BUMO606

The goal of the course is to provide students with a toolkit for linking data analysis and strategic decision making. Even while there is an increasing proliferation of data and analysis tools, making informed predictions about how and when policy decisions will influence performance outcomes is challenging. Making informed decisions requires: a) understanding the basics of data structures, variables, and relationships; b) a conceptual understanding of when and why correlations can (and cannot) be interpreted as causal; c) the application of research design solutions for common inferential pitfalls; and d) facility with credible research and reporting practices.