Introduction to Business Problems

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject is the introduction to the program of Masters in Business Analytics. The subject will focus on two issues: (I) introduce students to business problems that are best addressed with analytics and the complexities of business problems, and (2) the complexities of possible solutions to those problems. To address the implementation of those solutions, team processes will be examined and project management tools will be provided.

Students will be presented with a data set and a case study of an organization facing a significant business problem. Students will be asked to prepare possible solutions to the problem, which will be revisited in the Business Analytics Applications subject at the end of their program of study. Assessment in this subject will focus on the team processes and project management tools applied to this case study.

On completion of this subject, the student should be able to:

1. Understand the wide variety of business problems that are best addressed with analytics.
2. Define business problems in ways that are insightful.
3. Understand the complexity of business problems, and solutions to those problems.
4. Understand the complexity of business data.
5. Understand the complexity of implementing solutions to business problems.
6. Understand the multitude of organisational stakeholders, and their different, and often opposite, objective functions.
7. Understand the complexity of managing the implementation of analytics projects.

One syndicate oral presentation (30 min; 1500 individual words or equivalent) Week 3 30%

One individual test (2 hours, hurdle requirement) 30%

Contribution to syndicate work (continuous) 20%

Individual assignment (1000 words or equivalent) Week 3 20%

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.