The course is concerned with the description and discussion of the main statistical tools useful to collect, organise and analyse data, in order to make a valid support for business and financial strategic decisions. Through the use of business cases and applications, the course aims at providing operational and practical guidance to data analysis, useful to those who, in various corporate functions, are involved in collecting, analyzing, processing and evaluating qualitative and quantitative information related to the company data. The knowledge and skills acquired at the end of the course are useful to address more effectively both the study of the advanced statistical courses, like "Statistics for Marketing", "Statistics for Finance", "Statistics for business decisions", "Statistics for the Risk Management", and the empirical analysis supporting the final thesis for the Laurea Magistrale.
The educational objectives are consistent with those characterizing the 2nd cycle degree programs in which the course is inserted. In general, students are offered the opportunity to understand and apply, with the use of a generic software (Excel) and a specific one (R), the fundamentals of the statistical methodology, useful tool for quantitative analysis to be used for decision-making in economics, finance and business. These skills contribute to the students’ quantitative background and complete the multidisciplinary education characterizing the degree programs in which the course is inserted.
In particular, the course aims to (i) provide the ability to use quantitative techniques for the analysis and interpretation of social, economic, financial and business phenomena and (ii) develop the skills and personal attitudes of analysis necessary to acquire consulting abilities, especially in the field of market research, and to learn the most advanced theoretical methods developed in the quantitative disciplines, which are needed to fully achieve the aims of every programme of the Laurea Magistrale.
Specifically, the students will gain the following skills:
1) Knowledge and understanding: students will acquire the methodological knowledge about the fundamental concepts of data analysis and will be able to apply such knowledge by means of appropriate software.
2) Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to use some of the main exploratory methods of data analysis in order to analyse real phenomena in social, economic, business and financial fields and to understand their most important aspects.
3) Making judgements: students who successfully complete this course will be able to collect, analyse and interpret statistical data, both qualitative and quantitative, and organize results in order to draw conclusions and decide in uncertain situations, for example in specific economic and business situations.
4) Communication skills: students who successfully complete this course will be able to communicate, to experts and non-experts, information and evaluations, also with the help of outputs from specific software and graphical devices.
5) Learning skills: the course is aimed to provide the methodological and applied knowledge necessary to face subsequent studies, in particular in the field of economics and advanced statistics courses.