Choice Alternatives Research Articles

The Culture of Choice considered Through Cultural Studies

The article deals with modern cultural studies of choice, carried out within the framework of a pragmatic turn, a turn to the material, modern critical theory. It is shown that an independent field of cultural studies of choice is outlined, however, due to the complexity of the object for such developments, the fragmentation of the methods and approaches used is specific. To concretize and develop socio-cultural ideas about choice, we propose a specific conceptual construction — the concept of "culture of choice", which has its own internal structure. In the structure of the "culture of choice" we have identified two components: subjective and environmental. The subjective component is understood as cultural values internalized by the individual, norms, rules, principles that guide the subject when making a choice, as well as the subject’s culturally conditioned memory of the past and foresight of the future. The environmental component represents the features of the environment in which the individual makes a choice, information about the alternatives of choice that is currently incoming, as well as the tools and mechanisms of the environment that the subject uses when making a choice.

The impact of cognitive work demands on subsequent physical activity behavior.

After cognitively demanding work, individuals tend to be less physically active. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying this effect have not been thoroughly tested. The aim of this article was to experimentally investigate the impact of cognitive work demands on subsequent physical activity behavior. Across two preregistered experiments, participants were exposed to high or low levels of cognitive work demands, operationalized as workload in Experiment 1 and as working-memory load in Experiment 2. In a subsequent choice task, participants made binary consequential choices between leisure nonphysical activities (e.g., drawing) and effortful physical activities (e.g., cycling). Choice alternatives were matched on attractiveness rankings. Additionally, physical endurance performance was measured using a standardized cycling protocol in Experiment 1. In contrast to the hypotheses, after performing work with high cognitive demands, participants were not more likely to choose nonphysical over physical activities nor did they perform significantly worse on the physical endurance task. Exploratory analyses suggest that preexisting preferences for either physical or nonphysical activities explained physical activity behavior above and beyond exposure to cognitively demanding work. These experiments question the impact of cognitively demanding work on subsequent cognitive fatigue and physical activity behavior. Implications for theory, practice, and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

South African University Staff and Students’ Perspectives, Preferences, and Drivers of Hesitancy Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines: A Multi-Methods Study

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy poses a threat to the success of vaccination programmes currently being implemented. Concerns regarding vaccine effectiveness and vaccine-related adverse events are potential barriers to vaccination; however, it remains unclear whether tailored messaging and vaccination programmes can influence uptake. Understanding the preferences of key groups, including students, could guide the implementation of youth-targeted COVID-19 vaccination programmes, ensuring optimal uptake. This study examined university staff and students’ perspectives, preferences, and drivers of hesitancy regarding COVID-19 vaccines. A multi-methods approach was used—an online convenience sample survey and discrete choice experiment (DCE)—targeting staff and students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The survey and DCE were available for staff and students, and data were collected from 18 November to 24 December 2021. The survey captured demographic characteristics as well as attitudes and perspectives of COVID-19 and available vaccines using modified Likert rating questions adapted from previously used tools. The DCE was embedded within the survey tool and varied critical COVID-19 vaccine programme characteristics to calculate relative utilities (preferences) and determine trade-offs. A total of 1836 staff and students participated in the study (541 staff, 1262 students, 33 undisclosed). A total of 1145 (62%) respondents reported that they had been vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination against COVID-19 was less prevalent among students compared with staff (79% of staff vs. 57% of students). The vaccine’s effectiveness (22%), and its safety (21%), ranked as the two dominant reasons for not getting vaccinated. These concerns were also evident from the DCE, with staff and students being significantly influenced by vaccine effectiveness, with participants preferring highly effective vaccines (90% effective) as compared with those listed as being 70% or 50% effective (β = −3.72, 95% CI = −4.39 to −3.04); this characteristic had the strongest effect on preferences of any attribute. The frequency of vaccination doses was also found to have a significant effect on preferences with participants deriving less utility from choice alternatives requiring two initial vaccine doses compared with one dose (β = −1.00, 95% CI = −1.42 to −0.58) or annual boosters compared with none (β = −2.35, 95% CI = −2.85 to −1.86). Notably, an incentive of ZAR 350 (USD 23.28) did have a positive utility (β = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.76 to 1.53) as compared with no incentive. Given the slow take-up of vaccination among youth in South Africa, this study offers valuable insights into the factors that drive hesitancy among this population. Concerns have been raised around the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, although there remains a predilection for efficient services. Respondents were not enthusiastic about the prospect of having to take boosters, and this has played out in the roll-out data. Financial incentives may increase both the uptake of the initial dose of vaccines and see a more favourable response to subsequent boosters. Universities should consider tailored messaging regarding vaccine effectiveness and facilitate access to vaccines, to align services with the stated preferences of staff and students.

