Introduction to Data Analysis and Research in Business (MGMT 203)

2022 Fall
Sabancı Business School
Management(MGMT)
3
6
Raha Akhavan Tabatabaei akhavan@sabanciuniv.edu,
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English
Undergraduate
MGMT201
Interactive lecture,Recitation
Project based learning,Task based learning
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CONTENT

This course teaches practical perspectives on research design, data collection, and analysis useful for managers. The scientific method, defining a hypothesis, sources and validity of data, sampling, examining distributions of and relationships between data, basic inferential statistics, linear regression, and ethics in research are topics covered in the course. The course follows a hands-on, skill-building approach using mainly MS Excel and appropriate add-ins for statistical analysis.

OBJECTIVE

This course provides a detailed introduction to data analysis and research in business. Applications are chosen from a variety of areas such as operations and marketing. Thus, the course lays the foundation for more detailed study in those functional area courses. The emphasis is both on conceptual understanding of the material and doing hands on statistical analysis. Microsoft Excel and associated add-ins are used for the purpose of analysis.

The course provides the student with a strong background in statistical principles and the process of business research and survey design. Students will be introduced to several different and interesting applications of data analysis and statistics in business. Combining this contextual information with some statistical tools, students are expected to have a better understanding of when and why statistical analysis is useful, understand the importance of valid, reliable data collection, and have the practical skills to carry out such tasks. The successful student will finish this course with an ability to effectively evaluate and act upon statistical reports and data relating to applications in business. In addition, due to the hands-on nature of the course, the students will become skilled in performing certain standard statistical analyses using MS Excel.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  • Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to: 1. Describe the role of research in business. 2. Describe the different data-collection methods. 3. Use appropriate tools in MS Excel to summarize/visualize/analyze quantitative data. 4. Interpret and calculate descriptive statistics. 5. Apply sampling correctly. 6. Interpret and calculate confidence intervals. 7. Perform and interpret hypothesis tests. 8. Use various parametric tests, including the linear regression model and interpret the output.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES


1. Understand the world, their country, their society, as well as themselves and have awareness of ethical problems, social rights, values and responsibility to the self and to others. 1

2. Understand different disciplines from natural and social sciences to mathematics and art, and develop interdisciplinary approaches in thinking and practice. 4

3. Think critically, follow innovations and developments in science and technology, demonstrate personal and organizational entrepreneurship and engage in life-long learning in various subjects; have the ability to continue to educate him/herself. 3

4. Communicate effectively in Turkish and English by oral, written, graphical and technological means. 5

5. Take individual and team responsibility, function effectively and respectively as an individual and a member or a leader of a team; and have the skills to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams. 5


1. Possess sufficient knowledge of mathematics, science and program-specific engineering topics; use theoretical and applied knowledge of these areas in complex engineering problems.

2. Identify, define, formulate and solve complex engineering problems; choose and apply suitable analysis and modeling methods for this purpose.

3. Develop, choose and use modern techniques and tools that are needed for analysis and solution of complex problems faced in engineering applications; possess knowledge of standards used in engineering applications; use information technologies effectively.

4. Have the ability to design a complex system, process, instrument or a product under realistic constraints and conditions, with the goal of fulfilling specified needs; apply modern design techniques for this purpose.

5. Design and conduct experiments, collect data, analyze and interpret the results to investigate complex engineering problems or program-specific research areas.

6. Possess knowledge of business practices such as project management, risk management and change management; awareness on innovation; knowledge of sustainable development.

7. Possess knowledge of impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, health and societal context; knowledge of contemporary issues; awareness on legal outcomes of engineering solutions; knowledge of behavior according to ethical principles, understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.

8. Have the ability to write effective reports and comprehend written reports, prepare design and production reports, make effective presentations, and give and receive clear and intelligible instructions.


1. Develop knowledge of theories, concepts, and research methods in humanities and social sciences.

2. Assess how global, national and regional developments affect society.

3. Know how to access and evaluate data from various sources of information.


1. Design, implement, test, and evaluate a computer system, component, or algorithm to meet desired needs and to solve a computational problem.

2. Demonstrate knowledge of discrete mathematics and data structures.

3. Demonstrate knowledge of probability and statistics, including applications appropriate to computer science and engineering.


1. Have an understanding of economics and main functional areas of management 5

2. Have a basic all-around knowledge in humanities, science, mathematics, and literature 4

3. Have a basic knowledge of law and ethics, awareness of social and ethical responsibilities 1

4. Work effectively in teams and environments characterized by people of diverse educational, social and cultural backgrounds 3

5. Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communications in English 5

6. Pursue open minded inquiry and appreciate the importance of research as an input into management practice; thus, a.know how to access, interpret and analyze data and information by using current technologies b.use the results from analyses to make informed decisions 4

7. Use office softwares for written communication, presentation, and data analysis 5

8. Demonstrate awareness that business settings present different opportunities and challenges for managers due to environmental/contextual differences that arise in economic, political, cultural, legal-regulatory domains 2

ASSESSMENT METHODS and CRITERIA

  Percentage (%)
Final 30
Midterm 15
Quiz 10
Participation 5
Written Report 15
Presentation 10
Homework 15

RECOMENDED or REQUIRED READINGS

Textbook

S. Christian Albright, Wayne L. Winston. Business Analytics: Data Analysis & Decision Making, 6th Edition, CENGAGE Publishing, 2017.