JWI/580 JWI580 JWI 580 WEEK 2 ASSIGNMENT 1

JWI 580 WEEK 2 ASSIGNMENT 1

JWI 580: Business Analytics

Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be

copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. This

course guide is subject to change based on the needs of the class.

JWMI 580 – Assignment 1 (1182) Page 1 of 3

Business Analytics Course Work in Preparation for Capstone Project

To help you prepare for your Capstone Project, you will be given the opportunity in this course to address several key components of data collection and analysis that will serve as the starting point for what you will do in your Capstone Project.

This preparation will be done primarily through the Discussion Questions each week, which will be focused on the organization and problem/opportunity you select for your Capstone Project. The work done in these discussions will parallel the topics we are covering in the core textbook, as well as the case-based assignments due in Weeks 2 and 5. Because you will continue to work with the data and analyses you have been collecting and developing in this course for your Capstone Project, you are strongly encouraged to save your working notes, discussion posts and your data sets in Word and/or Excel for use in your next course.

Your Selected Organization and Required Data

You are encouraged to choose your own employer for your Capstone Project. This allows you to deal with an organization and issue that have a direct impact on your professional life and for which you likely already possess a fair bit of expertise.

If you are unable to use your own employer for the Project, you may, with permission from your instructor, choose another company. Please note: the Capstone Project requires that real-world data be used so you must ensure you have access to verifiable data. This will mean that you will choose a publically traded company or an organization for which audited financial data is available. It also requires that you identify an issue that is significant enough to warrant the attention of a CEO.

You are strongly advised to reach out to your professor early in the process in Week 1 to discuss your choice and to clarify the scope and challenges that must be addressed in gathering the data you need to complete the project components.

JWI 580: Business Analytics

Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be

copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. This

course guide is subject to change based on the needs of the class.

JWMI 580 – Assignment 1 (1182) Page 2 of 3

Assignment 1: Framing the Problem

Due Sunday, midnight of Week 2 (Weight: 25%)

Overview

Effective leaders understand that actions must be based on facts. Which facts are most important, however, is dependent on how the problem is framed. Failure to adequately define the problem can set in motion a whole series of misguided undertakings in which irrelevant data is gathered, unnecessary analyses are completed, and inappropriate decisions are made. This assignment will help you craft a clear statement of the problem, and then determine what data is most critical in solving that problem.

Instructions For this assignment you will create a business brief of 3 pages. The brief will be based on the case, Agoda: People Analytics and Business Culture. This requires you to identify a problem from this case that can be addressed through an analytics approach, and then to provide sufficient background on the organization to accurately frame the problem for stakeholders. For guidance, please refer to Chapter 2 of Davenport & Kim, Keeping up with the Quants. Your brief must include the following seven components:

1. Define a clear problem or opportunity that addresses what is important to the organization.

2. Define key items or variables you want to study that are relevant to the problem.

3. Identify stakeholders for the problem, including the stakeholder who will make a specific decision based on analysis results once the problem is solved.

4. Briefly explain two alternative ways the problem could be addressed beyond what is presented in the case

5. Adopt an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem (see pp. 29-40, Davenport & Kim).

6. Describe relevant information on previous experiences or findings related to this problem. This information may be included in the main body of the brief or noted in an appendix, whichever is most appropriate for context and flow.

Formatting Requirements:

 Include a Cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, professor’s name, and the course title and date

 Include a References page with your sources

 The Cover page and the References page are not included in the required page length

 Double-spaced, professional font (Times New Roman or Arial), 10-12 font size

 Headings are used to identify main topics and subtopics

 Paragraphs are separated by a single space

JWI 580: Business Analytics

Academic Submissions and Evaluation

© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be

copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University. This

course guide is subject to change based on the needs of the class.

JWMI 580 – Assignment 1 (1182) Page 3 of 3

Rubric: Assignment 1 (25% of course grade)

Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors

1. Defined a clear problem or opportunity of importance to the organization.

Weight: 25%

Did not submit or incompletely defined a problem or opportunity of importance to the organization.

Partially defined a problem or opportunity of importance to the organization.

Satisfactorily defined a problem or opportunity of importance to the organization.

Clearly defined a problem or opportunity of importance to the organization. Incorporates relevant context.

Exemplarily provided a clear problem or opportunity of importance to the organization. Incorporates relevant context and persuasively indicates a needed decision.

2. Defined key items or variables relevant to the problem.

Weight: 15%

Did not define key items or variables relevant to the problem.

Partially defined key items or variables relevant to the problem.

Satisfactorily defined key items or variables relevant to the problem.

Completely defined key items or variables relevant to the problem. Listed considered items or variables that were not selected.

Exemplarily key items or variables relevant to the problem. Listed considered items or variables that were not selected, and provided rationale for selections made.

3. Identify stakeholders for the problem, including stakeholder(s) who will make a decision based on analysis results.

Weight: 10%

Did not identify stakeholders for the problem.

Partially identified stakeholders for the problem.

Satisfactorily identified stakeholders for the problem. May include some reference to a link between stakeholders and anticipated decision based on analysis results.

Completely identified stakeholders for the problem, and provided rationale for their inclusion, and made some link between stakeholders and anticipated decision based on analysis results.

Exemplarily identified stakeholders for the problem, provided rationale for their inclusion, and made a clear connection between stakeholders and anticipated decision based on predicted results.

4. Considered multiple alternative ways to solve the problem.

Weight: 15%

Did not consider multiple alternative ways to solve the problem.

Partially considered multiple alternative ways to solve the problem.

Satisfactorily considered multiple alternative ways to solve the problem.

Completely considered multiple alternative ways to solve the problem, and provided rationale for disregarding at least one alternative.

Exemplarily considered multiple alternative ways to solve the problem, and provided rationale for disregarding multiple alternatives.

5. Adopted an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem.

Weight: 20%

Did not adopt an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem.

Partially adopted an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem.

Satisfactorily adopted an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem.

Completely adopted an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem. The story type is evident in more than one aspect of the assignment.

Exemplarily adopted an analytical story type to communicate the particular problem. The story type is evident in multiple aspects of the assignment, and is creatively integrated.

6. Described previous findings or experiences related to this problem. Weight: 15%

Did not describe previous findings or experiences related to this problem.

Partially described previous findings or experiences related to this problem.

Satisfactorily described previous findings or experiences related to this problem.

Completely described previous findings or experiences related to this problem. The findings or experiences are evident in more than one aspect of the assignment.

Exemplarily described previous findings or experiences related to this problem. The findings or experiences are evident in multiple aspects of the assignment, and are usefully integrated.