Using of Business Intelligence Software - Research Proposal Example

POSTGRADUATE MODULAR SCHEME DISSERTATION PROPOSAL FORM P3 July 2007 Research Question: How to use Business Intelligence software to improve business decisions? Title: Use of Business Intelligence (BI) software for analysis Type or print clearly. See notes at end of document. 1. Indicate if this is the first or revised (following referral), proposal: First  Revised  2. Student number: [Your Student Number] 3. Student name: [Your Name] 4. Contact address and phone number for period of study: a [Your contact details] 5. Course: [Your course name] 6. Staff consulted in the preparation of this proposal: [Name of staff consulted, if any] You must sign and date this form to signal your adherence to the Principles in Research Ethics: A Handbook of Principles and Procedures. b Signature: Date: Tick box if any external body’s ethical clearance must be obtained, and give details  Now submit the form to the Dissertation Module Tutor or other named contact. DISSERTATION APPROVAL PANEL DECISION: To be completed by Chair of the panel. Unconditional Acceptance  Conditional Acceptance (attach details)  Referral (attach details)  Dissertation Advisor assigned: Date: Final Dissertation submission date: Specify the Dissertation submission deadline one year plus one ‘round’ from the date of the panel meeting (see PMS Handbook Section 9). Signature of Dissertation Advisor to confirm awareness of the Principles in the University’s document Research Ethics: A Handbook of Principles and Procedures, and their agreement to abide by it: Copies: student, Dissertation module tutor, allocated Dissertation Advisor, Student Records 7. Objectives of the proposed study (including provisional title) c Title: Use of Business Intelligence (BI) software for analysis Research Question: How to use Business Intelligence software to improve business decisions? To investigate and review the major obstacles for making a better analysis function in BI (Business Intelligence) software To discuss perspective of Competitive Intelligence (CI) from managerial point of view and perspective of Business Intelligence (BI) from technical more of view To identify the ways of implementing comprehensive analysis tools in Business Intelligence (BI) To identify major obstacle from technical point of view and from business point of view To develop a method and to propose a solution to the problem to assist the process of decision-making. 8. The Context: d As per Eddy, Business Intelligence is an investigative instrument that arms decision makers with real-time financial and operating models to track business performance and return on investment. AMI concluded that current market conditions are driving 600,000 small and medium businesses (9 percent of PC owners) to deploy BI software this year (Eddy, 2009). Business Intelligence involves analysis of market, customer and supplier records and customer behaviour. It basically involves analysis of data and information and to abstract intelligence. Though data collection is not a problem these days but complete Business Intelligence (BI) software in order to extract intelligence out of available data is hardly accessible for users. There is a need of smart and user friendly BI software or tool that not only extract intelligence out of given data but also should find relationship between data structure in order to accurately convert the data into information. Internet is the easiest accessible source of data collection. Data can also be collected physically. Data can be defined as unorganized raw facts and figures. Business Intelligence software gathers, analyzes and process given data. Ideal BI software should find relationship between data structure to generate final result. Proposed integrated BI software processes the given data on the basis of analyzing data structure in order to give out more accurate, cost effective, comprehensive and easy to understand information with the help of graphical presentation. Processed information will give clear and accurate knowledge. Clear knowledge would help in improving existing strategies, policies and procedures. Better strategies would not only accelerate decision making process but will also help in improving the outcome at larger scale by the mean of better business decisions Above explanation illustrate the significance of this research by the mean of exploring ideas to use Business Intelligence software for analysis works in such a way that it may bring better and faster business decisions. This research would conclude finally with the help of Case Study Methodology, literature review, interviews etc as discussed in the next section. 9. Research design (including methods) or critical approach: (Research Paradigms) e This research will focus on two companies Senlient and Crystalloids. Crystalloids helps firms that are striving towards the Predictive Enterprise by the mean of Crystallizing, Implementing and Optimizing their Customer Intelligence, Web Intelligence and Risk Intelligence solutions. Crystalloids is specialized in Advanced Analytics and uses the advanced analytical applications of SPSS, SAP Business Objects and SAS. Sentient is a self-governing software house, located at Amsterdam, with an extensive way in data mining and business intelligence. Sentient has facilitated various companies to find out trends in their data. This has presented insight and a better enhanced information position to make correct forecasts and to make sound decisions. For this study, adequate permission has been acquired from these companies. The reason of choosing these two companies is their excellence in technologies. QA Manager of Crystalloids and Software Engineer of Senlient has confirmed me their assistance throughout the research. I am expecting complete cooperation from their end to conduct my research. In this study, qualitative research will be conducted. Trochim defined qualitative research as a universal mean of thinking about executing qualitative research and it defines, either explicitly or implicitly, the reason of the qualitative research, the task of the researcher, the phases of research, and the data analysis method (Trochim, 2008). The importance of qualitative research is well defined by Gill Ereaut as computers are valuable for administrative work and at arranging and classifying data but computers cant think like a researcher but this reality is not a restriction at all, this way Ereaut stated that researcher do what they most want to do - the thinking (Ereaut, 2007). In this research, observation method, unstructured interviews and case studies will be used to collect relevant data. Lester stated that single-case studies recognize issues which demonstrate