293ORV516M Decision Making Skills

CEMS Elective, Elective

Spring 2014-2015

Course leader:

Professor Zita Zoltay-Paprika, Head of Department

Lecturer(s):

Professor Zita Zoltay-Paprika, Head of Department

Dr. Richrd Sznt, Associate Professor
Department of Decision Sciences
Wednesdays: 9:00 11:00 a. m., Main Building, #199

Department:
Office hours:
Availability:

Phone number: +36 1 482 5322

Room: Main Building, #199 and #130
Email address:
zita.paprika@uni-corvinus.hu

Course type:
Prerequisites:

CEMS Elective, Elective

The course relies heavily on other fields of management studies, like
Strategic Management and Organisational Behaviour. However,
there are no prerequisites.
6

Credits:
Number of hours
per semester
Time of class:
Venue:

Two 90 minute classes per week, 1 lecture and 1 seminar (1+1)

Wednesday 13:40 15:10 and 15:30 17:00
tba

Aims and objectives and description of the course:

This course will provide an overview of the field of behavioral decision making and decision
analytical perspectives. It addresses both the theoretical and practical processes and skills of
decision making at the individual, organisational and social levels.
Learning outcomes:
The following is a partial list of course objectives:
Gain an understanding of central concepts in decision making
Understand the intersection of analytical and behavioral perspectives on decision making
Develop expertise in decision making
Improve decision making skills
Develop ability to think critically
Learn to avoid common decision making errors

Course description
The course starts with a short historical introduction to give an understanding of the field of
decision theory. This is followed by a primarily problem-centred approach to the subject, which
incorporates a number of case studies, role playing, self assessment tests and various
applications. The course provides a comprehensive examination of issues in personal decision
making: how to describe the processes involved in forming judgements, how to plan actions
and evaluate consequences, how to understand the dynamics of social decision making in the
context of conflicting personal objectives, how to manage risk. Techniques for aiding decision
making and methods for embedding these techniques into the decision making processes are
explored and investigated.
The course content also relates to the multiple disciplines, organisational contexts and
professional domains in which managers may work. Problem structuring, modelling, decision
making and its techniques are covered with emphasis on their managerial aspects. Therefore
the course will concentrate on what are sometimes called ill structured decision problems. We
will not use ready-made problems, but those where, at the outset, there is uncertainty about
how to represent the structure of the decision problem, how should consequences of courses
of action be conceptualised, and what other acts and events might intervene before
consequences are reached. We will also examine the extent to which representing the decision
problem is the best way to improve the communicative competence of the participants who
have to do something about it. We shall examine how decision theory, originally developed as
a theory for individual decision making, can be improved as a theory for organisational and
social decision making and look at problems which have been associated with attempts to do
this.
Methodology to be used:
Each class, we will cover an area in depth and discuss some of the critical issues that have
been raised with regard to the theory and experimentation. We will use short cases, group work
and group discussions. Students are expected to attend all class meetings and to be prepared.
Detailed class schedule, 1st 15th week:
Date of class
Week 1 04/02/15
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Topics to be discussed, readings required for the class

Introduction to the course - Decision making processes and
problem solving. Different ways of problem solving. General
framework for the decision making process.
Readings:
- Peter F. Drucker: The Effective Decision. In: Harvard
Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business
Review Paperback, 2001, pp. 1-19
http://hbr.org/1967/01/the-effective-decision/ar/1
- Dan Ariely, Michael I. Norton (2011): From thinking too little
to thinking too much: a continuum of decision making. Wiley
Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, Volume 2,
Issue 1, pages 3946
http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/ariely%20norton%202011.pdf

Week 2 11/02/15
Richrd Sznt

Different approaches, schools of decision making Short

overview of the history of decision making: Philosophical Approach,
Economists Approach, Administrative Model, Strict Confirmation
Model, The Garbage Can Model, Humble Decision Making (Muddling
Through).
Readings:
- Amitai Etzioni: Humble Decision Making. In: Harvard
Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business
Review Paperback, 2001, pp. 45-57
http://hbr.org/1989/07/humble-decision-making/ar/5

