Managerial decision-making in the laboratory

Although managers make decisions daily, they do not always make them well. Because of the complexity of some decisions, a decision aid such as the multiattribute utility model is often helpful. This model can help a decision-maker in problem structuring, including determining the criteria on which the alternatives should be judged, how important these criteria are in relation to each other, and how well the alternatives stack up against these criteria. Finally, the model brings all this information together so that the decision-maker can make appropriate recommendations. By using a multiattribute utility model, this case study shows the applicability of the model to the decision of choosing among alternative hematologic instruments in a medical laboratory. The model, in any of its forms, is also useful for many other types of decisions. The model can be used either to help make a choice or to reinforce a choice made by other means and to help communicate the factors on which a choice was made.