Recommending Books for Purchase (Bulletin 60 - May 2020): Big Data/Analytics

This book includes selected papers submitted to the ICADABAI-2017 conference, offering an overview of the new methodologies and presenting innovative applications that are of interest to both academicians and practitioners working in the area of analytics. It discusses predictive analytics applications, machine learning applications, human resource analytics, operations analytics, analytics in finance, methodology and econometric applications. The papers in the predictive analytics applications section discuss web analytics, email marketing, customer churn prediction, retail analytics and sports analytics. The section on machine learning applications then examines healthcare analytics, insurance analytics and machine analytics using different innovative machine learning techniques. Human resource analytics addresses important issues relating to talent acquisition and employability using analytics, while a paper in the section on operations analytics describe an innovative application in oil and gas industry. The papers in the analytics in finance part discuss the use of analytical tools in banking and commodity markets, and lastly the econometric applications part presents interesting banking and insurance applications.

This book presents a collection of the most current research into systemic creativity and TRIZ, engendering discussion and the exchange of new discoveries in the field. With chapters on idea generation, decision making, creativity support tools, artificial intelligence and literature based discovery, it will include a number of instruments of inventive design automation. Consisting of 15-20 chapters written by leading experts in the theory for inventive problem solving (TRIZ) and adjacent fields focused upon heuristics, the contributions will add to the method of inventive design, dialogue with other tools and methods, and teaching creativity in management education through real-life case studies. 

AI and Algorithmics have already optimized and automated production and logistics processes. Now it is time to unleash AI on the administrative, planning and even creative procedures in marketing, sales and management. This book provides an easy-to-understand guide to assessing the value and potential of AI and Algorithmics. It systematically draws together the technologies and methods of AI with clear business scenarios on an entrepreneurial level. With interviews and case studies from those cutting edge businesses and executives who are already leading the way, this book shows you: how customer and market potential can be automatically identified and profiled; how media planning can be intelligently automated and optimized with AI and Big Data; how (chat)bots and digital assistants can make communication between companies and consumers more efficient and smarter; how you can optimize Customer Journeys based on Algorithmics and AI; and how to conduct market research in more efficient and smarter way. A decade from now, all businesses will be AI businesses - Gentsch shows you how to make sure yours makes that transition better than your competitors.

This book examines issues related to the alignment of business strategies and analytics. Vast amounts of data are being generated, collected, stored, processed, analyzed, distributed and used at an ever-increasing rate by organizations. Simultaneously, managers must rapidly and thoroughly understand the factors driving their business. Business Analytics is an interactive process of analyzing and exploring enterprise data to find valuable insights that can be exploited for competitive advantage. However, to gain this advantage, organizations need to create a sophisticated analytical climate within which strategic decisions are made. As a result, there is a growing awareness that alignment among business strategies, business structures, and analytics are critical to effectively develop and deploy techniques to enhance an organization's decision-making capability. In the past, the relevance and usefulness of academic research in the area of alignment is often questioned by practitioners, but this book seeks to bridge this gap. Aligning Business Strategies and Analytics: Bridging Between Theory and Practice is comprised of twelve chapters, divided into three sections. The book begins by introducing business analytics and the current gap between academic training and the needs within the business community. Chapters 2 - 5 examines how the use of cognitive computing improves financial advice, how technology is accelerating the growth of the financial advising industry, explores the application of advanced analytics to various facets of the industry and provides the context for analytics in practice. Chapters 6 - 9 offers real-world examples of how project management professionals tackle big-data challenges, explores the application of agile methodologies, discusses the operational benefits that can be gained by implementing real-time, and a case study on human capital analytics. Chapters 10 - 11 reviews the opportunities and potential shortfall and highlights how new media marketing and analytics fostered new insights. Finally the book concludes with a look at how data and analytics are playing a revolutionary role in strategy development in the chemical industry.

This book brings together multi-disciplinary research and practical evidence about the role and exploitation of big data in driving and supporting innovation in tourism. It also provides a consolidated framework and roadmap summarising the major issues that both researchers and practitioners have to address for effective big data innovation. The book proposes a process-based model to identify and implement big data innovation strategies in tourism. This process framework consists of four major parts: 1) inputs required for big data innovation; 2) processes required to implement big data innovation; 3) outcomes of big data innovation; and 4) contextual factors influencing big data exploitation and advances in big data exploitation for business innovation.

