Using Rational-Decision Making Process - HEAVEN HELP HER

 Using Rational-Decision Making Process we discuss the article below.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

Step 2: Establish Decision Criteria

Step 3: Weigh Decision Criteria

Step 4: Generate Alternatives

Step 5: Evaluate Alternatives

Step 6: Select the Best Alternative

Heaven Help Her (The Article)

Topic: Negotiations Characters: Mary, Broker for a firm which buys and sells businesses Rev. Smith, a retired minister now managing a nonprofit organization George, Mary’s supervisor

Mary, a recent college graduate, works for a company which represents clients who are interested in either buying or selling businesses. As a “business broker,” her job is to arrange such sales. Rev. Smith, a retired minister, contacts Mary’s company to arrange for the purchase of a small manufacturing plant just outside of town. He has recently formed a nonprofit corporation to aid troubled youths and wants to convert the building into a recreation center. He desires to work with Mary because she formerly attended his church and he trusts her implicitly. Mary’s supervisor, George, has assigned her the task of negotiating a deal for Rev. Smith’s organization. Some of the machines at the manufacturing plant are in poor condition and would require $100,000 to repair. Rev. Smith intends to remove them in any event. The seller is asking for a $250,000 down payment on a $1,000,000 sale. Rev. Smith’s organization can only raise $150,000. After studying the situation, George is convinced that if the seller can be led to believe that repairing the machines is important to Rev. Smith, the down payment request would be reduced to $150,000 and the asking price to $950,000. George, therefore, instructs Mary to mislead the seller. She is told to insist--with a straight face--that either the seller repair the machines or drop the down payment and asking price. Mary is uncomfortable with this strategy, both for the sake of honesty and because Rev. Smith has not approved it. Yet, as a new employee, she wants to please her supervisor.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

The problem in this scenario is that Mary, a business broker, is faced with a dilemma regarding the negotiation process for the purchase of a manufacturing plant on behalf of Rev. Smith's nonprofit organization.

Her supervisor, George, wants her to mislead the seller by insisting that either the machines be repaired or the down payment and asking price be reduced, without Rev. Smith's approval.

Step 2: Establish Decision Criteria

In analyzing this situation, the decision criteria to consider are:

1. Honesty and ethical behaviour: Mary wants to maintain honesty and integrity in her dealings, which includes being transparent with the seller.
2. Rev. Smith's trust: Mary values the trust that Rev. Smith has in her, and she wants to honour that trust.
3. Financial feasibility: Mary needs to consider whether the negotiation terms are financially feasible for Rev. Smith's organization.
4. Organizational expectations: Mary should consider the expectations and guidelines set by her supervisor and the company.

Step 3: Weigh Decision Criteria

Now, let's weigh the decision criteria based on their importance in this situation:

1. Honesty and ethical behaviour: High importance. Maintaining honesty and ethical conduct is crucial for building trust and long-term relationships.
2. Rev. Smith's trust: Moderate importance. While Mary values Rev. Smith's trust, it should not override ethical considerations.
3. Financial feasibility: High importance. Ensuring the negotiation terms are financially feasible for Rev. Smith's organization is essential to the success of the project.
4. Organizational expectations: Moderate importance. Mary should consider her supervisor's instructions and the company's expectations, but they should not compromise ethical behaviour.

Decision Criteria	Importance (Weight)
Honesty and ethical behavior	High (4)
Rev. Smith's trust	Moderate (3)
Financial feasibility	High (4)
Organizational expectations	Moderate (3)

In this chart, a scale of 1-5 is used to assign weights to each decision criterion, with 5 being the highest importance and 1 being the lowest importance.

Step 4: Generate Alternatives

Based on the identified problem and decision criteria, here are some alternatives for Mary to consider:

1. Follow George's instructions: Mary can choose to follow George's instructions and mislead the seller about the importance of repairing the machines. This may help negotiate a lower down payment and asking price but compromises honesty and ethical behaviour.

2. Seek Rev. Smith's approval: Mary can inform Rev. Smith about George's strategy and seek his approval before proceeding with the negotiation. This allows her to maintain honesty and transparency while involving the primary stakeholder in the decision-making process.

3. Propose an alternative negotiation approach: Mary can present an alternative negotiation strategy to George and explain her concerns about honesty and ethical behaviour. She can suggest exploring other aspects of the deal, such as the payment terms or exploring financing options, rather than solely focusing on the repair costs.

Step 5: Evaluate Alternatives

Let's evaluate the alternatives against the decision criteria:

Alternative 1: Follow George's instructions

• Honesty and ethical behaviour: Not met
• Rev. Smith's trust: Potentially compromised
• Financial feasibility: Potentially achieved
• Organizational expectations: Potentially met

Alternative 2: Seek Rev. Smith's approval

• Honesty and ethical behaviour: Met
• Rev. Smith's trust: Strengthened
• Financial feasibility: Delayed but the potential for a better outcome
• Organizational expectations: May or may not be met depending on Rev. Smith's response

Alternative 3: Propose an alternative negotiation approach

• Honesty and ethical behaviour: Met
• Rev. Smith's trust: Maintained
• Financial feasibility: Potential for exploring other options
• Organizational expectations: Potentially challenged

Step 6: Select the Best Alternative

Considering the evaluation of alternatives, it is recommended that Mary pursue Alternative 2: Seek Rev. Smith's approval. This approach allows her to maintain honesty and integrity while involving Rev. Smith, the primary stakeholder, in the decision-making process. It also provides an opportunity to explore potential alternatives that align with

References:

Hill, A. D. (n.d.). Alexander D. Hill, Associate Professor of Law and Ethics, Seattle Pacific University.