Kuwait University

College of Business Administration

Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

Course Syllabus
ISOM 340 Business Analytics for Decision Making
Dr. Zainab M. AlQenaei
Spring 2021

Lecture Time and Location:

ISOM 340 / 01A : Sun Tues Thurs 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM Room B1 1024

Contact Information:
Location : ISOM Department – 2nd Floor – Office No. A2 1037
Email : [email protected]
Office Phone : (965) 2498 8683
Office Hours : Sun Tue Thu 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM or by appointment MS Teams Online
Twitter Account : @zmalbader

Course Description:
This course introduces students to the area of Business Analytics (BA). Students will learn how to
approach a business issues using BA. The business analytics model will be introduced at both the
strategic and analytical levels. Students will learn the principles and best practices of BA as well as
various analytical methods for transforming data into information and relevant knowledge for
decision making. Student will also learn how analytics can drive better, innovative business planning
by mapping current theories and technologies to the practical benefit of a business. Topics covered
include data quality measurement, data warehouse design, and assessment of business analytics
projects. Students will also have hands-on experience on using different analytics tools.

Course Learning Objectives (CLOs):

The learning outcomes for this course, listed below, relate to the learning goals of the College of
Business Administration Undergraduate Program. Upon successful completion of the course,
students will be able to:

CLO1. Have a clear understanding of BA methods and tools.

CLO2. Understand how business success is achieved with BA principles and tools.
CLO3. Select and apply appropriate analytic tools for solving business problems.
CLO4. Interpret various datasets and understand how they relate to business objectives.
CLO5. Apply BA principles and tools to make informed managerial recommendations for solving
business problems

CLO Mapping to CBA Skill Based Competency Goals1

1
CBA Competency Goals can be found at the end of this document
 Kuwait University
College of Business Administration
Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

Competency Goal

Analytical

Communication

Technology
Information

Business Ethics

Knowledge
Business
General
CL
O
1 R
2 R
3 A
4 A
5 A I

Type of Emphases:

 (I)ntroduce: Students will be introduced to the skill and their grasp of it assessed in the
course.
 (A)pply: The course will not cover the skill. Students should have a high-level grasp of the
skill and are required to apply it in the course.
 (R)einforce: Students should have an introductory-level grasp of the skill and the course will
improve their mastery to a higher level.
 Kuwait University
College of Business Administration
Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

Required Material:
Textbook : Shmueli, G., Bruce, P. C., Gedeck, P., Patel, N. R. (2020). Data mining for
business analytics: concepts, techniques, and applications in Python. John
Wiley & Sons. First Edition. ISBN-13: 978-1119549840; ISBN-10: 1119549841
Additional Material : Other material is available on Moodle
E-Learning System : MS Teams and Moodle Learning Management System
Course Website : https://moodle.ku.edu.kw/login/index.php

Course Requirements and Policies:

Lab Exercises: There are individual lab exercises. These exercises need to be submitted through
Moodle by 9:00 PM on the due dates. Late submission is not accepted.

Grades: After a grade is posted, you will have one week to discuss your assignment, quiz,
presentation, or absence with your instructor or teaching assistant. After that, the grade is final.

Emails: Emails sent must include a subject, be addressed properly, and signed with full name, course
and section number. Otherwise, the email will be discarded. Email etiquette could be accessed
online on: http://is.cba.edu.kw/130/email.htm.

Class Preparation: It is very important that students are prepared for each class period. Check
Moodle before each class for the required reading or video.

Nepotism: By registering for this class, you agree to abide by all its regulations including the zero
tolerance of nepotism. By agreeing to this rule, you understand that your grade will be decreased a
full letter grade (that is: goes from an “A” to a “B” for example) if anyone (family, friends, etc.)
attempts to influence your grade (with or without your knowledge).

Attendance and Participation: Every student in this course must abide by the Kuwait University
Policy on Attendance (published in the Student Guide, Chapter 3, Section 13). A copy of the student
guide can be accessed online on:
http://www.kuniv.edu/cs/groups/ku/documents/ku_content/kuw055940.pdf

Participation will be assessed in each class period. Your class participation and attendance will both
contribute to your overall grade. Be on time for the lecture. At the beginning of each lecture,
attendance will be taken, anyone coming after that time will be considered as late. Being late three
times is equivalent to one absence. Absence with a valid excuse will still count as an absence. Each
student is allowed three absences (no questions asked), after that, each absence will result in an
automatic deduction of 0.5 points per extra absence from your overall grade.
 Kuwait University
College of Business Administration
Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

Cheating and Plagiarism: Every student in this course must abide by the Kuwait University Policy on
Cheating and Plagiarism (published in the Student Guide, Chapter 3, Section 2). A copy of the
student guide can be accessed online on:
http://www.kuniv.edu/cs/groups/ku/documents/ku_content/kuw055940.pdf

Please carefully note all sources and assistance when you turn in your work. Under no circumstances
should you take credit for work that is not yours. You should neither receive nor give any
unauthorized assistance on any deliverable. If you have any questions about what constitutes
“unauthorized assistance” please email me before the deliverable is submitted.

