Forest Management and Planning - Case Study Example

Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Personal reflective advice During the previous recruitment drive for the company, I was put in charge of outsourcing the exercise to one of the recruitment companies in the city. I went through several company manifest and background and choose the one I found to be most suited for the exercise. My decision was mainly based on the cost of the exercise and not much else as I saw an avenue to save the firm money that it could not afford to lose. However, the exercise did not go as smooth as I had anticipated. Firstly, we received numerous complaints from applicants about the way the recruitment was being carried out and furthermore when the list of successful applicants reached us, it did not complement every aspect we had envisaged. As one of the final decision makers of the firm, I felt I had failed in my duty to choose the best recruitment agency that would have given our company the best results. This paper critically examines my decision and tries to find out what I could have done different for a better and favorable outcome. Critical decision making Decision making involves the use of both empirical and scientific forms of research and knowledge to make suitable choices that would meet the goals and targets of an individual or a business. Niu et al (2009) describes decision making as a reasoning process. They point out that decision making can be rational or irrational based on the assumptions of the decision maker. When the human resource officer of our company delegated the responsibility of choosing the most suitable recruitment agency for our firm, I saw it as an opportunity to showcase my decision making skills for the benefit of the company. I immediately did a short research and collected the names of the available agencies in town with their costs of operation (5,6,7). In my haste and with an intention of impressing my seniors by saving the company money, I did not take all factors into consideration. I immediately set out on finding out the financial aspects of the outsourcing program and came up with the company that will cost the firm the list amount of money. I was therefore grossly unaware of the rational decision making model that highlights the importance of carrying out extensive and intensive research before making a decision. Niu and his co-writers suggested that a well conceived decision making process should be done in three stages or phases. These include intelligence phase, design phase and the choice phase. Based on this model, the following framework for decision making is developed (6); The left hand side of the framework denotes failure while the right hand side denotes success. When I was making my decision, several important steps represented in this model were ignored. If I had utilized this decision making framework to the later of its concept, I would have arrived at a better decision than the one I arrived at. First and foremost, the intelligence phase of the decision making model was not well done. Its execution was poor at best leaving me with a half baked decision that would cost the firm a lot in its public relations. The first thing after defining the problem, one is supposed to determine the requirements needed for the decision making process. Based on this, not only was I supposed to obtain the financial information but also all other forms of information on the available agencies. Apart from cost saving I should have collected information on the technical expertise of the recruitment agencies. I should have known the importance of this information and how it would influence the decision. As it stands, I choose an agency with poor technical abilities because I assumed a critical phase of decision making. Other areas that should have been considered include the quality of service and the objectivity of service. Another important step of the framework that I did not pay particular attention to was the choice phase of decision making where I was needed to evaluate the alternatives before making a choice. If I had learned the importance of utilizing decision making models and frameworks, I would have evaluated and analyzed the different recruiting agencies to obtain one with the necessary goals and objectives that would have met our own business model. Miller (2009) presents another model of decision making known as the representative model that comprises of four phases. The phases include orientation phase of decision making, conflict phase, emergence phase and reinforcement phase. If I had utilized this model of decision making chances are I would have avoided the problems that encumbered my original decision. This model is an iteration of rational decision making model. The orientation phase of the model would have required me to get acquainted with the problem facing the company. This is similar to the intelligence phase of the rational decision making process that would require the collection of information of the problem under consideration. The conflict phase of the representative model framework, possible solutions would be considered. The model allows for suitable consultations to be made before reaching a conclusion. The conclusion is reached during the emergence phase of the decision making process. A consensus should be reached on which decision would represent fair value for the company’s money. During the fourth and final phase of the model, reinforcement, the decision reached at in the previous phase is supported and chosen for implementation (143). Based on the representative model, I would have chosen to involve other individuals in the choice of the best recruitment agency for the firm. Instead of aiming at obtaining glory and fame for the decision I was set to make, I could have put the interests of the company ahead of my own. It can therefore be seen that unintentionally, I utilized the irrational decision making model. The irrational decision making model is described by Bettinger et al (2010) as the complete opposite of the rational decision making model. The writers point out that in utilizing the irrational decision making model, the made decisions are based on limited information and very few alternatives are assessed. In my case, even though I assessed a variety of recruiting agencies, I did base