This book provides a practice-driven, yet rigorous approach to executive management decision-making that performs well even under unpredictable conditions. It explains how executives can employ prescribed engineering design methods to arrive at robust outcomes even when faced with uncontrollable uncertainty. The book presents the paradigm and its main principles in Part I; in Part II it illustrates how to frame a decision situation and how to design the decision so that it will produce its intended behavior. In turn, Part III discusses in detail in situ case studies on executive management decisions. Lastly, Part IV summarizes the book and formulates the key lessons learned.

Catalog of reports, decisions and opinions, testimonies and speeches.

This book helps readers develop a comprehensive understanding of diagnostics for strategic decision-making, with a focus on a method called rapid due diligence. This method presents a compelling solution to the need for effective diagnostics, drawing on academic rigor, critical thinking, systems dynamics, and advanced practicum to enable sound strategic decision-making. Guiding the reader through the six stages of the process from discovery, through analysis, synthesis, and interpretation, Thompsen engages all typical postgraduate disciplines in producing insights for practical application. Drawing on similarities with applied social science research, the rapid due diligence method is supported with scores of techniques, tools, instructions, guidelines, practical advice, and examples. Detailed cases and abbreviated examples of a variety of real strategic situations are provided from organizations operating in North America, Europe, Asia, India, and Australia. Ideal for graduate students, organizational leaders, and decision makers, this book is designed to invite deeper understanding and practical application of a strategic diagnostic process that discovers insights for achieving positive results.

Presents a top-down approach to the design, development, testing and recyclability of products, components and systems across a wide range of industries. Starting with the desired result and working back through the details, it shows how to produce goods, taking into account the challenges of actual manufacture, what the reliability requirements should be, quality control, associated costs, customer needs and more. Additional features include case studies and team negotiating. Also well-illustrated with figures, photographs, charts and tables and includes an extensive bibliography.

Decision-making is a process of choosing from possible courses of action in order to attain goals and objectives. Nobel laureate Herbert Simon wrote that the whole process of managerial decision-making is synonymous with the practice of management. Decision-making is at the core of all managerial functions. Planning, for example, involves the following decisions: What should be done? When? How? Where? By whom? Other managerial functions, such as organizing, implementing, and controlling, rely heavily on decision-making.Decision by Objectives is an invaluable book about the art and science of decision-making. It presents a very practical approach to decision-making that has a sound theoretical foundation, known as the analytic hierarchy process. Intended for both the student and the professional, the book includes approaches to prioritizing, evaluating alternative courses of action, forecasting, and allocating resources. By focusing on objectives rather than alternatives alone, it shows the reader how to synthesize information from multiple sources, analyses, and perspectives. The methods presented have been gaining popularity throughout the world.

In Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized, Sternberg reviews and summarizes the best research available on human intelligence. He argues that any serious understanding of intelligence must go beyond the standard paper and pencil tests currently in use. In addition to analytical and quantitative abilities, a theory of intelligence must take account of peoples' creative abilities - their ability to go beyond given information and imagine new and exciting ways of reformulating old problems. It must also take into account peoples' ability to weigh options carefully and act prudently. Understanding one's own intellectual shortcomings, and learning how to overcome, is as important as developing one's strengths. Sternberg develops a vision of human intelligence that is far more nuanced and accurate than anything previously offered. Wisdom, Intelligence and Creativity Synthesized will be essential reading for psychologists, cognitive scientists, educators, and organizational researchers.

This new book combines research findings and the practical experiences of the authors to present a comprehensive look at Executive Information Systems (EIS) and other decision support applications! From how EIS differs from other applications to what the future holds, this indispensable text covers everything readers need to know to understand and develop executive information systems. Coverage also includes Decision Support Systems, Artificial Intelligence (such as Expert Systems) and Groupware (such as Group Support Systems and Lotus Notes) to give readers a wide array of tools to support executive decision making.