Graduate Students Consult with Citi on Real-World Data Analytics Project
As part of a business analytics consulting course, the global financial services company Citi engaged Providence College graduate students to find a solution to their real-world business problem.
Citi executives sought ways to monitor their business projects and alter project objectives, as well create a comprehensive master budget plan.
Jonathan Jackson, Ph.D., associate professor of finance, presented the students with the business proposition at the start of the semester, and they began preparing to present their solutions to Citi during the final week of classes.
The students were given only a minimal set of data, from which they made their own assumptions to create a higher-level data set. The students then used a variety of software applications, such as Tableau and Microsoft Excel, to perform different types of quantitative analysis of the data.
Of the six groups that presented projects to Jackson, three finalists were chosen to present their findings to Citi executives, who ultimately chose the winner.
After hearing presentations from the three final groups, asking questions, and a thoughtful deliberation, the Citi representatives chose a winning team. Their metrics included, but were not limited to, conciseness of the presentation, attractiveness of the visualizations, and user-friendliness of the analytics dashboard.
The members of the winning group were Ryan Ashe ’21, ’22G, Olivia Moss ’21, ’22G, and Rebecca Roberts ’22G. Ashe and Moss were students in the Master of Science in Business Analytics degree program, and Roberts was an MBA student who also earned a data analytics graduate certificate.
“There were numerous challenges that we had to overcome including designing our solution, implementing our design into our software, and constructing our presentation, so I am honored that Citi chose my group as the best solution,” said Ashe.
The Citi executives were thoroughly impressed by all the groups that presented, but they especially liked how easy the final team’s deliverable and presentation were to understand. Citi felt like their project exceeded all of their metrics and was best aligned with the organization’s goals.
“I felt the winning team presented in a way that was really easy to follow and I appreciated that aspect,” said Susan Han, senior vice president at Citi. “I was able to understand what their dashboard was trying to convey within fifteen to twenty seconds of seeing it, which is a really important element of a business- level visualization.”
Jacqueline Elcik, Ph.D., senior associate dean of the School of Business, also attended the presentations.
“It’s really nice to see how all these projects come together at the end of the semester,” said Elcik. “When watching the presentations, it is undeniable how much effort the students put into their solutions.”
Projects like these help students earn invaluable knowledge about how business is conducted outside of a classroom setting, which will undoubtedly help them when they enter the business world upon completion of their programs.
“With this project, I’ve refined my data analytics skills to assist me in any work that I do,” said Ashe. “I’ve established consulting experience that I will always be able to reflect back on.”
By Maeve Hickey ’21, ’22G
If your organization would be interested in partnering with the Providence College School of Business to work on a real-world consulting project with PC students, please contact the Dean’s Office at pcsb-dean@providence.edu.
