Tanima Islam AMM-103, 0078 Case Study#02 11/10/08 Page 1 of 4

Discussion Questions
1. How do you think good decision making has contributed to the success of NASCAR? Ans. Almost every company wants success. To have a successful company, we need to know about the decision making process, and how, and when it works. According to the text, Decision-making process is a set of eight steps that include identifying a problem, selecting an alternative, and evaluating the decisions effectiveness. Not only does a manager need to know this term but they also need to know when it should be applicable. In my point of view, NASCAR is a huge, well-known company. They must use the decision making process to make their company successful, because without knowing this knowledge, a manager cant do his/her work perfectly. 2. A decision to go after a new market as Brian is doing is a major decision. How could he have used the decision-making process to help make this decision? Ans. NASCAR companys chairman and CEO is Brian France. He decides to go after a new market. It is a major decision, because to launch a new market strategy sometimes does not work. It could fail, but if he doesnt change his market decision, then maybe his fans will get bored to see only one market. In my point of view, Brian must use the eight steps of the decision making process to help make this decision. First he needs to identify the problem of launching this new market strategy, because if he doesnt identify the problem of launching a new market, then later it could create a major issue. Secondly, he would definitely identify

Tanima Islam AMM-103, 0078 Case Study#02 11/10/08 Page 2 of 4 decision criteria, because decision criteria defines whats relevant in a decision. If his decision criteria were not relevant to the work, then his launching would be fails. After all of these two things done, he must do developing alternatives and analyzing alternatives. Then, he selects an alternative and implements that alternative. Without selecting all of these alternatives, going to the new market is risky. The last step is evaluating decision effectiveness. He must do the evaluation, because if he doesnt do evaluating decision effectiveness then it will be hard for him to go for a new market. However, we can say that all of these decision making steps help him to make his decision more easily. 3. What criteria do you think would be most important to Brian as he makes decisions about the companys future? Ans. According to the text, Every decision maker has criteria that guide his or her decision. I think identifying decision criteria is most important as Brian makes decisions about the companys future, because decision criteria help whats relevant in a decision. This criterion helps a decision maker to remove irrelevant things. So, Brian must use this most important criterion while he is thinking about his companys future. 4. Would you characterize the conditions surrounding NASCAR as conditions of certainty, risk, or uncertainty? Explain your choice? Ans. While NASCAR company making decisions they must face the conditions of certainty, risk, or uncertainty. NASCAR Company faces certainty when they are doing their business in the same market with the same customers, because they all know about their outcomes. They also face risk, because some outcomes they dont know. They have to put their money and

Tanima Islam AMM-103, 0078 Case Study#02 11/10/08 Page 3 of 4 effort in a market and then they can see their outcomes, but before that it is risky, because NASCAR Company cant tell without seeing the outcome what is risky and what is not risky. Another thing they can face is uncertainty. When they will go to the new market it will be uncertain whether they will get profit or losses. All of these things NASCAR have to face, because they are doing business with other companies. In my point of view, I think NASCAR Company is now facing uncertainty, because they are going to launch a new market strategy. They dont know about outcomes. They will get profit or loss that is uncertain, so I can say that NASCAR Company is facing uncertainty. 5. What could Brian learn from the concept of highly reliable organizations to help him be a better decision maker? Ans. The concepts of highly reliable organizations come from Karl Weick, an organizational psychologist. He says that a highly reliable organization has five habits. First, they are not tricked by their success. Second, they defer to the experts on the front line. Third, they let unexpected circumstances provide solutions, fourth, they embrace complexity and fifth, they anticipate, but also anticipate their limits. If Brian learns these five concepts of highly reliable organizations then it will help him to give more progress to his company. I think if he put the first habit of highly reliable organization then he will be a better decision maker, because first habit teaches that not tricked by success. Sometimes some company tricked by their success, which means they feel too much proud for their success, so they dont work hard like before, and lose their reputation. If Brian learn and apply this method for his company then I think he will be a better decision maker. Not only first habit he can apply, but

Tanima Islam AMM-103, 0078 Case Study#02 11/10/08 Page 4 of 4 also he can use other four methods to be a better decision maker. But I think the first one is more applicable for his company, because his company is a huge successful company. They would be tricked by their success, so it is better to choose the first habit to be a superior decision maker.