Influence In Decision Research Articles

Emergence of children as influencers in family consumption decisions – a resource theory approach

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the perception of parents regarding the role of children as influencers in family consumption decisions in India. The purpose is to support marketing practitioners in understanding the stages of children's influence in the family using the theoretical perspective of the resource theory approach.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a Web survey approach. Primary data were obtained from a sample of 180 mothers of adolescent children in the age group of 13–18 years and residing in rural and urban areas of Delhi (India) by administering a bilingual (Hindi/English) pre-tested “structured non-disguised” questionnaire designed on the Google Forms.FindingsThe findings that emerged from this study and as supported by the relative theory approach revealed that Indian parents perceive their children to exert a significant influence in family buying decisions, children's influence varies across stages of the decision-making process and the type of product and children's influence in family buying decisions is moderated by family structure but not by family size. The results of this study extend interesting and practical implications for marketing practitioners in India and by extension in other similar countries while designing and implementing marketing mix strategies in respect of goods and services meant for children/family consumption.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings that emerged from this study and as supported by the relative theory approach revealed that Indian parents perceive their children to exert significant influence in family buying decisions, children's influence varies across stages of the decision-making process and the type of product, and children's influence in family buying decisions is moderated by family structure but not by family size. Results of this study extend interesting and practical implications for marketing practitioners in India and by extension in other similar countries while designing and implementing marketing mix strategies in respect of goods and services meant for children/family consumption.Practical implicationsThe results of this study support the notion that children exert considerable influence in family buying decisions in India across products, hence constitute a viable target market for different products consumed not only by them but by other family members as well. It is, therefore, vital that marketers wishing to penetrate family and/or child product markets must identify the person in the family who is likely to be more involved in the buying process and the extent of his involvement to carve effective promotional strategies.Social implicationsThe finding that although Indian children are actively participating across various stages of the decision-making process and their influence is strongest at the purchase initiation stage has peculiar social implications whereby families may be exposed toward eco-friendly green products and sustainable ways of living through the children in rural as well as urban areas. Similarly, children were also found to be influential at the information search and evaluation stage; hence, the messages regarding social issues, gender equality and health issues, which are not yet openly discussed in Indian families, may be imparted through children for better coverage and effectiveness.Originality/valueChildren are an important part of the family; especially in the nuclear families, children are an apple of eye and central point of the discussion. The role of children in decision-making is also important because of the changing information system and modernization of the younger generation. This is an empirical study focusing on the areas not yet explored and examined in the context of a culturally distinct and emerging country in terms of the emergence of children as influencers in family consumption decisions in rural and urban Indian families.

Influence of Purchase Decision: Analysis of Logo, Product Quality and Company Image

The Literature Review article on the Effect of Purchasing Decisions: Logo Analysis, Product Quality and Corporate Image is a scientific article that aims to build a research hypothesis on the influence between variables that will be used in further research, within the scope of Marketing Management. The method of writing this Literture Review article is using the library research method, which is sourced from online media such as Google Scholar, Mendeley and other academic online media. The results of this study are: 1) Logo has an effect on Purchase Decisions; 2) Product Quality has an effect on Purchase Decisions; and 3) Company Image has an effect on Purchase Decision. Apart from these 3 exogenous variables that affect endogenous variables, there are many other factors including the variable.

The influence of group decision-making on residents’ preferences for sustainable energy measures of dwellings

ABSTRACT As a part of the shift towards a more sustainable society, improving the energy efficiency of the current dwelling stock has gained momentum in the past few years. In case of co-ownership of a building (e.g. apartment building), the residents of a home-owner association have to come to a collective agreement when deciding upon the implementation of sustainable energy measures of the dwellings. Stated choice modelling is a well-known technique to measure individuals’ preferences of attributes of choice alternatives. This study introduces an extension of the technique to estimate preferences of residents that takes into account group influences and group dynamics in joint decision-making. The findings of an application based on a national sample of 167 home-owner associations members indicate that owner association members show cooperative behaviour. They are willing to make concessions to their own preferences in order to reach a group decision. When preferences of members differ on outcomes that are considered to be very important, however, the willingness to adapt may be limited. We conclude therefore that compromise alternatives have a higher probability of acceptance than high-gain high-cost alternatives, given the group decision context.

