• Understand the use of Regression Analysis in Decision Making, such as in Business Forecasting
• Understand the use of Optimization in Decision Making, such as in Portfolio Optimization
• Understand the use of Risk Analysis in Decision Making, such as in Financial Investment
• Understand the use of Decision Analysis in Decision Making, such as in Project Management
• Appreciate the implications of uncertainty in Decision Making and the need for flexible and robust solutions
• Understand the potential Big Data has for different industries and different departments in the organization

In the current competitive environment, being able to extract value from business data is both a crucial skill for individuals and a main source of competitive advantage for firms. This includes understanding the relationships between different business factors, forecasting trends, appreciating the risks arising from management actions, and optimizing investment strategies. Decisions are often taken under considerable uncertainty and time pressure. Therefore, managers need to be able to grasp the range of uncertainty rapidly and make rational decisions, which are both flexible and robust. This course aims to enhance your ability to apply modern Analytics tools to decision-making. It is a practical course, which uses computer software to illustrate how to apply the methodologies introduced. Extensive use will be made of the popular spreadsheet software, Excel. The course is multidisciplinary with links to accounting, economics, finance, marketing and operations management.