Assuming no prior knowledge or technical skills, Getting Started with Business Analytics: Insightful Decision-Making explores the contents, capabilities, and applications of business analytics. It bridges the worlds of business and statistics and describes business analytics from a non-commercial standpoint. The authors demystify the main concepts and terminologies and give many examples of real-world applications.

The first part of the book introduces business data and recent technologies that have promoted fact-based decision-making. The authors look at how business intelligence differs from business analytics. They also discuss the main components of a business analytics application and the various requirements for integrating business with analytics.

The second part presents the technologies underlying business analytics: data mining and data analytics. The book helps you understand the key concepts and ideas behind data mining and shows how data mining has expanded into data analytics when considering new types of data such as network and text data.

The third part explores business analytics in depth, covering customer, social, and operational analytics. Each chapter in this part incorporates hands-on projects based on publicly available data.

Helping you make sound decisions based on hard data, this self-contained guide provides an integrated framework for data mining in business analytics. It takes you on a journey through this data-rich world, showing you how to deploy business analytics solutions in your organization.

Machine learning —also known as data mining or predictive analytics— is a fundamental part of data science. It is used by organizations in a wide variety of arenas to turn raw data into actionable information.

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in Analytic Solver Data Mining provides a comprehensive introduction and an overview of this methodology. The fourth edition of this best-selling textbook covers both statistical and machine learning algorithms for prediction, classification, visualization, dimension reduction, rule mining, recommendations, clustering, text mining, experimentation, time series forecasting and network analytics. Along with hands-on exercises and real-life case studies, it also discusses managerial and ethical issues for responsible use of machine learning techniques.

This fourth edition of Machine Learning for Business Analytics also includes:

• An expanded chapter focused on discussion of deep learning techniques
• A new chapter on experimental feedback techniques including A/B testing, uplift modeling, and reinforcement learning
• A new chapter on responsible data science
• Updates and new material based on feedback from instructors teaching MBA, Masters in Business Analytics and related programs, undergraduate, diploma and executive courses, and from their students
• A full chapter devoted to relevant case studies with more than a dozen cases demonstrating applications for the machine learning techniques
• End-of-chapter exercises that help readers gauge and expand their comprehension and competency of the material presented
• A companion website with more than two dozen data sets, and instructor materials including exercise solutions, slides, and case solutions

This textbook is an ideal resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses in data science, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is also an excellent reference for analysts, researchers, and data science practitioners working with quantitative data in management, finance, marketing, operations management, information systems, computer science, and information technology.

MACHINE LEARNING FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS

Machine learning —also known as data mining or data analytics— is a fundamental part of data science. It is used by organizations in a wide variety of arenas to turn raw data into actionable information.

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in R provides a comprehensive introduction and an overview of this methodology. This best-selling textbook covers both statistical and machine learning algorithms for prediction, classification, visualization, dimension reduction, rule mining, recommendations, clustering, text mining, experimentation, and network analytics. Along with hands-on exercises and real-life case studies, it also discusses managerial and ethical issues for responsible use of machine learning techniques.

This is the second R edition of Machine Learning for Business Analytics. This edition also includes:

• A new co-author, Peter Gedeck, who brings over 20 years of experience in machine learning using R
• An expanded chapter focused on discussion of deep learning techniques
• A new chapter on experimental feedback techniques including A/B testing, uplift modeling, and reinforcement learning
• A new chapter on responsible data science
• Updates and new material based on feedback from instructors teaching MBA, Masters in Business Analytics and related programs, undergraduate, diploma and executive courses, and from their students
• A full chapter devoted to relevant case studies with more than a dozen cases demonstrating applications for the machine learning techniques
• End-of-chapter exercises that help readers gauge and expand their comprehension and competency of the material presented
• A companion website with more than two dozen data sets, and instructor materials including exercise solutions, slides, and case solutions

This textbook is an ideal resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses in data science, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is also an excellent reference for analysts, researchers, and data science practitioners working with quantitative data in management, finance, marketing, operations management, information systems, computer science, and information technology.

Machine learning—also known as data mining or data analytics—is a fundamental part of data science. It is used by organizations in a wide variety of arenas to turn raw data into actionable information.

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques and Applications in RapidMiner provides a comprehensive introduction and an overview of this methodology. This best-selling textbook covers both statistical and machine learning algorithms for prediction, classification, visualization, dimension reduction, rule mining, recommendations, clustering, text mining, experimentation and network analytics. Along with hands-on exercises and real-life case studies, it also discusses managerial and ethical issues for responsible use of machine learning techniques.

This is the seventh edition of Machine Learning for Business Analytics, and the first using RapidMiner software. This edition also includes:

• A new co-author, Amit Deokar, who brings experience teaching business analytics courses using RapidMiner
• Integrated use of RapidMiner, an open-source machine learning platform that has become commercially popular in recent years
• An expanded chapter focused on discussion of deep learning techniques
• A new chapter on experimental feedback techniques including A/B testing, uplift modeling, and reinforcement learning
• A new chapter on responsible data science
• Updates and new material based on feedback from instructors teaching MBA, Masters in Business Analytics and related programs, undergraduate, diploma and executive courses, and from their students
• A full chapter devoted to relevant case studies with more than a dozen cases demonstrating applications for the machine learning techniques
• End-of-chapter exercises that help readers gauge and expand their comprehension and competency of the material presented
• A companion website with more than two dozen data sets, and instructor materials including exercise solutions, slides, and case solutions

This textbook is an ideal resource for upper-level undergraduate and graduate level courses in data science, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is also an excellent reference for analysts, researchers, and data science practitioners working with quantitative data in management, finance, marketing, operations management, information systems, computer science, and information technology.

Data Mining for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in Python presents an applied approach to data mining concepts and methods, using Python software for illustration

Readers will learn how to implement a variety of popular data mining algorithms in Python (a free and open-source software) to tackle business problems and opportunities.

This is the sixth version of this successful text, and the first using Python. It covers both statistical and machine learning algorithms for prediction, classification, visualization, dimension reduction, recommender systems, clustering, text mining and network analysis. It also includes:

• A new co-author, Peter Gedeck, who brings both experience teaching business analytics courses using Python, and expertise in the application of machine learning methods to the drug-discovery process
• A new section on ethical issues in data mining
• Updates and new material based on feedback from instructors teaching MBA, undergraduate, diploma and executive courses, and from their students
• More than a dozen case studies demonstrating applications for the data mining techniques described
• End-of-chapter exercises that help readers gauge and expand their comprehension and competency of the material presented
• A companion website with more than two dozen data sets, and instructor materials including exercise solutions, PowerPoint slides, and case solutions

Data Mining for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in Python is an ideal textbook for graduate and upper-undergraduate level courses in data mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. This new edition is also an excellent reference for analysts, researchers, and practitioners working with quantitative methods in the fields of business, finance, marketing, computer science, and information technology.

“This book has by far the most comprehensive review of business analytics methods that I have ever seen, covering everything from classical approaches such as linear and logistic regression, through to modern methods like neural networks, bagging and boosting, and even much more business specific procedures such as social network analysis and text mining. If not the bible, it is at the least a definitive manual on the subject.”

—Gareth M. James, University of Southern California and co-author (with Witten, Hastie and Tibshirani) of the best-selling book An Introduction to Statistical Learning, with Applications in R 

An up-to-date introduction to a market-leading platform for data analysis and machine learning

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications with JMP Pro^®, 2^nd ed. offers an accessible and engaging introduction to machine learning. It provides concrete examples and case studies to educate new users and deepen existing users’ understanding of their data and their business. Fully updated to incorporate new topics and instructional material, this remains the only comprehensive introduction to this crucial set of analytical tools specifically tailored to the needs of businesses.

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications with JMP Pro^®, 2^nd ed. readers will also find:

• Updated material which improves the book’s usefulness as a reference for professionals beyond the classroom
• Four new chapters, covering topics including Text Mining and Responsible Data Science
• An updated companion website with data sets and other instructor resources: www.jmp.com/dataminingbook
• A guide to JMP Pro^®’s new features and enhanced functionality

Machine Learning for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications with JMP Pro^®, 2nd ed. is ideal for students and instructors of business analytics and data mining classes, as well as data science practitioners and professionals in data-driven industries.

Provides an important framework for data analysts in assessing the quality of data and its potential to provide meaningful insights through analysis

Analytics and statistical analysis have become pervasive topics, mainly due to the growing availability of data and analytic tools. Technology, however, fails to deliver insights with added value if the quality of the information it generates is not assured. Information Quality (InfoQ) is a tool developed by the authors to assess the potential of a dataset to achieve a goal of interest, using data analysis.  Whether the information quality of a dataset is sufficient is of practical importance at many stages of the data analytics journey, from the pre-data collection stage to the post-data collection and post-analysis stages. It is also critical to various stakeholders: data collection agencies, analysts, data scientists, and management.

