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Courses >
Business Administration > Introduction to Business Analysis
Syllabus:
All
courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two
lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course.
You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must
complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new
section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each
month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure
to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.
| Week One |
| Wednesday - Lesson 01 |
Decision-making
is one of the most important aspects of business. So, we'll start
things off by exploring a variety of analytical approaches you can use
for making business decisions. We'll also look at the basic steps
involved in problem solving.
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| Friday - Lesson 02 |
This
lesson will help you understand the probability of events. We'll talk
about basic probability concepts and how you assign probabilities to
experimental outcomes. You'll find out how to apply probability
concepts to business situations.
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| Week Two |
| Wednesday - Lesson 03 |
In
today’s lesson, we'll delve into the concepts of mean and standard
deviation and how they're used in business. We'll also go over survey
analysis, the various steps involved in doing a survey, and the most
common errors that people make.
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| Friday - Lesson 04 |
Today's
lesson is all about the use of probability in decision-making. We'll
explore an analytical approach called Decision Analysis. You'll learn
how to structure a problem so that when you decide how to deal with it,
you know what result to expect. We'll talk about using an optimistic,
conservative, and an in-between approach in making decisions. Finally,
we'll examine the concept of Expected Value.
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| Week Three |
| Wednesday - Lesson 05 |
What
if the decision you want to make isn't the most sensible one from a
financial perspective? There are times when you need to base the worth
of a decision on its value to you. An example of this would be deciding
to buy a lottery ticket. Sometimes it's appropriate to make business
decisions this way. In today's lesson, we'll talk about this approach
and where the different decisions can lead.
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| Friday - Lesson 06 |
All
businesses need to forecast sales and expenses. And the forecasts need
to be accurate. In this lesson, we'll cover forecasting as it's done in
business analysis. You'll learn about the two types of forecasting:
qualitative and quantitative.
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| Week Four |
| Wednesday - Lesson 07 |
In
today's lesson, you'll discover modeling, which is the application of
mathematical constructs to decision making. We'll explore simple,
intermediate, and complex types of models and discuss the two
approaches to model development: reductionist and holistic.
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| Friday - Lesson 08 |
Today
is about how models are developed within a business organization. We'll
talk about what needs to be done and who needs to do it in order to
make the modeling effort a success. We'll explore the respective roles
of the analyst (modeler) and the client for whom the model is being
developed.
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| Week Five |
| Wednesday - Lesson 09 |
The
most widely used type of business analysis is financial analysis. This
probably doesn't surprise you too much since the point of any business
is to make a profit. Today, we'll look at financial analysis and how it
differs from accounting. We'll discuss cost estimating, and various
types of business costs. You'll get familiar with the concepts of
break-even analysis and benefit/cost analysis, both of which play a
vital role in business analysis.
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| Friday - Lesson 10 |
The
techniques of PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM
(Critical Path Method) have proven to be extremely valuable to project
managers. In today's lesson, I'll explain the basics of PERT/CPM and
how to utilize these techniques in your work. You'll meet a simple
technique called a Gantt chart, which works quite well for planning a
simple project with a relatively small number of tasks.
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| Week Six |
| Wednesday - Lesson 11 |
Risk
is a part of any business situation, which makes it something you need
to consider when you do business analysis. Simulation is an excellent
method of performing risk analysis. So today we'll cover step-by-step
procedures for creating and using a simulation model.
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| Friday - Lesson 12 |
In
this, our final lesson, we'll look at computer-based information
systems. This includes such areas as Decision Support Systems,
Optimization Analysis, and Knowledge-Based Systems. You'll learn what
each of these areas constitutes, and I'll show you many business
applications of each.
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To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
This
course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide
you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your
questions. The instructor for this course will be Frank David.
 Frank
David has been teaching business analysis for more than 10 years at the
college and university level. He holds a Master of Commerce, a Master
of Engineering, and has completed PhD-level work in Operations Research
and Management Science. He has held senior managerial positions in
industry and the Department of Defense, has served over 300
organizations as a management consultant, and is co-author of "The
Constant-Sum Approach to Business Success."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Requirements:
Proficiency with basic algebra, Internet access, e-mail, and the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser.
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
Student Reviews:
"After taking this course, I have a much better idea of what
people learn in an MBA program. I can make a better decision about
whether I should apply for business school."
"A great overview course. I found myself wanting to know
more about specific topics, but there are classes focused just on those
areas....a lot of useful information without being completely
overwhelming. Thanks!"
"A very helpful overview of the Business Analysis process."
"A very useful and well thought out course!"
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I have learned so very much in such a short time - useful information.
Thank you sooo much, Frank!!"
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very very knowledgeble and it was my pleasure to be his student."
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logical way that made learning easy. Real world examples were
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clarifying doubts."
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new things, I had a good review of material studied years ago (e.g.
statistics)."
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really enjoyed every minute and found myself drawn into it as I went
through the lessons. Thank You!!!"
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came away with answers to questions I have had for a long time with
regard to Business Statistical and Modeling analysis."
"I found the material to be informative and generally easy to understand."
"I found this course to be written in a clear,
understandable, and engaging way. The instructor, Frank David has been
very patient and thorough in answering our questions as well as prompt.
I found myself challenged but not overwhelmed and I have learned a lot."
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me the opportunity to see another side of the business world and see
all that analysts do to come up with solutions."
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provided a basic foundation. If I decided to pursue business analysis
in more depth, I will at least have been exposed to important concepts
and definitions. I will actually be able to apply some of the material
directly in my job. Thank you."
"I have successfully completed this course with 94%. Thanks
for all your help in discussion, and I have really added to my
knowledge of business analysis."
"I liked that each method discussed included a "story" to illustrate that method."
"I liked the course and enjoyed interacting with the instructor. He was very good, very helpful."
