1. When the mist appeared, supermarket was full of people.

No one had a clue about the

reason of that mist. Then they saw a man entering the supermarket, and his nose

bleeding; He warned everyone by telling them that there was something in the mist.

People had different reactions to this. Some were frightened, some were intrigued to

know what was out there. People left their lines at the counter to to peek outside.

Then there was Mrs. Carmody who was spreading a wave of panic, by telling people

that they will die in this mist. Now people were uncertain about the situation outside

and decided to stay inside the market till things got better. People were rationally

bounded in making this decision since they had incomplete information as to how

worse the situation was outside and their emotions of fear and panic got the better of

them. People started evaluating the pros and cons of taking the risk of going outside.

A lady who had her children at home was willing to take this risk since their safety

meant much more to her than her own life, while others decided to stay in the market

with everyone else and avoided going outside which could have led to an uncertain

result. Some would have stayed due to a conflict in their mind, as none of the options

were attractive, since one option was trapping them inside the supermarket while the

other was a big risk, so they decided to go with the majority’s decision. This is an

example of an unprogrammed decision since it was one of those uncertain times

which a person rarely encounters in their daily life.

2. a) She had her very young kids at home. She evaluated that what she is giving up while

staying in the supermarket and that was the guarantee of her childrens’ safety. This is
 also called opportunity cost. She was not willing to give up on her childrens safety and

she decided to take the big risk of going outside, even when no one was willing to

accompany her. This is an example of a rationally bounded decision since it was highly

drived by her emotions and personal priorities. She did not know anything for certain

as to what she could face outside, but she did not care and she let her personal biases

make the decision rather than using logic. The pressure of that moment of panic also

may have led her to think illogically since putting her own life into risk would not have

benefited her children anyway.

b) When she approached people to accompany her, everyone refused. The reason is

that they were thinking rationally while making this decision and there was no emotion

which could drive them to help the lady, since they had their own families as well to

take care. They used their logic and understood that there was no point in taking the

risk of their lives to help a lady. They did not let the pressure of that moment harm their

cognitive thinking skills.

c) Mother was thinking emotionally and she had immense amount of love for her

children who were at home. The bystanders may sympathize with her but they could

never have the same emotions or passion for her children.

Get Killed (60%)

Deciding Leave the store
3.a)
To leave Survive (40%)
The store
Stay In store Get Killed (30%)

Survive (70%)
 Reaching Home
(30%)

Visiting his Dying on his way

b) home (70%)
David’s
Decision

Not visiting his Death (20%)

home
Survive (80%)

4. The decision was first made by Norm himself when he identified that something had

plugged the exhaust. Then this decision was backed and encouraged by the enthusiasm of

Jim and one of his buddy. Drayton did try to warn them of the consequences but instead

of taking it seriously, they began an argument as to who will do it. This was a group-

advisory decision where Norm acted as the leader who initially came up with the idea and

Jim and his friend became group individuals who supported and recommended taking this

decision based on their opinion and understanding of the situation. Yes there were lapses

in Norm’s decision making. Firstly, before making the decision he did not care to aware

himself of the criticalness of the situation. He made his decision based on confirmation

biasness where one only pays attention to what he believes and disregards anything

contrary to his belief. His decision involved another psychological bias, called

overconfidence bias where one places too much faith on his own opinions. In the end it

turned out that the boots he chose were too big for his foot and he had underestimated

the seriousness of the matter, in trying to come out as a hero.

5. People in the supermarket were very scared. Mrs. Carmody was constantly blabbering

biblical stuff and she was making relevant statements at the right time and many of her

assumptions were becoming true. People began to think of her as someone who possesses

mystic knowledge and innocent, frightened people who were pushed into the dark by the

hopelessness of their situation, they turned to her to find a solution. People want an immediate

solution to their problem and they think that if Mrs. Carmody has predicted everything

correctly uptil now, then she may also have the solution to their problem and all of them now

start following her blindly, giving up on their logic.

6. More often than not, I am a risk taker. People generally understand my point when I am

trying to help them with a problem, based on my analysis of it. I usually provide a detailed

solution of every issue, stating all facts and reasons that led me to it and I always own my

opinions. I always try to lead by example whenever there is an opportunity to lead and my goal

remains to inspire others by my work and efficiency. I do not believe in leadership that is only

based on commands and threats by the leader but I also do not allow inefficiency and non-

serious attitude under my leadership. I point out the mistakes and weaknesses of my fellow

group members for their own self-analysis and improvement. I usually communicate my goal to

my fellow group members at the start of a task and inspire them to work tirelessly to achieve it.

I make my decisions after a thorough analysis and after evaluating the pros and cons of all

alternatives. I do discuss my decisions with my group members and take their advice but the

last say on the matter would be mine. I do not let anyone influence my decisions based on their
understanding. If I was in place of David, I would have first addressed the criticalness of the

situation to all the people present in the super market and I would have brought them on board

with my opinion. In David’s case, there were too many conflicts among the people in the

supermarket and he did not properly communicate what was on his mind. I would have listened

to everyone and would have made them understand my point as well until we were clear on

our approach to handle the matter. I like to keep most people satisfied in my group, if not

everyone, so my decision making would also first counter the inner conflicts so there is less

resistance in my plans when we move ahead.