The Use Of Reflective Writing On Decision Making

Some Effective Steps of Decision Making Process

Discuss about the Use Of Reflective Writing On Decision Making.

Decision-making process is the logical and difficult task, no matter whether the decision is big or small. But in our everyday life we usually focus on decisions for self rather that thinking of what way to make them. In this paper, I started to reflect my own process of making a decision and talk about my personal decision style and identify the weaknesses in that style.

The purpose of this report is to provide a reflective analytical report that support the analysis of making a decision through solid research on models, methods, framework and taxonomy. It will identify the characteristics of decision making process and analyse the reflection. It will contain some supported resource located in the process of decision making. For everyone who are involved in the educational background reflect some practice of decision making. Reflection is best describe in the novel of Harry Potter, ‘The Goblet of Fire’. In the novel there was paragraph where the chief wizard Dumbledore and the head teacher was talking about excess thoughts to Harry. The spot patterns and links become easier. This indicates that experience is not sufficient in order to learn. If there is no reflection in the experience, then it is quickly forgotten and it may happen that the potential of learning might lost. Through reflection, thoughts and feelings emerges that generate the concept of decision making. Every new situation can be effectively tackled through generalizations. Decision making has provide an opportunity to gain an insight from the work experience. This report will further consider the perspective of the people and certain model and methods. Finally, it will conclude by making related recommendation that change the decision-making model.

Step 1: Decision Identification: This step is very important to make a decision. If I have to take a decision, I need to realize what decision need to make and clearly identify the nature of the decision that I have made.

Step 2: Relevant information will be gathered: Before I make any decision I need to gather some pertinent information to take a decision. This can be from the best sources provided, from the information that is needed and find ways to get it. Some information will be process through self-assessment which is the internal work. The other work will be find the outline in books, people and sources that are external.

Various Models of Decision Making

Step 3: Alternatives are identified: In this step, I will be able to list all the desirable and possible alternatives to collect information from all possible alternatives and paths of action. For any new alternatives I can use my imagination and additional information to make a decision.

Step 4: Evidence are Weigh: An imagination has to be drawn on mind related with my own information and emotions to carry out the alternatives at the end. Step 1 has to be evaluated to know whether it meet the need that was identified to be resolve through various alternatives. Finally, all the alternatives are placed based on order priority of my own value of system.

Step 5: Selecting from various Alternatives: The evidence one weighed, I have to decide which alternative to select that would be best for me. I can also choose the combination of alternatives. The choice may be likely be similar to the alternative that I have placed in step 4.

Step 6: Take some action: In this step, I will be ready to take positive action by implementing the alternative that I have chosen in step 5.

Step 7: Decision Review and their consequences: This is the final step, the decision result will be considered and evaluated whether the need has been resolved that I have identified in step 1. If in any case the decision could not met the identified need, then there are certain steps that need to be repeated in the process and make a new decision.  

To start with the process of decision making, it is required to follow the steps. In general case, if I simply take a decision on getting a food when I feel hungry. The signal of the body or the metabolism is enough to make the decision and it simply can be understood that I wanted to have some food to fill my stomach. However, there are some complicated decision in life which are found either through the process of observation or through the process of deduction or can be also said intuitively. All this depends on the occasion, situation and the decision itself that I make. Most of the decision that are make among them are the one that I would like to reflect on this paper.

There are many activities that begins mentally with observation. Even Galileo use to make observation to find out the problem and could agree to it totally. In this paper, I have referred to the observation that has widely defined the natural phenomena, the people I observe, in the society where I live and into some written materials.

Rational or Classical Model

The model is beneficial to understand the nature of the process of decision-making. There is certain assumption made in this model to take a decision. Some of them are discussed in this section.

