Course Title: Business Intelligence

Semester: Spring 2020 Class:

Instructor: Ussama Yaqub Email: ussama.yaqub@lums.edu.pk

Room # 3-0027E Telephone: 5317

Office Hours: Secretary/TA Muhammad Rehman

COURSE OVERVIEW

This course focuses on business intelligence – an information technology approach to data collection,
storage and analysis to support a wide variety of management tasks. Students learn analytical
components through lab sessions gaining familiarity to technologies used to create dashboards and
scorecards, data/text/web mining methods for trend and sentiment analysis, along with an overview
of data warehousing, backbone of Decision Support Systems.

Furthermore, through lab sessions, students will learn basics of Python programing language and
utilize it for application of supervised and unsupervised machine learning on real world datasets.
These skills will be used in their group projects, where they implement build information system for
analytics from scratch. Here they will scrape web data, clean and transform it and finally perform
data analyses.

Students will actively participate in this course through class discussions of case studies along with
hands on lab and project work.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this course student will be able to:

1. Understand the impact and rapidly changing nature of technological disruptions in modern
business. Why companies that wait to adopt new tech may never catch up!
2. Learn technologies such as Python, Power BI for data curation, analysis and visualization.
3. Learn basics of supervised and unsupervised machine learning along with their applications
on real world datasets.
4. Understand the different utilizations of IT systems in an organization, from tactical (OLTP) to
strategic (OLAP).
5. Engage and utilize organizational decision-support systems with greater clarity regarding
their capabilities and limitations.
6. Exposure of BI implementation stages, ETL, exploratory data analyses and utilization of data
visualization tools through course project work.
7. Practice valuation of benefits of information systems and technologies against business
needs
8. Develop familiarity with BI buzz words such as; ERP, CRM, Data Warehouse, Decision Support
Systems, OLAP, Big data etc.
9. Understand the ethical issues involving customer data privacy and technology in general.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

10. Implement end-to-end BI system as part of course project starting from scraping web
data, clean and transform it, load it in a relational database and perform data
analyses.

MBA PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES

1. Leadership and teamwork: Students will be able to assume leadership roles, perform
leadership tasks responsibly, and work effectively in teams.
2. Functional, integrative and strategic abilities: Students will demonstrate understanding of
the functional and strategic aspects of business and management, be able to integrate across
functional areas, and develop feasible strategies and action plans.
3. Critical thinking and decision making: Students will be able to identify key problems, collect
and use information critically, and generate viable alternatives and solutions.
4. Global perspective and flexibility: Students will demonstrate understanding of global and
multi-cultural perspectives within the local context and be able to work effectively in multi-
cultural settings.
5. Social, ethical, economic and environmental responsibility: Students will be able to
understand the broader ramifications of their decisions and assess the impact of economic,
ethical, environmental factors on the policies, strategies and operations of the organization.
6. Effective communication: Students will be able to communicate clearly and persuasively in
writing and verbally, in ways appropriate for a variety of objectives and audiences.
7. Entrepreneurialism and innovativeness: Students will be able to create, identify, assess,
shape and act on opportunities in a variety of contexts and organizations.
8. Managing pressures, complexities and uncertainties: Students will be able to manage
pressures and resource constraints, and think, decide and act in complex and ambiguous
situations.

Indicate below how the course learning objectives specifically relate to any program learning goals
and objectives.

Program Learning Goals and Course Learning Objectives Course Assessment Item
Objectives

Goal 1 – Leadership and L 1, 6, 9 & 10. CP, project

Teamwork

Goal 2 – Functional, integrative L 2,3,4,5, 6 & 7 CP, quizzes, project, exam.

and strategic abilities

Goal 3 – Critical Thinking – L1&9 CP

Decision making capabilities

Goal 4 – Global perspective L 1, 2 & 3 CP, quizzes

and flexibility

Goal 5 – Social, Ethical, L9 CP

Economical and Environmental
Indicate below how the course learning objectives specifically relate to any program learning goals
and objectives.

Responsibility

Goal 6 – Communication L 3, 5, 8 & 10 CP, project

competency

Goal 7 – Entrepreneurialism L1 CP, Project

and innovativeness

Goal 8 – Managing pressures, L 1 & 10 CP, exam

complexities and Uncertainties

COURSE ASSESSMENT/GRADES

Description of the grading scheme and elaboration of how the grading and other
measurement processes will document achievement of the course objectives and assure
learning. Please elaborate on how course learning objectives will be assessed through
different grading instruments.

1) Class Participation 25 %
2) Lab Exercises/Assignments 25 %
3) Quizzes 15 %
4) DR Project 20 %
5) Data Camp Exercises 15 %

CLASS-MANAGEMENT POLICY

Please consult MBA handbook for attendance, timelines and norms of professional conduct.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Identification of prerequisites for elective courses: back ground courses (with expected
grades); concepts, skills, exposure, and experience required.

RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER EDUCATION

Identification of additional courses or sources of knowledge and practice for greater and in-
depth understanding and proficiency.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS ( if Applicable)

Books:
RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS ( if Applicable)

A Practical Introduction to Python Programming - Brian Heinold

Chapter will be used from these books:

Chapter 1, Introduction to Machine Learning, Second Edition, Ethem Alpaydın The MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Chapter 6, section 1-3, Lake, Peter, and Paul Crowther. "Concise guide to databases." Undergraduate
Topics in Computer Science, DOI10 (2013): 978-1.

Chapter 13, section 1-5, Carlos Coronel and Steven Morris, Database Systems: Design,
Implementation, and Management, Eleventh Edition, Cengage Learning, 2014, ISBN 978-
1285196145.

