| Each year, businesses invest billions of dollars developing mathematical
models to assist with sales, marketing, and production decisions.
Determining whether to increase the size of the sales force or to
launch a new television advertising campaign frequently requires the
expertise of someone like Daniel Brox, an Operations Research Analyst
for the multinational consulting firm ZS Associates. In 1997, Brox
graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a mathematics
major and minors in economics and political science. Given Brox’s
interests, a friend suggested employment opportunities at ZS Associates.
One year ago, Brox joined the firm.
Although ZS Associates’ clients include all aspects of industry,
the firm primarily serves pharmaceutical companies seeking sales
and marketing consulting services. The client company provides ZS
with data. ZS then applies mathematical and statistical models to
emulate the operations of the market. The models input vast sums
of complicated data and output the information in an understandable
form.
A team at ZS Associates, including Brox, recently analyzed the
introduction of a new medical drug. The team collated and interpreted
data gathered from physician surveys. The mathematical models revealed
correlations between physician attitudes and their recommendation
of the product. The pharmaceutical company used this information
to more effectively market the product to doctors and, consequently,
to patients. Improvements included developing better sales techniques
and targeting the most receptive markets.
Brox described his experiences at ZS Associates with eagerness
and detail. However, he cautioned that consulting poses some distressing
situations, especially when the recommendations are grim. “When
a client asks us how many sales representatives they need to market
a product, they really want to know whether they should increase
or decrease the number of people they employ. Fortunately, everything
I’ve worked on so far has required upsizing, but it isn’t
always so positive.”
Brox credits his mathematical studies with preparing him “to
handle the complexities of day-to-day analysis.” Although
much of the mathematics he learned at UNL integrates directly into
his employment responsibilities, Brox emphasized that the value
of his mathematics education extends well beyond the acquisition
of specific skills or factual knowledge. Brox explained, “I
have never once been asked to solve a linear program. However, the
process of defining a complex situation symbolically, which I also
learned in the same course, has proved invaluable.”
Last July, Brox’s employment with ZS obtained an additional
element of excitement. At Brox’s request, the firm stationed
him in the London Office, which he describes as “an opportunity
to work in a truly world class city.” |
