CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Decision making is a process of selecting from among a set of alternativesin the light of given objectives. It can be viewed as a mental process resulting inthe selection of a course of action among several alternatives (Burker and Miller,1999). Decision making is also defined as a judgment, a process of formulatingand implementing decision a conscious selection among alternatives and a processof problem solving. The process of decision making includes the use of complex,logical and mathematical process (Okeke, 2007) Decisions are classified intopolicy decisions, administrative or managerial decisions and operational orexecutive decisions. Ogbonnaya (2002) defined policy decisions as decisionsmade by public officials which give direction to public policy actions. Whileadministrative decisions are decisions which determine the means to be used inachieving organizational goals (Obi, 2003). Operational decisions according toOkeke (2007) are decisions which are made on daily basis a cases arise. He addedthat executive or operational decisions are concerned with the ways in whichdifferent programmes of the institutions are carried out.

Administration is a process of coordinating the efforts of human andmaterial resources systematically to achieve set goals (Ezeocha, 1990) whilemanagement is defined by Peretomode (1996) as a social and interactional process11414involving a sequence of coordinated events planning, organizing, coordinating andcontrolling or leading in order to use available resources to achieve a desired goalin the fastest possible way. Administration and management are related becauseboth involve the coordination of human and material resources to achieve set goalsin any organization. However management is more embracing in the sense that itinvolve planning, organizing, controlling, leading among others whileadministration involve more of the coordination of human and material resourcesin the process of implementing programme (Ejiogu, 1990). In this study, howevermanagement and administration mean the same thing.

Administrative decisions making in educational institutions are normallyembarked upon by university administrators, provost, or principals for the day today running of their institutions (Obi, 2003). In the universities in particularadministrative decisions covers such areas as regulation of teaching and learningactivities courses assigned to faculty staff, promotion of research, admission ofstudents, students discipline, welfare of students, and the regulation of theirconduct, budgeting and spending (Okeke, 2007). These decisions are made byuniversity administrators and staff. However administrative decision-making forstudents participation in this study covers students representation in thedisciplinary committees of their universities, students participation in formulationof rules and regulation on students’ union government, students participation inadministrative decision-making on accommodation matters, students participation1515in decision-making on internally generated revenue like tuition fee developmentfee, examination fee, library fee, and students participation in administrativedecision-making on the selection of students leaders.

In his decision making theory called competencies decision making theoryAbbot (1974) taught that leaders should identify and differentiate between types ofdecisions in an organization, determine the type of information needed for thedecision and consider the involvement of all stake holders in the institution inmaking decisions in order to avoid the negative consequences of taking decisionswithout the consideration of some stake holders in organizations. The researchertherefore anchored this study on Abbot competencies decision-making theory andon Hodgett and Altman (1979) bounded rationality decision making theory whichseek to identify and select the best alternative from different organizationaltemperament and experiences before a decision is made.

It should be noted that the desire of the federal and state governments toprovide higher education for her citizens has led to the establishment ofuniversities in all parts of Nigeria. The major aims of which are to produce highlevel manpower for overall national development, to inculcate the best values forthe survival of individual and society, to develop the intellectual capacity ofindividual to understand and appreciate their local and external environmentamong others. (FRN, 2004).