Management Cont. Ch. 5-6

choosing the BEST alternative/ choosing a "good enough" alternative 

a barrier to good decision making caused by pressure within a group for members to agree with each other 

disagreement that focuses on problem and issue related difference of opinion ...group members disagree because their diff. experiences and areas of expertise lead them to view the problem and its solutions differently. 

disagreement that focuses on individual or personal issues---emotional reactions that can occur when disagreements become personal rather then professional (ends in hostility, anger or resentment) 

decision-making method in which an individual or a subgroup is assigned the role of critic ---can be used to create a c-type conflict (generate a potential solution, devil's advocate to criticize and question the solution, gather additional info.) 

a decision-making method that begins and ends by having group members quietly write down and evaluate ideas to be shared with the group

a decision making method in which members of a panel of experts respond to questions and to each other until reaching agreement on an issue 

a decision-making method in which group members build on each others' ideas to generate as many alternative solutions as possible 

a decision making method in which group members use computers to build on each others' ideas and generate many alternative solutions 

disadvantage of electronic brainstorming overcomes (lacks in face-to-face)...occurs when you have an idea but have to wait to share it because someone else is already presenting an idea to the group

fear of what others will think of your ideas---2nd disadvantage that electronic brainstorming overcomes...all ideas are anonymous. 

assets, capabiliities, processes, info. and knowledge that an organizaiton uses to improve its effectiveness and efficiency / providing greater value for customers than competitors can / a competitive advantage that other companies have tried unsuccessfully to duplicate and have (for a moment) stopped trying to duplicate /resources that allow companies to improve efficiency and effectiveness 

resources that are not controlled or possessed by many competing firms/ resources that are impossible or extremely costly or difficult for other firms to duplicate / resources that produce value or competitve advantage and have no equivalent substitutes or replacements

a reluctance to change strategies or competitive practices that have been successful in the past

a discrepancy between a company's intended strategy and the strategic actions managers take when implementing that strategy

an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in an organization's internal environment and the opportunities and threats in its external environment

What a co. can make, do, or perform better than its competitors / the internal decision-making routines, problem-solving processes, and organizational cultures that determine how efficiently inputs can be turned into outputs

a group of companies within an industry that top managers choose to compare, evaluate, and benchmark strategic threats and opportunities

the central companies in a strategic group/ the firms in a strategic group that follow strategies related to but somewhat diff. from those of the core firms/ strategic targets managers  use to measure whether a firm has developed the core competencies it needs to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage