Influence Of Business Decisions

Unit 3 Individual Project #1

Part One: Identify and explain the type of heuristics or bias in the reaction of you supervisor.

The supervisor used the availability heuristic in his decision against Volvo. He only had information made available by his brother-in-law to base his decision. His decision is bias against Volvo because his brother-in-law had a bad experience with one Volvo. The supervisor used the available information to conclude that the probability of using a Volvo would not be a good idea. The representatives heuristic can also be considered in the supervisor's decision. He knew of one person who had a bad experience with a Volvo and he is grouping all Volvo's into this "junk" category. Assuming that all Volvo's are "junk" would be the same as assuming anyone who drives a four-wheel drive truck and lives in the south is a "redneck". We should take the information we have and form a decision whether it be right or wrong. The supervisor took the information he had been presented with and formed his own conclusion. He didn't even have facts or opinions of other Volvo owners when he came to his decision. He made a quick judgment by representation.

Part Two: After extensive research on the Volvo S60 I found out; "The Volvo S60 rides well and handles well. It feels stable at high speeds. The all-wheel-drive model provides excellent driver control on slippery surfaces. The turbo-charged models designated by a T, after srong acceleration performance. Volvo is renowned for safety engineering and the S60 is fully equipped with active and passive safety features including a rigid safety cage."

I can use the availability heuristic to convince my supervisor how superior the Volvos are despite what kind of experience his brother-in-law had with his. "The Volvo S60 offers and excellent ride, even over nasty bumps." According to 2006 Volvo Road Test; "The R suspension

Unit 3 Individual 3

is what is really special. Volvo says it's the most advanced active chassis on the market. A button on the dash allows three setting, comfor, sprt, and advanced, which mostly address the shock stiffness and engine management. There is a distinct difference between the three settings, and each performs exactly as defined by the buttons." The information that became available had nothing but positive aspects on the Volvo. The fuel economy, though not as excellent as some, is very good. The safety features are excellent. Driver and passenger airbags are