Virtually every important decision made in today's corporations is the result of a group decision-making process. Xerox [
http://www.xerox.com/] is one company that has enthusiastically embraced participation in decision making, both for its internal operations and as a key recommendation for its clients. Examine the "Solutions" page at Xerox's global Web site, which shows case studies of successful client projects. Choose two or three projects that interest you and investigate further. Then answer the following questions:
- How is Xerox using technology to aid in group decision making?
- What benefits might the companies you chose gain from better group decision making?
Internet Exercise
The closing case for Chapter 9 describes poor decision making by a number of CEOs including Dick Brown of EDS [
http://www.eds.com/], Peter Dolan of Bristol-Myers Squibb [
http://www.bms.com/], Sanford Weill of Citigroup [
http://www.citigroup.com/], and Gerald Levin of AOL Time Warner [
http://www.timewarner.com/]. Access the Web sites of one of these companies and find out more about the firm. Then answer the following questions:
- Based on what you discovered from the Web site, is the poor decision still in use at the firm? If so, why? If not, why not?
- What have been the negative consequences of the poor decision? Consider the interests of stakeholders such as consumers, investors, and employees. Have there been any positive effects?
- What would be required to turn the firm's decision making into an asset? You should consider such factors as time, decision-making skills and experience, access to timely and accurate information, and more.
Explore Further
Another firm that has suffered from unexpectedly poor performance is retailer Abercrombie & Fitch [
http://www.abercrombie.com/]. View the company's Web site. Access the "Investor Relations" section and then look at recent financial statements, stock charts, and press releases. Can you determine the poor decisions that might have contributed to low performance? What do you think caused the bad decision-making to occur?
