Business Intelligence (5cr)

Objective

Business Intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, providing access to, and analyzing data for the purpose of helping enterprise users make better business decisions. A specialized field of BI known as Competitive Intelligence (CI) focuses solely on the external competitive environment. BI enables organizations to make well informed business decisions and thus can be the source of competitive advantages. BI provides many benefits to companies utilizing it. It can eliminate a lot of the guesswork within an organization, enhance communication among departments while coordinating activities, and enable companies to respond quickly to changes in financial conditions, customer preferences, and supply chain operations. BI improves the overall performance of the company using it. Information is often regarded as the second most important resource a company has (a company's most valuable assets are its people). So when a company can make decisions based on timely and accurate information, the company can improve its performance.

The course includes a number of lectures covering the following topics:
- BI and strategic management of an enterprise;
- Analysing information needs of an enterprise and planning BI activities;
- Online BI: strategies for searching and analysing information;
- Classifying and analysing intelligence gathered;
- Incorporating BI activities in everyday life of an enterprise;
- Big Data and Business Analytics.

The main objectives of this course:
- To provide students theoretical and practical knowledge and skills in the field of Business Intelligence (BI); to define the role of BI in the contemporary strategic management and typical BI activities in a company.

- To discuss and understand the roles of managerial involvement and technical tools in the overall success of BI programs.

- To enhance students’ awareness of the important trends in the field, namely, Business Analytics and Big Data.

- To provide students practical experience by analyzing their case company’s BI activities and planning on how to develop them further.

Content

Tieto puuttuu

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

The assessment is based on the quality and the content of two submitted course assignments. Additionally, the active and informed participation of students (being present during the lessons, participation in class discussions, doing the class exercises) is affecting positively the final grade. The criteria for assessing the competencies of students:
Grade 0:A student didn't deliver one or both of the course assignments or the quality of these is unacceptable. The student does notunderstand the main theoretical concepts of Business Intelligence and is not able to apply them correctly for practical analysis. Furthermore, the student didn't read any literature and shows very week knowledge even in the material discussed in the class.
Grades 1-2: A student understands mostly correctly the main concepts of Business Intelligence. The student understands the relation of BI and strategic management of a company. Furthermore, the student understands and is able to define the practical value, the scope, software tools and the main activities of BI for the case company. By this, there is no a strong indication of the use of literature on the subject topic.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Grades 3-4: A student understands well the main concepts of Business Intelligence, the practical value and the scope of BI activities. The student is able to indicate and discuss the roles of different organizational factors affecting the success of BI programs in a company. The student knows about some basic BI software tools used in the business environment. The student is able to perform the analysis of BI needs and activities of his/her case company applying theoretical frameworks learnt from classes and literature. Finally, the student has read some relevant literature on the subject which shows in the text of assignments.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Grades 5: The student understands excellently the main concepts of Business Intelligence. The student is able to perform the analysis of BI needs and activities of his/her case company applying theoretical frameworks learnt from classes and literature. The student knows all the main factors affecting the success of BI programs and the connection between BI and the strategic management of the case organization. Additionally, the student knows about BI software tools and is able to argue on their utilization. Finally, from the text of the assignments it is evident that the student has read the relevant literature on the subject topic and is able to apply that knowledge practically.