Week 3 18/02/2015
Richrd Sznt

Bounded rationality - Different types of rationalities, Concept of

bounded rationality, Satisficing, Cognitive limits of human beings,
Heuristics and biases in decision making: The Hidden Traps.
Readings:
- John S. Hammond Ralph L. Keeney Howard Raiffa: The
Hidden Traps in Decision Making. In: Harvard Business
Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business Review
Paperback, 2001, pp. 143-167
http://hbr.org/2006/01/the-hidden-traps-in-decision-making/ar/1
- Simon, Herbert A. (1959): Theories of Decision-Making in
Economics and Behavioral Science. The American Economic
Review, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 253-283.
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1809901?uid=3738216&uid=21
29&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21104527960147
http://indavideo.hu/video/Odafigyelesi_teszt
http://www.businessinsider.com/cognitive-biases-20146#affect-heuristic-1
Prescriptive schools of decision making - Normative decision
theory, Concept of Utility, Subjective Expected Utility Theory, Utility
Axioms, Paradoxes and Implications, Systematic approach to
problem analysis.
Readings:
- Perrin Stryker: Can You Analyse This Problem? How to
Analyse That Problem? In: Harvard Business Review on
Decision Making, Harvard Business Review Paperback,
2001, pp. 113-142
http://hbr.org/1965/05/can-you-analyze-this-problem/ar/1
- Thaler, Richard (1985): Mental Accounting and Consumer
Choice. Marketing Science, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 199-214.
http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/Richard.Thaler/research/pdf/mental%
20accounting%20and%20consumer%20choice.pdf
http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of
_choice

Week 4 25/02/15
Richrd Sznt

Week 5 04/03/15
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Creative decision making Paradigms, Theories of creativity,

Conceptual blocks inhibiting creativity, Brain holism, Integration of the
creative abilities in the decision making process, Intuition.
Readings:
- Alden M- Hayashi: When to Trust Your Gut. In: Harvard

Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business

Review Paperback, 2001, pp. 169-187
http://hbr.org/2001/02/when-to-trust-your-gut/ar/3
- Mintzberg, H. (1976): Planning on the Left Side and
Managing on the Right, Harvard Business Review, July
http://hbr.org/1976/07/planning-on-the-left-side-and-managing-onthe-right/ar/1
http://braintest.sommer-sommer.com/en/
Week 6 11/03/15
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Rational and Irrational Choices - Multi Attributive Utility Models,

Decision techniques in case of conflicting objectives: Lexicographic
ranking, Even Swaps. Predictably Irrational Choices.
Readings:
- John S. Hammond Ralph L. Keeney Howard Raiffa: Even
Swaps: A Rational model for Making Trade-offs. In: Harvard
Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business
Review Paperback, 2001, pp. 45-57
http://hbr.org/1998/03/even-swaps-a-rational-method-for-makingtrade-offs/ar/1
- www.predictablyirrational.com
http://danariely.com/videos/#TOC22

Week 7 18/03/15

Midterm Exam, Practical Exercise

Week 8 25/03/15
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Group decision making - Essential characteristics of a decision

making group, Theories of group behaviour, Group norms, Group
structure, Group size, Group communication patterns, Groupthink,
Analysis of an effective group, Group roles, Decision conferences.
Readings:
- Chris Argyris: Interpersonal Barriers to Decision Making. In:
Harvard Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard
Business Review Paperback, 2001, pp. 59-95
http://hbr.org/1966/03/interpersonal-barriers-to-decision-making/sb1

Week 9 01/04/15
Richrd Sznt

Conflict Theory - Types of conflicts, Games and exercises, Cooperative and non-co-operative strategies.
Readings:
- http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-theory/
- Colin F. Camerer (2003): Behavioral Game Theory:
Predicting Human Behavior in Strategic Situations. In. Colin
F. Camerer, George Loewenstein, & Matthew
Rabin (Eds): Advances in Behavioral Economics, Princeton
University Press, pp. 374-392.
http://www.google.hu/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1
&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Feconomics.nankai.edu.cn
%2FManager%2FDocManage%2FDownloadDocFile.aspx%3FAttID
%3D388&ei=J2zuU7GKCufd4QSPhYH4CA&usg=AFQjCNGDvD9HZ
DZyMpnfBGZ1eNaac3O9Lg&bvm=bv.73231344,d.bGE

