Linking business analytics to economic value is a hard problem. Despite all the smarts that get poured into models, it's hard to tie them to financial measures such as profitability. And, because of that, it's hard to justify investment in analytics. Need headcount? Sorry, try again. Need tools? Sorry, can't
While the first day of the SAS Global Forum Executive Conference focused on the business application of analytics, the second day was dedicated to analytics and IT management. One of the keynote presenters was Erik Brynjolfsson, the Schussel Family Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Erik’s research and
I'm in what's a very foggy Chicago at the moment, counting down the hours to when we'll be kicking off our SAS pre-conference workshop at INFORMS. I'm very fortunate to be here this year, because I've always been a big believer in using optimization to drive returns. The greatest thing
In this panel discussion, a diverse group of companies from different industries are finding profitable growth opportunities through analytics. We’re joined by: Jim Foreman, Director of Circulation Analytic, Staples Halina Karachuk, VP Innovation, AXA Equitable Life Barb Buettin, Director, CRM – Enterprise Information Management, Chico’s Nelle Schantz, Sr. Marketing Director,
In getting ready for the INFORMS Conference on Business Analytics and Operation Research next week in Chicago, I caught up with Jodi Blomberg, a Technical Architect at SAS, to hear more about the paper she's presenting on April 11th. Here's a little preview of what Jodi has to share. For
How can you find and act on information hidden in customer interactions? How can you use this information to create profitable results and create a consistent customer experience? It’s not just about sales and marketing teams interacting with the customers anymore. The entire organization must align drive a good, consistent
“It is the dawning of the age of the digital, age of the digital!” I couldn’t help humming the 1969 tune after attending Erik Brynjolfsson’s presentation at the SAS Global Forum Executive Conference 2011 in Las Vegas. As Director for the MIT Center for Digital Business, Erik lives and breathes
At the SAS Global Forum Executive Conference, SAS’ very own Jim Davis, Chief Marketing Officer, gave a great presentation entitled “Analytics – See Business Possibilities You Never Imagined.” He started off by asking the audience a couple of questions: How do we take analytics and make a difference in our
Yesterday at the SAS Global Forum Executive Conference, SAS Senior Director of Product Marketing Nelle Schantz moderated a panel discussion featuring Thomas Davenport, best-selling author and Director of the International Institute for Analytics; Charlene Li, founder of Altimeter Group and co-author of Groundswell; and Rom Hendler, Senior Vice President and
What is data good for? Absolutely nothing without the right people and the right tools, says Angela Watson, Vice President of Analytics at Overstock.com, an online retailer that offers brand-name merchandise at discounted prices. It’s common for organizations to have “analysis paralysis” where not all departments use data, analytics to
