Harvard Business Essentials, Decision Making

produce something of real value. But given the problem of disap-

pointing Latin American sales, there may be alternative solutions of

even greater value—for example, a change in pricing or a different

approach to advertising and promotion. Perhaps the product itself

should be altered in some tangible way. However, George and his

team will never know the merits of these other solutions if they im-

mediately take the packaging route.

Decision makers should always seek alternatives. This chapter

explains the value of alternative decision options and presents prac-

tical ideas for generating them.

Generating Alternatives

To make an informed decision, y ...