Influence In Decision Research Articles

Chapter 3: National Minority Civil Society Organizations in Wartime

Abstract This article examines how the war in Ukraine has impacted the work of the civil society organizations of national minorities (hereinafter CSOs). The author looks into the operational specifics of three such CSOs during the first year of the war. Each organization represents a different ethnic group (i.e. Bulgarians, Hungarians, and Romanians), and is located in multi-ethnic regions of Ukraine, i.e. Odesa, Zakarpattia (or Transcarpathia, which is an alternative name for the region), and Chernivtsi respectively. Before the war, the CSOs focused on the preservation and promotion of ethnic cultures. Through desk research and interviews with the organizations’ representatives, the author attempts to answer the following sub-questions: have the organizations managed to continue working? What were their activities? Was it at all possible to promote ethnic cultures in wartime? Which risks and opportunities for their operation resulted from the war? The key finding is that the CSOs did shift their focus from the traditional realm of cultural affairs to humanitarian work. With the former activities not interrupted fully, the organizations have combined the implementation of duties from both realms, de facto operating on a wider mandate. Being a consequence of the CSOs’ ad hoc work in times of crisis, such extended engagement inter alia posed some additional opportunities for amplifying minorities’ influence in decision-making. A wider mandate is, therefore, examined by the author through the lens of its added value for improving the situation of minorities’ effective participation in public and political life in Ukraine. Inter alia, the study aims at documenting the contribution made by national minority CSOs in resisting Russia’s war of aggression.

Unscrambling the preference puzzle: an in-depth exploration of why Indian international students shy away from home institutions for Master’s programs

PurposeIn 2021, more than half a million Indian students traveled abroad to pursue Master’s programs. Against this background, we explore why Indian students do not enroll in Master’s programs in Indian higher education (IHE) institutions.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured, in-depth online interviews of 30 Indian international students pursuing post-graduation studies in four major host countries were conducted to elicit the required information. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using a thematic approach. The attribution theory was used as a theoretical lens to discuss the findings.FindingsThe results indicate that the primary reasons for students not choosing Indian institutions are wide-ranging. The need to study abroad, decision influencers and why they did not consider IHE institutes were three significant categories encompassing nine themes. The study revealed that besides other factors, the rigor of admission in premier Indian universities is much higher when compared with other international universities. Also, the perceived rate of return in investing in those developed countries' universities is better when compared with those of premier Indian universities.Practical implicationsThe insights will act as marketing intelligence for supporting the business and university administrators of Indian universities in formulating effective tactics to admit more students from this in-demand Indian subgroup.Originality/valueMost of the existing research papers discuss the motivation and challenges of Indian international students for studying abroad, There is negligible research on their demotivation to join IHE institutions. The present study tries to focus on the aspects that most of them considered but did not join IHE. Also, the attribution theory is a new perspective for understanding their behavior in selecting higher education institutions.

The Impact of Psychological Distance on Consumer’s Online Decision Making and Online Shopping Addiction among Chinese College Students

This study takes the problem of online shopping addiction as the research object, and discusses the influence of psychological distance and online decision-making and online shopping addiction.In the research design part, college students with online shopping experience and impulsive or compulsive purchasing behavior are taken as samples to explore the relationship between online shopping addiction and psychological distance, and the relationship between online shopping addiction and network decision-making, and relevant hypotheses are proposed and a detailed research model is constructed.Through the investigation and data analysis of online shopping addicts, experimental research, and empirical analysis. Based on descriptive statistical analysis and empirical test of the effects of psychological distance on online shopping addiction and network.decision-making on online shopping addiction, statistical methods such as t test, variance analysis of variance and structural equation model were used to dig the sample data in depth. An intervention study was conducted to determine the influence of psychological distance and network decision-making on online shopping addiction.

Permanently infertile couples and family building-a cross-sectional survey in Denmark.

