IBM Global Center for Smarter Analytics

Fundamentals of Business Analytics

Case Study
 IBM Global Center for Smarter Analytics

________________________________________________________________________________
Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2013

Published May 2013

IBM, the IBM logo and ibm.com are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in
many jurisdictions worldwide.
Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies.
This case study set contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. No part of this
document may be modified without a legal license agreement from IBM Corporation.
Any references in this information to non-IBM Web sites are provided for convenience only and do not in
any manner serve as an endorsement of those Web sites. The materials at those Web sites are not part of the
materials for this IBM product and use of those Web sites is at your own risk.

2
IBM Global Center for Smarter Analytics
Case Analysis 1: Cincinnati Zoo Business Objectives

• Increase attendance and revenues by

enhancing the customer experience for each
visitor
• Boost sales for food and retail outlets through
more effective marketing and promotions
• Optimize labor costs by gaining a better
understanding of demand patterns throughout
IBM Global Center for the year
Smarter Analytics
• Maximize the workforce by identifying areas
Company
Company Background of the park that are in need of more staff

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is one of the

Questions
most popular attractions and a Top Zoo for Children
according to Parent’s Magazine. Each year, more than 1. What are the problems with the existing
1.3 million people visit its 71-acre site, which is home system of the Cincinnati Zoo?
to more than 500 animal and 3,000 plant species. 2. What are the data that are available to the zoo
Although the Zoo is a non-profit organization and is management and staff?
partially subsidized by Hamilton County, more than 3. How can these data be used to help the
two thirds of its $26 million annual budget is following perform their work better to achieve
generated through its own fundraising efforts. the business objectives of the Cincinnati Zoo?
a. Zoo administrators
Cincinnati Zoo takes pride in the fact that it has the
b. Zoo staff
lowest public subsidy of any zoo in Ohio and
4. What solutions can be provided for the
generates more than two thirds of its $26 million
following stakeholders so that the business
annual budget through its own fundraising efforts. In
objectives of Cincinnati Zoo are achieved?
challenging economic conditions, the Zoo wanted to
Explain in detail the proposed solution for
reduce its reliance on subsidies even further by
each stakeholder. In each solution, identify
increasing visitor attendance and revenues from
which type of analytics will be applied (i.e.,
secondary sources such as membership, food and retail
descriptive, predictive or prescriptive).
outlets. This would secure the Zoo’s future and enable
a. Zoo visitors
it to continue its pioneering work in conservation,
b. Zoo management
preservation and research.
c. Zoo staff members
Currently, Cincinnati Zoo makes use of four separate
legacy point-of-sale systems with a single platform to
provide data on all admission, membership, retail and
food service sales. To monitor the number of visitors
in certain areas, the zoo staff members make their
rounds to observe.

You have been hired by Cincinnati Zoo to provide

them a solution that will enable them achieve their
business objectives. _________________________________________

© Copyright IBM Corporation 2013

IBM Philippines
IBM Plaza, Libis, Quezon City
May 2013