Smart Choices : A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions
Author: John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, Howard Raiffa
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price
ISBN: 0767908864
Publisher: Broadway (05 March, 2002)
Sales Rank: 8,097
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Best Simple Explanation of Good Decision-Making Processes
I am a corporate strategy consultant and an author of business books and articles. As a young man, I was taught all of the techniques described in this book in their most complex form. I loved the ideas, and have used them with great success for the last 30 years. Professor Raiffa is someone I admire greatly, as a result. I was delighted to find that this book addresses these complex tools in their simplest possible form, and applies the lessons to everyday living (especially the most important decisions that most people have to make). I immediately bought copies for everyone in my family as a way to help coach them in how to have more effective lives. You should do the same. I also suggest that you use the book as a model the next time that an important decision comes up that your whole family should participate in. This will not only help you develop better choices, but it will greatly improve the communications in your family about the decision. I strongly hope that the authors will write a similarly simple version for business people. I know a few hundred people to whom I would like to give such a book.
Rating: 5 out of 5
SUPERB BOOK FOR PERSONAL (NOT BUSINESS) DECISION-MAKING
I think this is a great book, but I disagree that it is a primary tool for executives as the last reviewer suggests. The examples deal very well with the personal parts of an executive's life, such as buying a home, allocating family resources, and so forth. Although the concepts in this book could be applied to business situations, I think most readers would have a terrible problem doing so in the absence of business examples. My experience has been that people need to see examples and problems to work through that are closely related to their own situation before they can easily get the message. I hope the authors do decide to write another book on the same subject that is filled with business examples. In the meantime, this one is great for your family and your personal life. Better questions with pertinent business examples can be used to make people consider their assumptions and ordinary thinking habits. I try to always use that approach in my writing and consulting. Otherwise, your progress will "stall" as you are held back by bad thinking habits that keep you from seeing the full potential of the circumstances of your business life. I hope you will read this book, and carry away from it the imporance of improving your thinking.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Good Info, Poor Presentation
The information presented in the book can be used to make vast improvements in decision making. The problem is that the book is difficult to read because it is pretty boring. The examples used in the book do little to enhance the reading. If you have to read a book on decision making, and can focus on something that's pretty boring, you should give this one a try.
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