Gender differences in the acceptance of wife-beating in Nigeria: evidence from the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey

The world over, more than one-third of women have been victims of either physical or sexual violence, or both, most of which are perpetrated by intimate partners. Intimate partner violence (IPV) has negative consequences for women's health, socio-economic and psychological wellbeing. Similarly, acceptance of IPV has negative implications for its spread, sympathy for victims, and utilisation of antenatal and postnatal healthcare services among women. This study investigates the influence of age, education, location, religion, marriage type, employment, wealth level, extramarital sex, smoking, internet use, media exposure and decision making on the justification of IPV, and how the associations vary between men and women. The study utilised the 2018 Nigeria's Demographic and Health Survey. The data analysed was comprised of 8,018 men and 28,888 women who were married or living with a partner. It was found that women are more likely to accept IPV than men (AOR: 1.627). Educational difference between spouses influences women's experience of and acceptance of IPV. Overall, being young, being uneducated, living in the north, being Muslim, being polygamous, being employed, being poor, having extra-marital sex, being a smoker, not having access to internet, and not being exposed to the media increased the odds of IPV justification. However, while Muslim women had higher odds of accepting IPV than Christians (AOR: 1.587), Muslim men have lower likelihood of IPV justification than Christian men (AOR: 0.759). Gender differences also exist in the influence of age, marriage type, employment, extra-marital sex, smoking, media exposure and decision making. This study underscores the importance of applying differing intervention programmes to men and women where necessary.

Foreign Friends: Syngman Rhee, American Exceptionalism, and the Division of Korea

Foreign Friends: Syngman Rhee, American Exceptionalism, and the Division of Korea

Does social media influence consumer decision-making in times of the COVID 19 pandemic.

The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of social and traditional media on customer decision-making and to find out which of these two in times of pandemics affect more on customer decision-making. A survey was conducted using 250 respondents from Ampara District, Sri Lanka, aged between 20-30. The questionnaires were divided equally into three sets, the first part containing social media-related questions, the other part containing conventional media related questions, and the third aspect of customer decision-making. Results from a survey of 250 young people in Ampara, Sri Lanka show that in times of pandemic where both social and traditional media affect consumer decision-making but social media influence is much greater than the traditional media. The findings show that advertisers need to carefully pick the media to communicate with target customers in order to achieve their marketing communication goals.

Contraception decision making by Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australian youth: an exploratory study

ABSTRACT Context Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) youth may become early parents, with some aspiring to parenthood. Yet, the factors that influence CALD youths contraceptive decision-making are less well known, although important for designing appropriate contraception use support programmes for this population. This study aimed to explore the contraception decision-making patterns of CALD Australian youth, in-addition to investigating the factors that influence their use of contraception services. Methods We conducted focus groups with 27 CALD youth (ages 16-24) to explore their 1) their contraception use 1) decision-making, 2) information sources, and 3) priority services. For the data synthesis, we utilized thematic analysis to characterize the CALD youth contraception use orientation. Results Three themes emerged from the data: 1) the prevalent use of fail-safe contraception methods to minimize personal anxiety, 2) the reliance on online rather than in-person information sources, and 3) the importance to minimize risk for social stigma from use of contraception. Conclusions CALD Australian youth reported being competent in self-managing their contraception use decisions. Contraption decision support for CALD youth should address their anxieties about the risk of contraception failure and concerns regarding social stigmas. KEY POINTS What is already known: (1) Australian young females from racial and language minority background communities become parents at younger ages than those from the general Australian population. (2) Some look forward to becoming parents earlier rather than later in their lives. What this topic adds: (1) We unraveled decision making processes and tools the teenagers prefer to use outside conventional understandings. (2) Cultural psychology beliefs rooted in family social protections are an overriding decision influence in contraception choices. (3) Peers were less trusted partners in sexual decisions compared to use of online services.

