Blurb: For a variety of reasons, people often make choices that have negative results. Later, they
regret these choices, finding out too late that bad choices can be costly. On the other hand,
decisions that seem completely reasonable when they are made may also be the cause of later
disappointment and suffering. What looks like a wonderful idea at one time can later seem like
the worst decision that could have been made. Good choices, too, can be costly.
Assignment: Are bad choices and good choices equally likely to have negative consequences? Plan and write an essay in
which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken
from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Answer: Good choices and bad choices are equally likely to have bad results. What seems like a reasonable decision at the time can turn out horribly wrong in some time. History is littered with examples that validate this proposition.
In 1971 war between Indian and Pakistan, the Pakistan army decided to attack the Longewala in the state of Rajasthan. It seemed to be sensible decision considering that the division of Pakistan army responsible for the attack had 2000 plus soldiers while the Indian contingent in Longewala had only about 200 soldiers. The Pakistan army also had howitzer guns and three tanks compared to only hand held guns in the arms of their Indian counterparts. The Pakistani army tried to infiltrate the Indian defence throughout the evening and the night. The Indians knew they were outnumbered so they took strategic positions and merely held out their attack for the night, waiting for the air support in the morning. The Pakistani army was unable to break the Indian resilience and hence perished in the air strikes the following morning. Thus, a good decision by the Pakistani army led to an unfavourable outcome.
In the summer of 2013, Arsenal Football Club was looking to buy a playmaker who could hold the team together. The club manager, Arsene Wenger spent over 40 million pounds on Mesut Ozil, breaking the club transfer record in the process. It seemed to be the best decision made by Arsene Wenger in his 15 years as in charge of Arsenal, instead, so far, it has turned out to be dismal. Ozil have been marked by listless performances and has been out of six of ten months injured. Hence, good decision at that time has turned into waste of funds,
When John Sculley was in charge of Apple, he convinced the board to fire Steve Jobs. This decision was considered a positive move as Steve’s mercurial nature was supposedly plummeting the company . After his firing, the stocks plunged catastrophically and it was not until his rehiring that the company came back on the track of success. Therefore a good decision at the time turned out to be a failure.
From Pakistani army’s failure, Arsene Wenger’s flop buy and Steve Jobs’ firing, we can conclude that good decisions are equally likely to turn in bad results as bad decisions.