| Unit name | Data Visualisation for Business |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MGRC20008 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Michali |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Visualisation techniques are an essential tool in any data analytics process. They can be used to summarise information hidden in massive amounts of raw data, identify patterns and trends, help in making informed decisions, and effectively communicate the findings.
In this unit, students will learn how to apply a variety of visualisation techniques to real-world sustainability problems, how to visually summarise data and findings, and extract valuable insights by producing and interpreting graphs. They will gain a solid foundation in data pre-processing and exploration, learn how to choose appropriate visualisation techniques and acquire advanced skills in the use of visualisation software, such as R and PowerBI. Students will be exposed to different sustainability-related, real-life problems, approach and analyse them with visual techniques, understand the different stakeholders’ perspectives, and convey their findings to them.
How does this unit fit within your Programme?
The Data Visualisation for Business unit is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the key concepts and techniques of data visualisation, as well as make them familiar with the process of making sustainability-related decisions for businesses. It is a mandatory unit that is offered in the second year of our BSc in Business Analytics programme.
In terms of the overall narrative of the Business Studies program, this unit fits in as a key component of the program's focus on data analytics and decision-making. It provides students with the necessary visualisation skills and knowledge they need to use data effectively in a business context and helps them to develop a competitive advantage in their careers.
Content Overview
In this unit, students will get introduced into the different types of datasets and variables in R, will learn about the appropriate uni-variate and multi-variate visualisations, how to pre-process data, how to identify and improve any data quality issues, how to perform numerical and visual exploration of the data, they will get a deeper understanding of correlation and regression analysis, get introduced into more specialised visualisation techniques, such as maps, Sankey diagrams and Networks, and into dashboarding. Also, at a weekly basis, students will explore different topics and issues related to sustainability by applying the taught material to real-world data/case studies that will be used in the practical sessions. Through these case studies, they will also hone their data storytelling skills.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
By the end of the unit, students will have gained a solid foundation in data processing and visualization techniques and will know how to effectively apply them to analyse real-world business problems, with a greater focus on sustainable decision-making. They will be able to effectively pre-process and explore data, and use data visualisation techniques to communicate data insights to a variety of audiences. In addition, students will understand the role of data storytelling and visualisation in sustainable decision-making, and be able to generate such visualisations using appropriate software. Overall, students will have acquired knowledge and developed a range of skills that will enable them to use data to identify trends and patterns, make informed decisions, and drive business strategy.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching in this unit will consist of 10, 3-hour lectorial sessions, which will include lectures and practical seminars. During the hands-on seminars, students will explore different case studies related to sustainability and exercise in practice on using the relevant software to apply the week’s content to the specific case study. Thus, they will learn how the theoretical concepts can be applied to the industry and get familiar with various sustainability issues that modern businesses need to consider when formulating their strategies. It is important that students attend the lectures and review the online material of the week, before coming to the seminars. Formative, online quizzes will also be provided on Blackboard, to help the student self-assess and deepen their understanding of the week’s material, and support self-directed learning. All learning materials will be available on Blackboard, except for the core textbooks, which the student will be able to find in the library. Discussion board can also be used by the students to interact with their peers. Apart from the 30 hours of taught, large-group activities, it is expected that students will need to devote approximately 170 hours to formative assessments and independent study during the whole term.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Every week, different case studies will be used during the practical sessions, to apply the week’s taught material and help students better understand the theoretical concepts and improve their analytical skills. The analysis and discussion during these practical sessions will be similar to what the students will be required to include in their group summative assessment report. In addition, self-assessment quizzes will be available on Blackboard every week. These will help students assess their understanding of the week’s material and prepare them for the summative quiz assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Multiple Choice Quiz (40% of the overall mark):
This individual summative assessment will take place on week 7 and will cover the material that has been taught on weeks 1-6.
Group Assignment (60% of the overall mark):
This will be a group report of 3000 words. The assignment will focus on applying visualisation techniques for analysing a real-life problem. Students will work in small groups (of 2 or 3 students each) to identify a real-world dataset related to a sustainability issue (this could be related to either social or environmental sustainability), or to an innovative idea that has been implemented to foster sustainability. The discussion that will be provided on the topic area identified, should have the form of storytelling, explaining and analysing the problem using different and appropriate visualisation techniques. The analysis and reporting should also consider the different stakeholders, and provide managerial recommendations and policy implications considering their potentially different perspectives. The report should also discuss the different steps taken during the data pre-processing, as well as provide discussion and justification on the different visualisation methods that were used in the analysis.
When assessment does not go to plan
In the case that reassessment is needed, this will maintain the original assessment’s weighting distribution. Therefore, this will consist of a multiple choice quiz (40% of the overall mark) and an individual report of 1500 words, where the student will identify a different case study to analyse and apply the topics that were covered in the unit (60% of the overall mark).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MGRC20008).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