On an Applied Problem of Mixed Programming and an Efficient Algorithm for the Optimal Choice of Alternatives and Resource Management

Applied management tasks solved by a subdivision of a light industry enterprise, the main activity of which is the organization of effective planning of clothing production and marketing, are in the article set and formalized. The main problems to be solved in this case were: — selection of an effective assortment from a variety of alternatives and production volumes, based on the structure and size of demand; — determination of the volume of purchases of raw materials and components; — volumes and delivery schedules for the entire assortment list being formed. Substantial and formal formulations of a set of problems of the milp class (mixed linear programming) of choosing the optimal production assortment, taking into account demand factors, restrictions on resources and the structure of the assortment, determining production volumes in dynamics, are given. A decompositional algorithm for searching for optimal solutions to a set of tasks has been developed and implemented in software. The final result of the work is the formation of the best compositions of collections and the dynamics of the volume of commodity production of goods in relation to the enterprise of the garment industry. At the end of the paper, the performance statistics of the program that implements the proposed algorithm for finding optimal solutions to a set of control problems are given, as well as a general assessment of the effectiveness of the developed toolkit on real data.

Amino-functionalized hypercrosslinked polymer as sorbent for effective extraction of nitroimidazoles from water, drink and honey samples

The three hypercrosslinked polymers (HCP) materials, designated as OPD-HCP, MPD-HCP and PPD-HCP, were synthesized by using o-phenylenediamine (OPD), m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and p-phenylenediamine (PPD) as monomers. They were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption isotherms, and scanning electron microscopy. Then, the HCPs were explored as solid-phase extraction (SPE) adsorbent for the extraction of five nitroimidazoles (NDZs) (metronidazole, ronidazole, secnidazole, dimetridazole and ornidazole). Among the three HCPs, the MPD-HCP has the best adsorption performance for the NDZs. With the help of high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV), good linear response range (0.07-40.0 ng mL-1), high method recovery (86.8%-113.3%), low limits of detection (0.02-0.15 ng mL-1) and good precision with the relative standard deviations of less than 8.1% were achieved for the determination of the NDZs in water samples. The effective determination of the NDZs in peach juice, honey tea, and honey samples were also realized by the developed method with satisfactory results. Based on both the experimental results and density functional theory calculation, the adsorption mechanism can be attributed to multiple interactions between the MPD-HCP and the NDZs, including hydrogen bonding, hydrophilic, and electrostatic interactions. The method provides a new alternative of choice for the determination of some NDZs in real samples.

Human-centered management in polyergatic information systems. Multi-criteria distribution of functions between operators

The article considers the problem of human factor in complex polyergatic systems with a flow of applications for functions (problem solving) arising at random moments of time. The structure of a decision support system for the operator-manager, including subsystems of monitoring, forecasting and decision-making, is justified. The system of criteria relevant to solving the tasks of functions distribution was substantiated and its multi-criteria nature was shown. The technology of multi-criteria evaluation and choice of alternatives based on the methodology of hierarchical system analysis of problems and the method of analysis of hierarchies Thomas Saaty has been proposed. The decision-making system, which has been tested in the operation of control systems of various complex technical and production objects, has been implemented. The proposed method differs from the known approaches in that this method is aimed at prompt decision-making, as well as in that it uses a multi-criteria approach and both pragmatic and ergonomic criteria are used as criteria.

Transformation and Development. Studies in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Member States, edited by Anja Mihr. Springer Cham, 2020. VI, 154 pp.

The relevance of the main directions of research in this book is determined both by the general significance of the problem of transforming the political process of society for political science, and by the peculiarity of its state in the context of sociocultural dynamics in the member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The importance of a comparative analysis of social and cultural value bases in the political process and the dynamics of this phenomenon is due to increased attention to the consideration of the nature, essence and characteristics of value orientations in the era of globalization, changes and complication of the evolution of the political system, on the basis of which the development of society in the political environment is carried out. The immediate stability and effectiveness of the political process directly depends on the value components in the public mind. This aspect is of particular importance in the face of the challenges of the surrounding world, when a transformational society is faced with a choice of political alternatives. In this regard, it becomes important to study the problem of the regulatory role of social, cultural and value factors in the transformation of the political process in the OSCE member states.