Other recommended readings:

Sharda, Ramesh, Dursun Delen, and Efraim Turban. Business intelligence, analytics, and data science:
a managerial perspective. Fourth Edition, Pearson, 2018.

REQUIREMENTS (FOR PCO OFFICE)

Midterm Exam: Yes/No: If yes please specify the format ( e.g. if

closed book/closed notes or open
book/open notes etc.)

Final Exam: Yes/No: If yes please specify the format ( e.g. if

closed book/closed notes or open
book/open notes etc.)

Double Session: Yes/No: If yes then which session(s):

Joint Session (combined of two Yes/No: If yes then which session(s):

sections):

Simulation: Yes/No: If yes, then which session(s):

Type of simulations (Harvard etc.)
must also be mentioned.

Video Recording: Yes/No: Session 2

IT Lab sessions Yes/No: Session 7 & 8

Additional session or review session Yes/No: If yes, then after which session(s):

Course Cap (applicable for elective Please mention If yes, then what should be the cap?:
courses) if you would
like to cap the
Standard Cap in an Elective Course is course at a
50 number other
REQUIREMENTS (FOR PCO OFFICE)

than 50:

Yes/No:

Any other requirement (e.g. Yes/No: Session 2 requires a video to play in

laptop/computer etc.): class.

Session 10 requires a software demo.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Co-teaching a course: If you are co-teaching this course with any other faculty member, please
mention the session number(s) being taught by him/her and yourself.
Session No. Module and Topic: TITLE OF CASE READING MATERIAL
Session 1 Introduction The digitization of just
about everything. Rotman
Management Fall 2015.
A Practical Introduction to
Python Programming:
Chapters 1-5.
Session 2 Module 1 – A Practical Introduction to
Introduction to Python Programming:
Python Chapters 6, 7, 9, 10, 12
Session 3 Overview of Python Numpy: Mathematical
packages
Pandas: Data
manipulation
Matplotlib: Visualization
Sklearn: Machine
Learning library
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Introduction to the overall
course outline.
DataCamp overview
Description of course group
Project
Introduction to python
programming language
Develop student familiarity
with python packages which
bring flexibility and ease of
implementation of python
programs.
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
Introduction to Python and IDLE
programming environment. (Use
it for course project).
Use python to gather, clean and
transform web data along with
performing data analyses.
Exercises on utilizing python for
reading and manipulating data
from text files
Use Numpy and Pandas to read
data from .csv files into data-
frames and perform
mathematical operations.
Create visualizations using
Matplotlib to demonstrate data
analyses results.
Use sklearn library to apply
machine learning algorithms
Session 4 Module 2- Moneyball (A): Six things your company Implementation of supervised Utilize python packages for
Applications of What are you has in common with the Machine Learning – Prediction regression analyses utilizing
Machine Learning paying for (HBS) Oakland A’s – Thomas problem. baseball data.
2006? Davenport – HBR
Create a model to predict wins
of Oakland A’s for 2002 MLB
season.
Watch Moneyball Movie
(2011) Present data analysis and
visualization as part of group
assignment.

Session 5 Cluster Analysis for Implementation of Segmentation of shopping mall

Segmentation – Darden unsupervised Machine customers into clusters using
Business Publishing Learning – Classification Python packages
problem
Chapter 1, Introduction to Classify customers using
Machine Learning, Second unsupervised learning into
Edition, Ethem Alpaydın segments.
The MIT Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts Present data analysis and
visualization as part of group
assignment.

Session 6 Quiz How to spot ML Overview of Python & Assignment: Utilize Twitter
opportunity, HBR, (2017) Machine Learning streaming data to perform
analysis on online users.
Utilization of python to
analyze Twitter user data Present data analysis and
visualization as part of group
assignment.

Session 7 Module 3 – BI in Frito-Lay: A Information Systems in Transition from tactical to 1. What key lessons were
Business: Theory & Strategic Enterprise strategic info. Systems. learnt from analyses of
 Practice Transition 1987-89 problems the company
(HBS) 2002 Expose students to various faced in 1986?
tactical and strategic IT 2. How do you evaluate the
systems in an organization information
infrastructure developed
to support business
operations and
management systems at
all levels of the
organization?
3. Describe the HHC
project, the “Pipeline”
project and the “Blue
Chip” project. How
these IT projects relate
with the company’s
overall strategy?
4. How the various types
of systems described in
the reading (Chapter 2,
Information Systems in
the Enterprise) relate
with the case?

Session 8 Business CRM Done Right: Rigby, Familiarize students with the 1. What are biggest
Intelligence at Ledingham. HBR 2004 basic components of BI obstacles faced in
SYSCO (HBS) software Business Intelligence
2006 (BI) implementation as
Tradeoffs in deploying BI it expands throughout
System in an organization. Sysco?
Full blown vs staggered 2. Why Sysco decided to
implementation strategies. initially address only
two questions with its
new BI software, rather
than using it as a more
 general analyses tool in
the operating
companies? Why did
Business Objects
recommend this
approach? What are its
strength and
weaknesses?  
3. What are various
functionalities of BI
Software? How is it
implemented? What are
competitive advantages
of Business Objects BI
software?
4. How much software
should Day purchase at
this time?
Session 9 Quiz Chapter 13: BI & Data Introduction to basic
warehousing. Sections 1-5. components of BI and DWH

Carlos Coronel and Steven

Morris, Database Systems:
Design, Implementation,
and Management, Eleventh
Edition, Cengage
Learning, 2014, ISBN 978-
1285196145.

Session 10 Presentations