This book provides an overview of data mining methods demonstrated by software. Knowledge management involves application of human knowledge (epistemology) with the technological advances of our current society (computer systems) and big data, both in terms of collecting data and in analyzing it. We see three types of analytic tools.  Descriptive analytics focus on reports of what has happened.  Predictive analytics extend statistical and/or artificial intelligence to provide forecasting capability.  It also includes classification modeling.  Diagnostic analytics can apply analysis to sensor input to direct control systems automatically.  Prescriptive analytics applies quantitative models to optimize systems, or at least to identify improved systems.  Data mining includes descriptive and predictive modeling.  Operations research includes all three.  This book focuses on descriptive analytics. The book seeks to provide simple explanations and demonstration of some descriptive tools.  This second edition provides more examples of big data impact, updates the content on visualization, clarifies some points, and expands coverage of association rules and cluster analysis.  Chapter 1 gives an overview in the context of knowledge management.  Chapter 2 discusses some basic software support to data visualization.  Chapter 3 covers fundamentals of market basket analysis, and Chapter 4 provides demonstration of RFM modeling, a basic marketing data mining tool.  Chapter 5 demonstrates association rule mining.  Chapter 6 is a more in-depth coverage of cluster analysis. Chapter 7 discusses link analysis.   Models are demonstrated using business related data.  The style of the book is intended to be descriptive, seeking to explain how methods work, with some citations, but without deep scholarly reference.  The data sets and software are all selected for widespread availability and access by any reader with computer links.

This book addresses a broad range of problems commonly encountered in the fields of financial analysis, logistics and supply chain management, such as the use of big data analytics in the banking sector. Divided into twenty chapters, some of the contemporary topics discussed in the book are co-operative/non-cooperative supply chain models for imperfect quality items with trade-credit financing; a non-dominated sorting water cycle algorithm for the cardinality constrained portfolio problem; and determining initial, basic and feasible solutions for transportation problems by means of the "supply demand reparation method" and "continuous allocation method." In addition, the book delves into a comparison study on exponential smoothing and the Arima model for fuel prices; optimal policy for Weibull distributed deteriorating items varying with ramp type demand rate and shortages; an inventory model with shortages and deterioration for three different demand rates; outlier labeling methods for medical data; a garbage disposal plant as a validated model of a fault-tolerant system; and the design of a "least cost ration formulation application for cattle"; a preservation technology model for deteriorating items with advertisement dependent demand and trade credit; a time series model for stock price forecasting in India; and asset pricing using capital market curves. The book offers a valuable asset for all researchers and industry practitioners working in these areas, giving them a feel for the latest developments and encouraging them to pursue further research in this direction.

This book presents a key solution for current and future technological issues, adopting an integrated system approach with a combination of software engineering applications. Focusing on how software dominates and influences the performance, reliability, maintainability and availability of complex integrated systems, it proposes a comprehensive method of improving the entire process. The book provides numerous qualitative and quantitative analyses and examples of varied systems to help readers understand and interpret the derived results and outcomes. In addition, it examines and reviews foundational work associated with decision and control systems for information systems, to inspire researchers and industry professionals to develop new and integrated foundations, theories, principles, and tools for information systems. It also offers guidance and suggests best practices for the research community and practitioners alike. The book's twenty-two chapters examine and address current and future research topics in areas like vulnerability analysis, secured software requirements analysis, progressive models for planning and enhancing system efficiency, cloud computing, healthcare management, and integrating data-information-knowledge in decision-making. As such it enables organizations to adopt integrated approaches to system and software engineering, helping them implement technological advances and drive performance. This in turn provides actionable insights on each and every technical and managerial level so that timely action-based decisions can be taken to maintain a competitive edge. Featuring conceptual work and best practices in integrated systems and software engineering applications, this book is also a valuable resource for all researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, and management professionals with an interest in the fields of e-commerce, cloud computing, software engineering, software & system security and analysis, data-information-knowledge systems and integrated systems.

This book presents the latest developments and breakthroughs in fuzzy theory and performance prediction of queuing and reliability models by using the stochastic modeling and optimization theory. The main focus is on analytics that use fuzzy logic, queuing and reliability theory for the performance prediction and optimal design of real-time engineering systems including call centers, telecommunication, manufacturing, service organizations, etc. For the day-to-day as well as industrial queuing situations and reliability prediction of machining parts embedded in computer, communication and manufacturing systems, the book assesses various measures of performance and effectiveness that can provide valuable insights and help arrive at the best decisions with regard to service and engineering systems.  In twenty chapters, the book presents both theoretical developments and applications of the fuzzy logic, reliability and queuing models in a diverse range of scenarios. The topics discussed will be of interest to researchers, educators and undergraduate students in the fields of Engineering, Business Management, and the Mathematical Sciences. 

