Exam 2: Making Decisions

Beth hired Tom, trained him, coached him, and expected he would be her eventual replacement when she moved up in the company. She noted each of his accomplishments with pride but wrote off as vicious gossip the comments from Tom's co-workers that he was making too many mistakes. Beth is experiencing the ________.

Which of the following best describes the psychological orientation of an individual making a "maximax" choice?

Briefly, discuss the assumptions of rationality and the validity of those assumptions.

An effective decision-making process ________.

Implementing an alternative refers to the process of choosing the best alternative.

Discuss the three different decision-making conditions that managers usually face.

Carla discovered that the supplier with the highest quality also had the longest lead time. The supplier with the best lead time had the highest price. To help Carla make her decision, she should ________.

Marty had arranged for a high-profile speaker to deliver the keynote address at her college's annual function. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the speaker was forced to drop out at the last moment. Marty reacts to this news by saying, "I knew all along that this would happen." This is an example of the ________.

The final step in the decision-making process is to ________.

Discuss the three types of programmed decisions that a manager depends on to resolve structured problems.

The ________ occurs when decision makers select and highlight certain aspects of a situation while excluding others.

Harriet's machine has stopped working again. She consulted the operator's manual troubleshooting guide to find a solution. Harriet used a ________.

Intuitive decision making ________.

A(n) ________ typically contains an ambiguous term that leaves interpretation up to the decision maker.

Nonprogrammed decisions ________.

Managers cannot possibly analyze all information on all alternatives; they tend to ________, rather than ________.

One of the workers in Henry's department submitted his two weeks' notice so Henry needs to hire a replacement. The HR department issued a set of instructions Henry must follow to initiate the search for candidates. In other words, there is a ________ Henry must follow.

Which of the following is important in effectively implementing the chosen alternative in the decision-making process?

Julie is keen on joining Columbia University to pursue a master's degree in economics. However, after three months of applying and waiting for an acceptance letter, she finally decides to attend NYU, which was one of her backup colleges. This is an example of ________.

Edgar hired a graduate from his alma mater, thinking he would be a successful first line supervisor. Unfortunately the new hire hasn't worked out as well as hoped. Edgar decided to invest time and money in training for the new hire but saw little improvement. Next he assigned a successful supervisor to mentor the young employee. The problems persisted. Edgar is displaying ________.