Which decision-making factors influence family building among permanently infertile couples? Ethical, legal, and financial considerations outweigh genetic relatedness in decision-making, favouring domestic gestational surrogacy, if this were possible, over international options. Permanent infertility affects 4-5% of people in the fertile age. Their family-building options include adoption, surrogacy, uterus transplantation, foster care, and intentional multiple parenthood. However, in most countries, including Denmark, legal barriers constrain these methods due to surrogacy restrictions, suspended international adoptions, and the experimental status of uterus transplantation. Despite existing research on surrogacy, adoption, and specific causes of permanent infertility, a significant gap remains in our understanding of how couples with permanent infertility make family-building decisions within these limited frameworks. This cross-sectional study with 150 permanently infertile Danish participants was conducted from June to November 2023 using an online questionnaire. Multiple strategies, such as online forums, fertility clinics, hospital departments, and snowballing, were used to recruit a diverse sample. The study included couples aged 26-50 years facing permanent infertility due to the following primary causes: women without a uterus (15%), women with a non-functional uterus (47%) or women for whom pregnancy would be life-threatening (9%), male couples (16%), transgender partner couples (2%), and other causes (11%). The survey collected data on demographics, reproductive history, family-building choices, and communication strategies. Closed questions were analysed using descriptive statistics. Among 150 respondents, 41% had used transnational surrogacy, 27% adoption, 14% chose to remain childless, and 19% were undecided. Critical factors on family-building decisions were ethical, legal, and financial concerns which ranked higher than genetic relatedness. Despite the complexity of family building, most participants were open about their child's origin and received social support. If all family-building methods were legal and available in Denmark, domestic gestational surrogacy would be the preferred method, with uterus transplantation and remaining childless being least popular. The sample size is relatively small, despite the use of a variety of recruitment strategies. Nevertheless, this has ensured a diverse cohort representing the different reasons for infertility and family-building choices. It is important to note that the strategies may have favoured individuals achieving parenthood. The finding of our study reveals a notable gap between available family-building options in Denmark and the preferences of couples facing permanent infertility. These insights could be instrumental for organizations reviewing and developing family-building frameworks. Furthermore, for healthcare professionals guiding couples experiencing infertility issues in their attempts to build a family, an understanding of these preferences is essential to facilitate informed decisions about their future family plans. The project was financed by the Independent Research Fund Denmark. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare. N/A.

Influence of Participatory Decision-Making on Performance of HIV/AIDS Community Health Projects in Kisumu County, Kenya

Purpose: There are efforts to combat HIV/AIDS through Sustainable Development Goal and so, HIV/AIDS community health projects have been implemented to shape HIV/AIDS management and care. The present study examined influence of participatory decision-making on performance of HIV/AIDS community health projects in Kisumu County, Kenya. The study was grounded on stakeholder’s theory because the HIV/AIDS community health projects in Kenya is a results-oriented performance measurement system. Design/Method/Approach: The research design was descriptive survey design and purposively selected 59 HIV/AIDS project managers and 59 Monitoring and evaluation officers, while 379 beneficiaries were randomly selected using Krejcie and Morgan formula. Structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data, which was analyzed through descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, mean score and standard deviation) as well as Pearson correlation and regression analysis. Findings: The study found a significant positive effect of participatory decision-making on performance of HIV/AIDs Community Health Projects at p<0.05. Participatory decision-making increases or enhances performance of HIV/AIDS Community Health Projects in Kisumu County. Theoretical and Practical Implications: This paper contributed to the body of research on participatory management by underscoring the argument that participatory decision making enhances the performance of HIV/AIDs community health projects. Originality/Value: This research not only demonstrates how community health projects can be efficiently run through involvement of primary stakeholders (beneficiaries), it is also an example of an application of stakeholder’s theory to a practical field. Research Limitations/Future Research: This research opens opportunities for future research on participatory management in community health projects. Paper Type: Empirical JEL Classification: D83, I18, L31, O15

