Discussion Responses
Here are two discussion post responses from classmates that need responses. Must be APA format, in text citations, 1 legitimate/ verifiable sources per response. 150-200 words per response. Plagiarism Free. Due November 29 by 9:00 PM EST 20 hours

Initial Response (Winnie Carter)

The information that the plantation production manager needs to gather for PPO should meet all if not most of the top priority objectives. Information regarding finances and the alternatives that are available for PPO such as loans and investments would allow the company to finally obtain their government certification as well as invest in research and innovative ideas that would benefit and draw positive attention to the company. Conducting research and gathering information on making PPO a more environmentally friendly business which include reducing pollution and refraining from causing harm to natives and orangutan’s habitats. This would satisfy PPO’s customers, the CAPO and allow the company to continue with production and making money. It is important though to consider the biases and traps that should be avoided when gathering information, examples of such would be availability heuristic bias, choice supportive bias, confirmation bias, ostrich bias, overconfidence and survivorship bias (Practical Psychology, 2016). These biases may effect how the manager perceives and gathers information. In fact, it may cause the manager to not ask the right questions, not using a sufficient amount of information sources and only look for information that supports the manager’s own knowledge and experience (Schmitz, 2016, para. 2). Uncertainty is also considered as a trap for the manager as it is an important factor in the decision making process and pervades in real-word decisions (Uncertainty, n.d.).

Four alternatives for PPO:

1. Sell PPO’s stock to increase investments.

Instead of applying for another loan that PPO would have to pay back. The manager could sell the company’s stock to investors and increase its shareholder’s in order to finance research, investments towards the company and obtain its government certification in being a sustainable palm oil company. The bias from this alternative could be a choice supportive bias if the manager believes that this is the right choice to make over taking out another loan. A potential consequence from this is failing to make enough money to maintain or raise PPO’s stocks on the market due to the fact that the market is going down. The shareholder’s of PPO could potentially lose their money, creating a bad rep for the company.

2. Collaborate with CAPO in resolving the confrontation.

Collaborating with CAPO would ease tensions between the two organizations and open the opportunity for both parties to come to an agreement on how PPO could be less problematic and be more environmentally friendly. Selective perception may occur because the manager may not fully understand and see where CAPO’s concerns. The manager may perceive the messages from this meeting accordingly to only their frame of references. Another bias is overconfidence, the manager may only make decisions solely based on their opinion rather than the facts of the situation. And the ostrich bias may cause the manager to only focus on the positive and not the negative information which would cause further issues. A potential consequence from this alternative may potentially increase the tensions between the two organizations rather than resolve it.

3. Raise awareness and proceeds to donate to an orangutan foundation.

Raising awareness and proceeds to donate to an orangutan foundation will show how much PPO cares about the species and are willing to make up for the damage that’s already been done. There isn’t a specific bias for this alternative but a potential consequence could be that customers and organizations like CAPO may think that just doing this is not enough to forgive and forget the impact PPO has already done to the habitats or orangutan’s and nearby natives.

4. Conduct extensive research on new ways for PPO to be environmentally friendly.

Investing in more research for PPO to be a more environmentally friendly company will give the company the opportunity to improve its current production process and satisfy individuals and organizations who are concerned of the impact the company has on the environment. Potential innovative ideas may result from gathering the right information. Biases such as availability heuristic bias, confirmation bias, ostrich bias and survivorship bias may influence the manager to not find enough resources, ask the right questions and find the right information to use. A potential consequence from this alternative may result in the manager not utilizing the information gathered from the research correctly wasting valuable company resources but with the right tools and resources, it could benefit the company greatly.

References

Practical Psychology. (2016). 12 Cognitive Biases Explained – How to Think Better and More Logically Removing Bias. Youtube. Retrieved from, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEwGBIr_RIw .

Schmitz, T. (2016). Gathering Information. Conover. Retrieved from, https://www.conovercompany.com/gathering-information/ .

Step 3: Alternatives. (n.d.). Structured Decision Making. Retrieved from, http://www.structureddecisionmaking.org/steps/step3alternatives/ .

