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MAN-10079 - Module Specification
Keele Business School
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2025/26 Last Updated: 04 December 2025

MAN-10079 - Data, Decisions and Visualisation
Coordinator: Rotimi Ogunsakin
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
School Office: 01782 733094

Programme/Approved Electives for 2025/26

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2025/26

In the Data, Decisions and Visualisation module, you will learn to understand, work with, and transform data to generate actionable insights that are essential for informed decision-making in today’s business environment. The module introduces key concepts related to data sources, types, structure, storage, and processing. You will explore the fundamentals of big data, data analytics, and business intelligence, gaining practical skills in using industry-standard tools like Microsoft Excel, PowerBI, and Tableau.
Throughout the course, you will apply these tools to solve real-world business problems, develop data visualizations, and demonstrate how data-driven insights can improve decision-making. You will also critically examine the ethical and legal implications of data use, ensuring you approach data analysis responsibly. By working on practical exercises and case studies, you will gain experience in presenting complex data findings to diverse audiences, helping you communicate insights clearly and effectively.
This module is central to your programme, providing foundational knowledge in data analytics and visualization, which are key to success in many business careers. By the end of the module, you will be equipped with the skills to turn raw data into valuable insights, making you a more informed and capable decision-maker. These skills are highly valued by employers and will enhance your future career, whether you pursue roles in management, marketing, operations, or other data-driven fields.

Aims
The Data, Decisions and Visualisation module aims to equip students with the essential skills needed to understand, work with, and transform data to achieve actionable insights, which are fundamental for informed decision-making in the modern business environment. The module will introduce students to data as the fundamental building block of information and knowledge, including data sources, types, structure, storage, processing and management. The module will expose students to the core principles of big data, data analytics, data visualisation and business intelligence. Industry data, real-life business problems and tools like Microsoft Excel, PowerBI and Tableau will be used to implement and demonstrate the power of analytics, visualisation and business intelligence in a modern business environment. Throughout the course, students will tackle real-world problems, use the knowledge gained to analyse complex business and operations data for actionable insights and data-driven decision-making, critically examine the ethical and legal implications of data use, and learn how to effectively communicate analytics findings to diverse audiences.

Intended Learning Outcomes

recognise the fundamental concepts of data as the foundation for information and knowledge, such as data sources, types, structure, storage, processing, and management.: 1,2
evaluate the principles of big data, data analytics, data visualisation, and business intelligence in the context of modern business practices.
: 2
use tools, such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and Tableau, to analyse data, create visualisations, and derive actionable business insights for decision-making.: 1,2
solve real-world business problems by applying data analytics and visualisation techniques to provide evidence-based recommendations.: 1,2
critically assess the ethical and legal implications of data use and their impact on decision-making processes.: 1
effectively communicate analytics findings and insights to diverse audiences, ensuring clarity and relevance to stakeholders.: 2

Study hours

12 x 2-hour Lecture
12 x 2-hour Tutorial/laboratory
24 x 6-hour independent study and practices (Students read recommended articles; watch recommended videos; read recommended chapters of the textbook; and complete recommended practical exercises)
108 guided learning, practical tasks, assessment preparation and individual support

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Report weighted 50%
Individual report
Students will select a business problem from a provided list and use publicly available data to create an analytics dashboard. They will then write a 1,500–2,000-word report, covering: Rationale for Visualisations: Explain the choice of visualisations and how they address the business problem and support decision-making. Approach and Data Management: Describe the data processing steps (e.g., cleaning, transformation) and any challenges encountered. Reflection on the Process: Reflect on the overall approach, challenges faced, and strategies used to overcome them. Ethical and Legal Considerations: Discuss ethical issues like data privacy and bias, and how they were addressed. Insights and Decision-Making: Analyze how the dashboard’s insights can influence business decisions. Submission: Submit the dashboard file (Excel, Power BI, or Tableau) and the report as a single document.

2: Group Assessment weighted 50%
Group Presentation
Students will work in groups to analyse a set of industry data and solve a given related business problem. Each group (maximum of 5 students) will present their findings, covering the following key elements: -Analytics Process: Outline the steps taken to process, analyse, and visualise the data. -Results and Insights: Present the key findings from the analysis and explain how they generate actionable business insights. -Decision-Making: Discuss how the insights were used to inform business decisions or strategies. The presentation will be a face-to-face presentation. All presentations shall be for a maximum of 15 minutes -- divided among the members and followed by a Q&A session. Each group member will be assigned a specific role (the role will be based on key tasks required to answer the business questions, such as, data analysis, visualisation, insights, decision-making, etc), and all members must actively participate in the presentation. A portion of the grade will be allocated for peer evaluation, assessing each member’s contribution to the presentation.

The University undertakes a continuous review of its teaching and research provision to ensure programmes are of a high quality and changes may be made to modules where it is necessary and reasonable to do so. Please be aware that minor changes to modules, such as a change to an individual assessment, can occur up until enrolment, although we endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes. Details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/legalgovernancecompliance/governance/actcharterstatutesordinancesandregulations/studenttermsconditions/

Last Updated: 04 December 2025