Climate decision making: influence of prevailing social norms and probability of climate change

IntroductionThe global rise in climatic calamities necessitates effective strategies for understanding and addressing Earth’s climate complexities. Although recent research underscores simulation tools’ effectiveness in elucidating complex concepts related to Earth’s climate, partner influence on climatic decisions within simulation studies has been overlooked.MethodsEmploying the Partner Interactive Climate Change Simulator (P-ICCS), we examined 180 participants across varied conditions. The study manipulated partner nature (optimal, irrational, or none) and climate change probability (high or low) to observe effects on participants’ responses (mitigation or adaptation) within P-ICCS.ResultsResults revealed a significant impact of partner presence, with the optimal partner notably enhancing monetary investments against climate change compared to the irrational partner. Intriguingly, climate change probability did not sway participants’ investment behavior.DiscussionThe findings emphasize the pivotal role of partner influence in climate decision-making, offering insights for effective mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Green strategies in ports: a stakeholder management perspective

AbstractThis paper delves into the intricate relationship between green strategies and stakeholder management within the port industry. We employ a robust conceptual framework and a tailored methodology, encompassing all sixteen Italian Port Management Bodies and analysing 344 related green strategies. A unique indirect approach is introduced to identify the primary stakeholders targeted by these strategies. The research identifies three primary categories of green strategies: energy efficiency, electric supply infrastructure development, and renewable energy promotion. These strategies align with increasing environmental expectations and stricter regulations. Terminal operators and local communities emerge as primary stakeholder groups, underscoring their growing influence in port management decisions. This research bridges a substantial gap in the academic literature by shedding light on the benefits of green strategies for the principal port stakeholders and the pivotal role of these strategies for stakeholder management in ports. Port managers can leverage these insights to make informed strategic decisions, strengthen their corporate social responsibility initiatives, and better address environmental concerns while meeting stakeholder expectations. Furthermore, the paper offers valuable guidance to policymakers aiming to stimulate additional investments in environmental sustainability, thereby meeting the expectations of port stakeholders and enhancing port competitiveness.

Summary of the Evaluation of Cities of Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITT) at Moroccan Universities

Introduction. Science, technology, and innovation are pivotal for economic policy worldwide. Morocco, aiming to boost its competitiveness, has implemented reforms to enhance economic diversity and foster university-business links since 2000, although the impact on technological advancement remains limited.Problem Statement. Morocco’s Cities of Innovation and Technological Transfer (CITT) lack a defi ned statutory role within university structures, restricting their decision-making infl uence. This study examines these constraints to suggest strategic improvements.Purpose. The goal is a comprehensive evaluation of CITTs across Moroccan universities, identifying their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to propose a strategic plan for better integration and eff ectiveness in the national innovation system.Materials and Methods. Employing a mixed methodology, this research analyzes the innovation and technological transfer structures within six Moroccan public universities through SWOT analysis, focusing on innovation capacities and interinstitutional collaborations. Data were collected via validated questionnaires, interviews, and field observations.Results. CITTs align with the universities’ strategic visions, enhancing scientifi c research and socio-economic engagement. Recommendations focus on defining clear mission statements, developing strategic policies, and fostering proactive collaborations to improve CITT operations and visibility.Conclusions. The study highlights CITTs’ potential to drive socio-economic and scientific progress in Morocco. Despite challenges like regulatory impacts and limited university autonomy, enhancing these structures’ roles is crucial for national development. Strategic plans and university autonomy are recommended to integrate innovation more effectively into Morocco’s broader development goals.