differences and system failures - and to clarify or draw attention to ‘different’ situations - positive conclusions are less simple to create with no minute sample of participants., Lester continued that one must be cautious in signifying their degree in relation to the population from which the participants or cases were picked up (Lester, 1999). As per Ralkowski called phenomenological approach, valuable as it explores the spirit of one’s experiences (Ralkowski, 2007). Hussey and Hussey stated that the methodologies used in this paradigm are action research, case studies etc (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). In this research, Case Study Methodology will also be used. For such methodology, first step would be designing a case study. After which, case study will be conducted with the support of relevant evidences. This research involves deep literature review and interviews with professionals. Data collection methods which will be used in this research are interviews (as primary data) and deep literature review of articles, journals and books (as secondary data). In this research, once literature review is done, questionnaire will be finalized and will further help in interviews. For interview part of this study, participants from Information Technology will be sharing their comments. In this research, face-to-face interviews will help us in building healthy interaction with participants. Participants of this research will share details of software they use and will also comment on the benefits and disadvantages they come across. Participants have permitted to be contacted by the mean of emails and phonic conversation, depending upon their availability. After interviewing all participants of this research, conclusion based on comparison between the companies followed by a set of recommendations, required tools and required adjustments in available versions of BI software as per customer needs will be discussed in this study. 10. Ethical Issues: f The interview participants should be told that they reserve rights of not answering any question or to refuse proceeding further without giving a reason. Eysenck stated that another protection is privacy, without information concerning participants being disclosed (Eysenck, 2004). Companies on which research will focus have been permitted to conduct this research. This research is free from plagiarism, fabrication, inappropriate data-gathering procedures, and poor retention of data. It is also free of confusing or deceptive authorship and any sort of inappropriate practice. Respondents’ names are kept confidential in order to ethically proceed with privacy of all respondents. There is no violation of rule and ethical boundaries in this research. This research has been initiated after adequate permission. 11. Special Resources Required: g Main source throughout this research is my supervisor. Access to online journals, articles, studies and books of Nathan Eddy, Creswell, William Trochim and other scholars and researchers. University library. The face-to-face interviews, email and phonic correspondence in order to gather relative material to proceed with the study. Help in Case study methodology from journals available online. 12. Timetable of main stages of the study: h Months Oct (1) Nov (2) Dec (3) Jan (4) Feb (5) Mar (6) April (7) May (8) Introduction **** Literature searching & review ***** **** **** **** Data collection and real use of data *** *** Analyse results * *** *** Draft report writing *** *** **** *** *** *** Supervisor meetings * * * * * * * * Final report *** NOTES a. Student Records will be updated with this information. Note that we will continue to use your University email address and you should check your account regularly. b. The University document Research Ethics: A Handbook of Principles and Procedures can be found via the University’s Postgraduate internet pages. c. Summary of proposed study should indicate the topic to be covered, and the study objectives or intended outcomes. Indicate here if your Dissertation is likely to include confidential material (eg commercially-sensitive information), so that a procedure for dealing with it can be agreed. d. This section should summarise the context(s) to your study. You should clarify the academic context by indicating some of the principal themes, issues or problems identified by current or previous scholarship/research/practice. Include a short bibliography. You may also indicate any relevant social, professional and institutional/organizational contexts relating to the study. Your analysis of this context should make it clear why you consider the study to be worthwhile. e. This section should describe how you plan to approach your topic and indicate briefly why you think this approach is appropriate. Any fieldwork elements should be described here. If the proposed study raises any health and safety issues you should identify them here, and attach securely to the form a statement signed by yourself declaring how these have been addressed. f. Highlight any ethical issues raised by your study. If required, attach further information on how these have been addressed. Indicate on front page whether you need to seek ethical clearance from any external body. g. Indicate here the location and availability of any resources, such as library or archive material or data sets, beyond those which are readily available in the University. Equipment to be used, and its availability, must be listed. h. Take into account any seasonal constraints, for instance the school year for school-based projects, or natural constraints for work in the field. References Gill Ereaut. (2007). What is qualitative research?. Available: http://www.qsrinternational.com/what-is-qualitative-research.aspx. Last accessed 22 October 2009. Hussey, J. & Hussey R. (1997) Business Research, Macmillan Business New York: Palgrave. Michael W. Eysenck. (2004). Ethical Issues. Available: http://www.psypress.com/pip/resources/chapters/PIP_Ethical.pdf. Last accessed 28 October 2009. Nathan Eddy. (2009). Report: Demand for Business Intelligence Software Rising. Available: http://www.devsource.com/c/a/Architecture/Report-Demand-for-Business-Intelligence-Software-Rising/. Last accessed 26 October 2009. Ralkowski, M. (2007). Introduction to phenomenological research. The Review of Metaphysics, 60(3), 658-661. Retrieved August 19, 2007, from ProQuest database. Stan Lester. (1999). An introduction to phenomenological research. Available: http://www.sld.demon.co.uk/resmethy.pdf. Last accessed 28 October 2009. William M.K. Trochim. (2008). Qualitative Approaches. Available: http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/index.php. Last accessed 25 October 2009. Read More