The worldwide big data and analytics investment market continues to grow, with projections indicating strong compound annual growth rates over the next decade. To achieve true competitive advantage from business intelligence and data analytics, organizations must control how these investments are being integrated into the culture of the organization. Analytics integration is dependent on employees displaying a comprehensive set of skills that extends beyond technical competencies. This qualitative research identifies specific personal, interpersonal, and communication skills critical for effective interaction among analytics specialists and corporate decision makers. In applying these skills, analytics professionals can shift the decision culture within the organization to engage a data-informed approach to decision making.

The literature provides extensive evidence of the integration of high-impact educational experiences in the university through university core requirements and experiences coordinated through student services programs. The integration and assessment of such experiences within colleges of business is not highly documented. We surveyed business faculty and professional staff members who are actively involved in program assessment at their institutions to determine what innovative high-impact activities are integrated into their business programs to increase student engagement beyond learning in the traditional classroom and how the value of these activities is perceived and evaluated. The findings indicate that although business programs typically integrate high-impact educational experiences into their curricula, these experiences are not frequently assessed to determine if the intended student outcomes are achieved.