Reference no: EM132190464

Question: Analytics, Big Data, and Supernumerary Intelligence (SI)

The saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" essentially means a single image can explain an often complex idea better than a written description. However, this is not true for analytics. Often the quantitative data associated with analytics are not enough to explain an issue, and combining it with qualitative data can help companies understand business problems better than if they only had one or the other.

You were introduced to analytics in its quantitative aspect of applying statistical methods to data in order to understand business problems and generate informed solutions. This week you will learn about the difference between basic analytics and supernumerary intelligence (SI), as well as the ways in which SI applies to decision making.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Compare supernumerary intelligence (SI) to basic analytical methods
Analyze the use of SI in decision making

Learning Resources
Note: To access this week's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings
Dickey, J. W., Birdsall, I. A., Larkin, G. R., & Kwang, K. S. (2015). Supernumerary intelligence: A new approach to analytics for management. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Press.

Appendix A, "Some Basic Statistics and Mathematics" (pp. 293-305)

Chapter 1, "Introduction" (pp. 1-21)
Dickey, J. (n.d.). NSF SBE 2020: Future research in the social, behavioral & economic sciences [White paper].

Optional Resources
Dickey, J. W. (1995). CyberQuest: Problem solving and innovation support system, conceptual background and experiences. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Discussion: Supernumerary Intelligence (SI)

This week you return to analytics and expand its scope, incorporating qualitative research with statistics and deepening your knowledge of all the analytical methods available. This combination of qualitative and quantitative reasoning is called supernumerary intelligence (SI). We will also touch on big data, which involves dealing with very large datasets that do not submit to many traditional analytical methods and which require special methods of their own. Quantitative CyberQuest (QCQ) and the Public Administration Genome Project (PAGP) are two systems that are particularly useful in applying SI to analytics.

To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources, focusing on supernumerary intelligence (SI).
Think about how SI differs from basic analytical methods.
With these thoughts in mind:

Post your understanding of SI and how this approach differs from basic analytical methods. Explain how it can help you with your decision making at your current job or at a job of interest. Include QCQ and PAGP as part of your discussion.