Data and Analytics for Executives: Decision-Making in the Age of AI—Online

Learn how to improve business outcomes by leveraging analytics to make evidence-based decisions.

This program provides an analytical, multi discipline-based approach to equip executives with the skills to demystify data analytics and foster better collaboration with data teams. Through practical frameworks, real-world examples, and hands-on projects, the program enhances your capacity to leverage growing data volumes and AI tools for informed, strategic planning and decision-making.

In an era dominated by data —and analysis tools such as AI—the ability to lead data analytics is essential for business leaders to stay ahead. Yet, many leaders feel daunted by the growing amount of data and tools available. Many others make the critical mistake of looking for patterns in the data they have instead of framing productive questions to shape the data they need.

In this online program, participants learn how to “think data” the Chicago Booth way. As the birthplace of ideas and methods that define best practices in business data and analytics, Booth equips participants to become world-class analytical thinkers. You will develop the critical and creative reasoning skills needed to frame a data analytics project for optimal outcomes, collaborate with data specialists, leverage new tools such as AI, and ultimately make timely, evidenced-based decisions that drive results.

By attending, you will:

  • Gain a powerful, structured approach to data analytics from Chicago Booth, empowering you to confidently tackle complex business challenges.
  • Acquire data analytics skills to transform strategic planning and decision-making in your organization.
  • Build expertise in identifying and interpreting the right data while addressing critical considerations like privacy and fairness.
  • Transform your ability to communicate data-driven insights, creating clear, actionable stories that resonate with stakeholders.
  • Stay ahead of emerging trends in AI, ensuring your organization is prepared for new opportunities and regulatory shifts in the data landscape.

A highly-interactive, hands-on program format

Gain hands-on experience through real-world projects, network with peers, and learn from leading experts in the field.

This program incorporates:

  • Collaborative group work with feedback from peers and mentors
  • Hands-on workshops integrating the latest analytical tools such as AI into your models
  • Case studies demonstrating best practices in data-driven decision-making
  • Capstone project: Participants will choose a business challenge; using tools and techniques in the program, they will create a compelling presentation to drive a decision for their business

This program is designed for mid- to senior-level executives (managers, directors, VPs, and C-suite) with the desire to solve their organization’s critical business challenges through a data-driven approach.

This program will benefit executives who are:

  • Responsible for the strategic direction of a team, department and/or business unit(s)
  • In roles where data-driven decision-making is crucial, such as general management, finance, marketing, operations, project management, or IT
  • Seeking to give their business a competitive edge by using the latest analytical methods and tools for strategic planning and decision-making.
In addition, this program is recommended for groups of executives seeking to build a culture of evidence-based decision-making across their organization.

Sanjog Misra

Charles H. Kellstadt Distinguished Service Professor of Marketing and Applied AI
Sanjog Misra is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research focuses on the use of machine learning, deep learning and structural econometric methods to study consumer and firm decisions. In particular, his research involves building data-driven models aimed at understanding how consumers make choices and investigating firm decisions pertaining to pricing, targeting and salesforce management issues. More broadly, Professor Misra is interested in the development of scalable algorithms, calibrated on large-scale data, and the implementation of such algorithms in real world decision environments.

Professor Misra's research has been published in the Econometrica, The Journal of Marketing Research, The Journal of Political Economy, Marketing Science, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, the Journal of Law and Economics, among others. He has served as the co-editor of Quantitative Marketing and Economics and as area editor at Management Science, the Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, Marketing Science, Quantitative Marketing and Economics, the International Journal of Research in Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research.

Misra is actively involved in partnering with firms in his research and has worked as an advisor to a number of companies such as Transunion, Oath, Verizon, Eli Lilly, Adventis, Mercer Consulting, Sprint, MGM, Bausch & Lomb, Xerox Corporation and Ziprecruiter with the aim of helping them design efficient, analytics-based, management systems that result in better decisions. He currently serves as an advisor to startups in the marketing technology, measurement and AI space. At Booth Professor Misra teaches courses on Algorithmic Marketing. These courses bring his practical and research expertise in the algorithmic marketing domain into the classroom. He is hopeful that these classes will get students ready for the next evolution of marketing that he believes is already underway.

Prior to joining Booth, Misra was Professor of Marketing at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Professor at the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester. In addition he has been visiting faculty at the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Week One: Introduction to the Chicago Booth Approach and the Impact of AI on Analytics

  • Understand the Chicago Booth Approach to Data Analytics
  • Explore the impact of AI, machine learning, and deep learning on data analytics
  • Apply the Empirical Strategy Framework to define a business challenge

Week Two: Define Business and Analytic Objectives

  • Craft precise business and analytics objectives
  • Frame effective questions to drive insightful analysis
  • Formulate a specific, data-driven question for your Business Challenge

Week Three: Theory Building and Hypothesis Development

  • Articulate theories and formulate hypotheses aligned with specific business objectives
  • Apply critical reasoning to  challenge assumptions and refine hypotheses
  • Uncover overlooked factors impacting your specific Business Challenge

Week Four: Construct Data-Driven Models

  • Translate business theories into quantitative models to test hypotheses
  • Apply strategies to account for unobservable factors, building robust data models
  • Explore the applications of AI technologies in enhancing business analytics
  • Develop a mathematical model for your Business Challenge that translates your theory into testable equations

Week Five: Data Identification and Methodological Approaches

  • Identify relevant data sources and appropriate analytic methods to support model development
  • Recognize and avoid common data interpretation pitfalls and overcome biases
  • Determine the necessary data sources and analytic methods to quantify your model

Week Six: Transform Data Into Actionable Insights and Strategic Implementation

  • Apply methods to generate actionable insights from data models
  • Leverage AI technologies to enhance data-driven insights
  • Develop roll-out strategies to successfully implement your models
  • Create a 'data story' to communicate insights
  • Create an implementation plan for your Business Challenge

Week Seven: Data policy: privacy, and fairness

  • Examine the implications of privacy considerations in analytics, including the handling of personal data
  • Understand societal impacts of algorithms, such as fairness and bias, in data-driven decision-making
  • Draft your final analysis that effectively communicates key insights, quantified impact, and actionable recommendations for your Business Challenge

Week Eight: New Frontiers in Analytics

  • Explore the future applications and implications of Artificial Intelligence
  • Understand the role and benefits of synthetic data in data analytics
  • Develop strategies for responding to regulatory changes in data and AI
  • Present the final analysis for your Business Challenge
Curriculum subject to change

The inaugural cohort of this online program will be held in spring 2025. Dates to be announced.