Mobiles: Students are expected to turn off notifications at the beginning of each class.

Special Needs: If you are a special needs student (have any disability), please inform your instructor.

Writing Style: Students must refer to APA writing style for their assignments and report writing.
Refer to the English Language Unit for help.

Grading:
The scores in this course will be the weighted average of the following items:
Weight Description
10% Discussion and Participation
15% Lab Exercises
15% Project: Proposal
20% Project: First Draft
40% Project: Final Draft
100% Total

Grade Distribution:
Grade Range
A ≥ 95
A- ≥ 90 and < 95
B+ ≥ 87 and < 90
B ≥ 83 and < 87
B- ≥ 80 and < 83
C+ ≥ 77 and < 80
C ≥ 73 and < 77
C- ≥ 70 and < 73
D+ ≥ 65 and < 70
D ≥ 60 and < 65
F < 60
 Kuwait University
College of Business Administration
Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

Course Outline:
Assignment Topic Week
Introduction: 1
Business analytics, data mining, big data, data science
Project Proposal Data Mining Process: 2
Steps, ideas, and ethics in data mining
Lab 1 Data Visualization: 3
Basic charts and multidimensional visualization
Lab 2 Dimension Reduction: 4
Data summary, reduction, and conversion
Lab 3 Performance Evaluation: 5
Evaluating and judging models
Lab 4 Prediction and Classification Methods: 6
Multiple Linear Regression
Lab 5 Prediction and Classification Methods: 7
k-Nearest Neighbors
Project First Draft Prediction and Classification Methods: 8
Classification and Regression Tress
Mining Relationships Among Records: 9
Association Rules and Collaborative Filtering
Forecasting Time Series: 10
Handling Time Series
Forecasting Time Series: 11
Regression-Based Forecasting
Business Analytics Application: 12
Project
Project Final Draft Business Analytics Application: 13
Project
Final Presentations 14

Final Presentations 15

Important Dates
Date/Time Event
April 29th, 2021 Last day to withdraw course
July 1st, 2021 Last day of classes
July 6th, 2021 Final Project Presentations
 Kuwait University
College of Business Administration
Information Systems and Operations
Management Department

CBA Vision:
To be the leading provider of quality business education in the region.

CBA Mission:
As part of Kuwait University, the leading national institution of higher education, the College of
Business Administration is committed to providing quality business education, engaging in research
and community services to contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

CBA Competency Goals

1. Analytical Competency: A CBA graduate will be able to use analytical skills to solve business
problems and make a well-supported business decision.
Student Learning Objectives:
1.1. Use appropriate analytical techniques to solve a given business problem.
1.2. Critically evaluate multiple solutions to a business problem.
1.3. Make well-supported business decisions.

2. Communication Competency: A CBA graduate will be able to communicate effectively in a wide

variety of business settings.
Student Learning Objectives:
2.1. Deliver clear, concise, and audience-centered presentations.
2.2. Write clear, concise, and audience-centered business documents.

3. Information Technology Competency: A CBA graduate will be able to utilize Information

Technology for the completion of business tasks.
Student Learning Objectives:
3.1. Use data-processing tools to analyze or solve business problems.

4. Ethical Competency: A CBA graduate will be able to recognize ethical issues present in business
environment, analyze the tradeoffs between different ethical perspectives, and make a well-
supported ethical decision.
Student Learning Objectives:

4.1. Identify the ethical dimensions of a business decision.

4.2. Recognize and analyze the tradeoffs created by application of competing ethical perspectives.
4.3. Formulate and defend a well-supported recommendation for the resolution of an ethical issue.

5. General Business Knowledge: A CBA graduate will be able to demonstrate a basic

understanding of the main business disciplines’ concepts and theories.
Student Learning Objectives:
5.1. Acquire a fundamental understanding of knowledge from the main business disciplines (e.g.
finance, accounting, marketing, and management information systems, among others).