Optimization and Business Analysis go hand-in-hand. The problem is that Excel breaks down when we feed it Non-linear optimization problems - Any sort of custom function we build is typically nonlinear, and we'll get suboptimal results.
Fortunately, R has a solution - the ROI package.
In Learning Lab 16, we show how to perform a Financial Optimization using a basket of 5 Stocks, and we want to determine the optimal combination to yield the best reward-to-risk. It's a nonlinear problem - Learn how to solve it in Lab 16!