Decision Analysis for Managers, Second Edition: A Guide for Making Better Personal and Business Decisions, Paperback

Everybody has to make decisions-they are unavoidable. However, we receive little or no education or training on how to make decisions. Business decisions are difficult: which people to hire, which product lines or facilities to expand, which proposal to accept, how much R&D to invest in, which environmental projects are high priority, etc. Personal decisions (college, getting married, changing jobs, buying a house, retiring, dealing with a health problem) can be even more difficult. This book gives you the tools you need toÉClarify and reach alignment on goals and objectives; Understand trade-offs associated with reaching those objectives; Develop and examine alternatives; Systematically analyze the effects of risk and uncertainty, and; Maximize the chances of achieving your goals. Success (getting what you want) depends on luck and good decision-making. You can't control your luck, but you can maximize your odds by making the best possible decisions, and this book gets you there. The author organizes and presents otherwise formal decision-making tools in an intuitively understandable fashion. The presentation is informal, but the concepts and tools are research-based and formally accepted. Whether you are a business owner, a manager or team leader, or a senior professional, these tools will help both your personal and your business life.

About author(s):David Charlesworth is a licensed chemical engineer, obtained his MBA from the University of Florida, and obtained a BS ChE from Indiana Tech. He has experience in a broad range of businesses, completing decision analysis and portfolio analysis projects in oil and gas, LNG, pharmaceutical, and chemicals, both as a consultant (Decision Strategies, Inc.) and as an in-house resource (Conoco and Chevron). He has presented a variety of technical talks at conferences and has been an invited guest lecturer at the University of Texas, Rice University, JPL, and Virtual-workshops.com.