Journal of Management and Marketing Research Numbers, quantification and amplification, Page 1 Numbers, quantification, and the amplification of weak strategic signals Dr. John Mankelwicz Troy University – Southeast Region Robert Kitahara Troy University – Southeast Region ABSTRACT Many business situations require decision and action under very incomplete states of knowledge, that do not allow the use of the most rigorous quantitative approaches - where there are at best only “weak signals” of impending problems or opportunities. While the idea of a weak signal is often invoked, existing management theory regarding this concept is very incomplete. Borrowing concepts from weak signal analysis, this paper attempts to provide an organizing perspective to the process of making management decisions in the presence of inevitable uncertainties. Quantification itself and the use of formal methods are important tools for amplifying signal strength to arrive at problem formulations. The discussion derives hypotheses for further discussion and research, and provides an illustrative example from an important real world business decision. Keywords: management decisions, weak strategic signals