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Introducing business analytics in context: An Excel project to analyze product and sales data for inventory purchase decisions
Author(s) -
Grenci Richard T.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
decision sciences journal of innovative education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1540-4609
pISSN - 1540-4595
DOI - 10.1111/dsji.12277
Subject(s) - business analytics , analytics , computer science , business intelligence , context (archaeology) , product (mathematics) , knowledge management , data science , business analysis , marketing , business model , business , paleontology , geometry , mathematics , biology
This article presents a project that uses a business context to introduce students to a multiphase approach to analytics while relying primarily on an introductory Excel course for prerequisite knowledge. A range of analytics techniques—including Excel Pivot tables and charts, regression trend lines, and linear programming—are combined into an integrative project. Using a customer orders database, student groups took on the role of category management teams assigned to analyze product sales, pricing, and costs to create an optimized purchase plan to replenish inventory. The instructor‐guided project was employed in a sophomore‐level introductory business intelligence course positioned within an undergraduate business core curriculum. Based on the context and level, such a project could be used in a business core course such as fundamentals of business, marketing, operations/supply chain management, information systems, or business analytics.