Steps in Decision Making
Decisions can be made at an individual or organizational level. Individual decisions may affect the decision maker, the people who look up to them or the organization they serve. Similarly, organizational decisions may affect individuals or groups associated with the entity. In this respect, different factors affect the process of decision making.
Experiences, the level of information, the uniqueness of the situation and urgency of the matter are some of the factors that influence decision making (Dietrich 1). Having decided on whether the decision is individual or collective, the following guidelines are vital.
First, one must identify the problem that requires a decision. In the second step, one ought to generate possible solutions to the problem. The third step evaluates the consequences of each of the decisions that are to be taken. The fourth step involves choosing the measure you have decided to undertake about the problem. The fifth step is implementation. Implementation may take place at once or may be done in bits depending with the situation. The sixth step involves evaluation of the degree of success of the decision (Lunenburg 3; Anderson 9).
Making decision in the light of Ian Robertson, “Religion and Social Change”and Nicols Fox, “What are Our Real Values”
Determining whether affective domains of mankind determine culture and social change or whether social and cultural changes determine the affective domains is highly contested. In this regard, affective domains refer to the human beliefs, attitudes, social philosophies, ethics, norms and ideals. Karl Marx held the opinion that culture is made of material and nonmaterial constructs.
On the other hand, Max Weber agreed with the approach by Marx on material and nonmaterial constructs, but he held the opinion that the affective domains influenced social changes. According to him, the concept and principles of capitalism emanated from beliefs and other normative aspects (Robertson 10).
A further synthesis of the material and non material paradigms reveal that as much as the positions held by Max and Marx were based on correct constructs, they were relative and contextual. The growth of England as a capitalist over Scotland is a case at hand (Robertson 11).
The emerging modern economies in the East, especially China, complicate further, the view of Weber. Setting the ideals, believing in them and passing them on to the next generation is fast becoming an illusion. The ideals on the value of family, humanity and moral consciousness have become subject to media and celebrities (Fox 122).
Lilian Smith: When I was a child
The article is a classical analogy of racial discrimination in the south of the U.S. The parents talk of the goodness of God, of the virtue of their society, and of the value of life while at the same time they segregate against the people with the colored skin. As a little child, the author wonders why the family treated Janie without regard although she had showed good manners (Smith 36-37).
The white skinned society in the south denies children a chance to demonstrate hospitality, goodness and kindness to their colored skin friends. The only frame of reference in determining civility was in keeping slaves and disregarding them.
Plato: the parable of the cave
The article is about prisoners who perceive the objects of the world in form of shadows. One of the prisoners is freed and told to give his view of the world; the impact of the light hurts him. The cave has conditioned the prisoners into understanding the shadows as the true and real objects (Plato 80). The article is an insight on enlightenment. It advises one on viewing a situation in a new paradigm that is held as the true and real. It is relativistic.
Henry Thoreau: On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
The article systemizes the tenets of social organization. It observes the existence of individual human beings, property and the laws that govern their interaction, appropriation and increase. The society in collective terms, contract a few of its own to oversee the social order. In times of inefficiency and misappropriation of the stewardship of power, the citizens opt for disorder. They become disgruntled by oppression, slavery and short-change their trust in the elected few to oversee social order.
This is the beginning of revolutions (Thoreau 194). The article’s advice for the current situation is that it is not absolute for the collective responsibility to be undertaken directly. Social order is already contracted to the government by the way of election. Furthermore, one continues to contribute to the stewardship of the law and order by way of taxation and service to the government.
E.E Cummings: LIV
The poem is a presentation of the concept of reductionism. Although we are independent as individuals, many factors unite us. The poem states the importance and the reality of unity. The imageries given on tree, leaf, and on the growth of buds is an indication of the society comprised of many components yet united by the virtue of love and co-existence.
A show of love explains who we are (Cummings 181). The poem advises the situation on the value of compassion. The poem completely ignored the personal dreams, economic value and responsibility of provision on the east coast.
