| Unit name | Business Analytics and Responsible Innovation |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EFIMM0140 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lythreatis |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
no |
| Co-requisites |
no |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit aims to give students sound knowledge and understanding of the implications of business analytics within the framework of responsible innovation, environmental and social responsibility. It will focus on sustainability opportunities, ethical challenges and risks of integrating business analytics in business processes and the delivery of products and services to consumers. The unit will draw on academic debates about sustainable innovation and social responsibility with a focus on business analytics and will engage students in in-class discussions of practical and thought-provoking examples and cases from the academic literature and news. Specifically, the aims of the unit are:
1.Provide insights into how intelligent systems and the capability to make decisions from real-time data at scale can help organisations achieve environmental and social responsibility. In consideration of the transformative potential of business analytics in various sectors (e.g. retail, health, insurance), the unit will consider the risks that business analytics might entail in widening the digital business divide and social inequalities.
2.Engage students in the debate about the organisational, ethical, and societal implications of adoption of business analytics and its various applications in the workplace and for the delivery of services to consumers. The unit will address important issues such as agency, accountability, public trust, and surveillance.
3.Provide students with a sound understanding of legal and ethical issues in the use of personal data within the framework of current legislation such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Students will learn about the complexity of balancing between the increasing demand for data to innovate and be competitive and the legal and social obligation to ensure a safe and ethical treatment of data.
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:
ILO 1 – Recognise the implications of business analytics for productivity, responsible innovation, environmental and social responsibility.
ILO 2 – Apply appropriate theoretical frameworks to critically analyse the organisational, ethical, and societal implications of business analytics in the workplace and for the delivery of services to consumer.
ILO 3 – Evaluate legal and ethical issues in the use of personal data in product/service innovation.
ILO 4 – Propose solutions to mitigate risk and safeguard public trust from the adoption and use of business analytics.
The unit will be taught in lectorials, which will combine lectures with tutorial-style discussions. Students will discuss thought provoking academic papers and practice-oriented cases about the use of business analytics/AI in organizations. Students will be required to do preparation reading and activities before each session. Students will be able to access and revise the unit contents on Blackboard.
Formative assessment
Students’ understanding of the unit contents will be based on students’ discussions of academic and practice-oriented reading that students will have to prepare before each session (ILOs 1 and 3). Other forms of formative assessment will include written blogs and/or policy briefs about the socially responsible adoption of business analytics/AI in a specific sector (e.g. insurance, banking, healthcare, retail) (ILOs 1-4). Formative assessment will comprise both instructor and peer feedback.
Summative assessment
Group project presentation component (20%). This component will assess how students have addressed ethics and sustainability issues within the group project of the Business Analytics Consulting Project unit. For this part of the presentation, students will have to recognise and analyse productivity/sustainability implications and ethical and social responsibility issues of their proposed business analytics solution by applying appropriate theoretical frameworks (ILOs 1-2); evaluate legal and ethical issues in the use of personal data arising from their proposed solution (ILO 3); propose solutions to mitigate risk and safeguard public trust from the adoption of their proposed business analytics solution (ILO 4).
3,000-word individual policy report (80%): drawing on appropriate theories learned in this unit, the report will provide a reasoned analysis of growth and sustainability opportunities together with ethical, societal, and legal challenges from the adoption of business analytics in an industry sector (ILOs 1-3). The report will propose theory-based policy recommendations that mitigate risk and safeguard public trust from the adoption and use of business analytics in the chosen sector (ILO 4).
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. EFIMM0140).
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 Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
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. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
