School of Business Administration
PROBLEM SOLVING HANDBOOK by Kristi Yuthas
BA 301 Research and analysis of business problems
© September 2005 All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without perm ission in writing from the author. yuthas@pdx.edu www.sba.pdx.edu
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Table of Contents
Problem Solving Handbook
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Portland State University
School of Business Administration
Why the PSU SBA framework?
Managerial roles and responsibilities
How to use this handbook
1 Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..9 mission, vision, values stakeholders decision-making models impediments 2 Sense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 problem identification problem finding structural forces prioritization 3 Uncover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 causes alternatives information gathering information evaluation
4 Solve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 descriptive analysis numeric presentation solution formulation
5 Build . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 ethical screen cost/benefit analysis feasibility analysis argumentation 6 Achieve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 implementation plan outcome measures process evaluation
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Introduction
Portland State University
Portland State University has received national and international recognition for its