3 Review(s)

This highly practical and reader-friendly book considers effective decision-making skills as most vital to achieving success in life and business. It aims to analyze and evaluate decision-making processes that help us make decisions among various possible courses of conduct. The analytic system described in the book offers a large array of powerful application tools useful for building effective decision-making skills both at the individual and organizational levels, and developing strong interpersonal relationships with peers and clients. The book attempts at building intellectual bridges between the varied modes of thinking that exist in social and decision sciences and in the field of organizational behavior. Accordingly, Parts I to IV of the book concentrate on a wide range of topics such as setting goals, identifying capabilities, improving the existing resources, analyzing cost benefits, acquiring a sound knowledge of the world around us and applying mental operations to the new knowledge obtained. Along the way, the text also covers other essential ideas such as identifying tastes and prefe-rence, personal skill assessment, multitasking, risk and uncertainty, human resource management, time constraints, data collection and more-to help people make the most effective use of their time and energy. By knitting together the varied ideas in a common framework, this book, written by a top business scholar, provides a clear account of business skills development and should appeal to those simply requiring a digestible, sound overview of the subject-in particular, students of business administration and practising managers Table of Contents Preface. Overview of Business Psychology. Part I: Wants, Abilities, and Goals- 1. Tastes, Preferences, Wants, and Values. 2. Assessing Your Resources. 3. Choosing Goals and Criteria of Success. Part II: Introduction to Evaluative Thinking- 4. Evaluating Simple Alternatives. 5. Weighing Present Versus Future Benefits (and Costs). 6. How to Think About Cost. 7. Allowing for Uncertainty. 8. Dealing with Risks. 9. Reconciling Multiple Goals. Part III: Getting Useful Ideas and Knowledge- 10. Getting and Eliminating Ideas. 11. Experts, Expert Systems, and Libraries. 12. Using Scientific Discipline to Obtain Information. 13. Assessing Consequences and Likelihoods. Part IV: Working With Information and Knowledge- 14. Pitfalls That Entrap Our Thinking. 15. My Favorite Worst Sources of Errors. 16. Good Judgment. 17. Self-Discipline and Habits of Thought. 18. Dealing with People, and Managing Them. Index.