Applied Business Analytics (Spring 2021)

Teaching Fellow

Business Analytics has become a core function in many firms today and is driving innovation in the form of new business and operating models. Data-driven decision-making requires understanding of statistics, computer science, data visualization and data curation, communications, and ethics. A business analyst who understands all of these components is key in enabling productive conversations among engineers, statisticians and the various business functions in an organization.

Understanding statistics and modern computing methods is a great asset, but creating the value from this asset requires knowing how to ask and answer the right questions. Choosing the right question and solving a problem appropriately require a deep understanding of the business context as well as familiarity with the subtleties of working with data and applying statistical methods. First, one must understand the business context from a business model or operating model perspective. Second, one must figure out how to use data and analytics to help inform a solution to the identified problem. Finally, managers and leaders should develop the capability to communicate insights from the analysis to the various stakeholders.

Applied Business Analytics targets students who want to build an understanding of how data and analytics are being used to drive decisions in a variety of industrial and organizational contexts. The course is intended for both novices and students with previous exposure to data science and analytics. During 28 sessions, students will learn foundational Business Analytics concepts, tools and techniques, and will have hands-on experience using Tableau, R, and SQL. The course will focus on business applications, including a manager’s role in hypothesis formation, model design, the interpretation of results, and the formulation of actionable recommendations.