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Skills Development The relevance of unstructured problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, and computer skills to decision-making is clear and immediate. First, the possession of creative problem-solving skills is obviously desirable. In real life settings, economic decision problems neither present themselves in nicely structured, clearly defined terms; nor do they typically lead to well-defined solutions with a single, correct answer. Instead, real problems are ill-structured and "messy." Students need to recognize these complexities and gain practice in dealing with them. The new courses provide numerous individual and group assignments that present problems in unstructured formats. Second, real economic decision problems arising in today's organizations are often addressed by groups or teams rather than by individuals. Problems and proposed solutions need to be communicated effectively to others, both orally and in writing. Proposed courses of action often need to be debated. Thus, interpersonal skills play a key role. The new courses continually place students in group settings, which provide them with opportunities to develop their interpersonal skills. Finally, it is clear that personal computers will play an ever-increasing role in economic decision making. Accordingly, the new courses require students to make continual use of personal computers, focusing on word processing and spreadsheet applications.
Structure of the New Courses | Obstacles | Resources | Outcome Measures Reaction of Interested Parties | Recommendations for Interested Parties | Links | Index |