Preparation for Week 5

1. Download the Essay guidelines from the portal. This gives an

outline of the essay topics and guidelines for writing the essay.

Revise content and prepare answers to past mid semester test

questions and short answer exam questions from weeks 1 - 4.

Week 5

Pre –read text: Chapters 6 & 8.

Topic: Planning & Decision Making

Week 5 Chapters 6 & 8. Planning and Decision Making

Discussion Questions
Planning
7 What are the characteristics of effective goals? Would it be better to have no goals at all than to
have goals that do not meet these criteria?

10 Is it possible for local businesses to plan effectively for all possible circumstances, such as
disastrous rare events? Could a hotel or restaurant in Phuket, Thailand have effectively
planned for the tsunami of 26 December 2004?

11 When using MBO as a manager, how would you go about achieving mutual agreement
between you and your employees to create strong commitment toward achieving the
goals? What would you do if a fundamental disagreement between you and your
employees arose about goal achievement?

Decision Making

2 Why is decision making considered a fundamental part of management effectiveness?

5 Why are many decisions made by groups rather than by individuals?

7 What are the main differences between the administrative and political models of decision
making?

8 What is meant by satisficing and bounded rationality? Why do managers not strive to find the
economically best solution for many organisational decisions?

9 What techniques could you use to improve your own creativity and effectiveness in decision
making?
10 Which of the six steps in the decision-making process do you think is most likely to be
ignored by a manager? Explain.