Patients’ Priorities for Surrogate Decision-Making: Possible Influence of Misinformed Beliefs

Background Many patients have three primary goals for how treatment decisions are made for them in the event of decisional incapacity. They want to be treated consistent with their preferences and values, they want their family to be involved in making decisions, and they want to minimize the stress on their family. The present paper investigates how patients’ beliefs about surrogate decision-making influence which of these three goals they prioritize. Methods: Quantitative survey of 1,169 U.S. patients to assess their beliefs about surrogate decision-making, and how these beliefs influence patients’ priorities for surrogate decision-making. Results: Most patients believed that families in general (68.8%) and their own family in particular (83.4%) frequently, almost always, or always know which treatments the patient would want in the event of incapacity. Patients with these beliefs were more likely to prioritize the goal of involving their family in treatment decision-making over the goal of minimizing family stress. Most patients (77.4%) also believed their family would experience significant stress from helping to make treatment decisions. However, patients’ priorities were largely unchanged by this belief. Conclusions: Prior reports suggest that patients overestimate the extent to which their family knows which treatments they want in the event of decisional incapacity. The present analysis adds that these patients might be more likely to prioritize the goal of involving their family in treatment decision-making, even when this results in the family experiencing significant distress. This finding highlights that patients’ misinformed beliefs about their family’s knowledge might influence patients’ priorities for surrogate decision-making, raising important questions for clinical practice, policy, and future research. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/23294515.2021.1983665

Factors motivating the transfer of university students in Kazakhstan

ABSTRACT The theoretical frameworks developed for, and applied to, the study of student transfer between higher education institutions build on evidence from Western contexts, specifically the United States. The current article contributes to understanding factors that drive student transfer in the Central Asian context, specifically that of Kazakhstan. Through inductive coding of qualitative interviews with undergraduate transfer students in Kazakhstan, this research identifies student-centred factors of social embeddedness, parental influence in higher education decision-making, evolving career choice awareness, strategies for academic success, the quality of teaching and relationship ethics with students. While these factors influencing student transfer in Kazakhstan align with the existing Western context-based literature, the data in this research offer a localized perspective on what these factors mean in the context of a contemporary Central Asian country.

Sustainable Community Forest Management in Mexico: An Integrated Model of Three Socio-ecological Frameworks.

The sustainability of management practices in forest ecosystems should provide ecosystem services and maintain the livelihoods that largely depend on the benefits directly derived from forests; but this goal requires various theoretical and analytical approaches. This research aims to develop a conceptual model for sustainable forest management based on the integration of three conceptual frameworks founded on the society-ecosystem interaction: socio-ecological systems, sustainable forest management, and ecosystem services. The results offer a methodological, analytical, organizational, and operational route to integrate a scientific model at the material, causal, and dynamic levels, considering theoretical and empirical information; it uses grounded theory methodology to select the interactions between variables and socio-ecological dynamics of forest ecosystems under community management. For example, it integrates social components (local knowledge, governance, and social organization) and ecological components (diversity and composition of plant species, carbon pools, and nutrient dynamics) to understand their interactions through management practices and the magnitude of the ecosystem services provided according to the local contexts. We illustrate this process by analyzing the influence of governance, decision-making, resource use, and management practices on forest management and ecosystem services; this exemplifies the factors, interactions, and effects on socio-ecological systems based on experience in forest communities. These integrated frameworks provide steps through which our understanding of specific socio-ecological approaches produces better outcomes for sustainable forest management, preserves ecosystems services and benefits livelihoods in Mexican temperate forests.

