Social media is a phenomenon that cannot be retracted or controlled. When students enrol in university they do so seeking a higher education qualification to advance their knowledge and career. As students become distracted and participate in online media, they potentially miss much of the learning and knowledge development. Academics are required to evaluate the situation and take action. Discuss the decision making process and what ethical approach an academic may take with various decisions to manage social media in the classroom.
Analyse:

What Academics are required to evaluate the situation and take action?
• Discuss the decision making process :
• 8 step decision making model.
• Identify all facets of bounded rationality decision making theory
• apply rational and bounded rationality models .
• Explain the role of critical thinking in making decisions.
• the impact of cognitive and emotional processes in decision making
• Discuss what ethical approach (please see the slides provided) an academic may take with various decisions to manage social media in the classroom.
• Analyse Which are the stakeholders

Stakeholders for this decision
Stakeholder typology

Decision making process
Stage 1: Identify the problem
The ‘problem’ is the discrepancy between the ‘current state of affairs’ and the ‘desired state of affairs’
It is a subjective exercise
Be careful to distinguish ‘problems’ from ‘symptoms of problems’
It involves the setting of ‘objectives’ i.e. a set of end-points towards which the decision maker directs their decision making
The objectives are often more than one and need to be prioritised
Stage 2: Establish decision criteria
These are the criteria that will be used in determining choice
Harrison identified 12 such criteria that were relevant for establishing decision criteria for a business organisation, most of which should be considered:
(relevance; practicability; challenge; measurability; scheduled ability; balance; flexibility; timeliness; state of the art; growth; cost effectiveness; accountability) (Harrison, 1999: 44)
Stage 3: Allocate weights to decision criteria
Stage 4 Develop and List Alternatives
Different search models exist:
o Undirected viewing i.e. viewing with no purpose
o Conditioned viewing i.e. non active but directed
exposure to an area of information
o Informal search i.e. unstructured and passive
o Formal search i.e. structured and deliberate effort (Aguiler in Harrison 1999: 48)
The search activity will always be ‘bounded’ by constraints e.g. time and money
o Various approaches have been designed to ‘optimise’ search activity, knowing that complete information is not possible e.g. use of ‘cost curves’ ‘average and marginal value curves’ and ‘zones of cost effectiveness’ (Harrison 1999: 49)
Stage 5: Analyse the alternatives
Involves reference to the identification and weightings of the objectives and criteria
A combination of ‘comparing and evaluating’ modes take place:
Judgment mode
– decision makers makes a judgment based upon experience, values, perception, intuition – it is a popular choice for non-routine and uncertain decisions
Bargaining mode
– decision maker bargains – it is popular when decision is controversial or other stakeholders dominate
Analytical mode
– decision maker carefully and objectively evaluates the alternatives – most represented in the research literature but equally least mode used by decision makers unless decisions are routine and certain (Mintzberg, Raisinghani & Theoret in Harrison 1999:52)
Step 6
Problems typically arise where:
One or more alternatives are equally attractive
No single alternative will meet the objectives/satisfy the decision criteria
There are undesired consequences attached to a preferred alternative
The choice of alternatives is too great
No combination of alternatives will meet the objectives/satisfy the decision criteria
Challenges for these stages include:
Decision maker’s ‘bounded rationality’
Decision heuristics / bias – e.g. ‘rule of thumb’, intuitive judgement, common sense, educated guess
o Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
o Availability heuristic
o Representative heuristic
Decision maker’s emotions
Our emotional brain influences choice in three respects:
• Formation of early preferences
• Influencing choice of alternatives
• It uses ‘emotion’ as ‘information’
(to be considered in detail later in the course)
Stage 7
The real value of a decision is only seen after it is implemented
Success is seen as a good decision made and successfully implemented:
o It is subjective
o It is said to have three characteristics:
The decision (i) remains viable following implementation; (ii) manifests an acceptable degree of congruency between the actual and the expected outcomes; and (iii) elicits enthusiasm and skill from those implementing it (Shell, Delbecq & Cummings in Harrison 1999:62)
Discuss what ethical approach (slide 11)Social media is a phenomenon that cannot be retracted or controlled.

