Management & Decision-Making: Making Smart Decisions

woman thinking

'Excellence is never an accident...it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.' Aristotle

Module details

  • Offered to 3rd & 4th Years
  • Thursdays 16.00-18.00
  • Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
  • 2 term module worth 5 ECTS
  • Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore
  • Extra Credit or Degree Credit where your department allows
Degree credit module options by departmentHow to enrol

The module is designed to equip you to make effective decisions in a wide variety of contexts. The primary context will be in the workplace, whether that be in the private, public or third sector, including government. Many of the methods covered will also be of service in your private lives. 

Emphasis will be given to broad approaches to decision making, such as Systems Thinking, the PROACT method and understanding common psychological biases in decision making. This will enable you to be intelligent about the process by which decisions are arrived at.

In addition, several central decision making tools will be explained and evaluated, which can support effective decision making within the framework of a well-designed decision process. 

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year. 

Information blocks

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:
  • Select and use appropriate systems methods to address complex issues
  • Select and apply appropriate decision support tools
  • Critically evaluate alternative solutions and strategies for addressing complex problems
  • Integrate concepts and ideas from your wider knowledge and viewpoints in a coherent fashion to address real world problems
  • Undertake independent, critically analytical and reflexive research
This module will cover the following broad topic areas:

  • Total Quality Management
  • Systems thinking and key systems methodologies
  • Decision analysis tools including investment appraisal methods, cost-benefit analysis, multicriteria decision making, scenario planning, risk appraisal and the incorporation of risk and uncertainty, game theoretic tools and decision trees
  • Decision support systems and the use of expert systems and AI in decision making
  • Psychological biases in decision analysis
  • The political aspect of decision-making in organisations
  • Ethical principles in decision making

This module will be taught by a series of interactive lectures, which will introduce and reinforce key frameworks and methods. Class time will also include individual and group work on key questions and use of methods. Individual consultations on coursework projects will be made available to you. You will learn by guided independent reading. Initial assessments will be a mixture of formative and summative, leading to a summative and integrative coursework project, which may be an extension of either individual assignment 1 or 2, incorporating feedback received.

You will be given individual and all group feedback on each assignment. In the first instance this feedback will be written, delivered via the VLE and you will have an opportunity for face to face feedback on request. Feedback on assignments 1&2 will give advice relevant to later assignments.

  • Coursework: Individual written assignment - 500 words (20%)
  • Coursework: Individual written assignment - 500 words (20%)
  • Coursework: Individual coursework project - 2500 words (60%)
  • Requirements: You are expected to attend all classes and undertake approximately 85 hours of independent study in total during the module. Independent study includes reading and preparation for classes, researching and writing coursework assignments and preparing for other assessments.
  • This module is designed as an undergraduate Level 6 module. For an explanation of levels, view the Imperial Horizons Level Descriptors page.‌‌