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Business Analytics: Data Analysis for Decisions

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Business Analytics: Data Analysis for Decisions

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete
at 10 hours a week
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

  • Apply data analysis techniques to real-world business decision-making scenarios

  • Evaluate marketing, HR, finance, and operational data for actionable insights

  • Communicate analytical findings effectively to support organizational strategies

Details to know

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Recently updated!

June 2026

Assessments

10 assignments

Taught in English

There are 10 modules in this course

This course provides business professionals with essential knowledge in data analysis to support informed decision-making. Understanding how analytics informs marketing, HR, operations, and financial strategies is key to enhancing organizational performance and competitiveness.

The course helps learners develop the skills needed to apply analytical methods to real-world business problems. Through practical exercises and case studies, participants learn to interpret data, communicate insights, and make decisions that drive measurable outcomes. What sets this course apart is its combination of theory and real-world applications, blending analytical techniques with business strategy. Learners gain hands-on experience with data, ensuring insights are actionable and aligned with organizational objectives. Designed for managers, business analysts, and professionals in leadership or decision-making roles, this course assumes basic familiarity with business concepts. It is ideal for those seeking to strengthen their ability to translate data into strategic action. This course is based on the book, Business Analytics: Combining Data Analysis and Judgement to Inform Decisions, by Mary Ellen Gordon. Copyright Β©2023 by Sage Publications Limited. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. Published by Sage Publications Limited, London. Used by arrangement with Sage Publications Limited.

This module introduces the fundamentals of business analytics and their role in supporting organisational decision-making. Learners will explore the interplay between data analysis and human judgment, and understand the importance of distinguishing between populations and samples when interpreting data. Practical considerations for planning analytics projects within organisational constraints are also discussed.

What's included

1 video4 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
4 readingsβ€’Total 31 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’5 minutes
  • What about judgement?β€’7 minutes
  • Planning analytics projectsβ€’8 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’11 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Data-Driven Decision-Making in Organizationsβ€’16 minutes

This module explores how organisational structures, legal frameworks, cultural norms, and ethical principles shape data practices and decision-making. Learners will gain insight into key regulations like GDPR, the importance of cultural awareness, and frameworks for ethical data use. Practical examples and guidelines help clarify what is permissible and responsible when working with data.

What's included

1 video9 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
9 readingsβ€’Total 50 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’5 minutes
  • Informationβ€’6 minutes
  • Organisational Contextβ€’4 minutes
  • EU - GDPRβ€’4 minutes
  • UK – UK GDPRβ€’4 minutes
  • Cultural considerationsβ€’6 minutes
  • Ethical considerationsβ€’5 minutes
  • How can you decide if a particular use of data is ethical?β€’4 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’12 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Data Ethics and Governance in Modern Analyticsβ€’16 minutes

This module introduces the foundational steps for working with organizational data, including identifying data sources, understanding data structures, and applying essential cleaning techniques. Learners will explore how to classify variables, handle missing or problematic data, and prepare datasets for effective analysis and visualization.

What's included

1 video9 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
9 readingsβ€’Total 47 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’7 minutes
  • Matching data to questions and problemsβ€’4 minutes
  • How data is typically stored and structuredβ€’4 minutes
  • Data cleaningβ€’4 minutes
  • How to Identify Missing Values, and What to do About Themβ€’6 minutes
  • How to identify bad data, and what to do about it?β€’6 minutes
  • Tips for Getting Your Data into the Format Needed for Analysis and Visualisationβ€’4 minutes
  • Ordinal Variablesβ€’6 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’6 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Data Fundamentals and Qualityβ€’16 minutes

This module introduces key analytical techniques for quantifying qualitative data, performing statistical tests, and making data-driven decisions using Excel. Learners will explore how to answer different types of business questions, interpret statistical significance, and apply regression analysis for prediction. Practical Excel skills are emphasized throughout to ensure hands-on experience with real-world data analysis.

What's included

1 video12 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
12 readingsβ€’Total 82 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’8 minutes
  • Answering different types of questions with different types of dataβ€’9 minutes
  • What's Normal or Typical?β€’5 minutes
  • How Does This Compare to That?β€’5 minutes
  • What is Expected or Predicted?β€’9 minutes
  • Pivot Tablesβ€’5 minutes
  • How to use and interpret some basic statistical tests in Excel, and when they are relevantβ€’4 minutes
  • Testing for Statistically Significant Differences in Proportions (Chi-Square Tests)β€’6 minutes
  • Testing for Statistically Significant Differences Between or Among Groups (ANOVA and Independent or Two-Sample Sample t-Tests)β€’7 minutes
  • Testing for Statistically Significant Differences in Means Between Variables (Paired Sample t-Tests)β€’4 minutes
  • Regressionβ€’14 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’6 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Foundations of Analytical Thinkingβ€’16 minutes

This module guides learners in effectively communicating analytical results by considering audience knowledge, project objectives, and data visualization best practices. You will explore how to select and design impactful visualizations, craft clear narratives, and evaluate the effectiveness of your data-driven communications.

