THE COPPERBELT UNIVERSITY

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
Course: GBS 550 Management Theory and Practice

Group Assignment for Presentation.

Name Programme SIN

1. Stanley Kayembe
2. Diana Lubinda
3. Bright Hamoonga MBA General
20153890
4. Philip Banda
5. Ruth Fungai Tembo MBA General
6. Brenda Kalaluka
7. Gondwe Brandina Mainess
8. Beenzu Mwnja

Lecturer: Progress Choongo (PhD)

Date: 4th November 2020

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SOLUTION 5

(A). SOURCES OF DECISION COMPLEXITY FOR MODERN MANAGER

Decision making is the process of identifying and choosing among alternative courses of
action in a manner appropriate to the demands of the situation. The act of choosing implies
that alternative courses of action must be identified, weighed, and weeded out. The following
are some of the main sources of decision complexity for the modern manager.
1. Multiple criteria
A good decision must satisfy several often-conflicting criteria representing the interests of
different groups. For example, if a company is to reduce manpower due to low production,
different classes of employees will have different interest. The employees will be interest to
continue working and for the union may resist the decision. On the other hand, the owners of
the company will need to cut on cost. This will bring up multiple criteria to decide to reduce
on labour

2. Intangibles.
Factors such as customer goodwill, employee morale, increased bureaucracy, and aesthetic
appeal (for example, negative reaction to a billboard on a scenic highway), although difficult
to measure, often determine decision alternatives.

3. Risk and uncertainty.

Along with every decision alternative goes the chance that it will fail in some way. Poor
choices can prove costly. Yet the right decision can open up a new world of opportunity. For
example, a company conducting business locally may fear enter into international market due
to some reasons such as trading with foreign customers you don’t even see and meet who
may turn out to be on-line thieve. However, if the business is successful, it may greatly
expand the business.

4. Long-term implications.
Major decisions generally have a ripple effect, with today’s decisions creating the need for
later rounds of decisions. For example, a company may design its factory to produce units for
a particular customer with limited demand. However, when new customer come on board, the
demand will increase of which the factory may not meet the demand in the long-term. This
may mean deciding again to expand the factory.

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 5. Interdisciplinary input.
Decision complexity is greatly increased when technical specialists such as lawyers,
consumer advocates, tax advisers, accountants, engineers, and production and marketing
experts are consulted before deciding on a course of action. All these experts will give advice
from different angles which may bring about complexity in making the final decision.

6. Pooled decision making.

Rarely is a single manager totally responsible for the entire decision process. After pooled
input, complex decisions wind their way through the organization, with individuals and
groups interpreting, modifying, and sometimes resisting. Minor decisions set the stage for
major decisions, which in turn are translated back into local decisions. Typically, many
people’s inputs are on final decisions in the organizational world.

7. Value judgments.
Decisions are made by people with differing backgrounds, perceptions, aspirations, and
values. As such, the decision-making process is marked by disagreement over what is right or
wrong, good or bad, and ethical or unethical. For example, as a way of monitoring and
ensuring that every employee is working, management may decide to install CCTV cameras
in offices. However, some of the employee may consider this to be unethical, an infringement
of employees’ privacy.

8. Unintended consequences.
It is true that you cannot always predict the results of purposeful good action. In other words,
there can be a disconnection between intentions and actual results. Although unintended
consequences can be positive, negative ones are most troublesome. Unintended consequences
cannot be altogether eliminated in today’s complex world. However, they can be moderated
to some extent by giving them creative and honest consideration when making important
decisions.

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(B). TWO TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE IN KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

(C). FOUR BASIC STEPS IN THE CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS

SUMMARY

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REFERENCE
1. Management, Kreitner, Eleventh Edition
2.
3.

Advance payment for the electricity bill for the month of September and October. During Vendor
registration, ZESCO only agreed a payment period of 15days from the date of invoice. The invoice for
the month on September and October is almost overdue and ZESCO has given us a Disconnection
Notice. Kindly approve to avoid power cut to Chambishi site.

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