 This book:

• Explains how to integrate the notions of goal, data, analysis and utility that are the main building blocks of data analysis within any domain.
• Presents a framework for integrating domain knowledge with data analysis.
• Provides a combination of both methodological and practical aspects of data analysis.
• Discusses issues surrounding the implementation and integration of InfoQ in both academic programmes and business / industrial projects.
• Showcases numerous case studies in a variety of application areas such as education, healthcare, official statistics, risk management and marketing surveys.
• Presents a review of software tools from the InfoQ perspective along with example datasets on an accompanying website.

 This book will be beneficial for researchers in academia and in industry, analysts, consultants, and agencies that collect and analyse data as well as undergraduate and postgraduate courses involving data analysis.

Projects are investments of resources for achieving a particular objective or set of objectives. Resources include time, money, manpower, and sometimes lives. Objectives include financial gain, social and health benefits, national goals, educational and scientific achievements, and reduction of suffering, among many others. Projects are undertaken by large and small organizations, by governments, non-profit organizations, private businesses, and by individuals. Determining whether to execute a project, or which project to execute among a set of possibilities is often a challenge with high stakes. Assessing the potential outcomes of a project can therefore be detrimental, leading to the importance of making informative decisions.

Practical Risk Analysis for Project Planning is a hands-on introduction to integrating numerical data and domain knowledge into popular spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets, to arrive at informed project-planning decisions. The focus of the book is on formalizing domain expertise into numerical data, providing tools for assessing potential project performance, and evaluating performance under realistic uncertainty.

The book introduces basic principles for assessing potential project performance and risk under different scenarios, by addressing uncertainty that arises at different levels. It describes measures of expected performance and risk, presents approaches such as scenario building and Monte Carlo simulation for addressing uncertainty, and introduces methods for comparing competing projects and reducing risk via project portfolios.

A companion website to the book is available at www.RiskAnalysisBook.com

No special software is required except Excel or another spreadsheet software. While the book assumes no knowledge of statistics, operations research, or management science, it does rely on basic familiarity with Excel. Chapter exercises and examples of real projects are aimed at hands-on learning.

Data Mining for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in XLMiner®, Third Edition presents an applied approach to data mining and predictive analytics with clear exposition, hands-on exercises, and real-life case studies. Readers will work with all of the standard data mining methods using the Microsoft® Office Excel® add-in XLMiner® to develop predictive models and learn how to obtain business value from Big Data.

Featuring updated topical coverage on text mining, social network analysis, collaborative filtering, ensemble methods, uplift modeling and more, the Third Edition also includes:

• Real-world examples to build a theoretical and practical understanding of key data mining methods 
• End-of-chapter exercises that help readers better understand the presented material
• Data-rich case studies to illustrate various applications of data mining techniques
• Completely new chapters on social network analysis and text mining
• A companion site with additional data sets, instructors material that include solutions to exercises and case studies, and Microsoft PowerPoint® slides
• Free 140-day license to use XLMiner for Education software

Data Mining for Business Analytics: Concepts, Techniques, and Applications in XLMiner®, Third Edition is an ideal textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses as well as professional programs on data mining, predictive modeling, and Big Data analytics. The new edition is also a unique reference for analysts, researchers, and practitioners working with predictive analytics in the fields of business, finance, marketing, computer science, and information technology.

Praise for the Second Edition

"…full of vivid and thought-provoking anecdotes... needs to be read by anyone with a serious interest in research and marketing."– Research Magazine

"Shmueli et al. have done a wonderful job in presenting the field of data mining - a welcome addition to the literature." – ComputingReviews.com

"Excellent choice for business analysts...The book is a perfect fit for its intended audience."  – Keith McCormick, Consultant and Author of SPSS Statistics For Dummies, Third Edition and SPSS Statistics for Data Analysis and Visualization

Galit Shmueli, PhD, is Distinguished Professor at National Tsing Hua University’s Institute of Service Science. She has designed and instructed data mining courses since 2004 at University of Maryland, Statistics.com, The Indian School of Business, and National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan. Professor Shmueli is known for her research and teaching in business analytics, with a focus on statistical and data mining methods in information systems and healthcare.  She has authored over 70 journal articles, books, textbooks and book chapters.

Peter C. Bruce is President and Founder of the Institute for Statistics Education at www.statistics.com. He has written multiple journal articles and is the developer of Resampling Stats software. He is the author of Introductory Statistics and Analytics: A Resampling Perspective, also published by Wiley.

Nitin R.