Pediatric health care professionals\u2019 vaccine knowledge, awareness and attitude: a survey within the Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology

BackgroundPhysicians play a key role in driving vaccine acceptance and their recommendations are crucial to address vaccine hesitancy. The aim of the study was to assess knowledge, awareness and attitude of Italian Pediatric Health Care Professionals (pHCPs) on vaccinations.MethodsAn anonymous on-line questionnaire was developed within the Vaccine Committee of Italian Society of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (SIAIP) and spontaneously completed by 231 Pediatricians and Pediatric Nurses (PN).ResultsAn accurate vaccine education was reported by 70% of pediatricians and 13% of PN but 11% of pediatricians versus 26% of PN consult social media instead of scientific sources for their vaccine update. The investigation on the pHCPs attitudes to vaccination in a personal and family setting highlights poor adherence to vaccinations. Only 63% of pediatricians versus 16% of PN (p < 0.0001) annually received the Flu vaccine. In their family setting 93% of pediatricians versus 51% of PN recommended all vaccinations (p < 0.0001). Anti-flu, anti-rotavirus, anti-zoster and anti-pneumococcal vaccines were not regularly recommended by all pHCPs due to doubts of uselessness (55% of pediatricians versus 40% of PN) and preference for “natural immunity” (44% of pediatricians versus 40% of PN).ConclusionsOur results indicate that pHCPs’ attitude and confidence in regards to vaccines remain suboptimal. Current COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid development of vaccines could increase vaccine hesitancy. Due to the documented pHCPs’ influence in the parental decision, educational interventions are needed to improve their level of knowledge and counselling skills in order to address parental vaccine hesitancy and to maintain continuity of immunization services.

Promoting Adolescent Healthy Relationships (The About Us Program): Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BackgroundRomantic relationships play a critical role in adolescent development, and by middle adolescence, most young people have been involved in at least one romantic relationship, a context in which most sexual interactions occur. Research suggests adolescents lack positive models and skills related to building healthy relationships.ObjectiveThis project aims to test the impact of an innovative healthy relationships intervention, called About Us, implemented in school-based health centers (SBHCs) in California in a randomized controlled trial.MethodsAbout Us is being tested using a 7-site, 2-group, parallel randomized controlled trial with a treatment versus control allocation ratio of 3:2 to assess the impact of the intervention relative to the standard of care among adolescents aged 14 to 18 years. Adolescents with active parental consent provide study assent at each of the 3 survey time points: baseline, 3 months postintervention, and 9 months postintervention. A stratified randomization procedure was used to ensure balance in key covariates and screening criteria across intervention groups. Through benchmark intent-to-treat analyses, we will examine the primary outcome of this study—the impact of About Us relative to the standard of care 9 months following the end of the intervention on the prevalence of vaginal or anal sex without condoms in the past 3 months. The secondary outcomes are four-fold: what is the impact of About Us relative to the standard of care 3 and 9 months following the end of the intervention, on (1) the prevalence of abstinence from vaginal or anal sex in the past 3 months, (2) composite scores of relationship communication and positive conflict resolution among participants involved in a relationship at baseline, (3) the prevalence of SBHC service use or information receipt in the past 3 months, and (4) composite scores of condom use intentions and attitudes regarding condoms and other birth control? Additionally, as part of our sensitivity analyses, two additional analyses will be implemented: modified intent-to-treat and complete case analysis.ResultsThis project (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT03736876) was funded in 2016 through the Family Youth Services Bureau as part of the Personal Responsibility Education Innovative Strategies program. Baseline data collection took place between February 2018 and March 2020, yielding a total of 5 cohorts and 533 study participants: 316 assigned to treatment and 217 assigned to control. Ongoing follow-up data collection continued through May 2021.ConclusionsAbout Us draws on developmental science to create a contextually and developmentally relevant program that addresses motivation and emotional influences in sexual decision-making. The intervention was designed for implementation within SBHCs, an understudied venue for relationship and sexual health promotion interventions. Unfortunately, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions led to school closures, interrupting ongoing programming, and in-person follow-up data collection, which has affected study attrition.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03736876; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03736876International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/30499

