1. Based on the alternatives being considered, how would you predict that the decision problem has been identified? Is that the best way to define the decision problem in this case?

There are four main types of problem identification and solution, namely the Management Science approach, the Carnegie Model, the Incremental Decision Process Model, and the Garbage Can Model.

Among these, it appears that the Carnegie Model was used. It is based on the bounded rationality approach where decisions are made under severe time and resource constraints and managers cannot follow ideal procedures. In the Carnegie Model, management coalitions are formed to make a decision with conditions of vague organizational goals, and managers must talk and bargain. The aim is “satisficing” not “optimizing” a solution, where decisions do not need to maximize performance but achieve several goals simultaneously. It uses problemistic search to find a solution in the immediate environment even if it isn’t perfect.

Using the Carnegie Model alone isn’t the best method of identifying a problem. Even if there is a time constraint, conducting only a quick search can lead to more problems and the organization loses the chance to find a solution to better address the problem.

In the case, Aliesha gathered the Board of Trustees on to discuss the budget constraint. The conclusion right away was to cut the most expensive program of the college. This then caused a debate on which program to remove, even if both had their clear advantages.

2. How could the decision problem be identified differently so that it would lead to alternatives more broad than trying to decide which programs to cut?

Combining the incremental process and Carnegie models: Carnegie is especially relevant for the problem identification stage. The incremental process model tends to emphasize the steps used to