Enhancing Risk Management: Leveraging the Likelihood/Severity Matrix for Effective Risk Assessment and Mitigation in the Electrical and Electronic Sector

This paper presents the basic concept of risk and reviews commonly applied tools and techniques for risk assessment. Generally, risk assessment is a completely experiential decision-making process based on experience and knowledge of risk assistants. This paper emphasises one quantitative/qualitative technique, namely the likelihood/severity matrix approach, which aims to direct the organisation’s attention towards risks that have the highest potential to have a negative effect. This paper’s main contribution lies in introducing a proposed model that utilises the likelihood/severity matrix approach to categorise risks into ‘regions’ and subsequently rank them. This process supports risk managers in making informed decisions to reduce risks effectively. A likelihood/severity matrix was examined through a case study belonging to the electrical and electronic sector to find the critical risks that hinder the assembly line of personal computers. Results showed that the ‘Breaking parts during assembly’, ‘Shocking the components from static electricity discharge’ and ‘Using wrong compatible parts’ risks had the maximum risk score, with values of 10–15 as the most critical risks. These results can influence decision makers in developing actions to mitigate these highlighted risks.

The Influence of Product Quality, Promotion, Price, Trust and Purchase Decision on Consumer Loyalty at PT. X

Increasingly intense competition between product provider institutions recently is not only caused by globalization. But more because customers are getting smarter, price conscious, more demanding, less forgiving, and approached by many products. Consumer loyalty is an important factor in maintaining existence in market competition, increasing sales and as a step in purchasing decisions and to achieve goals. This study uses quantitative methods. The aim is to determine customer loyalty and purchase decisions as intervening variables. The research sample is all consumers at PT X with a total sample of 150 respondents. The data analysis method used in this study is SPSS and also Smart PLS version 3. The results of this study indicate product quality, promotion, price, significant trust in purchasing decisions. as well as a significant purchase decision on customer loyalty.

Incorporating a partner’s strategic value into a fast-and-frugal heuristic for decision-making

PurposeThis paper aims to propose an accurate and efficient decision-making process adapted to the specific context of Claim Management situations, implying partners engaged in a high-involvement relationship.Design/methodology/approachWe used a three-step approach: first, an inductive phase based on 12 past case studies. Second, a theory-building phase. Third, a theory-testing phase based on an ongoing case study to observe and test our propositions.FindingsProposal 1: Partner’s Strategic Value is an influential decision parameter that must be incorporated into Claim Management-related decision-making processes in high-involvement relationships. Proposal 2: The Fast-and-Frugal Heuristic is adapted to the intense, interactive and iterative nature of the Claim Management context. Our final proposal combines these two findings, i.e. a Fast-and-Frugal Heuristic incorporating the Partner’s Strategic Value and based on using decision criteria as a sequence, not simultaneously.Originality/valueIn the context of high-involvement business relationships and Claim Management, this study introduces the importance of selecting an appropriate decision methodology and integrating a strategic decision parameter (Partner’s Strategic Value) into an operational decision-making context. Furthermore, the principle of considering decision parameters in a specific sequence corresponds to the iterative and interactive nature of the Claim Management processes.

The Impact of Women Leadership and Decision-Making on Employee Performance with Servant Leadership Style as a Moderating Variable

This study aims to examine the influence of women's leadership and decision making on employee performance, as well as the moderating impact of servant leadership style in the context of the food and beverage subsector manufacturing industry in the Greater Bekasi area. A quantitative approach was used with nonprobability sampling techniques, and data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), involving 219 respondents as research samples. The results showed that female leadership and decision making had a significant effect on employee performance. In addition, servant leadership style moderates the relationship between these variables, suggesting that the application of this leadership style can strengthen the positive impact of women's leadership and decision-making on employee performance. The practical implication of this study is the importance of women's leadership development and the application of servant leadership style in improving employee performance in the industrial sector under study

A Conceptualization of Mood Influences on Group Judgment and Decision Making: The Key Function of Dominant Cognitive Processing Strategies