"I liked the instructors background (as an author)which, I
believe, made him perfect to teach an online course. The subject matter
is technical (numbers are involved); but, the instructor made material
easy to understand. He used great examples which made the theoretical
"stuff" relevant. I would like to see him teach a more advanced course,
(maybe: Business Analysis II)."
"I LOVED his teaching style and encouragement he provided in
the reading material...he is funny and a delight to study under! Thank
you!"
"Instructor's writing style helped keep topics lively, esp with examples of "real life" businesses."
"Instructor's writing style helped keep topics lively, esp with examples of real life businesses."
"Interesting!! The course is very refreshing for me. I
finished my MBA and half-way in my PhD and the topics discussed were
familiar but I have learned much. Thank you and More Power."
"I personally consider this course very useful for any person but especially for people with a technical background."
"I really enjoyed taking this course. I know it will be very helpful in my future in business."
"I really enjoyed this class, and now have the base that I needed to decide if I want to pursue a career in Business Analysis."
"I really enjoyed this course and the instructor. I would
sign up for a follow up course or another course related to this one if
Mr. David would teach it."
"I really enjoyed this course - it is value for money, thank you!"
"I think this course overall was excellent. The professor
explain the course material in everyday language and not the academic
jargon we are used to. I found the supplemental information very good.
In all honesty, there is nothing bad to say. If my professors were like
this one when I was an undergraduate, I would have done much better
than I did."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It is highly useful in my daily work. Thank You!"
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course. It is highly useful in my daily work. Thank You!"
"I took Probability & Statistics in undergraduate and
graduate school. After these first 4 lessons, for the first time I
understand the use of P & S in business, especially in the
BioTechnology world in which I work. Thanks for making this area
finally clearer to me."
"I want to thank you for the course, which I enjoyed and I found it very helpful for my interests."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for very informative coursework and for answering all the queries I had."
"I would recommend this class and instructor to anyone that might be interested in business analysis."
"Mr. David, Thank you for sharing your knowledge and
experiences with us. As a working adult I found all the material
covered relevant and practical on multiple aspects. If an intermediate
or secondary course were added to the curriculum I would gladly attend
the course. Thank you."
"Mr. David, thank you very much for such a wonderful and
interesting course! I really enjoyed it and drastically improved my
understanding of Business Analysis."
"My first online class and I loved it. Materials were well
presented! I will not be hesitant to enroll in another online course
taught by Mr. David."
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"thank you for this course, it was very interesting. I have
a new-found respect for those in business who are in the position each
day making business decisions - not easy."
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that it will help me when I go into the work force. The instructor was
always there to help. Once again I thank you for the great course and
would recommend it to others."
"Thank you I really enjoyed myself in the course. It was
very informative. This couse has encouraged me to go to a higher level.
Thank you for the encouragement."
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INCREDIBLE amount from this course!! I have already (and so proudly!)
been able to put some of my newly acquired "analytical" skills to work
on a project for my employer. I did GREAT!"
"Thank you! This was a great class and very interesting. I
learned quite a lot. It has made me want to learn more in the area of
business analysis."
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course! I really enjoyed it and drastically improved my understanding
of Business Analysis."
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to understand and met my educational desires and needs. I am wanting to
pursue a career in business and this class definitely gave me more
knowledge. I would recommend this class to anyone and Frank David was
very good in going through the lessons and answering questions we had
and not confusing me. Excellent Class!!!!"
"The content was good. The extra activities were very
usefull to understand the materials. I was a little concerned about my
lack of algerbra, but I did fine navigating through the materials. I
liked the course."
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"The course was relevant and useful in my current position -
and enabled me to use the information learned during the course to make
real world decisions."
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beneficial in my current position - and I know it will help me with my
career growth. Thank You!"
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relevant examples and one could not help but gain some valuable and
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business decisions. I also decided to continue my study of Management
Science."
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analysis techniques. It is obvious the instructor has a great deal of
experience in the field. He was able to make some very complex concepts
much easier to understand."
"This course provided some valuable information that I can
use on a daily basis. The instructor's writing style is very easy to
comprehend and follow. Thanks for a great experience."
"This course was a bit more advanced than I expected, but if
you're really interested in learning about business analysis techniques
this is a great course to take."
"This course was useful in that it provides me with sufficent knowledge to continue further studies in business analysis."
"This instructor was wonderful! His class was such a
learning experience for me. He took the time to explain what he was
teaching and made the class enjoyable and exciting."
"This is a great course for those who are interested in
business analysis job. It's basic but condensed with useful
information. I like the way instructor put together the syllabus."
"This is a great introductory course on Business Analysis.
It gave me a good idea on various aspects of Business Analysis. I like
the instructors way of introducing subjects and interested in taking an
advanced Business Analysis classes from him. I recommend this course
for all Business Analysis aspirants."
"This was my first on-line course; I enjoyed it and felt the
convenience of working at my own pace was priceless. Thank you for a
positive experience!"
"When I first started this class, I was nervous because of
the algebra, but didn't give up. My pre-score was 50% and final exam
97%. I started my 2nd on-line course and feel better knowing what to
expect. Thank you, Frank for a pleasant course. Hopefully, I can apply
this to my current position and grow professionally."
"Your explanations are presented very well. I work creating
project timelines and analysis on a regular basis. I like the method
you presented and expect to use it on our next project."
"Your lessons are easy to understand, thanks for all the examples."
To purchase this course, click the Enroll Now button below:
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Give
yourself an employment advantage by developing analytical skills that
are consistently in high demand. This course will teach you powerful
quantitative methods that will have you making better, more informed,
and more effective business decisions. The days of making critical
business decisions by instinct or coin toss are long gone. If you are
planning a career in business, you cannot afford to miss this course!