Uncertainty. (n.d.). Structured Decision Making. Retrieved from, http://www.structureddecisionmaking.org/steps/step4consequences/consequences3/ .

Initial Post Ronday Wilson

For starters, I do not believe that the manager should be the only one making the decision; it should be made as a group. The group should comprise head of every department as each should be allowed to express concerns and proffer alternatives. “When faced with an opportunity that requires multiple people to decide, it is best to set up the decision making process to give equal representation to all sides of the issue” (Kellamis, 2016, para. 10). Collectively, the group will create many alternatives. Of course, the bias of this setting is groupthink, which forces members to withhold their views out of perceived repunctuation from the other members. “Groupthink is a tendency to avoid a critical evaluation of ideas the group favors” (Decision making in groups, n.d, para. 1). Furthermore, the manger needs to elicits complaints, fears and thoughts from the subordinates. The employees may be worried about their income as they have their family to feed. Of course, then the heads of the department should be there to offer suggestions. Alternative #1: Import from other countries It seems as if the decision could boil down to continue with production, which would keep the investors happy, yet hurt the orangutans or stop production which makes the investors very unhappy yet pleases CAPO. The decision making has been reduced to just two options. However, PPO cannot allow itself to fall for the either-or trap which is a trap that occurs when people make decisions thinking there are just two options. “It is when you settle for two obvious alternatives and stop your thinking there” (Nicole & Roger, 2019, episode 11). PPO could import the oil from another country while they replant their crops. This could satisfy the investors as they keep making money and CAPO too as the orangutans get to keep their habitat. Alternative #2: Merge with another company PPO needs cash flow and merging with another or larger company could bring in that cash flow. They could use that money to replant or get the government certificate. Moreover, another option could be to merge with a company in the same industry. PPO’s factories work just fine, the problem is the crop yield. While PPO’s crops are rejuvenating, the other company can ship excess crops to PPO’s factories. This way the factories are still in production while the plants regrow. Alternative #3: Sell the company Sometimes people and businesses become so invested in an endeavor that they because bias to the effort that they put in to it. For instance, some people stay in bad marriages because they have spent 20 years together. Instead of ending it, the rationalize staying based on the time, energy and effort that they have already invested. This type of bias (sunk cost) affects the decision making process as it leverages making the right decision by past investments. “When people feel like they have to continue doing something they’ve invested in or else they’ll be throwing away money or time” (Nicole & Roger, 2019, episode 8). This is what PPO is doing if they do not even consider selling the company. They could sell the company to a local developer, learn from these mistakes and start fresh in a new country. This leads to the next alternative. Alternative #4: Relocate Additionally, the company choose to relocate. Business do this all the time as more favorable conditions may await in another location. An example could be incentives from the government, lower taxes, an untapped market and even better operations. “If you chose your original location because of cost or convenience, you might be able to improve your operations by moving to a new location now that you have some history with your sales and operations. If you move into a newer building, you might have access to better digital infrastructure, a free conference room you can book for meetings and reduced utilities costs” (Ashe-Edmunds para. 6). PPO may want to go to a country that offers land that, if disturbed, would not affect local wildlife. Moreover, it may be easier to start fresh with new land for planting than it would be to revitalize that old land. Reference Ashe-Edmunds, S. (n.d.). The Advantages of Relocating Your Business & Downsizing. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-relocating-business-downsizing-74898.html Decision making in groups. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_organizational-behavior-v1.1/s15-04-decision-making-in-groups.html Kellamis, J. (2016, September). Decisions, Decisions: Cognitive Bias in Individuals, Groups and Organizations. Retrieved from https://www.ecmag.com/section/your-business/decisions-decisions-cognitive-bias-individuals-groups-and-organizations Nicole & Roger. [Decision Education Foundation] (2019, May 24). Episode 8 It’s Your Choice: What’s Your Problem? (IYC). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TSf8b5fk4Q Nicole & Roger. [Decision Education Foundation] (2019, May 24). Episode 11 It’s Your Choice: Got Choices? (IYC). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiG9LoRjjCg