Deck 6: Decision Making

Question 1

Compared to operations research, systems analysis is

A)broader.
B)synonymous.
C)narrower.
D)antithetical.
E)usually more quantitative.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Over a two-year period after Operation Cease-Fire began in Boston, not a single juvenile in that city was killed by firearms.What concept does this project best illustrate?

A)Public-private cooperation
B)Incrementalism
C)Strategic factor
D)Systems analysis
E)Multiobjective model

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In the table above, a program to increase reading scores is a success when

A)W minus X is greater than Y minus Z.
B)W minus X is less than Y minus Z.
C)X minus W is greater than Z minus Y.
D)X minus W is less than Z minus Y.
E)X is greater than W.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Altering variables in a model is an example of

A)simulation.
B)incrementalism.
C)sensitivity analysis.
D)the counterintuitive nature of systems.
E)the strategic factor.

Question 5

Which of the following has NOT been identified by cognitive psychologists as a bias in human decision making?

A)Lack of confidence
B)Seeing only one dimension of uncertainty
C)Giving too much weight to readily available or most recent information
D)Ignoring laws of randomness
E)Being reluctant to audit and improve decision making

Question 6

Which of the following tools is most likely to help public administrators cope with uncertain futures?

A)Utility analysis
B)Decision trees
C)Linear programming models
D)Gantt charts
E)Differential equations

Question 7

refer to the following two tables.


-Using the two tables above and a 12 percent discount rate, what would be the present value of the projects net benefits (that is, benefits minus costs)?

A)$43.5 million
B)$301.8 million
C)$100 million
D)$400 million
E)$71.2 million

Question 8

Which of the following best describes the changes in relative prices that occur as an economy adjusts itself to the provision of public service?

A)Compliance costs
B)Externalities and spillovers
C)Tangible and real benefits
D)Pecuniary benefits and costs
E)Opportunity costs

Question 9

The concept of bounded rationality and satisficing come from the work of

A)David Halberstam.
B)Peter F Drucker.
C)Herbert A.Simon.
D)Frederick C, Mosher.
E)Dwight Waldo.

Question 10

refer to the following two tables.


-What would be the project's approximate benefit to cost ratio?

A)0.8
B)0.95
C)1.15
D)1.33
E)Equal to or more than 2.00

Question 11

The four steps in systems analysis seldom occur in perfect sequence; therefore, the system approach is highly

A)linear.
B)geometric.
C)integrated.
D)iterative.
E)isometric.

Question 12

The first step in decision making is to identify the problem.Discuss some of the difficulties this step entails.

Question 13

Explain how the following pair of concepts might be helpful to an administrator framing a decision: (a) upper and lower limits of a decision and (b)limiting or strategic factors in decision making.Be specific.

Question 14

The value of what a resource could have produced had it been used in the best alternative way is

A)fixed cost.
B)sunk cost.
C)variable cost.
D)opportunity cost.
E)pecuniary cost.

Question 15

refer to the artwork below.

In the drawing on the left, box E is best described as

A)a building block problem.
B)a unique problem.
C)a cosmetic solution.
D)a quick fix.
E)an opportunity.

Question 16

A famous study of the location of military bases conducted by Albert Wohlstetter and his associates at Rand illustrates

A)the heuristic value of the systems approach.
B)that many analysts apparently think that, if only enough factual research is done, then somehow a valid generalization will emerge.
C)that Rand has never undertaken a major systems study where satisfactory objectives could be defined.
D)that systems experts have made a great show of addressing totality but have actually dealt with shreds and patches.
E)how method can supplant the problem.

Question 17

A ticket sold at a football stadium is a ticket not sold at a theater.This observation illustrates what concept?

A)What goes around comes around
B)Pecuniary benefits
C)Say's law
D)Exchange theory
E)Substitution effect

Question 18

Sui generis problems are best defined as

A)problems associated with crises or life-threatening situations.
B)intractable problems that must be coped with rather than "solved."
C)one-of-a-kind problems.
D)cyclical problems.
E)short-lived problems.

Question 19

refer to the artwork below.

In the drawing on the right, the unshaded rectangle in the middle is best described as

A)a graphic representation of the pressures decision makers face.
B)the zone of indifference.
C)the zone of feasibility.
D)type III decisions, which combine a top-down and bottom-up decisions.
E)systems analysis.

Question 20

A public manager faces the following set of conditions: problem is relatively uncertain and complex and has potential for conflict; problem and its solution have important personal and organizational consequences; there are significant but not immediate deadline pressures; implementation will require widespread acceptance.Under these conditions, the manager most likely would use

A)nominal group technique (NGT).
B)operations research (OR).
C)multi-objective model.
D)systems analysis.
E)cost-benefit analysis (CBA).

Question 21

List a few public sector decisions in which a decision tree might be helpful.Why?

Question 22

Assume that you are going to do a cost-benefit analysis for an irrigation project (or some other project that you have an interest in).Identify the major categories of costs and benefits.Provide a specific examples of each.

Question 23

How does cost-effectiveness analysis differ from cost-benefit analysis?

Question 24

Compare and contrast systems analysis to operations research.

Question 25

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of group decision making techniques.

Question 26

Explain how the nominal group technique (NGT) works.

Question 27

What are the four basic steps in systems analysis?

Question 28

Explain the importance of discounting in cost-benefit analysis.

Question 29

Given example of a multi-objective model that might help an administrator make a decision.

Question 30

What are the four steps in program evaluation? Discuss some of the difficulties in doing an evaluation of a government program.

Question 31

What are some of the biases in human decision making that administrators should be aware of?