This conceptualization describes how positive and negative mood states, information processing, cognitive processing strategies, and group interaction combine to influence group judgment and decision making. The crux of the conceptualization is a dominant cognitive processing strategy. Positive moods inform group members that the situation is benign and reinforce dominant cognitive processing strategies. Negative moods provide feedback that the situation is problematic, leading to inhibition or revision of dominant cognitive processing strategies. Moods achieve these impacts through their influences on the cognitive processes of attention, processing objectives, and cognitive representations. Group interaction also accentuates these cognitive processes and related strategies. This conceptualization is applied to understand mood influences on jury decision making, group social dilemmas, hidden profile tasks, group judgments of opinions, judgments with cognitive biases, and quantitative judgments. The discussion considers mood influences in other group judgment and decision making related phenomena of group brainstorming, intergroup negotiation, stress, and groupthink.

Renewable Energy Technology Selection for Hotel Buildings: A Systematic Approach Based on AHP and VIKOR Methods

This study provides an assessment of renewable energy technology utilization in hotel buildings, which are significant structures in terms of energy consumption. The aim of the study is to determine suitable renewable energy technologies (RETs) for hotel buildings by defining criteria for evaluating RETs, assessing the relative importance of these criteria, and proposing a multi-criteria decision-making framework to solve the problem of selecting the most appropriate RETs during the design stage. The alternatives for RETs and the criteria for their evaluation are gathered through a literature review and expert consultations. Eight fundamental RETs used in hotel buildings (such as heat pumps, solar panels, biomass boilers, etc.) are examined, and nine selection criteria are analyzed. According to the weights determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, the initial investment cost is the most influential decision criterion, with a weight of 0.314. As a result of applying the AHP and VIKOR (Multi-Criteria Optimization and Compromise Solution) methods for technology selection, photovoltaic panels emerge as the top-ranked choice. This comprehensive evaluation provides stakeholders in the building production process of hotel buildings with detailed analyses and multi-criteria decision-making methods for selecting RETs.

Exploring Cultural Capital in the College and Financial Aid Decision Process for the GEAR UP Federal Grant Program

This qualitative study investigates the relationship between cultural capital and financial aid in college decision-making through use of an updated model based on Perna’s (2006) cultural capital model, focusing on decision-making influences within the habitus layer. Researchers conducted focus groups and interviews, yielding (N=15) GEAR UP scholarship recipient participants. Findings from this study evidence the importance of personal and social networks, individual intuition, and trust in college decision-making, with these components often cited more frequently than traditionally cited factors beyond the habitus layer. This study serves as a model for investigating student decision-making, highlighting the importance of uplifting student voice, and as an initial investigation into the ways in which college-going students’ decision-making practices are changing.

Democratising futures, reinvigorating democracy? Participatory futures as a tool for citizen voice and influence in local decision-making

Purpose In recent years, democracies across Europe have been challenged in ways this paper has not witnessed on such a scale for generations. It is therefore unsurprising that innovations within democracy are emerging, particularly in terms of participatory and deliberative practices. Focusing specifically on local democracy and decision-making, this paper aims to examine ways of democratising future studies as a means of enhancing citizen participation in democracy. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws upon the growing body of work under the umbrella term of “participatory futures” as a way of contextualising and critiquing the “real-world” application and empirical testing of methods within this field by local municipalities. Findings It identifies the importance of supporting the development of futures literacy in citizens, public administration officials and political and strategic leaders. The paper demonstrates how broadening the application of existing foresight techniques through their confluence with participatory action research (PAR) principles can create spaces that reignite people’s social imagination. This in turn enables citizens and those working in local municipalities to engage in dialogue about the future. Originality/value The paper examines the results of a PAR study, in which innovative participatory future methods were tested as tools for enhancing citizen involvement in local decision-making. Through this, it outlines how foresight practices can be democratised, supporting local democracy to thrive, and identifies future research and practice directions within the field.

