The Harvard Business School case Mount Everest-1996 narrates the events of May 11, 1996, when 8 people - including two expedition leaders- died during a climb to the tallest mountain in the world (five deaths are described in the case three border police from India also died that day). This was dubbed "the deadliest day in the mountain's history" (at least until April 18, 2014 when 16 climbing Sherpas were killed on the Khumbu Icefall). The survivors of the 1996 event and many analysts have tried to decipher what went wrong that day, find an underlying cause, and learn from the event. As the last assignment, this is an integrative case. Please refer to all previous chapters that may be applicable. This integrative case analysis is worth 50 points. It is an individual assignment.

1) Relying on the book chapter for perception and decision making, describe the role of the perception biases, "shortcuts", and errors that the climbers- as individuals and as a group- made during the 1996 expedition to Mount Everest. Describe at least 5. How did these biases, "shortcuts", and errors contribute to the tragedy?

2) Briefly, can you pinpoint a single cause of the tragedy? If so, describe it. If not, discuss why not and the various causes that drove it.

3) What can we learn from this case about the topics below? Discuss various points or a major lesson from each one of them using theory from their particular chapters in the book. (Hint: as you discuss these lessons please refer to the theories and concepts learned in the book. This helps to demonstrate that you read the book and the article and are able to connect and apply what you learned in an integrative manner.) - Perception and decision making using the following. Teamwork - Leadership - Personality - Conflict