Week 10 08/04/15

Negotiated Decisions Soft, hard and principled ways of

Zita Zoltay Paprika

negotiation, Basic elements of negotiations, The role of BATNA,

Negotiation Support.
Readings:
- Roger Fischer William Ury: Getting to YES, Updated and
Revised. Third Edition. Penguin Books, England, 2011
Chapter III. 6. What if they are more powerful? pp. 99-108
- http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/fish7513.htm
- http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/10-002.pdf

Week 11 15/04/15
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Social Choice - Main characteristics of collective decisions, Types of

social choice, Key problems of social choice, Voting rules, Arrows
Reasonable Conditions of Collective Choice, Problems of majority
voting.
Readings:
Amartya Sen: The Possibility of Social Choice. Nobel
Lecture, December 8, 1998, Trinity College, Cambridge,CB2
1TQ, Great Britain
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1998/senlecture.pdf

Week 12 22/04/15
Richrd Sznt

Managing Risk and Uncertainty: Risk Perception and

Management - Quantitative and qualitative risk theory, Risk analysis,
Risk perception, Different types of risks, Risk management
strategies, Risk seeking and risk averse behaviour, Challenges and
games.
Readings:
- James G. March Zur Shapira: Managerial Perspectives on
Risk and Risk Taking. Management Science, Vol. 33, No. 11
(Nov., 1987), pp. 1404-1418
https://hec.unil.ch/docs/files/83/655/march_shapira_1987_manageria
l_perspectives_on_risk_and_risk_taking.pdf

Week 13 29/04/15
Richrd Sznt

Managing Risk and Uncertainty: Prospect Theory and Framing Value function, Weight function, Framing, Loss Aversion, Mental
Accounting, the Role of ambiguity.
Readings:
- Kahneman, D., Tversky, A. (1979), "Prospect theory: an
analysis of decision under risk", Econometrica, Vol. 47
pp.263-279.
http://www.hss.caltech.edu/~camerer/Ec101/ProspectTheory.pdf
Loewenstein, George F.; Weber, Elke U.; Hsee, Christopher
K.; Welch, Ned (2001): Risk as feelings. Psychological
Bulletin, Vol 127(2), Mar 2001, 267-286
http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/christopher.hsee/vita/Papers/RiskAsF
eelings.pdf
-

Week 14 06/05/15
Mark Newell

Personality Types and Decision Making

Readings:
http://www.personalitypathways.com/MBTI_geyer.html

Week 15 13/05/15
Week 16 20/05/15

Final exam
Make-up exam (if applicable)

Assignments
To fulfill the requirements of the course students will have to write an essay covering one or
more topics of the course. Although purely theoretical papers are also accepted, students
should take into account that in a short essay it is very difficult to summarize a broader field.
Students should not simply summarize what they have read, but to come up with something
original. They have to write a maximum 10-page-long essay (12-point font size, Times New
Roman, 1,5 spaced, justified). Deadline of submission will be the first class in May.
Assessment, grading:
Grades are earned by the students based on their class attendance, class participation, their
achievements in the assignments (group or otherwise) and any quizzes, homework and
midterm and final exam (where applicable). If the student completed at least one of the course
takes either in full or in part, the subject can only be closed with a grade.
Grades are not negotiable. Any attempt at negotiation may potentially result in official
disciplinary action!
Course participation (attendance and participation) and an essay constitute 15% and 25%.
There is a Midterm Exam (30%) and a Final Exam (30%) and these exams will give the
remaining 60% of the points. On the basis of the extent to which students have fulfilled these
four conditions they will receive their marks at the end of the semester:
15% class attendance and participation
25% essay writing
30% midterm exam
30% final exam
Class attendance:
Class attendance is mandatory. Participation in lectures is an important part of the process
and understanding of the subject, and tutors have the right to make a so-called positive
attendance sheet. Based on the positive attendance sheet the tutor can give 5% extra points
beyond all the points obtainable for the final grade. Attendance of the seminars is
compulsory. The acceptable level of absence is of all lessons (i.e. 3 seminars). In
exceptional cases (hospital treatment, permanent illness) provided that the total absence is
less than 50%, the tutor can (if he/she so decides) give an opportunity for supplement. Study
and Examination Regulations 21 (3) and (5)
Simple doctors certificates will not be accepted. If the student has exceeded the maximally
allowed number of absences, only verifiable, official hospital- or treatment center
documentation proving hospital treatment or permanent illness shall be accepted.