Group-based Pythagorean fuzzy soft sets with medical decision-making applications

ABSTRACTThe Pythagorean fuzzy soft set is an instrument to overcome the uncertainty in the data by adding a parametrisation element. Group decision‐making is a continuum in which multiple individuals interact at the same time, resolve problems, appraise the probable existing alternatives, characterised by multiple contradictory criteria, and select an appropriate alternative solution to the problem. In this study, the generalised Pythagorean fuzzy soft set and the group-based generalised Pythagorean fuzzy soft set are defined. A group-based generalised Pythagorean fuzzy soft set is to be used in the evaluation of the object by a group of experts rather than a single expert. According to new definitions, weighted averaging and geometric aggregation operators have been given. To solve the problems in the Pythagorean fuzzy environment, the decision-making process established by considering the new soft sets and the aggregation operators obtained with these sets were presented with an algorithm. A medical example of the choice of the optimal alternative has been designed to indicate the developed decision-making process. Finally, a comparison has been made between the new method and the existing method. It is seen from the results obtained that an expert opinion does not give appropriate results at the desired rate without the generalisation parameter.

Моделювання транспортної логістики військових вантажів з урахуванням збитків, які виникають у зоні бойових дій через запізнення у постачанні

The multi-criteria task related to the simulation of transport logistics for the delivery of military cargo to the war zone in the conditions of delays and risks is stated and solved. The relevance of the study is related to the analysis of possible losses in the war zone (loss of armed forces, damage and destruction of military equipment, change in hostilities from offensive to defensive, etc.) due to the delayed supply of weapons and military equipment. The study simulates the logistics of transportation in the diverse transport networks to ensure timely delivery of military cargo in the conditions of possible delays and risks that affect the amount of damage in the war zone. Given the complex dynamics of military cargo delivery related to heterogeneity and transshipment in the transport network, the original agent simulation model has been created. This model makes it possible to study the supply process and allows to assess delays, risks and losses. A new algorithm to minimize the delivery time of military cargo, based on the distribution of request clones in a graph representing a heterogeneous transport network is presented. An algorithm to minimize supply risks in wartime that considers long logistics chains for transporting military cargo to the war zone is presented. We study the losses caused by the untimely arrival of various types of military equipment and weapons in the war zone, based on full factorial experiments and the assessments of military experts in the field of military logistics are conducted. Given the contradictions of the criteria of delays, risks and losses, the multi-criteria problem of compromise search optimization based on integer (Boolean) programming is stated and solved. The efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated by simulating military cargo supply to the war zone. Alternative supply routes, risks and losses due to delays in supply are analyzed. The choice of the compromise alternative of military cargo delivery route to the war zone is substantiated. The scientific novelty of the study is related to the development of methods and models based on agent simulation, experimental theory and integer optimization, that makes it possible to estimate the delays and losses in the supply of military cargo to the war zone in long logistics chains of diverse transport network. The results of the study can be used to build the optimal routes to supply military cargo in wartime.

Modeling train route decisions during track works

To better understand the choice behavior of train route schedulers and to predict their choices for optimizing the annual construction schedule, prospective data for 2020 on train route decisions are analyzed using discrete choice models and machine learning classifiers. The choice alternatives include (i) partial cancellation of the train schedule at the start, (ii) in the middle or (iii) at the end of the itinerary of the train service, (iv) detour and (v) delay/ahead of time, and are modeled using 39 train-, construction site-, and infrastructure variables. The top nine attributes account for about 80% of variable importance, including the travel time from the departure station to the construction site, total or line closure, travel time from the construction site to the terminus, length of the train and effective line capacity.The models are tested for 2021 and 2022 to verify whether they can be used to forecast choices in the following years. While Random Forest performs best in terms of prediction accuracy (2021: 60.8%; 2022: 58.6%), the improvements of about 6%-points compared to the Mixed Logit model are modest. Results indicate that a substantial amount of unobserved construction site heterogeneity is present, which Random Forest cannot capture either.

Rousseau’s General Will as a Bound for Strategic Self-Interested Voting

Condorcet’s voting method, as its extension known as the Kemeny-Young rule, is often seen as the incarnation of Rousseau’s general will. But the Kemeny-Young rule has problems when cycles in the social ranking arise. In particular, it can lead to choose a “covered” alternative, i.e. one for which there are candidates with better performances in pairwise comparisons. On the other hand, the uncovered set, the set of all the alternatives that are not covered, puts limits to insincere votes of sophisticated voters under certain conditions. Basically, voting insincerelly for a non-preferred alternative in order to favor the actually preferred candidate would lead to the choice of an uncovered alternative. We argue that Rousseau’s general will could be embodied in a different kind of rule than Kemeny-Young’s, with both epistemic credentials and whose outcomes are within the uncovered set altogether. In this work we begin to explore that possibility.

