Publicly Available Free Databases Useful in Teaching Business
Publicly Available (Free) Databases Useful in Teaching Business Analytics Courses William J. Miller Christopher M. Lowery J. Whitney Bunting College of Business, Georgia College & State University Department of Management Milledgeville, GA 31061 (william. miller@gcsu. edu) Presentation to the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Southeast Decision Science Institute-Charleston, SC
Publicly Available (Free) Databases • Business Analytics Teaching Database Clearinghouse – – Interest Viability Benefits Toward Teaching Benefits Toward Research • Metrics, Availability, and Maintenance – – Metrics Website or Quarterly Email? Mechanism for Updating Should We House the Databases? • Considering They Could Disappear from their Original Site • Case Study: 2 Fall 2016 & 2 Spring 2017 Business Analytics Courses
Data Base Metrics • • • Industry Data Base Name Data Source Data Base Description Database Url Time Period(s) Data Dictionary Yes or No or Something? Number of Rows Number of Continuous Variables Number of Categorical Variables Report (1) or Raw Data? (10) 1 -10 scale Comments/Recommendations/Project Outcomes from Users
Case Study • Course Project – We all work for a BA Consulting Firm • They Need To Develop Something Meaningful to Present to Potential Clients – Each Team • Identifies Industry of Interest • Finds Data Bases • Presents Report Using Business Analytics Process – Introduction (Data Base Source, Documentation, Validity) – Descriptive Analytics (Statistics and Graphs) » Issue of Categorical Variables – Predictive Analytics (Regression Models) » Correlation Tables, Scatter Diagrams, and Regression Models – Prescriptive Analytics » Target Organization (Business, Government Agency, Foundation, NGO, University, etc. ) » Potential Application: Linear Programming, Decision Analysis, Simulation, Other Software, Algorithms, Heuristics – Benefits • Job Market, Excitement About Data Analytics Process, Research – Limitations • Real World, Convenience Samples, Limited N’s, Raw Data, Summary Data, Changing DBs
Georgia College Business Analytics Concentration • Business Analytics is required for all management majors (300+) • Considering a concentration that would appeal to some of them (30 -60 per year) – those who want to go to a BA Masters or Ph. D program – those who want to be more marketable upon graduation with a BBA in Mgt • Three Course Concentration – Business Analytics: Overall Model, Conceptual and Data Analysis • Analyze Real World Data Base with Descriptive, Predictive, Prescriptive methods, SPSS • Marc J. Schniederjans, Dara G. Schniederjans, Christopher M. Starkey (2014). Business Analytics Principles, Concepts, and Applications: What, Why, and How, Pearson FT Press Edition 1. ISBN: 9780133552249 – Business Modeling: Focus on Predictive Modeling • Regression, Logistical Regression, ANOVA, R software – Business Applications: Focus On Prescriptive Modeling and Case Studies • Linear Programming, Decision Analysis, Simulation • Questions – Adequacy, Value of Concentration? – Suggested Graduate Programs for Our Students
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