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P a r t

I

Decision Making and Analytics

An Overview

Learning Objectives fOr Part i
■ Understand the need for business analytics ■ Learn the major frameworks of computerized
■ Understand the foundations and key issues of decision support: analytics, decision support
managerial decision making systems (DSS), and business intelligence (BI)
■ Understand the major categories and
applications of business analytics

This book deals with a collection of computer technologies that support managerial work—essentially,
decision making. These technologies have had a profound impact on corporate strategy, perfor-
mance, and competitiveness. These techniques broadly encompass analytics, business intelligence,
and decision support systems, as shown throughout the book. In Part I, we first provide an overview
of the whole book in one chapter. We cover several topics in this chapter. The first topic is managerial
decision making and its computerized support; the second is frameworks for decision support. We
then introduce business analytics and business intelligence. We also provide examples of applications
of these analytical techniques, as well as a preview of the entire book. The second chapter within
Part I introduces the foundational methods for decision making and relates these to computerized
decision support. It also covers the components and technologies of decision support systems.

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