University of Maryland Global Campus Building The Decision Discussion

MDQ STEP THREE: BUILDING THE DECISION

GATHERING INFORMATION:

The purpose of this week’s discussions is to address the type of information HH needs to gather in coming up with creative alternatives to use in the MDQ decision making model. Useful information involves researching anything that the decision maker needs to know that might influence the decision making process. This includes experience from past or future situations as well as factual information. Even though the decision maker has no control over future events, information needs to be gathered to anticipate outcomes, consequences or actions when acting on Hannah’s Hats’ alternatives.

CREATING ALTERNATIVES:

In Building the Decision, the decision maker will create FOUR viable alternatives. The case study mentions several obvious alternatives, such as: Partnering with the investors or increasing E-commerce sales. However, NONE of these alternatives are strong enough on their own to meet all the objectives HH would like from the decision. Harry must look for ways to combine them with other possibilities to make stronger alternatives. The expectation is to create alternatives that are creative, demonstrate critical thinking, use additional research, and meet as many of the objectives as possible. Remember: The alternatives must satisfy as many objectives as possible.

complete the following:

1. • Discuss in one paragraph the type of information that Hannah’s Hats needs to gather to make a decision. Discuss the biases and traps that should be avoided in gathering, selecting, and interpreting information. Watch your predisposition to select information that is in your comfort zone or might lead to a problem solving approach rather than a decision making one.
   • Create FOUR possible alternatives for Hanna’s Hats. Discuss each of these alternatives in separate paragraphs by explaining the alternative in detail, pointing out the biases, and potential consequences. Additional research will be required to support their viability.
   • All conclusions, justifications, reasoning, and explanations must be supported with course material in the form of APA in-text citations (page/paragraph numbers required when quoting) and a reference list.
   • This week you will be gathering information about your objectives, evaluating the information, and then creating several plans of action(or alternatives) that meet as many of the objectives as possible. This is the process and the discussion needs to flow around the process NOT solving a problem. While your options will seek to meet the objectives and in that way seem to accomplish a solution for HH’s concerns, the alternatives are not solutions. If creatively formed they may seek to accomplish all the objectives and more. For instance, if an objective is to have HH increase e-commerce sales think of all the ways they can accomplish this objective. The research and information you gather should have multiple ideas and many can be put together to make an alternative that fits that objective. However, the object of the alternative is to meet all the objectives or as many as possible, or as many as constraints like budgets or resources will allow. Choices may even be accomplished by using stakeholders and outsiders to the decision to create or be included in the action of the choices created. (E.g. investors what do they want from the decision, staff etc.). This week we gather information, interpret it and put it together like a puzzle to form choices that meet the objectives.