Harvard Business School Online

Business Analytics Course

Develop a data mindset and the analytical skills to interpret and communicate data

Business Analytics is not based on rote memorization of equations or facts but focuses on honing your understanding of key concepts, your managerial judgment, and your ability to apply course concepts to real business problems.

This course begins with basic descriptive statistics and progresses to regression analysis. You’ll learn course concepts in the context of performing A/B testing on a website, using sampling to check warehouse inventory, predicting home video sales based on box office performance, and forecasting staffing needs for a hotel front desk. Throughout the course, you will receive clear guidance on how to implement analytical techniques in Excel. No matter your job function or career aspirations, this course will demystify data analysis and equip you with concrete skills to apply in your work or further studies.

Participating in Business Analytics will allow you to:

• Recognize trends, detect outliers, and summarize data sets concisely
• Analyze relationships between variables
• Develop and test hypotheses to inform managerial decisions
• Craft sound survey questions and draw conclusions from samples of a larger population
• Estimate the accuracy of statistics by calculating confidence intervals
• Perform single and multiple variable regression analysis using Excel and interpret the output

The HBS Online Advantage

• World-class faculty
• Edge-of-your-seat online learning
• Global peer collaboration and networking
• Real-world, case-based learning

Harvard Business School Online offers a unique and highly engaging way to learn vital business concepts. Immerse yourself in real challenges faced by a diverse group of finance experts, including Rick Childs, Managing Member of 625 Ground Lessor LLC; Mike Even, former Global CIO for Citigroup Asset Management; Chris Hohn, founder of the Children’s Investment Fund; Henrik Poulsen, Chief Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of PFA Asset Management; Dwight Scott, President of GSO Capital; Nikos Stathopoulos, Partner at BC Partners and Member of the BC Partners Executive Committee; and Matt Wilson, Co-Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of Oaktree Capital Management. Step into their shoes and wrestle with the same issues they faced, while engaging with fellow learners from around the world.