Fundamentals of Business Analytics College of

Business Administration University of the East

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Topics in this presentation:
What is Business Analytics?
Evolution of Business Analytics
Scope of Business Analytics

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Data for Business Analytics
Decision Models
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Fun with Analytics

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What is Business Analytics?
Analytics is the use of:
data,
information technology,

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statistical analysis,
quantitative methods, and
mathematical or computer-based
models
to help managers gain improved insight about their

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business operations and
make better, fact-based decisions.
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What is Business Analytics?
Business Analytics Applications
 Management of customer relationships
 Financial and marketing activities

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 Supply chain management
 Human resource planning
 Pricing decisions
 Sport team game strategies

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What is Business Analytics?
Importance of Business Analytics
There is a strong relationship of BA with:
- profitability of businesses

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- revenue of businesses
- shareholder return
BA enhances understanding of data
BA is vital for businesses to remain competitive
BA enables creation of informative reports

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Evolution of Business Analytics
Operations research
Management science
Business intelligence

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Decision support systems
Personal computer software

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Scope of Business Analytics
Descriptive analytics
- uses data to understand past and present
Predictive analytics

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- analyzes past performance
Prescriptive analytics
- uses optimization techniques

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Scope of Business Analytics
Example 1.1 Retail Markdown Decisions
Most department stores clear seasonal inventory by
reducing prices.
The question is:

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When to reduce the price and by how much?
Descriptive analytics: examine historical data for similar
products (prices, units sold, advertising, …)
Predictive analytics: predict sales based on price
Prescriptive analytics: find the best sets of pricing and
advertising to maximize sales revenue

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 Scope of Business Analytics
Analytics in Practice:
Hanna owns numerous hotels and casinos
Uses analytics to:

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- forecast demand for rooms
- segment customers by gaming activities
Uses prescriptive models to:
- set room rates
- allocate rooms

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- offer perks and rewards to customers

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Data for Business Analytics
DATA
- collected facts and figures
DATABASE

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- collection of computer files containing data
INFORMATION
- comes from analyzing data

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Data for Business Analytics
Examples of using DATA in business:
Annual reports
Accounting audits

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Financial profitability analysis
Economic trends
Marketing research
Operations management performance
Human resource measurements

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Data for Business Analytics
Metrics are used to quantify performance.
Measures are numerical values of metrics.
Discrete metrics involve counting

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- on time or not on time
- number or proportion of on time deliveries
Continuous metrics are measured on a continuum
- delivery time
- package weight

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- purchase price

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 Data for Business Analytics
Example 1.2 A Sales Transaction Database File

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Records

Figure 1.1

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Entities Fields or Attributes

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Data for Business Analytics
Four Types Data Based on Measurement
Scale:
Categorical (nominal) data

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Ordinal data
Interval data
Ratio data

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Data for Business Analytics
Example 1.3

Classifying Data Elements in a

Purchasing Database

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Figure 1.2

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 Data for Business
Example 1.3 (continued)
Analytics
Classifying Data Elements in a Purchasing
Database

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Figure 1.2

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Data for Business Analytics
Categorical (nominal) Data
Data placed in categories according to a specified
characteristic

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Categories bear no quantitative relationship to one
another
Examples:
- customer’s location (America, Europe, Asia)
- employee classification (manager, supervisor,
associate)

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Data for Business Analytics
Ordinal Data
Data that is ranked or ordered according to some
relationship with one another
No fixed units of measurement

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Examples:
- college football rankings
- survey responses
(poor, average, good, very good, excellent)

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Data for Business Analytics
Interval Data
Ordinal data but with constant differences between
observations
No true zero point

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Ratios are not meaningful
Examples:
- temperature readings
- SAT scores

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Data for Business Analytics
Ratio Data
Continuous values and have a natural zero point
Ratios are meaningful

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Examples:
- monthly sales
- delivery times

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Decision Models
Model:
An abstraction or representation of a real system,
idea, or object

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Captures the most important features
Can be a written or verbal description, a visual
display, a mathematical formula, or a spreadsheet
representation

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Decision Models
Example 1.4 Three Forms of a Model

The sales of a new produce, such as a first-

generation iPad or 3D television, often follow a
common pattern.
• Sales might grow at an increasing rate over time
as positive customer feedback spreads.

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(See the S-shaped curve on the following slide.)
• A mathematical model of the S-curve can be
identified; for example, S = aebect, where S is
sales, t is time, e is the base of natural logarithms,
and a, b and c are constants.

