Decision-making implies choosing one option among several available options . It can be conscious or unconscious. A conscious decision arises from a series of deliberate consultations either with self or other people while an unconscious decision arises as a reaction to a particular happening. A well-chosen goal leads to happiness and fulfillment while a bad decision leads to lack of fulfillment and remorse. This reflection seeks to show how a student made a decision to study for a bachelor’s degree in business and quality management, the process involved in making up such a decision, information available at that time as well as presence or absence of bias in the decision making process.
Criteria
The criteria picked for choosing a bachelor’s degree in business and quality management was a conscious one . It arose from a deliberation with self on the significance of a bachelor’s degree in business and quality management in the current labor market.
Alternatives
Several alternatives presented themselves. Alternatives included taking a course in sales and marketing, bachelors’ degree in banking and insurance, bachelors’ degree in commerce and finance, bachelors’ degree in entrepreneurship, bachelors’ degree in law, bachelors’ degree in commerce and accounting, Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and sociology, Bachelor of Arts degree in political philosophy as well as Bachelor of Arts degree in social work.
These were just some of the alternatives since the required qualification was in place. Consciously, some important alternatives like Bachelor of Arts in law, Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science and Bachelor of Science degree in information technology did not get some consideration. For instance, Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science is very marketable due to various issues concerning environment like global warming, pollution and climate change, which affect almost every sector of any economy.
Information on Alternatives
Information on some of alternatives was sufficient while information on other alternatives was insufficient. Concerning an alternative like sales and marketing, information on required qualification, possible places to work in on completing studies, its advantages and disadvantages presented itself through various sites on the internet as well as various books written on sales and marketing.
Information on banking and insurance, commerce and finance and entrepreneurship was scanty due to various technicalities involved in the two industries as well as complicated jargon applied therein. As such, these alternatives failed to receive much consideration due to lack of complete information.
The decision to reject commerce and accounting, economics and sociology, political philosophy, law and social work arose from full information and failure to meet personal preference of a future career as a manager. The decision to go for business and quality management arose from presence of enough information on the course as well as possible places of placement after completion of studies.
Conscious Thinking
Conscious thinking led to the decision to study business and quality management. In the process of looking for the best area of study, all alternatives listed above got some evaluation based on implications of studying any of the alternatives. For instance, sales and marketing graduates flood labor market and make it hard to secure employment. This also applies to banking and insurance, social work, and commerce and accounting.
Law, political philosophy and economics are marketable but handling them poses a challenge due to qualifications required to study such courses. Environmental science is currently quite marketable but due to a different study background, it did not qualify as the best alternative. Rule of thumb did not feature in the decision making process as focus was strictly on becoming a senior manager.
Bias in Decision Making
Representativeness bias influenced the decision to take business and quality management . Several people who had opted for business and quality management studies had secured employment as managers in various companies. However, there was no proof or any projected program to show that such graduates must necessarily secure employment. As such, biasness led to a decision to study business and quality management.
Another cognitive bias, prior hypotheses bias, influenced the decision to study business and quality management . Society has always regarded business and quality management studies as prestigious and marketable. In addition, members in society believe that most successful and famous managers took business and quality management studies prior to securing employment and consequent promotions through ranks in corporations.
Conclusion
The decision arrived at is reasonable but there is need to improve the process of decision making in future. This is possible through seeking a wide range of alternatives and getting as much information as possible on each alternative to make informed decisions. Lack of information on alternatives can make a person make a wrong decision.
For instance, failure to obtain enough information on banking and insurance, commerce and finance and entrepreneurship may have led to picking the next best alternative. In addition, having realized own biases, it is prudent to work on eradicating such biases. In this way, the outcome of a decision making process without bias is an objective and reasonable decision.
References
Business Dictionary.com. (2013). Decision Making. Web.
Jones, G. R. & George, J. M. (2009). Decision Making, Learning, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. Web.
Skills You Need. (2013). Introduction to Decision Making. Web.