Business Analytics

• Activity Number: 609
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 2, 2012 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Statistics in Business Schools
• Author(s): John D. McKenzie*+ and Kellie Keeling*+ and Curt Hinrichs*+
• Companies: Babson College and SAS Institute and University of Denver
• Keywords: Big Data ; Data Deluge ; Data Mining ; Massive ; Visualization ; Web Analytics

Abstract

In 2007 Davenport and Harris stated that business analytics refers to the skills, technologies, applications, and practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning. According to Wikipedia business analytics focuses on developing new insights and understanding of business performance based on data and statistical methods. The first panelist will discuss the need for business analytics courses in academic business programs. The second panelist will present an update on the programs in business analytics in the United States. This update will describe the required statistics, computer, and operation research courses associated with these courses. The third panelist will discuss how such a program was recently program created. At the end of their presentations there will be ample time for audience participation.