Business Analytics with Data for Non-Coders

Catalog description

This 0.5 CU course merges the instruction offered in Managerial Economics with data to flesh out related concepts with practical business applications. The purpose of the course is to close the gap between the theory of business analytics and its actual practice, i.e., how you can really use it in your practice. More than ever, there is a need for business leaders to become more data literate: “Business leaders at every level need to become data literate and be able to understand data and analytical concepts that may have previously seemed out of reach, including statistical methods, machine learning, and data manipulation. With this spread of data literacy comes the powerful ability to make educated business decisions that rely on the smart use of data, rather than on an individual’s opinions. In the past, these tasks were extremely complex and would be handed off to engineers. With the tools that exist today, business leaders are able to dive into their own analytics and uncover powerful insights.” (Microsoft) You will learn how to conduct in-depth business analytics based on sensible economics reasoning. As the main project, you will build an end-to-end business workflow. The problem and data can come from a current employer, from your own startup idea, or, from the instructor to represent a hypothetical setting. In the tradition of MGEC, the course will also motivate future electives to refine components of your analysis. Ultimately, you will walk away from the course with a fuller understanding of how different business and economics concepts “fit together” to answer big, relevant questions. Your new skillset is repeatable for your future projects. You will also learn key ideas that allow you to work with future coding teams in your future work, thereby closing the language gap between business economic goals and coding implementation. Normally, this type of…