ПРОЦЕСС И ОЦЕНКА РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ УПРАВЛЕНЧЕСКИХ РЕШЕ-НИЙ

Modern organizations operate in an extremely dynamic and competitive market, constantly changing technologies and constantly increasing requirements. As a result of this, programmers are faced with the task of constantly making quick, adequate and creative decisions. On the one hand, decision making is considered a daily and necessary task of specialists, since it is associated with the perfor-mance of each of their managerial functions. On the other hand, this process can also be considered a tool to improve the efficiency of the organization due to the fact that improving the managers’ decision making skills leads to a more success-ful implementation of the goals and objectives of the organization. One of the ways to improve the managers’ decision making skills includes analysis, general-ization of experience and extraction of best practices based on the decisions made. Therefore, the article summarizes the various stages of the decision making process (recognition of the problem, diagnosis of the problem, formulation of constraints, definition of criteria for choosing a solution, generation of alterna-tives, evaluation of alternatives, choice of alternatives, implementation, evalua-tion of the solution and generalization of accumulated experience), and also dis-cusses in more detail the last three stages of this process. And the analysis of the automation of the process of applying expert assessment methods to substantiate the company's management decisions is considered.

Assessment and forecasting of Ukraine’s financial security: Choice of alternatives

Financial security of a country is an integral part of its economic security and the basis of national security. The paper aims to assess and forecast the level of Ukraine’s financial security using two methodological approaches (the existing one and the authors’ elaboration) to choose the best alternative. The first one is based on the Methodology of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine. The alternative one has been developed as a multiplicative model of non-linear convolution of relevant direct and indirect impact indicators, considering the opportunity and risk, which is based on a combination of a power function and the Harrington method. A database of input indicators was formed with further differentiation according to their impact on Ukraine’s financial security. The research results demonstrated that during 2013–2019 Ukraine’s financial security integrated index was cyclical and constantly changing. A comparison of the existing methodology and the developed model demonstrated a certain discrepancy between the obtained results. It was substantiated that the proposed multiplicative non-linear convolution model for assessing and forecasting the state’s financial security is more relevant, includes current indicators sorted by their direct and indirect impact, and adjusts them according to the risk of impact on overall security in the country.

Peranan Pasar Modal Syariah di Era Informasi Keuangan Syariah Indonesia

The existence of Islamic financial institutions in marketing the product in the information era influences society's enthusiasm to get the investment choice alternative. Economic impact pandemic virus Covid 19 gives the opportunity of product Islamic capital market institute expand as one of the source acceptance of fund of society. This research aims to know the role of the Islamic capital market institute in improving the investment climate in the Indonesian Islamic finance industry. This Descriptive qualitative research was written pursuant to study literacy from various books and research journals related to Islamic economics and investment. Of inferential elite result that the Islamic capital market institute has a role in improving the investment climate at Indonesian Islamic finance in the form of amenity and choice alternative of the investment yield the rate of return mount. Observation of activity of institute financial technology by Otoritas Jasa Keuangan and BAPEPAM needed in observing the Islamic financial institution operational to guarantee the society fund security story; level inculcated at investment Islamic capital market institute products.

Forced-exposure trials increase suboptimal choice.

The influence of single option or forced-exposure (FE) trials was studied in the suboptimal choice task. Pigeons chose between an optimal alternative that led to food half of the time and a suboptimal alternative that led to food 20% of the time. Choice of the suboptimal alternative was compared across groups of subjects that received different numbers of FE trials during training. In Experiment 1, subjects received 100% FE trials, 67% FE trials, or only choice trials. Pigeons in the two groups that had FE trials developed extreme preference for the signaled suboptimal alternative over the unsignaled optimal alternative, while pigeons that had no FE trials showed pronounced individual differences. Experiment 2 compared 10% and 90% FE trials. When neither alternative signaled trial outcomes, both groups of subjects strongly preferred the optimal alternative. When the suboptimal alternative provided differential signals, the subjects in the 90% FE group developed strong preference for the suboptimal alternative and subjects in the 10% FE group maintained preference for the optimal alternative. The results of both experiments demonstrate that FE trials can have substantial effects on the development of preference in the suboptimal choice task.

THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF THE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF FOREIGN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AT THE ENTERPRISE

Topicality. The development of international economic integration and globalization of the world economy contributes to the intensification of foreign economic activity of enterprises, which opens up opportunities for economic growth through the expansion of sales channels. At the same time, operations in the foreign market are characterized by a significant degree of risk, the need for a detailed investigation of the political and economic situation ,the legal basis of foreign economic transactions, etc. Small and medium enterprises should be the basis of the economy of a developed country. Nowadays, Ukrainian authorities stimulate the creation of such enterprises and their entry into foreign markets through the Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office. The implementation of foreign economic activity in a small enterprise is more risky and challenging than in a large one. Therefore, the study of the peculiarities of the management strategy for the introduction of foreign economic activity at the enterprise is a topical issue today. Aim and tasks. The paper aims to develop and improve theoretical and methodological approaches to evaluation and selection of the management strategy for the introduction of foreign economic activity, which can be used by Ukrainian enterprises for the attraction of additional opportunities to foreign markets. Research results. The research results of theoretical and methodological approaches to the evaluation and selection of the management strategy for the introduction of foreign economic activity at the enterprise are presented. According to the investigation results of the ?strategic management? concept in the scientific literature from a general scientific point of view and taking into account the peculiarities of strategic management of the foreign economic activity, a modern understanding of strategic management is determined. Knowledge of these features allowed showing the logic of foreign economic activity strategic management process at the enterprise. Basic corporate strategies and ways of their implementation are proposed for the foreign economic activity strategy development. Their essence is specified using the sub-strategies, the so-called alternatives to the basic strategy. It is shown that the decision on the optimal choice of alternatives of foreign economic strategy is made by the company's management, taking into account the results of previous analytical work and assessment of potential markets, time constraints, and scale of activity. Analytical tools for the selection of strategic alternatives are offered. It is recommended to conduct a PEST/PESTEL analysis of the most perspective markets to select a market for expansion. Porter's Five Forces model is proposed to investigate the existing competition in the market. It will help to choose the best timing of entry. To choose the scale of market entry, an enterprise should consider the advantages and disadvantages of basic entry modes: exporting, licensing, joint venture, wholly owned subsidiaries. The proposed basic corporate strategies can be used alone or in combination. Conclusion. Strategic management of the introduction of foreign economic activity is part of the company's development strategy and is subject to its mission. The introduction of foreign economic activity is preceded by the development of alternative strategies based on the peculiarities of economic activity of the enterprise; its internal and external environment, and foreign markets. Decisions on the optimal choice of alternatives to foreign economic strategy are made by the company's management, taking into account the results of previous analytical work and assessment of potential markets, time constraints, and scale of activity.

Control over sampling boosts numerical evidence processing in human decisions from experience.

When acquiring information about choice alternatives, decision makers may have varying levels of control over which and how much information they sample before making a choice. How does control over information acquisition affect the quality of sample-based decisions? Here, combining variants of a numerical sampling task with neural recordings, we show that control over when to stop sampling can enhance (i) behavioral choice accuracy, (ii) the build-up of parietal decision signals, and (iii) the encoding of numerical sample information in multivariate electroencephalogram patterns. None of these effects were observed when participants could only control which alternatives to sample, but not when to stop sampling. Furthermore, levels of control had no effect on early sensory signals or on the extent to which sample information leaked from memory. The results indicate that freedom to stop sampling can amplify decisional evidence processing from the outset of information acquisition and lead to more accurate choices.

The symbolic gift of education in migrant families and compromises in school choice

This paper takes an interest in migrant families’ educational strategies in the upper-secondary school market in Stockholm. Based on interviews with parents and children in families living in a socially and economically disadvantaged neighbourhood, the analysis shows how conversion of symbolic and economic capital and assets between national-contexts and between generations shapes educational aspirations together with notions of pride, sacrifice, and guilt. What school choice alternatives that are considered viable options depends on the composition of assets and capital within the family, but also differs between family members depending on family dynamics and family members’ different social investments in the neighbourhood of residence. The paper argues that migrant biographies are embedded in a gift economy that influences families’ educational expectations. Moreover, parents and children identify sociospatial boundaries in the deregulated school market but develop divergent strategies to mitigate disadvantage.

Copula-based direct utility models for correlated choice alternatives

Copula-based direct utility models for correlated choice alternatives

Application of grey analytic hierarchy process to estimate mode choice alternatives: A case study from Budapest

This study proposes a multi-criteria decision-making approach using the grey theory to analyze mode choices. An extended analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model, which combines the advantages of the classic AHP and the grey theory for the accurate estimation of the commuting mode weight coefficients, is applied to a real transportation problem involving evaluators. The presented approach is applied for a real-life case study in Budapest. Based on the results, for all distances, public transport is ranked first followed by the car mode; however, for short- and mid-distance commuters, home office and bike might be suitable options, too. The results of this method are compared with the fuzzy AHP method. Having the same ranking in case of the two analyses means that the proposed method provides correct results under uncertainty in a group decision-making process. Thus, the outcomes highlight the applicability of the proposed method to the evaluation of mode choice.