BUSI4M710: Business Analytics (FT)

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• To provide an appreciation of descriptive, predictive and prescriptive business-analytics techniques.
• To provide knowledge of, and ability to apply, a range of business-analytics techniques.
• To implement business-analytics models using appropriate software.
• To show how business analytics can help companies to make better decisions.
• To explore ethical issues with managing data.

• Descriptive techniques e.g. data visualisation, data analysis, and descriptive statistics.
• Predictive techniques e.g. data mining.
• Prescriptive techniques e.g. linear optimisation models.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• At the end of this module, students should:
• Have in-depth knowledge of a range of business-analytics techniques and be able to apply them critically to management problems.
• Have an understanding of the applicability and limitations of business-analytics techniques.

Subject-specific Skills:

• At the end of the module students should be able to:
• Choose appropriate business-analytics techniques for some key management problems.
• Implement business-analytics models using appropriate software.
• Interpret the results of business-analytics models and their relevance for companies.

Key Skills:

• Effective written communication skills
• Planning, organising and time-management skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• Advanced skills in the interpretation of data for management decision-making
• Advanced skills in the use of electronic spreadsheet software

• Learning outcomes are met through classroom-based workshops which include a mix of taught input, groupwork, case studies and discussion. These are supplemented by directed reading and online resources typically including video content, reflective activities, opportunities for self-assessment and peer-to-peer learning within tutor-facilitated discussions.
• The formative assessment consists of a plan for the summative task, on which individual feedback will be provided. In addition, students undertake classroom-based exercises involving individual and group analyses and presentations on specific business situations/problems, on which group/individual feedback will be provided as appropriate. These are designed to further prepare students for the summative project by developing their technical skills and their understanding of the application of business-analytics techniques.
• The summative assessment is an individual business analytics project, which is designed to test the ability to formulate a problem, apply appropriate business-analytics techniques to analyse it, and critically interpret the results obtained. It will not require students to interact directly with a business. The word limit is 3,000 words excluding tables/other outputs generated from the data analysis.

Individual plan for summative business analytics project, on which individual feedback will be provided. Classroom-based exercises involving individual and group analyses and presentations on specific business situations/problems involving the application of business-analytics techniques.

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