Day: October 25, 2020

DECISION MAKING INSTRUCTIONS
Successful managerial decision-making is often complex, because managers attempt to analyze options and make determinations to select the best course of action in response to opportunities and threats. In this assignment, students will examine different ways to make decisions that will optimize organizational performance.
Remember: This assignment and all assignments in this course have a management, not leadership focus. There is a distinct difference between management and leadership. Discuss management, not leadership. The Contemporary Management text only provides basic topical information. As a research-intensive doctoral course, you will need to research current scholarly literature. There is no assignment in this course that can be completed by relying on the text alone.
Assignment Requirements
This 1000 minimum, 1500 maximum word paper needs to be written with these 2 main sections:

1.    Among these decision-making techniques (Vroom-Yetto-Yago decision model, multiple decision analysis, stakeholder analysis, game theory, stepladder technique, scientific method, decision making trees, analytical hierarchy process) compare 2 of them and apply the technique that would be most effective in solving a specific problem within your organization or industry or a specific organization that you have been aware of from personal experience or from the media or from the literature. Describe the problem and the application of the technique in detail. Based on scholarly literature, justify why your chosen decision-making technique is the best to solve the problem. (At least 900 words)
2.    Provide new, personal thoughts with recommendations related to this topic of decision making. Give your opinion in the form of new insights that you gained about this topic, demonstrating a synthesis of biblical principles and secular knowledge. Some suggested (not required) questions for reflection: What would Jesus do to solve the problem? What are some biblical examples of applying the decision technique that you have chosen? (at least 100 words)

Required Headings

Cover page with Topic Title
Abstract
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Problem
The Solution
New Thoughts
Conclusions
References

Other Requirements

Materials submitted to fulfill requirements in one course may not be submitted in another course. Concerns about the propriety of obtaining outside assistance and acknowledging sources should be addressed to the instructor of the course before the work commences and as necessary as the work proceeds.

    The cover page must include the following statement: By submitting this assignment, I attest this submission represents my own work, and not that of another student, scholar, or internet source. I understand I am responsible for knowing and correctly utilizing referencing and bibliographical guidelines.
    This paper must include at least 7 references from scholarly articles that have publication dates no older than 5 years, in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. Do not use any books other than the Bible and the 2 course textbooks. Do not cite the management text more than twice in your paper. Do not conduct interviews.
    In-text citations are required to support your thesis statement, paragraph topic sentences points, statements, issues, arguments, concerns, statements of fact and opinion.
    The required cover page, abstract, table of contents, introduction, conclusion, and reference sections are not included in the required assignment word count but are required as part of your paper.
    The abstract should be written within a range of 150-250 words. It should not introduce your paper or duplicate your introduction section, but articulates a clear and comprehensive overview of the papers content with a focus on your findings and includes your biblical application.
    The introduction should not be longer than page. It presents a detailed description of the problems and issues central to the case. A thesis statement, with supporting citation should be at the end of your introduction section.
    Your conclusion section should not be longer than page. It clearly states the answer to the problem which you stated in your introduction.
    Sources of information from Wikipedia, dictionaries, and encyclopedia will not be accepted.  Similarity scores must not exceed 20%.
    Paragraph lengths: Each paragraph should have a topic sentence unless it continues from or provides support to the prior paragraph. A paragraph is defined in this course as being at least 4 sentences in length.
    The first person may be used in the New Thoughts and Recommendations section. Your opinions should be restricted to this section. All other parts of the assignment must be based on scholarly and biblical literature.
    Avoid clichs, slang, jargon, exaggerations, abbreviations, figurative language, and language that is too informal and/or too subjective.

The objective of this assignment is to allow you to apply course material to real-world situations after conducting an interview with an organizational manager or leader. The assignment is as follows:

1. Select a person who is in a leadership or management position. Ideally, you would speak to this person several times during the course of the semester. But, if you only conduct one interview, make sure that you have enough time to discuss issues at the appropriate depth and to ask follow up questions.

2. Your objective is to gain a better understanding of his/her approach for handling common managerial problems/issues. Design your interview questions to touch on at least 10 different concepts related to the course (e.g., motivation issues, selection and retention efforts, stress management, equity concerns, dealing with problem employees, performance appraisal issues, dealing with generational differences, managing the opportunities and challenges associated with diversity, general career advice, and so on) . Be prepared to act as a reporter. Ask open-ended questions and ask follow-up questions as needed. If your initial question draws a complete and compelling answer, then great. However, if your question draws a relatively short response, then ask follow-up questions that allow you to more fully understand the issue. Do what you can to draw out interesting and informative responses.

3. Avoid asking theory-specific questions such as How do you try to increase employee instrumentality within the expectancy theory model of motivation and, instead, ask general questions about motivational practices like What, specifically, are some of the practices that you use to enhance employee motivation?. The person you are interviewing does not need to know course-specific theories. Instead, it is your job to later examine his/her answers through the lens of course concepts when you reflect on the interview.

4. Your report should contain the following sections:

A) Brief Introduction – Describe the person you interviewed (name of individual, job title, organization, number of employees that he/she supervises, your connection to the individual, etc.).

B) Q & A Entries (a minimum of 10) – Each entry should include: a) the question asked and b) the response given.

C) In-Depth Analysis Select 1 response to analyze in depth. In your in-depth analysis, please use course concepts, critical thinking, and your own experiences to critique the managers responses to the selected question. In terms of the specific issue in question, what is the manager doing well and/or what could he/she do better? Especially if the managers approach is inconsistent with course concepts, discuss why the inconsistency occurs, the potential problems that this could lead to, and/or why the inconsistency makes sense within this particular organization (in contrast to the general principles discussed in the course). Again, use both course concepts and your own critical thinking skills to examine the effectiveness of the managers approach. (Hint – You are likely to interview someone that you respect and someone that you think is performing well. But, we all have areas in which we can improve. For you in-depth analysis, make sure to focus on an aspect of his/her approach that has room for improvement.)

D) Recommendations – At the end of the analysis develop a set of specific recommendations that you think the manager or organization should implement moving forward. It is fine to note the things that should be continued, but also note things that should be changed. Also, make sure to discuss the potential costs and benefits of your recommendations. Could your recommendations be implemented in a cost-effective and time-effective manner?

5. In terms of grading this assignment, the sections containing your analyses and recommendations are the most important. So, please do a thorough job on those aspects. The in-depth analysis section should be at least 1 full page single-spaced or 2 full pages double-spaced). You should discuss both things the manager is doing well and things that could be improved. In all cases, though, you need to explain why the managers approach is either effective or ineffective and, even if things are going well, you should certainly touch on areas that could be improved in your recommendations.

6) This assignment is worth 30 points and will be graded as follows (which assumes all required elements are included):

Organization and Clarity (well organized, easy to follow, thoughtful presentation) 5 points

Writing Quality (grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, level of detail) 5 points

Analyses (appropriate use of course material, thoughtful analysis, thorough critique) 15 points

Recommendations (logical, well-supported, tied to analysis, cost-benefit assessment) 5 points

Total 30 points