What's included

1 video12 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
12 readingsβ€’Total 65 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’4 minutes
  • What Does Your Audience Know and Think About Data?β€’5 minutes
  • What Does Your Audience Care About?β€’5 minutes
  • General data visualisation principlesβ€’6 minutes
  • Labelling and Legendsβ€’4 minutes
  • Common forms of data visualisationβ€’4 minutes
  • Stacked Column, Stacked Bar, and Pie Chartsβ€’5 minutes
  • Scatter Plots and Bubble Chartsβ€’6 minutes
  • Think About How to Make Your Deliverable Interestingβ€’4 minutes
  • Options for Communicating Analytical Resultsβ€’7 minutes
  • Ordering and Emphasisβ€’4 minutes
  • Evaluating data-driven communicationsβ€’11 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Strategies for Clear and Impactful Data Presentationβ€’16 minutes

This module introduces the use of analytics in marketing, focusing on how data-driven insights inform decisions about market opportunities, customer segmentation, pricing, distribution, and communication strategies. Learners will explore practical applications of analytics to optimize marketing effectiveness and address common challenges in data collection and interpretation.

What's included

1 video8 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
8 readingsβ€’Total 47 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’6 minutes
  • Analysisβ€’5 minutes
  • Other Considerationsβ€’4 minutes
  • Using analytics to design and manage marketing communicationsβ€’6 minutes
  • Using analytics to set pricesβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to manage distribution channelsβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to develop new productsβ€’6 minutes
  • Other Considerationsβ€’10 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Marketing Analytics Fundamentalsβ€’16 minutes

This module introduces the use of data analytics in human resources to measure employee performance, monitor diversity and inclusion, assess training effectiveness, and support talent acquisition. Learners will discover how data-driven insights can inform equitable and effective HR practices. Practical examples and common data sources are explored to help you understand real-world applications.

What's included

1 video8 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
8 readingsβ€’Total 42 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’4 minutes
  • Analysisβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to monitor diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)β€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to see what employees are doingβ€’6 minutes
  • Using analytics to assess the effectiveness of trainingβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to evaluate employee satisfactionβ€’6 minutes
  • Using analytics to identify and recruit employees (talent acquisition)β€’4 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’7 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • HR Analytics Fundamentalsβ€’16 minutes

This module explores how organizations leverage analytics to optimize supply chain management, enhance sustainability, implement predictive maintenance, and detect fraud. Learners will gain insights into key data sources, analysis techniques, and ethical considerations relevant to operational analytics. Practical examples illustrate how analytics can be tailored to diverse organizational needs.

What's included

1 video5 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
5 readingsβ€’Total 23 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’4 minutes
  • Using analytics to operate more sustainablyβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics for predictive maintenanceβ€’6 minutes
  • Using analytics to manage organisation-specific operationsβ€’4 minutes
  • Summaryβ€’4 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Operational Analytics in Business Decisionsβ€’16 minutes

This module explores how data analytics can inform financial decision-making across marketing, HR, and operations. Learners will discover how to assess the financial impact of organizational activities, evaluate overall financial health, and apply analytical techniques to real-world business scenarios. Practical examples and case studies illustrate how analytics can drive more informed, data-driven financial strategies.

What's included

1 video6 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
6 readingsβ€’Total 30 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’5 minutes
  • Using analytics to understand the financial consequences of HR decisionsβ€’4 minutes
  • Using analytics to understand the financial consequences of operational decisionsβ€’6 minutes
  • Using analytics to understand the financial position of an organisation overall (including competitors)β€’3 minutes
  • Analytics in Practice: Predicting the price of perilsβ€’8 minutes
  • Running Case Study: 4tE, part 9β€’4 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Financial Analytics in Practiceβ€’16 minutes

Explore how emerging technologies like IoT, AR, VR, AI, and edge computing are transforming the landscape of data analytics. Learn about the implications for privacy, data processing, and new career opportunities in this evolving field.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment

1 videoβ€’Total 1 minute
  • Overviewβ€’1 minute
2 readingsβ€’Total 18 minutes
  • Introductionβ€’6 minutes
  • Edge Computingβ€’12 minutes
1 assignmentβ€’Total 16 minutes
  • Exploring the Future of Data and Analyticsβ€’16 minutes

Instructor

Sage Publications
37 Coursesβ€’491 learners

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