MP19-09 ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL CANCER SPECIFIC OUTCOMES REGISTRY AND INITIAL DATA

You have accessJournal of UrologyHealth Services Research: Practice Patterns, Quality of Life and Shared Decision Making II (MP19)1 Sep 2021MP19-09 ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL CANCER SPECIFIC OUTCOMES REGISTRY AND INITIAL DATA David Galvin, Cara Dooley, Aine Murphy, Linda Sharp, Ray McDermott, and Frank Sullivan David GalvinDavid Galvin More articles by this author , Cara DooleyCara Dooley More articles by this author , Aine MurphyAine Murphy More articles by this author , Linda SharpLinda Sharp More articles by this author , Ray McDermottRay McDermott More articles by this author , and Frank SullivanFrank Sullivan More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000002004.09AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: A National prostate cancer outcomes registry (IPCOR) has been established by the authors in Ireland in collaboration with the national cancer registry of Ireland. An expanded clinical dataset and patient reported outcomes (PROM) are collected in a prospective manner, on a longitudinal basis at a population level. The aims of IPCOR are to produce reports that will influence decision makers to improve prostate cancer care and to ensure decisions about prostate cancer care in Ireland are transparent and based on high quality data. METHODS: Registration officers collect clinical and PROM data across 15 public and private hospitals representing over 80% of all men diagnosed with prostate cancer annually in Ireland. Medical records are interrogated and PROMs are updated once a year. PROMs collected are EPIC-26, EORTC QLQ30 and Euroqol EQ-5D-5L. The database in held in the National cancer registry. RESULTS: We present a first look at the complete IPCOR dataset, both clinical and PROMs data on 6816 men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer from 2016 to 2019. Mean age of diagnosis is 65 years (range 31 to 94), with 20% of men <50s and two-thirds of men <70 years. Most men (76%) were diagnosed due to opportunistic screening, while just over 8% presented with symptoms. Three quarters of all men had a MRI and 40% of these were performed before the prostate biopsy to allow for a targeted biopsy. Private patients are more likely to be seen quicker, have MRI scans before their biopsy and undergo a targeted biopsy. The median waiting time from PSA test to biopsy is 49 days, and 79 days to being informed of their cancer diagnosis. High grade cancers are more common as men age, however there is considerable over diagnosis of low grade disease in men under 65 years of age (approximately 65% of men were Gleason 3 + 3 or 3 + 4 when diagnosed, Figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: This data is being collected prospectively across Ireland and is generating important national data on a population level. Future annual reports will further deepen our understanding of outcomes as patients are followed longitudinally over time. The IPCOR recommendations will inform healthcare providers and patients, and allow for the intelligent use of limited resources to achieve better patient outcomes. Source of Funding: MovemberIrish Cancer Society © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e330-e331 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information David Galvin More articles by this author Cara Dooley More articles by this author Aine Murphy More articles by this author Linda Sharp More articles by this author Ray McDermott More articles by this author Frank Sullivan More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...

Modeling the Influence of Information Systems on Sustainable Business Performance and Competitiveness

The necessity for sustainable development, the coronavirus pandemic, and conducting business within the frameworks of the fourth industrial revolution—Industry 4.0 create a challenging environment where enterprises have difficulties to achieve and maintain competitiveness. Information is becoming a core construct when it comes to conducting business in the modern, globalized business environment. In this paper, the influence of information systems (IS) on sustainable business performance and competitiveness is analyzed. Additionally, the influence of human resource management (HRM) and decision making (DM) on sustainable business performance and competitiveness, as two crucial constructs in the new paradigm of conducting business, are addressed. The relations are discussed from the aspect of sustainable development and future post-pandemic business trends. The main goal is to determine the relations between the noted constructs in a transitional setting. In sum, 184 manufacturing enterprises from Republika Srpska were surveyed via a structured survey, where the focus was on quantifying and modeling the influence of IS, HRM, and DM on sustainable business performance. The results indicate that IS, HRM, DM can affect business performance in a transitional economic setting. This approach is novel, as the existing body of literature does not address all the noted influencing factors on sustainable business performance and competitiveness in a transition economy. Hence, this paper significantly contributes to the existing body of literature and provides a solid basis for future research in this domain.

