After twenty years of teaching basic undergraduate business statistics, more students seem to be unsuccessful in their initial attempts at this core business course. This researcher observed increasing failure rates in this course, and discussions with other business statistics instructors in the same school indicate similar conclusions. The purpose of this research is to determine if other business schools are experiencing similar problems and, if so, investigate current literature to determine the causes of the problem and their recommended or implemented solutions. Students attempting basic business statistics should have a solid mathematics foundation based on common prerequisites of college-level algebra and calculus. Even if students’ skills in these areas are minimal, most mathematical business statistics formulae are less complicated than those covered in a calculus course, and basic business calculators can solve the more complex formulae. Further, use of Excel, typically included in prerequisite MIS courses, should facilitate success of students. The use of findings from this research may enable instructors to improve students’ success rates.