Online Syllabus

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

BUS 426: Business Analytics for Decision Making

4 Credits

Effective: OCTOBER 2023

REQUIRED RESOURCES
Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., & Williams, T. A. (1995). Quantitative methods for business (11th ed.).
Cincinnati, OH: South-Western.

Whitaker, A. (2010). Research and APA style guide, 2nd ed. Bratislava, Slovakia: City University of
Seattle. Available online at http://www.vsm.sk/en/student/academic-support/ or for purchase in the CU
Slovakia library.

Access to the Internet is required.

All written assignments must be in Microsoft-Word-compatible formats.
See the library’s APA Style Guide tutorial for a list of resources that can help you use APA style.
FACULTY
Faculty Name: Mgr.Monika Schmidtová

Contact Information: mschmidtova@vsm.sk

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Today’s business professionals need to be skilled in the acquisition and analysis of relevant data sets that
can be utilized to drive business strategy. An emphasis is placed on the process of gathering, analyzing,
and presenting data in a way that can drive strategic decision-making in modern organizations. This
course examines current trends in transactional and dynamic data generation and draws upon quantitative
tools to make sense of the data for market and managerial purposes. Students will learn to use common
analysis methods to summarize and interpret results for the benefit of internal and external consumers.

COURSE RESOURCES
Required and recommended resources to complete coursework and assignments are found on the course
Reading List. Access is provided through the Reading List link in your online course as well as from the
library homepage (“Find Your Reading List” button).

Note: Required resources that must be purchased by the student are tagged “Purchase from a vendor of
your choosing.” Required resources with a direct link, “Available through CityU Library”, are available
electronically at no cost to students.

Students in Canada may purchase course resources from the Canada Bookstore, and students outside the
U.S. and Canada should contact their advisor or textbook coordinator for additional information.

CITYU LEARNING GOALS

This course supports the following City University learning goals:

 Diverse and global perspectives

COURSE OUTCOMES
In this course, learners:

 Critically analyze the quality of data analysis results as they relate to business opportunities.
 Clarify the current state of an organization through descriptive analytics.
 Apply data analytic tools including regression, classification, optimization, and clustering.
 Identify useful data sources that can inform and support innovative management decisions.
 Formulate and communicate business recommendations that are supported by data analysis and
that incorporate common visualization methods.

CORE CONCEPTS, KNOWLEDGE, AND SKILLS

 Classification
 Clustering
 Critical Analysis of Models
 Data Science
 Descriptive Analytics
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  Forecasting
 Machine Learning
 Optimization
 Predictive Analytics
 Predictive Models
 Prescriptive Analytics
 Regression
 Structured Data
 Supervised Learning
 Unstructured Data
 Unsupervised Learning

OVERVIEW OF COURSE ACTIVITIES AND GRADING

The grade you receive for the course will be derived using City University of Seattle’s decimal grading
system, based on the following:

Assignments

Student Introductory Assignment (SIA) 0%

4x Online Homework OHW 28%

Linear Programming Problem 12%

Midterm Examination 30%

Final Examination 30%

TOTAL 100%

Please see the current City University of Seattle catalog or consult your instructor for guidance in
determining your decimal grade.

SPECIFICS OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

STUDENT INTRODUCTORY ASSIGNMENT

City University/Vysoká škola manažmentu requires that you submit a Student Introductory Assignment
(SIA). This SIA must be completed during the first week of your course. The SIA consists of introducing
yourself in the Discussion Forum titled: Student Introductory Assignment. It is designed to begin the
online class experience by letting us know you are in class and facilitating interaction. It is due at the end
of the first week. Even though this assignment is not graded, it is required in order for you to continue
your course. Your instructor will notify CU/VSM at the end of the first week as to whether or not you

BUS 426 Page 3 Effective: Oct 2023

completed your SIA.

