Art of Decisions
How to Manage in an Uncertain World

By Chris Blake
March 2008
Financial Times - Prentice Hall
Distributed By Trans-Atlantic Publications
ISBN: 9780273710998
232 Pages, 6 x 9 1/4"
$49.50 paper original


When you think about it, being a manager means constantly having to make decisions. Who should you hire? What should your budget be? How should you handle this project? And even more critically, what should you do today?

Decision making is one of those core skills that is assumed but rarely taught. Yet it is a complex behaviour and understanding more about how we do it and how we can use more effective decision making techniques, will pay dividends in any manager's day-to-day life.

The Art of Decisions will ensure you have the skills to make better decisions every time. The book combines business case studies, lessons from poker, the learning from 500 years of probability and game theory, and decades of psychological research to convey powerful messages about decision making in business. It distils the meaning of good business judgement and highlights the subjective influences that haunt all decision makers, showing you how to recognise them and deal with them. 

Written for the time-starved business manager, The Art of Decisions will have a universal appeal as it applies to all business sectors and any manager, from the newly promoted team leader to the experienced international CEO. No other book on the market addresses the fundamental issues of business decision making.  The Art of Decisions plugs that gap.


Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1                     The anatomy of decisions

2                     Bad things sometimes happen to the good guys

3                     In search of the perfect decision?

4                     I know I am right (but I am not sure why)

5                     Calling off the search

6                     Investing, risk, and poker

7                     Rules of Thumb: Part 1 – risk and investing

8                     Deciding close to home

9                     Deciding far from home

10                 Overconfidence and the entrepreneur

11                 The trouble with winners and experts

12                 Map-making and the planning fallacy

13                 Fear, greed, and risk taking

14                 The Dragon’s Den syndrome

15                 Rules of Thumb: Part 2 – fighting to win

16                 The Art of Decision making

Glossary of poker terms used in the book

Bibliography

 

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