Context

You work for a medium or large-sized organization which 200 people or more. The CEO of this organization has recently been to a conference about Business Analytics where several companies shared their fantastic experiences and stories on how analytics help them to achieve business value
and enhance competitive advantages.

The CEO was amazed to see how data-driven fact-based insights from analytics can improve decision-making in organizations which in turn increase profitability, performance and success. Upon returning from the conference, he placed a high priority on initiating analytics projects in the organisation. As a graduate/postgraduate student from Massey University  who has successfully completed an Analytics course and learnt how to use relevant tools and techniques, you are assigned to the project team and your job is to embark the organization on Analytics!

3. Your Task

Your CEO asks you to prepare a report about the potential uses of data analytics for the organization.

Your task is to explore and provide suggestions and solutions for using business analytics methods, techniques, and tools to benefit the organization and to address organizational issues.

Part A: Applications of Analytics

In your report you should cover two areas, for example:
• Marketing
• Human resource
• Manufacturing
• Competitor analysis
• Customer analysis
• or any other area that you find useful/interesting

For both of the two areas, you should investigate and provide at least two suggestions or solutions for how the organisation can use data analytics methods, tools, and techniques to analyse organisational data to benefit the organisation and create business value. For each suggestion/solution, you are required to describe/discuss the following:

1. The sources of data that are used (what type of data? how to source it? from where? etc)

2. The analytical methods/techniques/tools being used (for example, clustering, classification, etc). Refer to the lecture material for the methods/techniques/tools that we covered in the course from week 5 to 12).

3. What business problem can be answered by this analysis (try to be specific)? What benefit/value can be created for the organisation when this suggestions/solution is implemented/undertaken.

Thus, your report will describe and evaluate a total of four suggestions/ solutions across two areas. Try to demonstrate your good understanding of the analytical methods/techniques and their potential applications and benefits by showing diversity in your four suggestions/solutions. For example, it is not recommended that you form all the four suggestions based on one single analytical method/technique.

Part B: Organisational Issues

Also, you should discuss and describe at least three managerial/ ethical/ security/ legal issues or aspects that the organization should take into consideration when implementing your suggestions/solutions. How can the organization mitigate or resolve these issues/concerns?

4. The Organisation For this assignment, you can use any organization that you are familiar with. The organization should be REAL. It could be in any industry. The organization may be large or small. It could be a start-up business as well. Make sure to choose an organization that has the potentials for using analytics (most organizations do these days, though).