According to Opstalk (2019), the biggest contribution of business analytics, also known as business intelligence in the article, is that it has enabled business access to predictive analytics tools, versatile and easy to use dashboard and fast answers. The article, however, does not provide specific industries as case studies. Instead, it explains the potential and general benefits of business analytics in solving business problems.
On the other hand, the article uses three case studies. The first case study of the application of business analytics tools to understand how weather impacted sales by looking at different retail stores. The case study cross-referenced sales data with external reports of weather events and traffic to identify patterns. Opstalk (2019) reported that the patterns could help predict behavior. For instance, in one of the stores, the glove sales would go up when the weather channel predicted the presence of snow. Therefore, retailers could use such data to stock up on items or even display different items depending on the current and projected weather.
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In the second case study, Opstalk (2019) reported how Alison Nimura, the Business Intelligence Team Manager at Portland State University, implemented a software tool that would let staff, experienced on not access and interpret data from different sources without problems. Additionally, the tool would enable them to report deeply analyzed data with just a few clicks. This is evidence of how business intelligence tools could be used to streamline the workplace and standardize operations (Torres et al., 2018; Rinkenberger, 2020). The last case study addressed how business intelligence tools could be used as a source of competitive advantage by getting results fast. The speed through which analytics operated would not be limited by the employees.
From the case studies, there is one implied bias. All the cases report successes in the field of application of business intelligence tools. None of the case studies go into deeper details about the specifics about how the business intelligence tools caused success. As a result, the case study is biased in that it presents one side of the story. Failure is a part of daily experiences, and businesses do learn from failure (Lui et al., 2019). However, the article is biased by reporting failing to report the failures, hence creating the inherent implications that implementing a business intelligence solution is enough to create success.
The limitation in the effective implementation of the documented solution is that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before business intelligence tools showcase their might. For instance, there has to be a technology infrastructure to collect, analyze, and report on the findings. This would require on-site technical staff, like system and network administrators. Secondly, there has to be data to be analyzed by the tools. The article failed to discuss the sources of data, validity, reliability, and ethical considerations.
To improve upon the solution, it is recommended that as useful as business intelligence tools are, the article should present the full picture, such as include case studies where business intelligence failed to succeed. First, it would help companies manage their expectations and not waste valuable resources. Secondly, it would help companies learn from the mistakes of others and increasing their chances of success. Lastly, it would encourage companies to consider business intelligence as a bigger move towards transforming the entire organization, effectively helping them to see the big picture.
References
Liu, Y., Li, Y., Hao, X., & Zhang, Y. (2019). Narcissism and learning from entrepreneurial failure. Journal of Business Venturing , 34 (3), 496-512.
Opstalk. 3 Case Studies that Demonstrate the Benefits of Business Intelligence . Medium. (2019). Retrieved 13 September 2020, from https://medium.com/opstalk/3-case-studies-that-demonstrate-the-benefits-of-business-intelligence-707c7f4133d4.
Rinkenberger, J. (2020). Context of Self-Service Business Intelligence: A case study of IT-enabled organizational transformation.
Torres, R., Sidorova, A., & Jones, M. C. (2018). Enabling firm performance through business intelligence and analytics: A dynamic capabilities perspective. Information & Management , 55 (7), 822-839.