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Copyright © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.
publishing as Prentice Hall

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 Decision Models

Figure 1.3

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Decision Models
A decision model is a model used to understand,
analyze, or facilitate decision making.
Types of model input

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- data
- uncontrollable variables
- decision variables (controllable)
Types of model output
- performance measures

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- behavioral measures

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 Decision Models
Nature of Decision Models

Figure 1.4

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 Decision Models

Sales-Promotion Model
In the grocery industry, managers typically need to know how best

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to use pricing, coupons and advertising strategies to influence
sales.
Using Business Analytics, a grocer can develop a model that
predicts sales using price, coupons and advertising .

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Decision Models

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Sales = 500 – 0.05(price) + 30(coupons)

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+0.08(advertising) + 0.25(price)(advertising)

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Decision Models
Descriptive Decision Models
Simply tell “what is” and describe relationships
Do not tell managers what to do

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An Influence Diagram for Total Cost

Influence Diagrams
visually show how
various model elements
relate to one another.

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Figure 1.5
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Decision Models
Mathematical Model for Total Cost

TC = F +VQ

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TC is Total Cost
F is Fixed cost
V is Variable unit cost
Q is Quantity produced

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 Decision Models
A Break-even Decision Model

TC(manufacturing) = $50,000 + $125*Q

TC(outsourcing) = $175*Q

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Breakeven Point:

Set TC(manufacturing)

= TC(outsourcing)

Solve for Q = 1000 units

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Figure 1.7

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 Decision Models

As price increases, demand falls.

Linear Demand Prediction Model

Figure 1.8

Fundamentals of Business Analytics College of

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 Decision Models
Example 1.10 A Nonlinear Demand Prediction Model
Assumes price elasticity (constant ratio of % change in demand to
% change in price)

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Decision Models
Predictive Decision Models often incorporate
uncertainty to help managers analyze risk.
Aim to predict what will happen in the future.

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Uncertainty is imperfect knowledge of what will
happen in the future.
Risk is associated with the consequences of what
actually happens.

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Decision Models
Prescriptive Decision Models help decision makers
identify the best solution.
Optimization - finding values of decision variables
that minimize (or maximize) something such as

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cost (or profit).
Objective function - the equation that minimizes (or
maximizes) the quantity of interest.
Constraints - limitations or restrictions.
Optimal solution - values of the decision variables
at the minimum (or maximum) point.

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Decision Models
Pricing Model
A firm wishes to determine the best pricing for one
of its products in order to maximize revenue.

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Analysts determined the following model:
Sales = -2.9485(price) + 3240.9
Total revenue = (price)(sales)
Identify the price that maximizes total revenue,
subject to any constraints that might exist.

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Decision Models
Deterministic prescriptive models have inputs that
are known with certainty.
Stochastic prescriptive models have one or more
inputs that are not known with certainty.

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Algorithms are systematic procedures used to find
optimal solutions to decision models.
Search algorithms are used for complex problems to
find a good solution without guaranteeing an
optimal solution.

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
BA represents only a portion of the overall problem
solving and decision making process.
Six steps in the problem solving process

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1. Recognizing the problem
2. Defining the problem
3. Structuring the problem
4. Analyzing the problem
5. Interpreting results and making a decision

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6. Implementing the solution

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
1. Recognizing the Problem

Problems exist when there is a gap between what is

happening and what we think should be
happening.

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For example, costs are too high compared with
competitors.

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
2. Defining the Problem
Clearly defining the problem is not a trivial task.
Complexity increases when the following occur:

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- large number of courses of action
- several competing objectives
- external groups are affected
- problem owner and problem solver are not the
same person

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- time constraints exist

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
3. Structuring the Problem
Stating goals and objectives
Characterizing the possible decisions

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Identifying any constraints or restrictions

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
4. Analysis of the Problem
Identifying and applying appropriate Business
Analytics techniques

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Typically involves experimentation, statistical
analysis, or a solution process

Much of this course is devoted to learning BA

techniques for use in Step 4.

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
5. Interpreting Results and Making a Decision

Managers interpret the results from the analysis

phase.

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Incorporate subjective judgment as needed.
Understand limitations and model assumptions.
Make a decision utilizing the above information.

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Problem Solving and Decision Making
6. Implementing the Solution
Translate the results of the model back to the real
world.

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Make the solution work in the organization by
providing adequate training and resources.

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