Big data analytics as a management tool: An overview, trends and challenges

Innovative digital technologies and ever-changing business environment have and will continue to transform businesses and industries around the world. This transformation will be even more evident in view of forthcoming technological breakthroughs, and advances in big data analytics, machine learning algorithms, cloud-computing solutions, artificial intelligence, internet of things, and the like. As we live in a data-driven world, technologies are altering work and work-related activities, and everyday activities and interactions. This paper is focused on big data and big data analytics (BDA), which are viewed in the paper from organisational perspective, as a means of improving firm performance and competitiveness. Based on a review of selected literature and researches, the paper aims to explore the extent to which big data analytics is utilized in companies, and to highlight the valuable role big data analytics may play in achieving better business outcomes. Furthermore, the paper briefly presents main challenges that accompany the adoption of big data analytics in companies.