Evaluation of the development ability of medical association based on evidential reasoning and prospect theory

China has proposed medical couplet body to alleviate residents’ difficulties in seeking medical treatment, and the future development ability of medical couplet body has gradually become a research interest. On the basis of prospect theory, this study constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system with qualitative and quantitative indexes, clear hierarchy, and diverse attribute characteristics. The development ability of medical couplet body is also comprehensively and systematically evaluated. In addition, the evidential reasoning method is proposed on the basis of the equivalent transformation of prospect value. Furthermore, the validity and feasibility of the model are proven through experiments, and the influence of decision makers’ risk attitude on the evaluation results is discussed.

Peran Kepemimpinan Kepala Sekolah, Pengambilan Keputusan, Dan Budaya Organisasi Terhadap Disiplin Kerja

This study aims to determine the influence of principal leadership, decision-making, and organizational culture to the working discipline of Muhammadiyya High School 5 Todanan Blora. This research is the quantitatively research. The population of research is all educators and education personnel of Muhammadiyyah High School 5 Todanan Blora. A research sample size of 28 educators and educational personnel, selected based on purposive sampling techniques. Instrument preparation is made in the form of a questionnaire, with an answer of 1-5 scale, consisting of 20 grains. The instruments used to collect data are those that qualify for the construction analysis and valid status. Its reliability is calculated by the Cronbach Alpha technique. Data analysis uses multiple linear regression techniques to test the research hypothesis. The results of the study proved: (1) There is no influence between the principal leadership of the work discipline; (2) There is no influence between the decision making of the work discipline; (3) There is no influence between the organizational culture of the work discipline; (4) There is no influence between the leadership of the principal, decision-making, and organizational culture together with the work discipline.

Alliance choices: A Behavioral Theory of Problemistic and Slack Searches under CEO Overconfidence

How do firms configure exploration versus exploitation in alliance portfolios when facing behavioral heuristics? Based on the behavioral perspective, this study uses problemistic and slack searches as the behavioral explanation for exploration versus exploitation configurations in alliance portfolios. Simutaneously, it takes into account the moderating role of CEO overconfidence by considering the influence of decision makers' subjective interpretations on performance feedback and slack, during the decision-making process. It employed a feasible generalized least squares approach to regression to empirically test the model using data of 224 publicly traded firms in the United States (U.S.) comprising high-tech industries. The findings show that both, below-aspiration performance and absorbed slack, play positive roles in focusing attention on exploration rather than exploitation alliances. The results also show that CEO overconfidence intensifies the positive roles of below-aspiration performance and absorbed slack in the exploration alliance choice. This study contributes to extant literature by extending the behavioral theory to the choices of exploration versus exploitation in alliance portfolio configurations, and filling the limited attention on managers' subjective interpretation of behavioral drivers as boundary conditions in behavioral research.

Gender decomposition in smallholder agricultural performance in rural Nigeria

Although women are actively involved in a wide array of agricultural production activities, they have limited access to farm productive resources and their influence in decision-making is also restricted compared with men. These limitations have the potential to affect women performance in agriculture. This study assesses gender-based farm performance (proxy by productivity) differences and identified sources of performance differentials amongst rice farmers in rural Nigeria using the Blinder-Oaxaca gender decomposition framework. The results revealed a disparity between men and women with a gender performance gap of about 11% in favour of men, of which 77.66% of the gap remained unexplained after accounting for gender differences in household characteristics, access to supply-driven factors, and farm productive resources. A more detailed analysis suggests that factors such as the use of improved rice varieties, membership of farmer-based organisations, extension services, and quantity of seeds sown could contribute to the gender performance gap. As a result, the study concludes that focusing on these productivity gaps and the factors that contribute to them is critical for developing policy interventions aimed at empowering women.