The first model of decision-making-process is the rational model. It considers the classical approach to understand the process of decision making. There are various steps involve in the process of decision-making. The features involve in the Classical Model are as follow:

• Clear the problems that are identified
• Clear the Objectives that are identified
• Based on criteria and weights the people will agree
• Alternatives are all known
• Anticipate all the consequences
• Making a rational Decision
• Unbiased to recognize the problems
• Capability of processing all the information that are relevant
• Anticipate the consequences of the present and future decisions
• The desired results were searched for all the alternatives

Achieving a goal is involving in decision making. It is the demands of the rationality that all the alternative courses should be properly understood and as decision-maker I have to achieve the goals. I should have the complete information and should have the ability to properly analyse several alternative courses of the goal. I should have a desire to achieve the goal and satisfy themselves with best solutions.  The author has defined rationality as the objective and intelligent action through behavioral nexus, the model has characterized between ends and means of behavioral nexus. Any decision to be rational it is appropriate to choose means that can reach the desired ends. Instead of this, people start to assume and may think to seek only those solutions that are best, and normally settle less. This happens because confront decisions typically demand for larger information, time, and capabilities of processing. There are limited or bounded rationality that are settle for decision-making. The basic concepts for this model is discussed below:

From sequential attention to the alternative solution: There is a tendency for normal people to examine one possible solution at one time instead they can think of identifying all the possible solutions and then can stop the search once the solution is found that can be accepted. My personal experience was when it was decided to select a volunteer for the class. Each student started selecting one individual of their own choice but instead it was supposed to be that all in one has to select only one individual.

Heuristic: Heuristic are the assumptions to search for some alternative guide to those that have high probability to yield in the area of success.

Satisficing: The author call “satisficing” as “good enough” or satisfactory course of action that is to be picked under certain circumstances. There is a tendency that a decision maker always accepts the first alternative that can meet the minimal requirements once acceptable and then later push further with alternative to produce a best result. Satisficing is mostly preferred in small significance decisions. It is the major constraint for similar alternatives. Therefore, as per the perspective model, classical or rational model indicated the way to make certain decisions, while as per the descriptive model, decisions are made actually.

Bounded Rationality or Administrative Model

This model of decision-making is also known as implicit favorite model. It focuses on the attempts made by the decision-makers through which the choice is rationalize when being made. It also focuses on justifying the decisions. Per Soelberg developed this model and made some observation of the business graduate students regarding the process of choosing a job. In many of the cases, he noted that all the alternative or implicit favorite have been identified by the students in the early process of choosing and recruiting. However, there are additional alternatives for student to search and quickly select the alternative that is best. Justification has been made for the total process and design to guise the scientific rigor, intuitively made a decision. Through this method, it becomes easier for an individual to get convince and act rationally. It becomes easier to take a logical way and take a reasonable decision on topics that are important.

There are lot of choice for a consumer to make a decision. Before making any purchase from a supermarket or shop the customer has to consider various factors to purchase an item and make the final decision. However, some product does not need to think much and customer has already fix the image on their mind of that one product as they usually purchase them on regular basis. I have read through various sources and literature to analysis this model. I found that this model could give a competitive edge to the life-cycle of the product and provide a completive market in the business that operate today.

This figure describe the five stages of the Consumer Decision-Making Process based on the cultural, individual, social and Psychological factors that affect all the five stage namely recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase and behavior of Post purchase.

In the process of consumer decision making model, I have to select from various products, choice, brands products or ideas. There are some stages that are necessary and some vary the level of involvement for the consumer’s and some may all together skip. The researcher in one of the study even describe that some of the consumer does not necessary require level of information search in purchasing a product. Another author describes a simple Consumer Decision Making Model. In this model, the overlay phase of input, process and output also including decision making, external influence and behavior of post-decision of the five stages are similar to the model mention above. The outline of the simple Consumer Decision Making Model for the five stages need recognition and pre-purchase search. This will be then followed by some alternative evaluation, purchase and post-purchase evaluation. Such frameworks need to be seen as a flexible guideline for the Marketers.

When observed carefully, rational decisions remove the assumptions, uncertainty and subjectivity from making a decision. As a decision-maker I had accurate information and knowledge about the situation, the cause that is underlying and the effect of relationships that evaluate several situation and provide with necessary tools and competence. This case may not always remain the same. It may often found wanting the quality, quantity, and accuracy and information integrity. Human has the ability to gather in a limit, process and understand the outcome of the decision that can optimize the information. The defect that can be seen in the information now translate in the defect of the decision. The decision made by the people mostly depends on the experience, conventions, culture, education and other factors.