4 ONLINE HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

In weeks 3,4,7, and 9 you will work out a short task related to the material covered in the given week and
post your clear answer on the Brightspace. These tasks will be based on a calculation of a problem
chosen from a given set. The number of given tasks will be equal to the number of students in the section.
Each task can be chosen/posted only once; thus, each student must check all previous postings and the
last student must calculate/post the last remaining task.

In mentioned weeks, a list of all the problems will be posted on Monday morning. You must post your
calculation by Friday midnight. Complete calculations must be posted on time; otherwise, they will be
graded with 0%. No reservations are possible, all attachments must be attached together with a message,
empty posts without calculations will be deleted. No make-ups for these will be given.

NETWORK PROBLEM (NP)

In a NP assignment each pair of students (or a trio, depending on class size) will work with a different
problem. Students will be supposed to develop a network presentation of the problem, formulate the
problem as a linear problem, and find the optimal solution using a Management Scientist Software.

Concrete tasks together with detailed instructions will be posted on Nov 23, and complete solution will be
due on Nov 25. If the NP is not uploaded on time on VSM uploader, the student will not get any credit for
it. The NP must be word-processed, including the graphical part and complete computer output.

The instructor will create pairs of students according to the alphabetical order. In case of odd number of
students the last student on the list will work individually. The instructor will not participate in your
discussion.

Grading Criteria for NP

Network Presentation 30%

Formulating a Linear problem 30%

Optimal solution 30%

Appropriate format and transparency 10%

TOTAL 100%

MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAM

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You will take a midterm and a final exam in the course to reinforce the course materials. The exams will
test your ability to utilize statistical terminology as well as the identification and application of proper
statistical tools for a given statistical problem. The midterm will cover the first five weeks of the course,
the final exam will deal with the material of weeks 5-9. Each exam will be scheduled for 60-70 minutes.
The official textbook is required for online exams. The exams cannot be combined together.

Students can discuss any problems referring to these on the BS in advance. Complete calculations will be
checked, not just final results, and students will get partial credit for following the right steps.

The midterm is planned for Friday evening, W5 and the final exam for Thursday W10, again in evening
hours, 7PM or 8PM of CET. However, those dates are subject to change depending on the official CU
schedule that should avoid any overlaps. It is necessary to check the BS announcements in W4 and W9.

COURSE POLICIES

Late Assignments

Students are expected to meet submission requirements for assignments in a timely manner. Evaluation
includes an assessment of timeliness. All late assignments will be graded with 0%.

The exams and the Online Homework assignments must be taken at the scheduled times. Any absences or
late submissions must be approved before the scheduled assessment date, by your instructor. Not
completing an assignment in a timely manner will result in a grade of zero unless a student has been
preapproved by the instructor to complete the assessment at an alternative time.

Participation

Whether in class, online, or in a mixed mode setting, students will be graded on their participation in
classroom discussions; their ability to present, explain, or defend alternative viewpoints; and the degree to
which they have mastered the concepts and principles inherent in the study of accounting at this
introductory level. Written work will be assessed not only on relevance to the subject presented, but also
on adherence to good written form and professional presentation. Students are expected to be actively
engaged in a discussion or other activities. Active engagement means contributing substantive, thoughtful
and reflective responses. For online classes, students must post their initial responses during the first three
days of the week, and their responses to other students’ postings during the last four days of the week. All
students must take part in weekly online activities according to the schedule described above or at least
contact me once a week. Failure to report for three consecutive weeks may result in being dropped from
the class.

Professional Writing
All assignments submitted for this course should be of professional quality. Their presentation should
always take into account consideration for whom they are intended. This course requires that you use the
American Psychological Association (APA) style in preparing any required research papers, or any
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written work where other sources are used. A style guide is included in the “Required Text and Materials”
section. Refer to this style guide for proper format, referencing methods, and bibliographic format.
References should be cited for all facts, ideas, conclusions, and opinions not your own. A proper title
page should preface all written assignments, unless otherwise required. The title page should include your
name, the title of the paper, the name and number of the course, the date submitted and the name of the
instructor. Your work should be typed or word-processed instructions on white 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper
and all narrative portions should be double-spaced. If financial statements or accounting records are
required, they should be in good form. Some assignments may require that your work be prepared on a
computer spreadsheet. Do not use binders or special covers when submitting your assignments. Staple
your completed assignments in the upper-left hand corner. Your instructor may have different or
additional requirements for the submission of written work.

