Determination of Value: Guidance on Developing and Supporting a Credible Opinions

Preface

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM.”

I am still reminded of Sergeant Joe Friday from the TV show Dragnet, who would regularly proclaim so. Alas, for much simpler times now gone when just the facts were enough to make a decision. Have you ever wondered why stakeholders and decision makers turn to “experts” in a given field for opined conclusions to incorporate into a given decision-making process? Or why so-called expert opinions are needed at all?

Every single day the landscape of commercial transactions and social interactions becomes ever more complex. Against this background, whenever issues arise, decision makers are presented with difficult, if not nearly impossible, facts and circumstances to navigate in search for a truth on those matters before them. Decision makers turn to those who hold themselves as experts to help them navigate the vast amounts of information and facts to be considered.

No matter the subject matter or field of endeavor, from law enforcement, health care, law, engineering, or the appraisal disciplines, the continuing reliance on expert opinions is likely to increase; achieving an understanding of these dynamics is an important endeavor for anyone who must come before others to present a conclusion or opinion on those issues at hand.

This book attempts to dissect the dynamics I have experienced in the discipline of opining before others. Over the past two decades, I have come to the realization that the discipline of opining is best understood and practiced ...