When making a decision, a deeper reflection of the decision will be considered with evidence. Depending on the situation judgment has been provided. The author has identified tools and technique for the development of decision making process. In this section, I would analyse the strength and weaknesses of Consumer Decision Making Model with a particle experience with my interviewees.

My interviewees have skipped the ‘alternatives evaluation’ stage all together. The stage was more of like Apparel Purchase Process Model which include three phases namely interest, trail or to buy or reject. Unknowingly, my interviewee amplified about the discussion that the author had suggested, stating that apparel was evaluated by women to shorten their process of purchasing. This was done because on ascetics the assessment is heavily based. In my case, my interviewee described the length, color and fabric weight that was sufficient for trial product that has to be undertaken and follow the purchase. In the environment of women’s retail fashion, the quality and aesthetic level has been communicated to have a promoting effect from the behavior of the customer positively towards the purchasing.

It was found that the response of the respondents was different. The first respondent looked the organization marketing efforts and to the socio-cultural environment of the pre-purchase search. The respondent was initially motivated by forces within his psychological field. The external influences came at the time when the decision process has started. However, second respondent was initially responsive to the social0culture environment. She was then checking the product that suited her. Both the interview respondents were chosen form different categories of the product. According to the research, different characteristics of the consumer within the product category results in segmentation related to the behavior of consumer purchase.

When I notice both the respondent, the tension level was very different in the behavior of purchasing at the time when they are able to recognize their need. It was noticed that the first respondent has become frustrated at the potential benefits that was offered, the amount of information that was considered and a strong desire that he wanted to get the product for a cheap price. Thus, at the end of the final purchase only the basic need was satisfied. However, the tension was not reducing because the long time that he spends for information search did not warrant the cost that he invests on his cheap product.

There are variety of reason for the delay of the purchase including the attitude of others and unanticipated situational factors and the risks that has perceived. The author believe that the marketers has to understand the factors and provoke the future.

As per my experience rational decision making process needs deliberation of data and some careful consideration. I felt that it takes time and is not much suitable in making quick-decisions. In this age of fast-pace change, rational model could not reach to that stage. Moreover, delay in implementation and decision making results in dilution of perceiving such alternative. The benefit of this model can be taken only when done on time. With the implementation of this model I would mostly use it in making long-term decisions rather than operational or short-term decisions. Rational decisions are more informed and structured.

Weakness of Bounded rational

The resources consist of time, money, workforce and equipment are limited. This can influence the decision making. Previously it was assuming that organization plan to fix several branches that are instantly new. However, the income of the organization had diminished with the economic downturn. Therefore, a solution being provided to this plan and new branches were held over it. The cause to the limited fiscal resources is not the same that was originally planned. Information usually get dump with the technology progress. Data can be more or less receive with troubles from the director. The reason behind such trouble is that the information was difficult to cover. This result in the consequence of making inappropriate decisions and view only certain information.

Among all the model one of the model where I found some critiques that has been discussed in this section. The main advantage of this model is that marketers find it easy to decide and satisfy the customer expectations. As a decision maker, I would be able to behave well with the customer when they come for some purchase. This model gives a detailed picture of customer consumption level towards a product.

The first critique of Consumer Decision Making Model consider customer will be same and search information and spend lot of time in searching the particular item of their choice, compare it with different alternative and then finally decide to choose one particular product that has satisfy their need. In various literature and Google scholar, it was found that some customer when decided to buy a product do not require much to think about it or choose from numerous alternatives. As a decision maker at every stage it is not necessary to engage with the consumer decision making process.

The second critique of Consumer Decision Making Model assumes that in this model customer has to go through all the stages and there is some stage that has made it difficult for the customer to purchase any product. However, in some situation I would just skip some stages and then decide whether to purchase the product or not and also be sure about the need of the product is as per my expectation.

Conclusion

In my opinion I would conclude that the right decision was never overestimated as it is the quality decision that differentiate between the success and the failure. Thus, all the factors have to be imperative to make proper decision and those that are fully investigated and properly looked into. Thus the Consumer Decision Making model relies on the cognitive ability of the consumer. The decision making of the consumer sees the Cognitive Model were attempted to make the best decision with available information. Through this model, it can be acknowledging that consumers when make reasonable decision can then proceed to make a purchase.

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