COURSE TITLE: Problem Solving and Decision Making.

Semester: Fall 2021 Class: EMBA

Dr. Jamshed Hasan
Instructor: Email: jamshed@lums.edu.pk
Khan
Room #: Telephone: 8027

TBA
Office Hours: Secretary/TA: Arfa Hamad

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course covers both quantitative and qualitative decision making. The first half of the course
primarily covers quantitative decision making covering several statistical tools including testing
of hypothesis, multiple regression, logistic regression time series forecasting.
Second half of the course covers primarily qualitative decision making which includes decision
analysis, problem solving methodology and team decision making insights.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

This Course is primarily taught by case method, which allows to students not only apply a tool
but also understand its management application in the context of the case. The key takes away
from the course should be: -

• Basis statistical theory including sampling and sampling distribution.

• How to calculate and interpret confidence intervals.
• Be able to conduct testing of hypothesis.
• Build multiple regression and logistic regression models and understand their
use in a managerial context.
• able to forecast using time series data.
• Time series forecasting: Classical decomposition.
• Logistic Regression
• Tradeoff and Conflict in Objectives
• Decision Trees
• Problem Solving Methodology.
• Insights into Decision Making.
• Decision making styles
EMBA PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Goal 1 – Effective Communication

Objective Written: Students will be able to communicate in writing; effectively, clearly and
persuasively, in ways appropriate for a variety of objectives and audience.
Objective Oral: Students will be able to verbally communicate clearly and persuasively, in
ways appropriate for a variety of objectives and audience.

Goal 2 – Critical Thinking & Decision Making

Objective: Students will be able to identify key problems, collect and use information
critically, and generate viable alternatives and solutions.

Goal 3 – Global Perspective & Flexibility

Objective: Students will demonstrate understanding of global and multi-cultural perspectives

within the local context and be able to work effectively in multi-cultural settings.

Goal 4 – Leadership and Teamwork

Objective: Students will be able to assume leadership roles, perform leadership tasks
responsibly, and work effectively in teams.

Goal 5 – Ethical Understanding and Reasoning

Objective: Students will demonstrate that they are able to identify and address ethical issues
in an organizational context

Goal 6 – Functional (subject area knowledge), integrative and strategic abilities

Objective: Students will demonstrate understanding of the functional and strategic aspects of
business and management, be able to integrate across functional areas, and develop feasible
strategies and action plans.
INDICATE BELOW HOW THE COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
SPECIFICALLY RELATE TO ANY PROGRAM LEARNING GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES.

Program Learning Goals and Course Learning Objectives Course Assessment Item
Objectives

Goal 1 - Effective Major Objective: CP, Project, Midterm &

Communication Operationalized through Final Examinations
written work and class
participation

Goal 2 - Critical Thinking and

Decision Making Major objective: CP, Midterm & Final
Operationalized through the Examinations
use of cases

Goal 3 – Global Perspective

and Flexibility Major Objective:
Operationalized through the
use of a healthy mix of cases CP, Midterm & Final
from Pakistan, USA, Europe Examinations
and the region.
Goal 4 – Leadership and
Teamwork

Minor Objective: Not assessed

Operationalized via
Goal 5 – Ethical Understanding compulsory small group
and Reasoning discussion prior to class

Minor Objective:
Operationalized through few
cases focused on socio-
Goal 6 – Functional (subject economic challenges
Not assessed
area knowledge), integrative
and strategic abilities
Major objective:
Operationalized through the
use cases.
CP, Quizzes, Project,
Midterm & Final
Examinations

CLASS-MANAGEMENT POLICY
Please also refer to EMBA handbook for attendance, timelines and norms of professional
conduct.

Classes will be run according to the traditional norms of the SDSB case classes. Students are
expected to follow class norms mentioned in handbook and disseminated during the SOP.
COURSE ASSESSMENT/GRADES

Description of the grading scheme and elaboration of how the grading and other measurement
processes will document achievement of the course objectives and assure learning. Please
elaborate on how course learning objectives will be assessed through different grading
instruments.

1) Class Participation 35%

2) Quizzes 15%
3) WAC/Midterm/Project* 15%
4) Final Exams 35-%

* I may change the distribution of grades up to, plus or minus 5% of any instrument based on
the no of quizzes that are given during the course.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS/SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS ( if Applicable)

The assigned text for the course is “Statistics for Business and Economics” by Anderson,
Sweeney and Williams, Eleventh Edition, West Publishing Company, 2011.