Students whose absence from the seminars exceeds the maximally allowed 3 occasions
(partial seminar attendance is counted as absence), will be given a not signed (alrs
megtagadva) grade. Students receiving the not signed grade will not have the option of
taking either the final or any of the retake examinations, but shall have to retake the course in a
subsequent semester.
Students who in any way disrupt a class (lecture or seminar) will be warned once. If the
students disruptive behavior continues after the first warning, the tutor has the right to send the
student out of the room and note that the student has been absent from the given class.
Cheating, plagiarism
Any attempt at cheating or plagiarism in quizzes, assignments or at examinations shall result in
an automatic F (fail) grade and the student will not be able to take either the final examination
or the retake examinations, but shall have to retake the course in a subsequent semester.
Examinations and retake examinations
In keeping with the Corvinus Study and Examination Regulations, a total of 3 examination
opportunities shall be offered (except for the CIEE courses where in keeping with the
American Educational Regulations only a single examination opportunity will be given, or the
elective courses where professors can decide to offer only 2 opportunities). All examinations
will be comprehensive (covering the whole semesters material.) The examinations will be
spaced out during the official examination period, although the first examination (taking into
consideration the foreign exchange students) will be held during the first week of the final
examination period. Students returning home prior to the end of the official examination period
do so at their own risk as no special consideration shall be given in such cases.)
Students must sign up for exams through the Students Information System (Neptun) . The
chosen exams may be modified not later than 24 hours prior to its start. Examinations held on
Mondays are exceptions, since exams on Mondays must be signed up for no later than 72
hours prior to the start. (Study and Examination Regulations 22. 2.) Students not signed up for
a given examination will not be allowed to take it.
Students signed up for a given exam but failing to take it will be given a not present (nem
jelent meg) grade. While such a grade will not decrease the total number of times they can
attempt the examination, it will result in a special administrative fee.
Compulsory reading:

Harvard Business Review on Decision Making, Harvard Business Review Paperback, 2001
http://ebookee.org/Harvard-Business-Review-on-Decision-Making_1975298.html

Recommended readings:

Ariely, Dan: Predictably Irrational, Harper Collins, NY, 2009

Fischer, Roger Ury, William: Getting to YES, Penguin Books, England, 2011

Gladwell, Malcolm: Blink, Little, Brown and Company, 2005

York, 2011

Kahneman, Daniel: Thinking Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New

Grading: Any deviation from this table must be indicated (in which case the table below should
be deleted) and must also be communicated to the ISP Office.

International grading scale

Percentage
achieved
97-100

International
grade
A+

94-96

90-93

A-

87-89

B+

84-86

80-83

B-

77-79

C+

74-76

70-73

C-

67-69

D+

64-66

60-63

D-

0-59

Hungarian and ECTS grading scale

Percentage
achieved

Hungarian
grade

ECTS
Explanation
equivalent
for the
Hungarian
grade
A
Excellent

87-100

77-86

Good

67-76

Satisfactory

60-66

Pass

0-59

Fail

Nem jelent
meg

DNA

Nem
vizsgzott

Did not
attend
(no credit)
Incomplete
(no credit)

Alrva

Signed
(no credit)

Megtagadva

Refused
(no credit)