROPERTY the careful examination of the physical structure of a material, building etc in order to find out what it is made of or whether there is anything wrong with it:
• A structural analysis showed that the roof was sound.
ˌtechnical aˈnalysis
FINANCE a method of working out how share prices will change in the future by carefully examining the quantities that have been bought and sold, changes in price etc, rather than by examining the financial details of particular companies
ˈtraining ˌneeds aˌnalysis abbreviation TNA
HUMAN RESOURCES a careful analysis of what training is necessary for a company's employees, so that they have the skills they need for the company to be successful:
• The company undertook a training needs analysis to help identify specific areas for staff development.
2. someone's opinion about a situation, after examining it and thinking about it carefully:
• Many other economists agree with his analysis.
* * *
analysis UK US /əˈnæləsɪs/ noun [C or U] (plural analyses /əˈnæləsiːz/)
► carry out/perform/conduct an analysis »
We carried out an analysis of visitors to the website by age, sex, and region.
scientific/chemical analysis »
Chemical analysis revealed a high content of copper.
detailed/comprehensive/in-depth analysis »
The data can be fed to a computer for detailed analysis.
»
statistical/structural/numerical analysis
► »
I was interested in Clare's analysis of the quarterly sales figures.
»
What's your analysis of the current economic crisis?
→
See also BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
break-even analysis),
CERTIFICATE OF ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
certificate of analysis),
CLUSTER ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
cluster analysis),
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
competitive analysis),
COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
cost-benefit analysis),
CREDIT ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
credit analysis),
CRITICAL PATH METHOD(
Cf. ↑
critical path method),
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
economic analysis),
FACTOR ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
factor analysis),
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
financial analysis),
GAP ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
gap analysis),
INDUSTRY ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
industry analysis),
JOB ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
job analysis),
LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
life cycle analysis),
MARKET ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
market analysis),
PARETO ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
Pareto analysis),
PEST ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
PEST analysis),
RATIO ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
ratio analysis),
REGRESSION ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
regression analysis),
RISK ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
risk analysis),
SALES ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
sales analysis),
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
sensitivity analysis),
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
strategic analysis),
STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
structural analysis),
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
technical analysis),
TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS(
Cf. ↑
training needs analysis)