Decision Making

1.        Identify the criteria you used, either consciously or unconsciously, to guide your decision making.

        John needed to decide if he should take a part-time job as a research assistant in the management department his second year in college. John decided that he would take the position because he thought it would be good experience and would allow him to earn some extra spending money. He was excited about the prospect of working with faculty that he liked and respected. When John was offered the position at the end of his freshman year, he allowed himself the summer to think it over and decide. John decided that it would not be unethical for him, a management and accounting major, to take the job since the job did not require him to photocopy tests or handle any sensitive student information. John also decided that the position was economically feasible since he would be making his own money and would not need to rely on his parents for support. John also decided that it would be practical, since the job was only ten hours a week; it would not interfere with his studies and his goal of attaining a 3.5 grade point average.

2.        List the alternatives that you considered. Were these all the possible alternatives? Did you unconsciously (or consciously) ignore some important alternatives?

        John listed alternatives before he made his decision. He thought that he could:

• take the job in the management department
• take a different part-time job somewhere else, either within the university or the community
• not accept the position nor seek other employment, in order to concentrate on his classes

        John did not consider any other alternatives. It seemed to him that these were all the alternatives that were possible.

        One alternative that John did not consider was the option of taking out a student loan to cover expenses. John did not think he would be eligible for such a loan, and it did not occur to him to go to the financial aid office and see if it was possible for him to get a loan.

3.        How much information did you have about each alternative? Did you base the decision on complete or incomplete information?

        John had some information about the job in the management department, such as the hours he would be required to work, his duties, and his pay rate. He did not know if he would like the job, or if he would prefer to do something else with his time.

        John did not know if he would be able to get another job at the university, or if there were any jobs in the community that would be practical for him to take.

        John also did not know the amount of work he would need to do for his classes. He did not know for sure how much studying and time he would need to devote to his classes in order to achieve his goals.

        John also did not have enough information about his financial status and was not aware of the resources available through loans and scholarships.

        John was making his decision on the basis of incomplete information.

4.        Try to remember how you reached a decision. Did you sit down and consciously think through the implications of each alternative, or did you make a decision on the basis of intuition? Did you use any rules of thumb to help you make the decision?