Introduction to Business Analytics

Introduction to Business Analytics recognizes that students need to develop the skills to ask the right questions, learn to use common workplace tools (such as Excel®, Tableau®, and Power BI®) to examine and analyze data, and interpret results accurately and effectively to make business decisions. Richardson 1e provides a framework for developing a business analytics mindset called the SOAR analytics model which is composed of four steps— Specify the question, Obtain the data, analyze the data, and report the results. This model is used throughout the text in conjunction with the various types of data analysis that analysts need to perform. The lab activities, which appear at the end of each chapter, follow this framework to reinforce the analytical process. A capstone in the final chapter provides three projects that apply the complete SOAR model.