Martin Luther king, Jr, “Letters from a Birmingham Jail”
The letter speaks of the issues on racism in the south of the United States. As indicated, the racial discrimination anywhere had effect everywhere. Luther wondered what response he could give to a five year old if they wanted to know causes of segregation. Children understand that all mankind deserves good treatment. The section of the letter that touches on children is especially critical in deciding whether to go to Boston or remain in Iowa with the family (King 77-100).
Albert Camus: The Myth of Sisyphus
The myth is anchored on the condemnation of Sisyphus to roll the rock up the cliff and just before it topples over to the other side, it falls back to the foot of the cliff and he has to repeat. The punishment is given after the accusation of his role when Jupiter stole Aegina who was the daughter to Aesopus (Camus 237).
The myth is a demonstration of the power of divine creatures over the beings on the earth. Sisyphus suffers from labor in futility. The mythology informs the decision to remain in Iowa or leave to the east coast. The decision that violates the will of the divine power comes with adverse consequences.
Auden: the unknown Citizen
The Bureau of Statistics considered the unknown citizen as one with good conduct. He was on the good side of demography according to the Eugenist, he had modest interaction with colleagues, and he was in good health. He also had a reasonable material fortune of radio, automobile, fridge and phonograph. He was well informed from the media and his level of education was apt. (Auden 98).
The unknown citizen is the ideal representation of the decisions that ought to be made in the described situation. He can meet the expectation of serving his community and undertake his employer’s assignment. The decision should strive to meet the ideals posed in the case of the unknown citizen.
Precepts from the living quotations
The message in the quotations is derived from the scripture. It emphasizes on service to humanity through the lessons drawn from the stories of the Biblical personalities. The quotations reveal the benefits of working together as a community and treating each other with kindness (Bacote 155). The message in the nuggets informs the process of making decision in the present scenario by a historical and transcendent understanding.
Conclusion
The decision must strive to meet the ideals observed by the unknown citizen meaning it must be conscious of the family. The decision should also note that the current is an act of nature. The emerging obligations need character, strong will and decisiveness. The economic and social family obligations must be met despite the desire to offer a helping hand in the aftermath of the disaster (Adair 10 & 11).
Decide to be in Boston as your family remains in Iowa to assist the victims then they join you later. They ought to accept leaving old friends is hard but it also gives them opportunity to visit new places. Significant decisions involve breaking with the past (Anderson 11; Ehrgott, Figueira & Greco 88).
Works Cited
Adair, John. Decision making and problem solving. London: Kogan Page Limited, 2007. Print.
Anderson, Barry F. The Three Secrets of Wise Decision Making. Portland: Single Reef Press, 2002. Print.
Auden, Hugh Wystan. The Unknown Citizen. Sunnyvale: Shmoop University Incorporated, 1940. Print.
Bocote, Vicente. Precepts for living2007-2008: Umi Annual Sunday school Lesson Commentary. Illinois: Urban Ministries, Inc., 2007. Print.
Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus. Washington: Penguin Books Limited, 2013.Print.
Cummings, E E. 100 Selected Poems. New York: Grove press, 1954. Print.
Dietrich, Cindy “Decision Making: Factors that Influence Decision Making, Heuristics Used, and Decision outcomes.”The International Student Journal 2.02 (2010): 1-3. Print.
Ehrgott, Matthias, Figueira, Jose, & Greco Galvatore. Trends in Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis. New York: Springer, 2010. Print.
Fox, Nicols. Against the Machine: The Hidden Luddite Tradition in Literature, Art, and Individual lives. Washington: Island Press, 2002. Print.
Lunenburg, Fred “The Decision Making Process.”The forum of educational administration and supervision journal 27.4 (2010): 1-12. Print.
King, Martin Luther “Letter from Birmingham Jail”why we can’t wait. Martin Luther King, Jr., papers project (1963):77-100. Print.
Plato. The allegory of the Cave. London: P & L Publication, 2010. Print.
Robertson, Ian. Sociology. New York: Worth Publishers, 1981. Print.
Smith, Lilian. Killers of the Dream. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1949. Print.
Thoreau, David Henry. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. Washington: Arc Manor, 2007. Print.