Critical Thinking and Problem Solving in Managerial Decision Making

This assignment explores the application of critical thinking and problem-solving skills within a managerial context. The student analyzes the importance of rational decision-making, emphasizing the need to avoid emotional biases and consider long-term goals. The assignment highlights the impact of managerial decisions on stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, contractors, and suppliers. It further examines the alignment of organizational culture with brand identity, arguing that a cohesive approach is essential for attracting customers and achieving business objectives. The document also discusses the role of friendship in career development, suggesting that while friendships are valuable, an overemphasis on them can sometimes hinder professional progress. References from Harvard Business Review and other sources support the arguments presented.

Running head: CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
First exam questions
1.
A manager should not ever involve his/her emotions while taking managerial decisions.
This is because, emotions such as positive or negative emotions might affect the decision making
process adversely. If the manager is affected with negative emotions such as anger or sadness,
then the managerial decisions are affected negatively and the manager ends up taking a decision
that is not the most appropriate one (Ford and Richardson 2013). However, being overwhelmed
by positive emotions such as happiness will also result in taking up of decisions that are not
appropriate. The managerial decisions that are affected by the emotions lack rationality and tend
to be biased. Moreover, as a manager, it is important to handle the emotions effectively, such that
decision making could be done effetely (Ford and Richardson 2013). Moreover, the managerial
decisions have to be directed for the achievement of long-term goals. Hence, it is important that
the achievement of the long-term goals is also given importance, while decision making process
takes place (Pettigrew 2014). Ideally, emotions and emotional biasness should be kept away,
while managerial decision-making process takes place. Critical thinking is the key to effective
managerial decision making. Hence, the managers need to indulge in critical thinking, while
taking managerial decisions.
The premise: Being affected by emotions will result in loss of rationalization in the decisions
being taken (Pettigrew 2014).
Thus, it is concluded that the managerial decisions should not be influenced by emotions. Since
emotions hinder decision-making, hence the conclusion supports the premises.
2.

2CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Decision-making is a critical process that has to be taken up by the managers effectively,
such that the decisions taken are the best chosen for the business organization (Pettigrew 2014).
While taking managerial decisions, the manager is responsible for the company’s shareholders as
well as the external and internal stakeholders (Ford and Richardson 2013). This is because, a
managerial decision affects not only the shareholders but also affects the stakeholders. Hence, it
s important, that the managers take care of the decisions taken by them. The positive as well as
the negative effects on the stakeholders are to be evaluated, before taking a managerial decision.
Thus, critical thinking has to be practiced (Pettigrew 2014). Logic and arguments have to be used
while managerial decisions are taken. The shareholders are affected by the managerial decision-
making.
The premises: Moreover, the stakeholders such as the customers, contractors and suppliers are
also affected negatively or positively by the decisions taken by the managers (Pettigrew 2014).
The suppliers and contractors might refrain from supplying the goods to the business
organization, with adverse decisions taken by the managers. Moreover, loss of loyal customers
might also be caused, due to the adverse managerial decisions.
Thus, it is concluded that the shareholders, along with the stakeholders are affected by the
managerial decisions that are taken.
Since the shareholders and the stakeholders are affected by decision-making, hence the
conclusion supports the premises.
Second exam questions
1.

3CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
The given passage highlights the fact that the culture of a business organization and the
brand of the company should be driven by the same goals and motivations. It is essential that
every brand establish its own identity. This could be done by ensuring that the employees
understand the culture as well as the goals that the brand wishes to achieve. Thus, it is essential
that the culture of the brand and the organizational culture is matched (Harvard Business
Review, 2017). For example, if the brand tries to enhance the customer services while the
employees are aligned towards effective inventory management, then the mismatch of the efforts
will result in failure of the company to achieve the ultimate goal. Without knowing the purpose
of the brand, the culture of the company should not be determined (Harvard Business Review,
2017). Thus, the article most appropriately mentions the importance of the aligning the
organizational culture with the organizational branding, such that more customers could be
attracted, along with directing all the employees towards the achievement of one organizational
goal.
The premises: In order to ensure that the customers are attracted to the brand, it is essential that
the organizational culture and brand be aligned towards the same goal (Harvard Business
Review, 2017). Mismatch of the culture with the brands will result in loss in the business.
Thus, it could be concluded that the culture of the business and its branding strategies should be
coordinated with each other.
Since the organizational culture has to be aligned with the brand, hence the conclusion supports
the premises.
2.

4CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Friendship is one of the greatest assets of any human being. Our career path is enhanced,
if it is well supported by friends and friendships (Harvard Business Review, 2017). Friends are
an essential part of life and they have to be chosen wisely, in order to ensure that they happen to
be the strength and not weakness. However, though friends are an integral part of our being, it
might cause increase in hurdles in the professional career (Harvard Business Review, 2017). The
author has rightly said it that giving priority to friendships often hampers the career and
professional life of people. The time that the wide variety of friendship demands results in
hampering the career of the people. With the widening of the circle of friendship, the number of
close friends also increases. This results in the loss of privacy, as most of the information are
shared amongst a large group of close friends. Thus, the friendship as defined in today’s world is
more time consuming, than it is beneficial.
The premises: One of the major challenges that are faced by the today’s world is that friends in
today’s world keep changing. This is because, the circle of the people in which they belong keep
changing with time. Moreover, with the intervention of social media, people become
increasingly busy with their friends, thus hampering the precious time for career building
(Harvard Business Review, 2017).
Thus, it could be concluded that if the person is efficient enough not to hamper his career, yet
devote adequate time to the friends, then the friendship could be maintained effectively.

5CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
References
Ford, R.C. and Richardson, W.D., 2013. Ethical decision making: A review of the empirical
literature. In Citation classics from the Journal of Business Ethics (pp. 19-44). Springer
Netherlands.
Harvard Business Review. (2017). Being Too Busy for Friends Won’t Help Your Career. [online]
Available at: https://hbr.org/2017/07/being-too-busy-for-friends-wont-help-your-career
[Accessed 29 Aug. 2017].
Harvard Business Review. (2017). Why Your Company Culture Should Match Your Brand.
[online] Available at: https://hbr.org/2017/06/why-your-company-culture-should-match-your-
brand [Accessed 29 Aug. 2017].
Pettigrew, A.M., 2014. The politics of organizational decision-making. Routledge.