Decision Making

Good decision/ Bad Outcome

In high school I decided to quit the performing arts class to join the football team in the hope that I would get a scholarship at the end. However, I got injured during practice and as such never made a debut on the team in the field. It was a good decision because using the decision criteria, you get to earn a scholarship to the University of your Choice if you can excel in both academics and football. My academic ability was good enough to earn me the scholarship if I succeeded in football, which I failed. (Hanna, Render and Stair)

Bad decision/ Good Outcome

I took a gap year before joining university to pursue my performing arts interests so that in University, I would study acting as a career. During this gap year I enjoyed my time and all the money I made I wasted. When I joined University, my gap year experience opened my eyes to the fact that even if I became a professional actor I would not succeed in life due to the type  of exposure and the demands of the job. As such, I decided to study business management after which I intend to set up a management company for performing artists. The gap year was a bad decision because I wasted a year outside school, subsequently delaying my graduation by a year. However, the gap year saved me from making a terrible career and life mistake. Using the decision criteria, I thought that the gap year was a good idea at the beginning but when my parents complained that I waste all my money while I had seven months to finish the gap year, I felt I had made a mistake. I considered it a bad decision until recently when I see it bore good results.

Why this happens

People often make decisions with too much optimism. This way, they end up not being critical about the consequences of the decisions they make. Failure to examine the possible outcomes of a decision is the main reason for the decisions leading up to opposite outcomes.

Works Cited

Hanna, M, B Render and R Stair. Quantitative Analysis for Management. Upper Saddle River, New Jersay: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011. Document.