Overview

Business problems rarely arrive as clean equations. This course develops the habit of separating facts, assumptions, mechanisms and conclusions before attempting a solution.

Learners work with compact cases involving markets, organizations, incentives and evidence. Quantitative material is included where useful, but the central skill is structured inference rather than calculation.

The course can also be used as preparation for business-track assessments within the Gordon and SIAI ecosystem.

Learning objectives

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

• separate facts, assumptions and conclusions in a short case;
• construct simple issue trees and alternative hypotheses;
• identify missing information that would materially change a decision;
• use basic quantitative evidence to challenge a narrative;
• compare explanations without confusing correlation and mechanism;
• present a concise recommendation with stated uncertainty.

Intended participants and prerequisites

Course structure

The course is organised into six units. Each unit combines concise explanation, worked examples and short analytical exercises.

Unit	Subject	Principal questions
1	Problem framing	What is the actual question, and what is merely background information?
2	Assumptions	Which unstated beliefs are carrying the argument?
3	Hypotheses	How can several plausible explanations be compared?
4	Evidence	What information would strengthen or weaken each explanation?
5	Decision structure	How should uncertainty and trade-offs be represented?
6	Concise analysis	How can a short answer remain rigorous and auditable?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching is delivered through concise lectures, technical notes, worked examples and guided exercises. AI-supported interaction may be used to explain concepts, generate additional practice and challenge a learner's reasoning, but assessment remains based on the learner's demonstrated understanding.

Component	Purpose	Weight
Short exercises	Check understanding of the principal concepts	40%
Applied investigation	Use the course framework on a new problem or dataset	30%
Final assessment	Integrated reasoning across the course	30%

A certificate of completion is issued only when the required assessments have been completed at the stated standard. Participation alone does not constitute completion.

Faculty

Materials and technical requirements

Learning environment

Learners need a current web browser and access to the Gordon learning platform. Where a course uses code, spreadsheets, datasets or external readings, the relevant requirements are identified inside the unit.

Course materials

Required readings, datasets and practice materials are identified within each unit. Public courses are designed so that required core materials can be accessed without a separate tuition charge.