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CAN YOU EVER BE SURE YOU'RE MAKING
THE RIGHT DECISION?
Preface: Making the Right Moves v
Part 1 The Basics of Decision Theory 1
Chapter 1 You Are What You Decide 3
Chapter 2 Creating the Menu 13
Chapter 3 What's in it for Me? Determining Your Payoffs 25
Chapter 4 When the Crystal Ball is Cloudy 39
Chapter 5 Dumping the Losers: The Admissibility Criterion 51
Chapter 6 Worst-Case Scenarios: The Minimax Criterion 61
Chapter 7 In the Long Run: The Bayes' Criterion 73
Chapter 8 Taking the Plunge: The Maximax Criterion 85
Chapter 9 Which Club to Use 97
Chapter 10 What You Don't Know Can Hurt You 105
Chapter 11 The Balance of Power 125
Chapter 12 People Who Need People 135
Chapter 13 Hurts So Good 145
Part 2 The Quizzes 155
Index 239
Making decisions is hard, and understanding new theoretical approaches to decision making can be even harder. Mathematics professor James Stein does a fine job of explaining these theoretical frameworks, converting abstract theory to applicable tools and illustrating his explanations with numerous examples. Stein offers many case studies, so readers can apply their understanding of the theoretical tools. But he doesn’t always provide sufficient explanation of the factors involved or the reasoning behind how the decision makers in the scenarios weigh their choices. That aside, this is a useful introduction to a complex subject. getAbstract recommends Stein’s methods to planners, managers, strategists and anyone who wants to make better decisions.
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