Deck 8: Planning and Decision Making

Question 1

Stated simply, planning can be defined as:

A) A process that attempts to link present actions to future conditions.
B) An operational function performed mostly by line officers.
C) A concrete approach to identify past problems.
D) The first step in a series of incremental processes observed in all decision-making.

Answer 1

A process that attempts to link present actions to future conditions.

Question 2

The dominant tradition in planning is:

A) Radical.
B) Incremental.
C) Transactive.
D) Synoptic.

Answer 2

Synoptic.

Question 3

Your police chief believes in using an objective, problem-oriented approach to planning. This approach to planning is called:

A) Incremental.
B) Synoptic.
C) Transactive.
D) Radical.

Answer 3

Synoptic.

Question 4

In this type of planning, the work plans describe specific actions to be taken by line units.

A) Administrative plans.
B) Operational plans.
C) Special orders.
D) General orders.

Question 5

Your chief has asked you to develop a plan to handle hostage situations. What type of plan is this?

A) Strategic.
B) Objective.
C) Procedural.
D) Tactical.

Question 6

Who developed the concept of bounded rationality?

A) Lindblom.
B) Simon.
C) Gore
D) Blasdell.

Question 7

The concept of brainstorming as a function of group decision-making was initially developed to:

A) Eliminate dominance of certain individuals in the decision-making process.
B) Gain group consensus in decision-making.
C) Create the appearance of a participatory managerial style.
D) Help trigger creative ideas in advertising.

Question 8

According to Nigro and Nigro, which of the following are common errors in decision-making?

A) Synoptic planning and catalytic experimentation.
B) Opportunistic thinking and program evaluations.
C) Cognitive nearsightedness and oversimplification.
D) Willingness to experiment and a quick ability to decide.

Question 9

This common error in decision making involves the tendency to make decisions that satisfy immediate needs:

A) Cognitive nearsightedness.
B) Oversimplification.
C) Preconceived notions.
D) Unwillingness to experiment.

Question 10

The three basic techniques of analysis for selecting a preferred course of action are:

A) Strategic, cost-effectiveness, and must-wants.
B) Strategic, cost-effectiveness, and must-haves.
C) Cost effectiveness, must-wants, and long-term impact.
D) Cost-effectiveness, must-haves, and outcome.

Question 11

Which of the following is a characteristic of an effective plan?

A) The plan must be sufficiently specific.
B) The plan must be coordinated in its development and implementation within the police Department.
C) The plan should contain a degree of flexibility to allow for the unforeseen.
D) All of the above.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a major decision-making model?

A) Rational.
B) Incremental.
C) Timeliness.
D) Heuristic.

Question 13

Which decision-making model is an antithesis to the rational model?

A) Heuristic.
B) Incremental.
C) Timeliness.
D) None of the above.

Question 14

Which decision-making model is highly criticized as being too simplistic ad nonscientific?

A) Heuristic.
B) Rational.
C) Timeliness.
D) Incremental.

Question 15

Which of the following is not an advantage of group decision making?

A) Greater total knowledge and information.
B) Greater number of approaches to making a decision.
C) Increasing conformity.
D) Better comprehension of the decision.

Question 16

Standards of behavior that dictate how humans are supposed to act within the roles that they find themselves in are referred to as:

A) Norms.
B) Mores.
C) Ethics.
D) Guidelines.

Question 17

Which ethical perspective requires that an individual consider which option would help everyone involved participate more fully in society?

A) The utilitarian approach.
B) The rights approach.
C) The common good approach.
D) The virtue approach.

Question 18

Which error in decision-making satisfies immediate needs and brushes aside doubts of their long-range wisdom?

A) Oversimplification.
B) Preconceived notions.
C) Cognitive nearsightedness.
D) Reluctance to decide.

Question 19

Which of the following is an assumption of rational behavior?

A) A person has complete knowledge of all alternatives available to him/her.
B) A person has the ability to order preferences according to his/her own hierarchy of values
C) A person has the ability to choose the best alternative for him or her.
D) All of the above.

Question 20

____________ plans cover a variety of topics such as agency goals and allocation of resources.

Question 21

The error of ____________ involves the decision maker accepting a simple, but less complete solution to a crisis.

Question 22

Police departments are sometimes said to be practicing "management by crisis"; in fact, it is ____________.

Question 23

____________ is based on "pure" or "objective" rationality and attempts to ensure optimal achievement of desired goals from a given situation.

Question 24

The traditional theory of management assumes that people are motivated predominantly by _____________ and will, therefore, work harder given the opportunity to make more money.

Question 25

Simon stresses that one's ability to make ____________ decisions is bounded by the limitation of one's knowledge of the total organization.

Question 26

Lindblom states that the decision-making process is so fragmented and so complex that ____________ can have only a marginal effect.

Question 27

Gore presented a ____________ model appropriately referred to as the "gut-level approach" when considering the police organization.

Question 28

The ____________ approach to ethics looks at which action is the one that will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms.

Question 29

Although well-operated police agencies invest considerable effort in developing ____________ that may seldom or never be used, their very existence stimulates confidence among field officers and lessens the likelihood of injury to officers, the public, and violators

Question 30

Explain some advantages of planning within a police department.

Question 31

Discuss the differences among administrative, procedural, operational, and tactical plans.

Question 32

Explain Lindblom's theory of incremental decision making.

Question 33

List the steps decision-makers should take when confronted with an ethical issue.

Question 34

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The model of decision making that occurs through a series of incremental steps that provides the police administrator with a number of safeguards against error.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 35

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The simplified method of decision making that emphasizes internal personality attributes of the decision maker.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 36

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The model that focuses on the assessment of the situation, its dynamics, and the experience of the decision maker.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 37

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The model that suggests that instantaneous or quick decisions made by well-trained and experienced administrators may often be better than those made more deliberately and with significantly more information and time.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 38

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The model that relies on the application, collection, and analysis of data from decision making within an organization.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 39

Match the description from Column 1 to its decision-making model in Column 2. Each item in Column 2 will be used only once.

-The traditional model of decision making based on logic or reason.

A) Rational Model
B) Incremental Model
C) Heuristic Model
D) Operational Model
E) Recognition-Primed Model
F) Thin-slicing Model

Question 40

Why are police departments prone to "management by crisis"? What are the problems created by this approach?

Question 41

Why is effective planning so critical for today's law enforcement agencies?

Question 42

Can you think of any situations in police administration that are better suited to group decision making than to individual decision making? What situations might be best handled by an individual decision maker?

Question 43

As a police chief, describe a scenario where you might have an ethical decision to make.

Question 44

Why is over-reliance on one's own experience a dangerous trap in decision making?