Mgt 230 - Decision Making Process Paper

Decision Making Process Paper

MGT/230 Management Theory and Practice

Prof. Christi Monk

October 15, 2013

Karita MartinezAnderson

For the past year I have been struggling with the decision of whether or not to continue my education. The factors that influenced my decision to pursue my Bachelors degree were the financial commitment, time, personal responsibilities, professional responsibilities, and the affect a Bachelors degree would have on my career.

My decision process involved the following steps. First, I carefully reviewed my financial obligations, researched expected educational expenses, and researched options to finance my educational expenses. Next, I considered the time I would need to commitment to my courses, and examined my ability and readiness to prioritize my educational responsibilities with my personal and professional responsibilities. Last, I researched the benefits of a Bachelors degree and the potential affect it could have on my career.

According to Bateman and Snell (2011), the decision-making process consists of the following stages: identify and diagnose the problem, generate alternative solutions, evaluate alternatives, make the choice, implement the decision, and evaluate the decision. In comparison, my decision process to continue my education involved three steps: identifying the problem, making the decision, and implementing the decision. In April I started classes one week after making my decision.

If my decision was made using the six stages of the decision-making process my decision would have been the same; however, I think I would have been better prepared and organized. In stage one, identifying and diagnosing the problem, I would have taken a deeper look at the issue and all related concerns regarding the problem; "Asking why, of