ACS Fall 2021

ACS FALL 2021 ACS Fall 2021Meeting offers chance to share ideas, connect with colleagues, and explore cutting-edge science ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2021, 99 (27), pp 35–36July 26, 2021Cite this:C&EN 99, 27, 35-36Registration fees Note:aACS members in good standing who become unemployed and are seeking full-time professional employment, or who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. To register in this category, contact ACS Member Services at 1-800-333-9511 (US and Canada) | 614-447-3776 (outside North America).Figure1of1The ACS Fall 2021 theme, Resilience of Chemistry, will capture the attention of thousands of chemists from around the globe as they participate in the meeting Aug. 22–26. The hybrid format will allow individuals to attend either in person in Atlanta or virtually.The meeting platform will feature the following:Multiple virtual and hybrid oral technical sessions with integrated messaging and chat features to allow for real-time conversations with presentersPosters and prerecorded presentations available on-demand Aug. 30–Sept. 30In-person and virtual poster sessionsCustomized networking opportunitiesRegistrationWith your registration, you will gain access to many benefits:Share and discover research: Participate in broadcast sessions, live daily kickoffs, interactive poster presentations, and more.On-demand presentations: Over 6,000 papers are slated for presentation and will be available on demand Aug. 30–Sept. 30.Connect: Participate in virtual and in-person networking events to connect and share ideas with your peers from around the world.Note: The meeting schedule for all events and live chats will be in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). To register and to learn more visit www.acs.org/ACSFall2021.Become a sponsorBuild your brand awareness by becoming a sponsor. Increase traffic to your virtual booth and supercharge your presence at ACS Fall 2021. As a sponsor, your company name will be seen in several places at the show, increasing your exposure to critical decision makers, purchasers, and influencers. Visit www.acs.org/ACSFall2021 to learn more. You can also reach out to a member of the exposition services team at [email protected] or 800-227-5558 x4486.Need help?Technical support will be available for attendees and presenters before and during the meeting. Please direct any questions you may have about ACS Fall 2021 to [email protected]Biannual governance meetingsAll ACS governance meetings will be held virtually. Visit www.acs.org/content/acs/en/about/governance/fall-2021-governance-meetings.html for the full schedule.ACS Board of Directors. The ACS Board of Directors wants to hear from you. If you are interested in discussing ACS topics with the board, please contact the Office of the Secretary ([email protected]) for additional information.ACS Council. The ACS Council will meet virtually at 11:00 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, Aug. 19. Councilors should log into the meeting no later than 10:00 a.m. EDT.Attending the meeting is an opportunity to learn firsthand about the society’s operation. ACS members and nonmembers are welcome to observe the council meeting. Alternate councilors, division chairs, and local section officers are particularly urged to attend. Contact the Office of the Secretary ([email protected]) at least 7 days before the meeting for login details.Governance goes virtualACS governance committees will be holding virtual meetings. Committee chairs and the staff liaison are responsible for ensuring that only the appropriate persons are present during a meeting. Members who are interested in attending should contact the committees listed below. 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Risk-Averse Two-Stage Stochastic Minimum Cost Consensus Models with Asymmetric Adjustment Cost.

In the process of reaching consensus, it is necessary to coordinate different views to form a general group opinion. However, there are many uncertain factors in this process, which has brought different degrees of influence in group decision-making. Besides, these uncertain elements bring the risk of loss to the whole process of consensus building. Currently available models not account for these two aspects. To deal with these issues, three different modeling methods for constructing the two-stage mean-risk stochastic minimum cost consensus models (MCCMs) with asymmetric adjustment cost are investigated. Due to the complexity of the resulting models, the L-shaped algorithm is applied to achieve an optimal solution. In addition, a numerical example of a peer-to-peer online lending platform demonstrated the utility of the proposed modeling approach. To verify the result obtained by the L-shaped algorithm, it is compared with the CPLEX solver. Moreover, the comparison results show the accuracy and efficiency of the given method. Sensitivity analyses are undertaken to assess the impact of risk on results. And in the presence of asymmetric cost, the comparisons between the new proposed risk-averse MCCMs and the two-stage stochastic MCCMs and robust consensus models are also given.