Models of Decision Making

Models of Decision Making

Decisions made by our new managers are causing problems in the day-to-day operations of our school. Senior management is becoming increasingly frustrated with the problems and has asked for assistance in implementing a plan to assist them with their decision-making. The areas that Senior Management sees as deficient are in the manager's ability to hire qualified Admissions Representatives and the ability to enroll students into the programs and shifts that are offered in a given term. I am proposing that we train the Associate Director of Admissions and the Enrollment Coordinator to use the MAUT (multi-attribution utility theory) decision-modeling tool to assist them in making these important business decisions. The following will be covered:

1. Model for Hiring Admissions Representatives

2. Enrolling Program Specific

3. Will the utilization of the worksheets result in subjective or objective decisions?

4. Will the decisions be rational or irrational?

Hiring Admissions Representatives

Hiring the right person in the admissions department is crucial to the success of the college. Prior sales experience in an education environment is crucial. Selling the dream of a college degree is quite different then selling retail goods. However, that experience comes with a higher price tag than a person with retail experience or no sales experience at all. With the experience comes the ability and product knowledge required to degree programs such as Fashion Design, Graphic Design or NT. The table below allows the manager to come to a decision as to which candidate is preferable based on the weighted total of each variable.

Type of Sales Experience Payroll Expense Ability to sell Programs offered Total

Educational Sales Experience 5 1 5 11

Retail Sales Experience 4 3 3 10

Recent College Grad - No sales experience 1 4 2 7

Total 10 Total 8 Total 10

Enrolling Program Specific

Managing the enrollment process to ensure that the representatives are not only able to meet budgeted start goals, but also to maximize the potential of the teachers, students and college is key. For instance, if a requirement to start a class requires a minimum of 10 students to be financially viable, it is imperative to have specific program starts laid out in advance of each term start. An example would be to offer 2 sections of Fashion Design, one in the morning and one in the evening. Once each section has been filled, another section can be opened perhaps in the afternoon. However, it is difficult to achieve if there are not parameters set up to begin with.

By utilizing the model, the Enrollment Coordinator should be able to understand