This book provides an overview of predictive methods demonstrated by open source software modeling with Rattle (R') and WEKA. Knowledge management involves application of human knowledge (epistemology) with the technological advances of our current society (computer systems) and big data, both in terms of collecting data and in analyzing it. We see three types of analytic tools. Descriptive analytics focus on reports of what has happened. Predictive analytics extend statistical and/or artificial intelligence to provide forecasting capability. It also includes classification modeling. Prescriptive analytics applies quantitative models to optimize systems, or at least to identify improved systems.  Data mining includes descriptive and predictive modeling.  Operations research includes all three. This book focuses on prescriptive analytics. The book seeks to provide simple explanations and demonstration of some descriptive tools. This second edition provides more examples of big data impact, updates the content on visualization, clarifies some points, and expands coverage of association rules and cluster analysis. Chapter 1 gives an overview in the context of knowledge management. Chapter 2 discusses some basic data types. Chapter 3 covers fundamentals time series modeling tools, and Chapter 4 provides demonstration of multiple regression modeling. Chapter 5 demonstrates regression tree modeling.  Chapter 6 presents autoregressive/integrated/moving average models, as well as GARCH models. Chapter 7 covers the set of data mining tools used in classification, to include special variants support vector machines, random forests, and boosting.   Models are demonstrated using business related data. The style of the book is intended to be descriptive, seeking to explain how methods work, with some citations, but without deep scholarly reference. The data sets and software are all selected for widespread availability and access by any reader with computer links.

Gain the key language concepts and programming techniques of Scala in the context of big data analytics and Apache Spark. The book begins by introducing you to Scala and establishes a firm contextual understanding of why you should learn this language, how it stands in comparison to Java, and how Scala is related to Apache Spark for big data analytics. Next, you'll set up the Scala environment ready for examining your first Scala programs. This is followed by sections on Scala fundamentals including mutable/immutable variables, the type hierarchy system, control flow expressions and code blocks. The author discusses functions at length and highlights a number of associated concepts such as functional programming and anonymous functions. The book then delves deeper into Scala's powerful collections system because many of Apache Spark's APIs bear a strong resemblance to Scala collections.  Along the way you'll see the development life cycle of a Scala program. This involves compiling and building programs using the industry-standard Scala Build Tool (SBT). You'll cover guidelines related to dependency management using SBT as this is critical for building large Apache Spark applications.  Scala Programming for Big Data Analytics concludes by demonstrating how you can make use of the concepts to write programs that run on the Apache Spark framework. These programs will provide distributed and parallel computing, which is critical for big data analytics. What You Will Learn See the fundamentals of Scala as a general-purpose programming language Understand functional programming and object-oriented programming constructs in Scala Use Scala collections and functions  Develop, package and run Apache Spark applications for big data analytics Who This Book Is For Data scientists, data analysts and data engineers who intend to use Apache Spark for large-scale analytics.

This book shares key insights into system performance and management analytics, demonstrating how the field of analytics is currently changing and how it is used to monitor companies' efforts to drive performance. Managing business performance facilitates the effective accomplishment of strategic and operational goals, and there is a clear and direct correlation between using performance management applications and improved business and organizational results. As such, performance and management analytics can yield a range of direct and indirect benefits, boost operational efficiency and unlock employees' latent potential, while at the same time aligning services with overarching goals. The book addresses a range of topics, including software reliability assessment, testing, quality management, system-performance management, analysis using soft-computing techniques, and management analytics. It presents a balanced, holistic approach to viewing the world from both a technical and managerial perspective by considering performance and management analytics. Accordingly, it offers a comprehensive guide to one of the most pressing issues in today's technology-dominated world, namely, that most companies and organizations find themselves awash in a sea of data, but lack the human capital, appropriate tools and knowledge to use it to help them create a competitive edge.

This book encompasses empirical evidences to understand the application of data analytical techniques in emerging contexts. Varied studies relating to manufacturing and services sectors including healthcare, banking, information technology, power, education sector etc. stresses upon the systematic approach followed in applying the data analytical techniques; and also analyses how these techniques are effective in decision-making in different contexts. Especially, the application of regression modeling, financial modelling, multi-group modeling, cluster analysis, and sentiment analysis will help the readers in understanding critical business scenarios in the best possible way, and which later can help them in arriving at best solution for the business related problems. The individual chapters will help the readers in understanding the role of specific data analytic tools and techniques in resolving business operational issues experienced in manufacturing and service organisations in India and in developing countries.   The book offers a relevant resource that will help readers in the application and interpretation of data analytical statistical practices relating to emerging issues like customer experience, marketing capability, quality of manufactured products, strategic orientation, high-performance human resource policy, employee resilience, financial resources, etc.  This book will be of interest to a professional audience that include  practitioners, policy makers, NGOs, managers and employees as well as academicians, researchers and students.