Besides the cases and the reading materials given along with the cases, the following books
might be useful.

[1] James T. McClave and P. George Benson, “Statistics for Business and Economics,”
13th edition, MacMillan International Edition, 2018.

[2] David Freedman, Robert Pisani, Roger Purves and Ani Adhikari, “Statistics,” 4th
Edition, Norton International Student Edition, 2007/2009.

[3] Larry Gonick and Woollcott Smith, “The Cartoon Guide to Statistics,”
HarperPerennial, A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers, 1993

Some copies of these books have been put on reserve in the library, which can be checked out
for 24 hours at a time.
 TITLE OF
Session No. # READING MATERIAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CASE/Session

I Hypothesis Testing and Interval Estimation

Session 1 Case: Home Education 1 A,S&W, Ch. 8, “Interval Estimation” Interval Estimation
Inc.
Please go thru the following playlist;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GtaIHFuEZU&list=PLIeGtxpvyG
-KkhLBDGW3Jp3ThPAEQvMfk
2 The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, Ch. 7 “Confidence Interval”

Session 2 Case: Rajanpur 1 A,S&W, Ch. 9, “Hypothesis Testing” Section 9.1 – 9.5 Hypothesis Testing
Computer College
Please go thru the following playlist;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV2-
WHzreFo&list=PLIeGtxpvyG-IZRHcZcOy12jp7ywuRbE7l
2
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, Ch. 8 “Hypothesis Testing”

II Regression and Correlation Analysis

 TITLE OF
Session No. # READING MATERIAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CASE/Session

Session 3 Case: Dhaka Business 1 AS & W Ch.14 Simple Linear Simple Linear Regression.
School (DBS):Admission Regression
Decision.
Please go thru the following playlists;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EXNedimDMs&pp=sAQA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkjP5RJLQF4&list=PLIeGtxpvyG-
LoKUpV0fSY8BGKIMIdmfCi

2 The Cartoon Guide to Statistics, Ch. 11 “Regression”

Session 4 Case: Dhaka Business 1 AS & W Ch.15, “Multiple Regression” Multiple Regression
School (DBS): Teaching
Excellence Initiative. Please go thru the following playlist;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQNpSa-bq4M&pp=sAQA

Session 5 Case: Omer Textile 1 Regression Analysis Multicollinearity in Regression

Industries (OTI)
Session 6 Case: Lansink Appraisals 1 Forecasting with Regression Analysis Complex Regression
 TITLE OF
Session No. # READING MATERIAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CASE/Session

Session 7 Case: Community Bank. 1 Logistic Regression, Ch 15 Multiple Regression (Pages 683- Logistic Regression
Case: Chocolates. 692)
Case: Simmons stores 2 Logistic Regression, UVA-M-0859

Please go thru the following playlist;

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIeGtxpvyG-JmBQ9XoFD4rs-
b3hkcX7Uu

Session 8 Case: Lakeland College Same as previous session Logistic Regression

III Time Series Analysis

Session 9 “Forecasting” 1 A.S & W Chapter 18 “Forecasting” Time Series Forecasting

Session 10 Case: Brand X 1 Developing forecasts with the aid of time series decomposition Time Series Forecasting: Classical
Decomposition

IV Decision Analysis

Session 11 Case: The Professor’s 1 Even Swaps: A Rational Method for Making Trade-offs, Tradeoff and Conflict in Objectives
Car Choice (A)
 TITLE OF
Session No. # READING MATERIAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CASE/Session

Session 12 Case: Canonical 1 Decision Analysis Decision Trees

Decision Problems
(Exercise 1, 2, 4 & 6)
Case: Exercises on the
Value of Information.

Session 13 Case: Maqsood Sugar 1 Decision Trees Decision Trees

Farms

IV Soft Side of Decision Making

Session 14 Readings 1 Stop Fighting Fires Insights into Decision Making.

2 Cheetah Team
3 The Hidden Traps in Decision Making
4 Your Managerial Institution
Session 15 Exercise: Decision 1 We Googled You Decision Making Styles.
& making exercise.
Session 16 2 Mad About Plaid
Case 1: We Googled
(Double You
Session)
Case 2: Mad About
Plaid