Skip to main content
Unit of study_

QBUS3850: Business Forecasting

2025 unit information

Time series and dynamic modelling is a fundamental component of modern business practice. Further, forecasting is a required component of business decision making. This unit provides an introduction to the time series models used for the analysis of data arising in different business areas including finance, accounting, marketing, economics and many other disciplines. It then considers methods for point and interval forecasting, testing and sensitivity analyses, in the context of these models. Topics include: the properties of time-series data; Seasonal Exponential smoothing and ARIMA models; Vector Autoregressions; modelling and forecasting conditional volatility, via ARCH and GARCH; forecasting risk measures such as Value at Risk and Expected Shortfall; dynamic factor models. Emphasis is placed on applications involving the analysis of many real business datasets. Students are encouraged to undertake hands-on analysis using appropriate software.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Business (Business School)

Study level Undergraduate
Academic unit Business Analytics
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
QBUS2820
Corequisites:
? 
None
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand the characteristics of time-series data in order to analyse real business data of this form
  • LO2. select and use an appropriate technique to predict the future behaviour of business variables of interest
  • LO3. design and estimate of a range of quantitative, statistical models for volatility and risk
  • LO4. appraise the suitability of both models and methods for forecasting business and financial data
  • LO5. develop complex programs in Python software for estimation of time series models and forecasting

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Remote
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Remote

Find your current year census dates

Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.