67 - Business Analytics

This course is a survey of quantitative methods as they apply to the problems of business management, marketing, finance and economics. This course involves study and analysis of numerous methods such as linear programming, forecasting, queuing models, inventory analysis and project planning and control methods. Students are also introduced to probability and statistical concepts, measurements of central tendency and regression and correlation analysis.

This course includes the following four components: Accounting and Budgeting for Managers will provide concepts, techniques and tools for making fiscally sound decisions pay off on the job and on the bottom line. Get a firm grasp of the numbers side of your job and gain greater confidence with a working knowledge of the numbers end of the business. Take the guesswork out of your decision making and deliver better bottom-line results. Applied Economics in Management is designed for non-financial managers in every functional area of responsibility, in all industry types, in both the public and private sectors. Finance for Managers will help participants increase their understanding of revenue or expense budgets and financial statements and build an appreciation for the financial impact of their business decisions. Topics include how to identify the factors influencing a company’s cash flow and profitability and describing key financial and accounting terms and principles. Marketing Fundamentals considers the "Four Ps" of the marketing mix (product, place, promotion and price) as well as strategies that guide their use. Students are introduced to the case study method as a means of applying and reinforcing marketing principles.

Legal and ethical issues are important concepts in this field. This course covers the following topics: policy implications of the use of computers and in particular of the security of computers in modern society; fundamentals of American law with particular regard to the legal aspects of the use of computers and of computer security; the organization and use of the American legal system; ethical challenges in a technological environment; identification of organizations and materials that can be of assistance in resolving or responding to policy, legal, and ethical issues; and social and public policy issues pertaining to the commercial development, availability, and marketing of both software and hardware for encryption.

This course introduces the foundations of data warehousing concepts. Business data warehouse development methodology and data warehouse planning stages are discussed. Identification of business requirements, feasibility analysis and development of logical data warehouse models will be discussed. The students will learn the development of the data architecture as well as the implementation and administration of the data warehouse.

The students will have an in-depth understanding of the visualization techniques for business data. Several data visualization techniques for improved decision making and problems solving will be discussed. The students will learn how to transform complex categorical data to equivalent easy to use visual representation. Current tools and development environments will be discussed.

This course is a hands-on study of the current data mining techniques for business decisions. The discussed methodology includes decision trees, rule based reasoning, neural networks, and cluster analysis. The techniques are demonstrated with data from finance, marketing, operations, economics and other disciplines.

This course focuses on competitiveness, with emphasis placed on the close coordination of business unit operational decision making and strategic planning. Topics covered include product process design, inventory management, quality management, forecasting and statistical quality control. Operations management is an interesting mix of managing people and applying sophisticated technology. The goal is to efficiently create wealth by supplying quality goods and services.

This course focuses on operational coordination within a firm and gradually transitions to include inter-function, inter-firm and international coordination. Specific modules focus on retail operations and the role of supply chain intermediaries, for example, distributors and sourcing agents. The impact of incentives and market imperfections, and the changing impact of the Internet and other information technology on supply chain operations are emphasized.

This Marketing course gives students an opportunity to learn more about creating and implementing strategies. Students create and analyze strategic marketing plans with emphasis on several small cases as well as a semester case project.

The students will learn the business analytic tools to help with supply chain optimization. The course introduces the techniques and the industry applications for strategic and operational issues of supply chain management. The course covers the data management practices for a globally connected business.

Students apply corporate finance theory from a management perspective. Analysis of financial statements, mergers and acquisitions and leasing are emphasized.

An overview of risk and return for various financial instruments is presented, consistent with the learning objectives for Level I of the CFA exam. Topics also covered include the mechanics of security trading, market efficiency, and fundamental analysis of equities.

The use of futures, options, and swaps in hedging and speculation is covered. Pricing theory, applications, and operational issues will be introduced.

This course will demonstrate the integrative nature of financial decisions from both the capital market and firm management perspectives.  Financial modeling and case studies will be used to analyze the creation of shareholder value.  Successful completion of the course will entail a comprehensive project consistent with the learning outcomes.  Excel proficiency is required for successful completion of this course.

This course is a study of developing and administering current techniques of data collection, statistical and computer analysis of data and the oral and written presentation. Applications of marketing research information are analyzed for relevant business situations.

This course is an introduction to database management systems. Fundamentals of database models are discussed. Designs and issues concerning storage, access and management of data and information are explored.

Probability and statistical techniques as applies to financial markets. Topics will replicate those for CFA® Level I program and typically include correlation and regression in the prediction and evaluation of investment performance.

This course discusses the use of social media analytics tools in order to assess if the current social media plan is successful in achieving its set goals. You will learn how to setup and use some of the leading web analytics tools available such as Google Analytics, Woopra, SocialAnalytics, Webtrends Analytics, Twitter Analytics, Facebook Analytics and/or Visistats. These tools use several techniques including server log files, cookies, web bugs, and page tagging. The course will also cover the key performance indicators for website which are referred to as Website metrics.

This course introduces the use of current information technology for healthcare and health data systems. It is designed to give the student an understanding of the different types of data captured, analyzed, maintained and processed for medical studies.

This course examines the current legal environment for confidentiality of healthcare data. It introduces the laws, regulations, policy and procedures for protecting sensitive patient data. The students learn risk assessment and how to address potential threats in a healthcare setting. Security policy and procedure development methods to secure the healthcare data as required by current laws are discussed in detail.

Designed for the in-depth study of the healthcare systems, this course teaches systems analysis and design specifically for the healthcare data. The students learn how to identify business problem statements for healthcare organizations, how to identify data requirements, how to gather data for detailed systems analysis. Systems development techniques to address business problems by improving existing information systems or developing new information systems are explained. Data manipulation concepts for health information systems are introduced. 

This course introduces students to the current data mining and business intelligence tools for informed decision making. The tools to process and analyze increasingly complicated data sets are explained. Real-life scenarios from finance, CRM, operations, social media marketing, information systems and other disciplines are studied in detail. Specifically decision trees, classification, clustering, segmentation, decision support systems, search algorithms, data mining, factor and discriminant analysis and optimization concepts for both structured and unstructed data are discussed.

This course will allow students to demonstrate proficiency in business analytics with a semester project. The students are expected to employ the skills presented throughout the curriculum in an organized manner to solve realistic business data management problems. Mastery of skills for the student’s identified concentration is expected.