37685 - Computational Tools (M-Z)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the Teaching Activities related to the course “Computational Tools”, students will be familiar with programming techniques, plus, they should have gathered a knowledge on basic instructive concepts that would help them accomplish an optimal research on resources like the internet (and other databases), develop an awareness to select, deploy and elaborate some bibliographical data, statistics, balance sheets, market data, benchmark, outcomes of working groups operating in the corporate/business fields, develop the ability to set-up and structure the information coming from financial support, from the management and from other different professions. This course is intended to complement the analytical skills of the student when it comes to: - perform a research on the internet, on scientific databases, identify data, select it, group them, assess it. - compute the data with the purpose of drafting summaries, documentation and other files that may be useful for the working group. - conducting simple numerical analysis of dynamic economic and accounting models on a spreadsheet - compute indicators and indexes and work them from a graphical standpoint, rely on the use of alternative models e display all outcomes, results and strategies knowing how to assemble all this information. - Evaluate and assess all the different options to reach a full automation of the firm.

Course contents

Theory

Databasesand ERPs.

Hints on how to gather information and calculate/normalize indicators.

Overview of firms IT systems.

Applications

MS Excel spreadsheets, general functions, vlookup, pivoting and calculated fields techniques. MS Excel Power Pivot and Power BI advanced techniques.

Readings/Bibliography

Turban, Volonino, Wood / Information Technology for Management - International students version, Wiley, 2015 (10th edition).

Jelen, Alexander / Pivot Table Data Crunching Excel 2016, Que Publishing, 2015 (2nd edition).

Collie, Singh / Power Pivot and Power BI: The Excel User's Guide to DAX, Power Query, Power BI & Power Pivot in Excel 2010-2016, 2016 (2nd edition).

Teaching methods

Lectures and practical applications in laboratory.

Important note: up to 20 Erasmus students can be accepted, the criteria will be "first come, first served".

Assessment methods

Practical test at the PC on MS Excel Power Pivot / MS Power BI, MS Access queries and Excel Pivots and VLOOKUP, plus a few theory open questions.

The course mark is either pass or fail.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, slides, PCs.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Bergamaschi