Multiple-Choice Questions

21. Which of the following is the third phase in decision making?

a. Completion
b. Execution
c. Observation
d. Choice

22. Different decision styles require different types of support. A major factor that determines
the type of required support is whether the decision maker is __________.
a. autocratic
b. consultative
c. an individual or a group
d. democratic

23. Which of the following is a physical replica of a system, usually on a different scale from the
original?
a. Complex model
b. Iconic model
c. Duplicated model
d. Composite model

24. Which of the following model behaves like the real system but does not look like it?
a. Composite model
b. Analog model
c. Dense model
d. Iconic model

25. There is a continuous flow of activity from one phase to the next phase in a decision making
process, but at any phase there may be a return to a previous phase. __________ is an
essential part of this process.
a. Testing
b. Trial-and-error
c. Experimenting
d. Modeling

26. The identification of organizational goals and objectives related to an issue of concern and
determination of whether they are being met is the beginning of __________ of decision
making.
a. initial phase
b. intelligence phase
c. brainstorming phase
d. generation phase

27. Which of the following involves finding or developing and analyzing possible courses of
action in a decision making phase?
a. Consultation phase
b. Communication phase
c. Intelligence phase
d. Design phase

28. A(n) __________ is a criterion that describes the acceptability of a solution approach.
a. principle of choice
b. acceptable criterion
c. trade-off
d. worst-case criterion

29. A(n) __________ describes the objective or goal of the decision-making problem.
a. decision variable
b. result variable
c. initial variable
d. intermediate variable

30. Finding the alternatives with the highest ratio of __________ is one of the ways to achieve
optimization.
a. profits to cost
b. margins to cost
c. goal attainment to cost
d. earnings to cost

31. Which of the following, by definition, requires a decision maker to consider the impact of
each alternative course of action on the entire organization because a decision made in one
area may have significant effects in other areas?
a. Satisfaction
b. Worst-case
c. Feasibility
d. Optimization

32. A(n) __________ checks the performance of the system for a given set of alternatives, rather
than for all alternatives. Therefore, there is no guarantee that an alternative selected with the
aid of this analysis is optimal.
a. analytical analysis
b. descriptive analysis
c. optimization analysis
d. quantitative analysis

33. A __________ can help a decision maker sketch out the important qualitative factors and
their causal relationships in a messy decision-making situation.
a. mathematical map
b. cognitive map
c. qualitative map
d. narrative map

34. A __________ describes the decision and uncontrollable variables and parameters for a
specific modeling situation.
a. statement
b. model
c. program
d. scenario

35. Which of the following search approach is not mentioned in searching for an appropriate
course of action for solving a decision-making model?
a. Analytical techniques
b. Algorithms
c. Rules of thumb
d. Tabu search

36. The __________ of a proposed solution to a problem is the initiation of a new order of things
or the introduction of change.
a. method
b. implementation
c. approach
d. style

37. Which of the following is a study of the effect of a change in one or more input variables on
a proposed solution?
a. Sensitivity analysis
b. Boundary analysis
c. Fish bone analysis
d. Input-output analysis

38. One aspect of identifying internal problems is to be able to monitor the current status of
operations. When something goes wrong, it can be identified quickly and the problem solved.
Which of the following is a tool to provide such capability?
a. Business intelligence
b. Simulation model
c. Product life-cycle management
d. Expert systems

39. The __________ involves generating alternative courses of action, discussing the criteria for
choice and their relative importance, and forecasting the future consequences of using
various alternatives.
a. initial phase
b. generation phase
c. brainstorming phase
d. design phase

40. All phases of the decision making process can be supported by improved communication by
__________ through group support systems and knowledge management systems.
a. collaborative computing
b. shared computing
c. collective computing
d. group computing