Social media is a phenomenon that cannot be retracted or controlled. When students enrol in university they do so seeking a higher education qualification to advance their knowledge and career. As students become distracted and participate in online media, they potentially miss much of the learning and knowledge development. Academics are required to evaluate the situation and take action. Discuss the decision making process and what ethical approach an academic may take with various decisions to manage social media in the classroom.
Analyse:

What Academics are required to evaluate the situation and take action?
• Discuss the decision making process :
• 8 step decision making model.
• Identify all facets of bounded rationality decision making theory
• apply rational and bounded rationality models .
• Explain the role of critical thinking in making decisions.
• the impact of cognitive and emotional processes in decision making
• Discuss what ethical approach (please see the slides provided) an academic may take with various decisions to manage social media in the classroom.
• Analyse Which are the stakeholders

Stakeholders for this decision
Stakeholder typology

Decision making process
Stage 1: Identify the problem
The ‘problem’ is the discrepancy between the ‘current state of affairs’ and the ‘desired state of affairs’
It is a subjective exercise
Be careful to distinguish ‘problems’ from ‘symptoms of problems’
It involves the setting of ‘objectives’ i.e. a set of end-points towards which the decision maker directs their decision making
The objectives are often more than one and need to be prioritised
Stage 2: Establish decision criteria
These are the criteria that will be used in determining choice
Harrison identified 12 such criteria that were relevant for establishing decision criteria for a business organisation, most of which should be considered:
(relevance; practicability; challenge; measurability; scheduled ability; balance; flexibility; timeliness; state of the art; growth; cost effectiveness; accountability) (Harrison, 1999: 44)
Stage 3: Allocate weights to decision criteria
Stage 4 Develop and List Alternatives
Different search models exist:
o Undirected viewing i.e. viewing with no purpose
o Conditioned viewing i.e. non active but directed
exposure to an area of information
o Informal search i.e. unstructured and passive
o Formal search i.e. structured and deliberate effort (Aguiler in Harrison 1999: 48)
The search activity will always be ‘bounded’ by constraints e.g. time and money
o Various approaches have been designed to ‘optimise’ search activity, knowing that complete information is not possible e.g. use of ‘cost curves’ ‘average and marginal value curves’ and ‘zones of cost effectiveness’ (Harrison 1999: 49)
Stage 5: Analyse the alternatives
Involves reference to the identification and weightings of the objectives and criteria
A combination of ‘comparing and evaluating’ modes take place:
Judgment mode
– decision makers makes a judgment based upon experience, values, perception, intuition – it is a popular choice for non-routine and uncertain decisions
Bargaining mode
– decision maker bargains – it is popular when decision is controversial or other stakeholders dominate
Analytical mode
– decision maker carefully and objectively evaluates the alternatives – most represented in the research literature but equally least mode used by decision makers unless decisions are routine and certain (Mintzberg, Raisinghani & Theoret in Harrison 1999:52)
Step 6
Problems typically arise where:
One or more alternatives are equally attractive
No single alternative will meet the objectives/satisfy the decision criteria
There are undesired consequences attached to a preferred alternative
The choice of alternatives is too great
No combination of alternatives will meet the objectives/satisfy the decision criteria
Challenges for these stages include:
Decision maker’s ‘bounded rationality’
Decision heuristics / bias – e.g. ‘rule of thumb’, intuitive judgement, common sense, educated guess
o Anchoring and adjustment heuristic
o Availability heuristic
o Representative heuristic
Decision maker’s emotions
Our emotional brain influences choice in three respects:
• Formation of early preferences
• Influencing choice of alternatives
• It uses ‘emotion’ as ‘information’
(to be considered in detail later in the course)
Stage 7
The real value of a decision is only seen after it is implemented
Success is seen as a good decision made and successfully implemented:
o It is subjective
o It is said to have three characteristics:
The decision (i) remains viable following implementation; (ii) manifests an acceptable degree of congruency between the actual and the expected outcomes; and (iii) elicits enthusiasm and skill from those implementing it (Shell, Delbecq & Cummings in Harrison 1999:62)
Discuss what ethical approach (slide 11)Social media is a phenomenon that cannot be retracted or controlled.