UT Arlington Hosts Symposium on Business Data Analysis

The University of Texas at Arlington – College of Business recently discussed data analysis and its practical applications at a symposium celebrating the Business College’s 50th anniversary.

Speakers at the event included Kimberly Nevala, who currently works as a business solutions manager for Statistical Analysis System. In this role, Nevala is responsible for analyzing data and using the information to improve business operations. The main purpose of this analysis, Nevala said, is to have a clear way of communicating what is going on within a business and its successes/failures in the marketplace. Through analytics, businesses can get specific information about who uses their product, and then customize their marketing to the users.

“They’re looking at how to communicate to you their ideas and products so that you’lle ngage in business with them,” explained Nevala.

Sridhar Nerur, associate professor of information systems and operations management, further explained at the symposium how analytics allow businesses to reach their full potential. Nerur cited one such example as market basket analysis, in which data is collected about what consumers are buying and therefore helps predict what sort of goods should be produced.

Another panel at the symposium featured Matthew Solomon, principal of advanced analytics at AT&T, who discussed the way data analysis can be used in a company. “Companies are interested in patterns of behavior and spending habits,” he said. “They can use this data to improve and provide better services to clients and customers.” Not only do companies use analytics to understand and predict consumer behavior, Solomon explained, but also within the company to understand their own personnel.

UT Arlington, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, currently offers a master’s degree in economic data analytics and one in business analytics.

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