Analytics Specializations and Applications

Code

BUSI4370

School

Business

Level

4

Credits

20

Semesters

Spring UK

Summary

An in-depth look at specialised analytical techniques which present significant opportunities within business environments to extract actionable insights. Applications covered include Recommender Systems (e.g. collaborative filtering in business), Text Analytics (linguistic processing, social media analysis), Spatial/Temporal analytics (e.g. financial time series), Network analytics (e.g. social graph analysis) and High dimensional analytics.

Target Students

Only available for MSc Business Analytics students and MSc Exchange students.

Classes

• One 1-hour lecture each week for 11 weeks
• One 3-hour computing each week for 11 weeks

This module is taught through a combination of computing and lectures.

Assessment

• 50% Coursework 1: 3,000 words. Reassessment of this module will be 100% coursework (3,000 words).
• 50% Coursework 2: 3,000 words. Reassessment of this module will be 100% coursework (3,000 words).

Assessed by end of spring semester

Educational Aims

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

•    Marketing and sales – different approaches for segmentation, targeting, positioning, generating sales, and the need for innovation in product and service design
•    Customers and stakeholders - customer expectations, service and orientation
•    The management of projects
•    Tools and techniques for transforming (big) data into useful information for business analysis and decision support
•    Communications – the comprehension and use of relevant communications for application in business and management, including the use of digital tools
•    Digital business – the development of strategic priorities to deliver business at speed in an environment where digital technology is reshaping traditional revenue and business models, associated risk management

Intellectual Skills

•    Being able to think critically and be creative: manage the creative processes in self and others; organise thoughts, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise. This includes the capability to identify assumptions, evaluate statements in terms of evidence, detect false logic or reasoning, identify implicit values, define terms adequately and generalise appropriately
•    Being able to solve complex problems and make decisions: establish criteria, using appropriate decision-making techniques including identifying, formulating and solving business problems; and the ability to create, identify and evaluate options; the ability to implement and review decisions
•    Using information and knowledge effectively in order to abstract meaning from information and to share knowledge, including the use of quantitative skills
 

Professional/Practical Skills:
• The ability to conduct research and enquiry into business and management issues either individually or as part of a team through research design, the collection and analysis of qualitative data, synthesis and reporting
• The ability to recognise the need for and initiate change and to be able to manage change
• The ability to recognise and address ethical dilemmas, corporate social responsibility and sustainability issues, applying ethical and organisational values to situations and choices

Transferable (key) Skills

● Effective communication: networking, listening, oral and written communication of complex ideas and arguments, using a range of media, including the preparation of business reports
● High personal effectiveness: critical self-awareness, self-reflection and self-management time management conflict resolution, displaying commercial acumen, the ability to continue to learn through reflection on practice and experience
● Soft skills: understanding the needs of others and empathy towards them sensitivity to diversity in people and in different situations

Conveners

• Dr James Goulding