Order prescriptions online: Determinants of purchase satisfaction in an emerging Indian e‐pharmacy sector

AbstractThe burgeoning Indian e‐pharmacy sector, spurred by digital commerce growth and affordable Internet access, presents a promising solution to distribution challenges, especially during the pandemic. Despite doubling online sales within a few months of lockdown and significant investments, understanding consumer behaviour in this novel domain remains crucial. This research addresses this gap by employing the stimuli–organism–response (SOR) model to conceptualize and empirically validate the determinants of customer purchase satisfaction in e‐pharmacies. In the e‐pharmacy context, stimuli encompass online cues like the perception of honesty (PH), convenience value (CV), perceived risk and quality perception. The organismic state embodies the user's propensity to purchase medications online (PPMS), whereas the response represents their customer purchase satisfaction (CPS). Employing partial least squares structural equation modelling on data from 220 consumers, this study reveals significant relationships between stimuli and PPMS and CPS. Furthermore, subjective norm moderates the influence of PH and CV on PPMS, highlighting the importance of social influence in online pharmacy decisions. These findings enrich the understanding of consumer behaviour in e‐pharmacies and demonstrate the utility of the SOR model in this context. This research contributes to both theory and practice. Theoretically, it pioneers applying the SOR model to e‐pharmacies, uncovering the interplay between environmental cues, internal states, and purchase satisfaction. Practically, the study offers valuable insights for e‐pharmacy platforms to enhance user experience and promote customer satisfaction.

Through the eyes of the involved: the extent to which different types of influence shape public employed frontline professionals’ perception of involvement in organizational decision-making

ABSTRACT This article offers a theoretical model on how frontline professionals form their perception of being involved in organizational decision-making by balancing perceived benefits and transaction costs of increased influence. The model suggests that frontline professionals find consultation most beneficial for decisions that are distal from their daily work tasks and prefer joint decision-making for decisions that are proximal to their daily work tasks. Results from a survey experiment with more than 600 public employed junior physicians reveal that, regardless of the proximity of the organizational decision, they perceive consultation as the most beneficial form of influence in organizational decision-making.

Research on group decision optimization and influence analysis in social network based on machine learning

With the rapid development of online social networks, the research on group decision-making in social networks has attracted extensive attention. Social networks facilitate interaction and behavior between individuals, businesses, and organizations. However, traditional group decision-making methods often ignore the social relationships between group members and fail to fully consider the impact of these relationships on subgroup division. In this work, we propose a novel model approach that combines graph neural networks and deep learning techniques to capture and analyze complex relational structures in social networks. The model uses node features and edge features to optimize the group decision-making process and effectively evaluate the influence between individuals through multi-layer network embedding and aggregation operations. Experimental analysis results show that the proposed method performs well in improving the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making, and significantly improves the quality of decision-making.

An Attacker-Defender Game Model with Constrained Strategies.

Recently, research interest in the field of infrastructure attack and defense scenarios has increased. Numerous methods have been proposed for studying strategy interactions that combine complex network theory and game theory. However, the unavoidable effect of constrained strategies in complex situations has not been considered in previous studies. This study introduces a novel approach to analyzing these interactions by including the effects of constrained strategies, a factor often neglected in traditional analyses. First, we introduce the rule of constraints on strategies, which depends on the average distance between selected nodes. As the average distance increases, the probability of choosing the corresponding strategy decreases. Second, we establish an attacker-defender game model with constrained strategies based on the above rule and using information theory to evaluate the uncertainty of these strategies. Finally, we present a method for solving this problem and conduct experiments based on a target network. The results highlight the unique characteristics of the Nash equilibrium when setting constraints, as these constraints influence decision makers' Nash equilibria. When considering the constrained strategies, both the attacker and the defender tend to select strategies with lower average distances. The effect of the constraints on their strategies becomes less apparent as the number of attackable or defendable nodes increases. This research advances the field by introducing a novel framework for examining strategic interactions in infrastructure defense and attack scenarios. By incorporating strategy constraints, our work offers a new perspective on the critical area of infrastructure security.