49001 Judgment and Decision Making
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
UTS: Engineering: Systems, Management and LeadershipCredit points: 6 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksThere are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Handbook description
This subject develops understanding of rational decision aids in light of modern descriptive theories of judgment, choice and decision in organisations. The methods of management science, decision analysis and judgment analysis are presented, and models of individual, group and strategic decision-making are critically assessed.
Drawing on the insights of psychology, sociology and management science, this subject aims to inform you about the many facets of good judgment associated with decision-making.
Subject objectives
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | How management behaviour and the structure of organisations effects the way decisions are made and their nature |
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| 2. | The particular difficulties engineers experience when faced with managerial decision-making |
| 3. | How management science has contributed towards our understanding of rational, mathematical decision aids |
| 4. | The dichotomies of decision-making in the presence of hazards |
| 5. | The psychology of judgment and the nature of individual decision-making |
| 6. | The advantages and drawbacks of group decision-making; how to manage individual and group decisions |
| 7. | What is known about the sociology of strategic decisions |
This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
- Identify constraints, uncertainties and risk of the system (social, cultural, legislative, environmental, business etc.) (A.3)
- Apply systems thinking to understand complex system behaviour including interactions between components and with other systems (social, cultural, legislative, environmental, business etc.) (A.5)
- Apply decision-making methodologies to evaluate solutions for efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability (B.4)
- Demonstrate research skills (B.6)
- Evaluate model applicability, accuracy and limitations (C.3)
- Reflect on personal and professional experiences to engage in independent development beyond formal education for lifelong learning (D.2)
- Communicate effectively in ways appropriate to the discipline, audience and purpose. (E.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
The subject is offered in a number of different modes. The learning objectives and content are the same for all modes. There are however some differences in emphasis and in assignment work as a result of specific constraints presented by the various modes. The subject outline for the specific semester of study being undertaken must be read in conjunction with the subject Instructions. The subject Instructions will be posted on UTSOnline. The Instructions provide additional information and advice on many facets of the subject content, its administration and the student’s obligations. It is mandatory that students obtain, read and comply with the requirements of both the subject outline and subject Instructions.
Subject announcements will be made using UTSOnline. Students are expected to regularly check the announcements page for information.
Whilst your study approach is a personal choice, do keep in mind that this subject is not one that can be mastered by some cursory reading prior to the due dates for assignments and reviewing the material a few weeks prior to the final exam.
An important part of the subject design is aimed at providing opportunity for students to develop their reasoning skills as well as their independent learning capacity.
A willingness to take personal responsibility is a key element of successful learning. It is estimated that you should set aside a minimum total of approximately 9 hours of study time per week (inclusive of any face to face contact) throughout the semester. This is a rough guide only as people learn at different rates and will approach the subject from different backgrounds and levels of experience and have different ambitions and expectations in regard to outcomes.
To maximise your learning from this subject you should work consistently and progressively throughout the semester. The best way to achieve this is to plan your study time at the beginning of the semester and make sure you adhere to the planned schedule. In developing a study schedule please note that you will find that the information load in each topic is not identical, for example “The Management Setting” exceeds that of the others by a factor of about two and may need proportionally greater effort and time. Also be aware of the assignment due dates as they set time limits for achieving necessary competence in some aspects of the material. Leaving assignments to the last minute is a common problem for most students.
Assessment item 1 aims at encouraging you to immediately commence study and to use the text and the Reading Material in a thoughtful and productive manner.
The subject is literature based. The lecture approach is very academic in the traditional sense, information is drawn from the body of knowledge and some synthesis is attempted. A degree of practicality is introduced through anecdotes, which lightens the experience for the student and assists them make connections to an industry framework.
The lectures sessions and available subject resources (refer Required texts and Other resources) focus on students undertaking conscientious engagement with significant components of a body of knowledge. It is important to understand the difference between rote learning and the development of expertise. Rote learning merely helps you retain material in your Short Term Memory. ‘Elaborative rehearsal’ which places the material into your Long Term Memory is crucial for the development of professional expertise. Elaborative rehearsal requires you to pay attention to the meaning of the material (understanding) and, in the process, try to relate items with each other and with the structure of the facts and evidence. Elaborative rehearsal will place the material into ‘schemata’, or structures in your cognition that relate one item to another, rather than into groups of disjointed facts. This is the underlying basis of expertise and will enhance better application of domain knowledge in stressful situations and easy retrieval during the exam (Assessment item 5).
The UTSOnline tests (Assessment item 4) will aid elaborative rehearsal.
Content
The list below sets out the seven basic topics of the subject and the appropriate chapters in the textbook and the Reading Material and Exercises book (RME):
- The Management Setting; chapters 1, 2 and 3; RME section 1
- Decision Analysis; chapter 4; RME section 2
- Multi-attribute Decisions; chapter 5; RME section 3
- Engineering and Social Risk; chapter 6; RME section 4
- Cognitive Processes; chapter 7; RME section 5
- Individual and Group Decisions; chapters 8 and 9; RME sections 6 and 7
- Strategic Decisions; chapters 10, 11 and 12; RME section 8
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Abstract assignment
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes: A.3, A.5, D.2 and E.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight: | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | Total Assignment length = 5 x (300 plus 150) = 2250 words. The word limit for each individual component must not be exceeded by more than 10%. Accordingly, each abstract must be 300-330 words followed by a 150-165 word example. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Group talk assignment (Standard mode students only)
| Objective(s): | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes: A.3, A.5, B.6 and E.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight: | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Lecture Reading Material Exercises (Distance mode students only)
| Objective(s): | This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes: A.3, A.5, D.2 and E.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight: | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | Maximum for total assignment 2500 words. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 4: UTSOnline Web-based Tests
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes: A.3, A.5, B.4 and C.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Weight: | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
A pass in the subject is achieved by gaining a total of 50 marks and at least 40 per cent of the total marks available in the final examination.
Required texts
Parkin, J.V. (1996) Management Decisions for Engineers, Thomas Telford, London.
Other resources
The subject is supported by UTSOnline http://online.uts.edu.au/webapps/login/
Subject Instructions available at the first class and posted on UTSonline.
"Turnitin" electronic assignment submission and plagarism detection system www.turnitin.com
Students enrolled in the subject can purchase, at cost, a copy of the subject Reading Material and Exercises (RME) and the subject Lecture Support Notes (LSN) at the UTS Union Shop. Electronic versions of both can be downloaded from UTSOnline.
