Answer to Question #240708 in Management for Steve

Question

In the context of a manufacturing company:

a) Define what is meant by ‘structured’ and ‘unstructured’ decision making in relation

to organizational management levels. Illustrate your answer with suitable examples.

(6 marks)

b) Give examples of sources of data that might be used by the company, and outline the

stages by which this data might become information useful in decision making.

(7 marks)

c) Describe recent developments in IT which have improved access to information for

management decision makers. (7 marks)

Answer 1

a)Structured decision making involve decisions made in situations which are fully understood for example the recruitment process of new workers in an organization. On the other hand, unstructured decisions occurs in situations that are unclear for example the policy of use of technology in the process of manufacturing products or decisions made when dealing with labor issues.

b) Examples of sources of data that might be used by the company

• Internet search queries
• reviews from clients
• conducting surveys
• use of questionnaires
• researching from the internet

Stages by which this data might become information useful in decision making are:

• start by stating the goal
• Gather Information for Weighing Your Options
• Consider the Consequences
• Make the Decision
• Evaluate Your Decision

c) Recent developments in IT which have improved access to information for management decision makers

Automatic data collection has become a recent development in IT since decision makers are provided with updated information which allow them make clear decisions.

Nowadays, computers can be installed with softwares that store data that can be retrieved during the decision making process.