In a resolutely practical and data-driven project universe, the digital age changed the way data is collected, stored, analyzed, visualized and protected, transforming business opportunities and strategies. It is important for today’s organizations and entrepreneurs to implement a robust data strategy and industrialize a set of “data-driven” solutions to utilize big data analytics to its fullest potential. Big Data Analytics for Entrepreneurial Success provides emerging perspectives on the theoretical and practical aspects of data analysis tools and techniques within business applications. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as algorithms, data collection, and machine learning, this publication provides concrete examples and case studies of successful uses of data-driven projects as well as the challenges and opportunities of generating value from data using analytics. It is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, researchers, business owners, managers, graduate students, academicians, software developers, and IT professionals seeking current research on the essential tools and technologies for organizing, analyzing, and benefiting from big data.

The best-selling author of Big Data is back, this time with a unique and in-depth insight into how specific companies use big data. Big data is on the tip of everyone's tongue. Everyone understands its power and importance, but many fail to grasp the actionable steps and resources required to utilise it effectively. This book fills the knowledge gap by showing how major companies are using big data every day, from an up-close, on-the-ground perspective. From technology, media and retail, to sport teams, government agencies and financial institutions, learn the actual strategies and processes being used to learn about customers, improve manufacturing, spur innovation, improve safety and so much more. Organised for easy dip-in navigation, each chapter follows the same structure to give you the information you need quickly. For each company profiled, learn what data was used, what problem it solved and the processes put it place to make it practical, as well as the technical details, challenges and lessons learned from each unique scenario. Learn how predictive analytics helps Amazon, Target, John Deere and Apple understand their customers Discover how big data is behind the success of Walmart, LinkedIn, Microsoft and more Learn how big data is changing medicine, law enforcement, hospitality, fashion, science and banking Develop your own big data strategy by accessing additional reading materials at the end of each chapter

Unique insights to implement big data analytics and reap big returns to your bottom line Focusing on the business and financial value of big data analytics, respected technology journalist Frank J. Ohlhorst shares his insights on the newly emerging field of big data analytics in Big Data Analytics. This breakthrough book demonstrates the importance of analytics, defines the processes, highlights the tangible and intangible values and discusses how you can turn a business liability into actionable material that can be used to redefine markets, improve profits and identify new business opportunities. Reveals big data analytics as the next wave for businesses looking for competitive advantage Takes an in-depth look at the financial value of big data analytics Offers tools and best practices for working with big data Once the domain of large on-line retailers such as eBay and Amazon, big data is now accessible by businesses of all sizes and across industries. From how to mine the data your company collects, to the data that is available on the outside, Big Data Analytics shows how you can leverage big data into a key component in your business's growth strategy.

Technological advancements in computing have changed how data is leveraged by businesses to develop, grow, and innovate. In recent years, leading analytical companies have begun to realize the value in their vast holdings of customer data and have found ways to leverage this untapped potential. Now, more firms are following suit and looking to monetize Big Data for big profits. Such changes will have implications for both businesses and consumers in the coming years. In From Big Data to Big Profits, Russell Walker investigates the use of Big Data to stimulate innovations in operational effectiveness and business growth. Walker examines the nature of Big Data and how businesses can use it to create new monetization opportunities. Using case studies of Apple, Netflix, Google, LinkedIn, Zillow, Amazon, and other leaders in the use of Big Data, Walker explores how digital platforms such as mobile apps and social networks are changing the nature of customer interactions and the way Big Data is created and used by companies. Such changes, as Walker points out, will require careful consideration of legal and unspoken business practices as they affect consumer privacy. Companies looking to develop a Big Data strategy will find great value in the SIGMA framework, which he has developed to assess companies for Big Data readiness and provide direction on the steps necessary to get the most from Big Data. Rigorous and meticulous, From Big Data to Big Profits is a valuable resource for students, researchers, and professionals with an interest in Big Data, digital platforms, and analytics

Why Everyone Needs Analytical Skills Welcome to the age of data. No matter your interests (sports, movies, politics), your industry (finance, marketing, technology, manufacturing), or the type of organization you work for (big company, nonprofit, small start-up)—your world is awash with data. As a successful manager today, you must be able to make sense of all this information. You need to be conversant with analytical terminology and methods and able to work with quantitative information. This book promises to become your “quantitative literacy" guide—helping you develop the analytical skills you need right now in order to summarize data, find the meaning in it, and extract its value. In Keeping Up with the Quants, authors, professors, and analytics experts Thomas Davenport and Jinho Kim offer practical tools to improve your understanding of data analytics and enhance your thinking and decision making. You’ll gain crucial skills, including: • How to formulate a hypothesis • How to gather and analyze relevant data • How to interpret and communicate analytical results • How to develop habits of quantitative thinking • How to deal effectively with the “quants” in your organization Big data and the analytics based on it promise to change virtually every industry and business function over the next decade. If you don’t have a business degree or if you aren’t comfortable with statistics and quantitative methods, this book is for you. Keeping Up with the Quants will give you the skills you need to master this new challenge—and gain a significant competitive edge.

Unique prospective on the big data analytics phenomenon for both business and IT professionals The availability of Big Data, low-cost commodity hardware and new information management and analytics software has produced a unique moment in the history of business. The convergence of these trends means that we have the capabilities required to analyze astonishing data sets quickly and cost-effectively for the first time in history. These capabilities are neither theoretical nor trivial. They represent a genuine leap forward and a clear opportunity to realize enormous gains in terms of efficiency, productivity, revenue and profitability. The Age of Big Data is here, and these are truly revolutionary times. This timely book looks at cutting-edge companies supporting an exciting new generation of business analytics. Learn more about the trends in big data and how they are impacting the business world (Risk, Marketing, Healthcare, Financial Services, etc.) Explains this new technology and how companies can use them effectively to gather the data that they need and glean critical insights Explores relevant topics such as data privacy, data visualization, unstructured data, crowd sourcing data scientists, cloud computing for big data, and much more.

The twenty-first century is a time of intensifying competition and progressive digitization. Individual employees, managers, and entire organizations are under increasing pressure to succeed. The questions facing us today are: What does success mean? Is success a matter of chance and luck or perhaps is success a category that can be planned and properly supported? Business Intelligence and Big Data: Drivers of Organizational Success examines how the success of an organization largely depends on the ability to anticipate and quickly respond to challenges from the market, customers, and other stakeholders. Success is also associated with the potential to process and analyze a variety of information and the means to use modern information and communication technologies (ICTs). Success also requires creative behaviors and organizational cleverness from an organization. The book discusses business intelligence (BI) and Big Data (BD) issues in the context of modern management paradigms and organizational success. It presents a theoretically and empirically grounded investigation into BI and BD application in organizations and examines such issues as: Analysis and interpretation of the essence of BI and BD Decision support Potential areas of BI and BD utilization in organizations Factors determining success with using BI and BD The role of BI and BD in value creation for organizations Identifying barriers and constraints related to BI and BD design and implementation The book presents arguments and evidence confirming that BI and BD may be a trigger for making more effective decisions, improving business processes and business performance, and creating new business. The book proposes a comprehensive framework on how to design and use BI and BD to provide organizational success.