Data Analytics for Business

This subject is available as a postgraduate-level subject for students studying the Graduate Certificate of Accounting or the Master of Professional Accounting at ICMS.

Subject Code:

DAT621A

Subject Type:

Core

Subject Level:

600

Credit Points:

4 credit points

Subject Rationale:

Businesses nowadays are often operating in global, highly digitalised and complex business environments and more than ever rely on the data-driven insights for their strategic and financial decision making. Therefore, data analytics skills are becoming increasingly important in the accounting profession. This subject is designed to equip students with relevant techniques and tools to collect, analyse, interpret and report data.

Students will explore data analysis techniques to identify patterns in structured and unstructured data and to derive actionable insights that help decision-makers to solve a variety of business problems. They will learn about the statistical concepts that underpin the different types of analysis. Students will study the foundations of effective communication and visualisation techniques using modern business intelligence tools.

Students will further explore the role of information technology in supporting data analysis and organisational decision making, including the role of databases, data storage, artificial intelligence in data analysis as well as the concept of big data and its use in organisations and within accounting business function. Students will also discuss the importance of data protection management within an organisation.

Learning Outcomes:

a) Critically evaluate relevant data analytics and data management tools, frameworks, and concepts and employ them across various business scenarios.

b) Deconstruct complex business problems to translate them into analytical questions and to support the development of an effective data analytics strategy.

c) Develop analytical solutions by applying descriptive and advanced analysis techniques to support business decision-making.

d) Create a persuasive data story and design visualisations and effectively communicate data analytics insights and recommendations to relevant stakeholders.

e) Evaluate the role of information technology in supporting data analysis for organisational decision making and discuss the importance of data protection management within an organisation.

Assessment Information:

Learning outcomes for this subject are assessed using a range of assessment tasks as described in the table below.