on very little information. This model is not overly encouraged as it provides an incomplete picture on which a decision is made (5). My decision involved a certain amount of risk and uncertainty too. It was risky because the employment decision in any organization cannot be taken lightly. Employment represents another level for an organization and this can only be achieved if the right type of personnel are brought in. new personnel would mean a new chapter for the organization in terms of skills and expertise or a step backwards incase the wrong people are chosen for the job. This is because they will represent an added cost to the company by adding to the wage bill while not giving back to the firm in terms of labor. Another risk presented by the hiring of the wrong type of personnel could be the disruption of company operations through any of many different things ranging from involvement in accidents to involvement in malpractices. To avoid this I should have utilized some of the theories of decision making. A theory that I could have found to be of particular importance is the normative decision making theory. The normative theory of decision making is described by Chapman and Sonnenberg (2000:3) as the choice between alternatives under risk or uncertainty. They point out that under the normative theory, there exists several sub theories and this includes the expected utility theory and the multiattribute utility theory. The expected utility theory is a choice made under uncertain conditions while the mutiattribute theory is a choice made with multiple goals in mind. Griffeth and Hom (2004:40) describe the normative decision making theory as a method of rational decision making that is indifferent in the choosing between choices if their expected value is similar. As I have explained above, the decision for hiring is a decision with a known amount of risk and uncertainty. It would have been therefore appropriate to use the expected utility theory while making my decision for the most suitable recruitment agency. Bell et al (1988:79) points out that in expected utility theory, the preferences of an individual are greater than or are preferred to the set of risky/uncertain alternatives. Mongin (1997: 342) agrees with Bell by stating that the decision to be made between risky or uncertain prospects is by the comparison of their expected utility values. The expected value is calculated by adding the utility values of the results/outcomes multiplied by their probabilities. However the fact that the utility expected theory would have require the calculation of probabilities on the behavior of the recruiting agencies makes the theory vulnerable. Even though I would have benefited from the knowledge of the theory, I would have probably not used it as my main mode of choosing between the various agencies. This is because the calculation of probabilities would be tedious and yet inconclusive. A model given for the normative theory of decision making comprises of six steps. The first step calls for the identification of an objective. In my case the objective for the decision was the making of a choice between recruiting agencies. The second step on the normative model is the collection of ideas and information. This corresponds to the intelligent face of the rational decision making process and requires that relevant and up to date information is unearthed on the subject under scrutiny. The third stage of the normative process would be the analysis and evaluation of information and ideas found in the second stage of the process. The fourth step of the model calls for a choice to be made between several alternatives that should be thoroughly evaluated before the choice is made. The fifth stage of the model requires communication to be carried out as the decision is made. The model requires that everyone affected by the decision or involved be informed of the made decision. The last stage is the publication of the results, Apart from the second stage, the fifth stage of this model would have positively affected my decision and I would have probably made a better decision. The fifth step calls for communication after the decision has been made. This enables other members of the organization to feel involved and appreciated in the firm. If I had been aware of and utilized the normative model of decision making, there is a big chance that at least one person would have seen my mistake and corrected me. Conclusion Decision making is all about making the right choice for the good of the firm. As it is a process, good decision making requires that one follows the laid down step and procedures so as to obtain an optimum result. Some of the models, frameworks and theories utilized in effective decision making include the rational decision making model and framework, the irrational decision making model, the normative model, the expected utility theory and the multiattribute theory of decision making. Having been given a duty to carry out, I failed in my decision making process to choose the best available option for the firm hence the hiring of poor personnel and a drop in the firms public profile ratings. After a reflective and critical examination of the process that I took in reaching the choice that I made, I have come to the conclusion that I would have made a better choice had I been conversant with the various models, frameworks and theories used in decision making. Works cited Niu, Li, Lu, Jie. & Zhang, Guangquan. Cognition-Driven Decision Support for Business Intelligence: Models, Techniques, Systems and Applications, New York: Springer, 2009 Miller, Katherine. Organizational communication: approaches and processes. New York: Cengage, 2009. Bettinger, Pete. Forest Management and Planning. London: Academic press, 2010. Chapman, Gretchen and Sonnenberg, Frank.Decision making in healthcare: theory, psychology and applications.Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2000 Griffeth, Rodger & Hom, Peter. Innovative theory and empirical research on employee turnover. New York, 2004 Bell, David, Raiffa, Howard & Tversky, Amos. Decision Making: Descriptive, Normative, and Prescriptive Interactions. Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 1988 Mongin, Philippe. Expected utility theory in Handbook of Economic Methodology. London: Edward Elgar, 1997 Read More