Data Science for Business

Catalog description

This course will investigate how data can be used to directly impact business decisions. The volume, variety, and velocity associated with currently available data motivate an important paradigm for data-driven decision-making in business. Beyond extracting information from data, and creating data-driven, real-time autonomous decision making systems, the data itself should be thought of as an asset for current and future use. In this course, we will study the core ideas behind data mining, challenges associated with big data, and the interplay between data science and business decisions. We will focus on (1) general principles that are long lasting despite the rapidly changing technology; (2) specific algorithms/technologies that are currently being used in many industries; and (3) 'hands-on' analyses of actual datasets to develop methodologies. Ultimately, the course aims to develop 'data-analytic' thinking. This should enable you to evaluate how data can improve performance, identify opportunities, and assist in decision making for managers. The understanding of the principles of data mining techniques will allow you to interact effectively with experts/consultants, and to quickly conduct pilot studies. This course is for MQM: Business Analytics students.