Scholastic Honesty
Vysoká škola manažmentu / City University of Seattle (VŠM / CityU) expects each student to do
his/her own work. The University has "zero tolerance" for cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized
collaboration on assignments and papers, using "notes" during exams, submitting someone else's
work as one's own, resubmitting previously submitted work without instructor’s approval, or
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others. Scholastic Honesty policy applies also to
online discussions that represent a part of graded assignments in courses. Every reference
material used in discussion contributions must be cited according to the current Research & APA
Style Guide. The penalties are severe! First offense results in 0.0 grade for the assignment;
second offense results in 0.0 grade for the course; third offense can result in 0.0 grade for the
course and suspension for one or more quarters from VŠM / CityU. The policy, procedures and
other supporting documentation may be found at http://www.vsm.sk/us/students/scholastic-
honesty/policies-procedures.

In addition to providing your work to the instructor for grading, you must also submit an
electronic copy via VŠM Uploader, unless otherwise instructed by the instructor. You will not
receive a grade for particular work until and unless you submit this electronic copy via the web
platform http://www.vsm.sk/us/students/on-line-center/uploader. Files should include the cover
page of the work with the student’s name, instructor name, course name and number, and date.
File names should indicate the type of assignment, such as “research paper”, “casestudy” or “
thesis”. All submitted files are forwarded to an antiplagiarism system for a check of originality.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

- After completing all mentioned assignments student will not get any additional work in order to
increase the grade
- Student can make up the assignment only in the case of unexpected and serious circumstances
with condition that he/she has informed the instructor personally (by e-mail) in advance. Later
excuses will not be accepted.
- Students must write the finals in week 10. Earlier finals are against CU/VSM policy
- The BS conversation is not the same as FB communication; thus, keep it polite, professional, and
brief. I will not react to emails starting with “Hello”, sorry.
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 - All due dates are based on CET (the BS shows minus 8 or 9 hrs)

RECOMMENDED COURSE SCHEDULE

The schedule for course activities and assignments is below. If you find you are unable to complete the
assignments as scheduled, contact your instructor. Your instructor may elect to adjust the outline to meet
the unique needs of the class.

Topics and Assignments

Session Readings
Topics: Introduction to Decision Modeling

1 Decision Making Steps Chapter 1

Profit, Costs and Revenue Models

Breakeven Analysis

Due: Student Introductory Assignment

2 Topics: Introduction to Probability Chapters 2+3

Probability Distributions

Topics: Problem Formulation

3 Decision Making with Probabilities Chapter 4.1-4.4

Decision Making without Probabilities

Risk and Sensitivity Analysis

Due: OHW1

Topics: Components of a Time Series

4 Smoothing Methods of Forecasting Chapter 6.1, 6.2, 6.5

Linear Regression Analysis

Due: OHW2

5 Topics: Review

MIDTERM…. planned for Friday, Nov 3, 20.00 CET

Topics: Linear Programming

6 Graphical Solution Techniques Chapter 7

Linear Programming – continued

7 Linear Programming Software Solutions Chapter 8.1-8.4

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 Sensitivity Analysis and Interpretation

Due: OHW3

Topics: Transportation Network

8 Transshipment Network Chapter 10.1-10.3

Assignment Network

Due: NLPP – Nov 25 - Saturday

Topics: Project Scheduling with/without Known

Activity
9 Chapter 12.1-12.3
Times

Considering Time-Cost Trade-Offs

Due: OHW4

FINAL EXAM …planned for Thursday, Dec 7, 19.00

10 CET

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