Key Decisions Research Articles

BMax consulting moves into Southeast Asia

Research methodology The data for this case were obtained primarily through a series of in-person interviews in Penang between the authors and Pete Browning (a pseudonym) from 2017 to early 2019. The authors also consulted secondary data sources, including publicly available material on BMax and “Company B”. Case overview/synopsis This case examines a key decision, or set of decisions, in the life of a small- to medium-sized management consultancy group, namely, whether they might expand their operations in Southeast Asia, and if so, where. These key decisions came in the wake of their having already established a very modest scale presence there, with an operating base on the island of Penang just off the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The initial establishment of a Southeast Asian branch had been somewhat spontaneous in nature – a former colleague of one of the two managing partners in the USA was on the ground in Malaysia and available: he became the local partner in the firm. But the firm had now been eyeing expansion within the region, with three markets under particular consideration (Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand) and a further two (Vietnam and China) also seen as possible targets, though at a more peripheral level. The questions facing the decision makers were “was it time they expand beyond Malaysia?” and “if so, where?” Complexity academic level This case could be used effectively in undergraduate courses in international business. The key concepts on which the case focuses are the factors affecting market entry, particularly the choice of market and the assessment of potential attractiveness such markets offer.

Challenges in the Management of Invasive Fungal Infections in the Middle East: Expert Opinion to Optimize Management Using a Multidisciplinary Approach.

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is a significant global healthcare concern among critically ill and immunocompromised patients. In Middle Eastern countries, IFI has been steadily increasing among hospitalized patients in the past two decades. Diagnosis of IFI at an early stage is crucial for efficient management. Invasive fungal infection management is complex and requires the involvement of physicians from different specialties. There are several challenges associated with IFI management in the countries in the Middle East. This review aims to understand the key challenges associated with IFI management in the Middle East, encompassing epidemiology, diagnosis, therapeutic options, and optimizing a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, this review aims to incorporate expert opinions from multidisciplinary fields for optimizing IFI management in different Middle Eastern countries by addressing key decision points throughout the patient's journey. Lack of epidemiological data on fungal infections, slow and poorly sensitive conventional culture-based diagnostic tests, limited availability of biomarker testing, lack of awareness of clinical symptoms of the disease, limited knowledge on fungal infections, lack of local practice guidelines, and complicated disease management are the major challenges associated with IFI diagnosis and management in the Middle Eastern countries. Implementation of a multidisciplinary approach, antifungal stewardship, improved knowledge of fungal infections, the use of rapid diagnostic tests, and enhanced epidemiological research are warranted to lower the IFI burden in the Middle East.

Toward the creation of disaster-resilient communities: The Machizukuri initiative – The 2011 Tōhoku Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Community engagement and involvement are essential components in managing and responding to disasters. The March 2011 natural disaster on Japan’s northwest coast was extensive. Despite the country’s well-positioned response framework, relief organisations needed to relocate and faced ongoing infrastructure disruption and significant concerns for rescue and recovery operations. This article aimed to understand better the role and impact of local communities in responding to and recovering from disasters by examining the role of the Machizukuri following the Tōhoku Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (GEJET). We used an exploratory approach, and in-depth interviews were undertaken with eight key decision-makers involved in recovery efforts. Key findings from these interviews showed that, while the central government enacted their disaster management plans, responses were slow and failed to address local priorities. To compensate, the local community and Machizukuri assisted and successfully united the local community to address gaps left by the centralised governments' approach. It is an example of self-reliance and the use of an effective bottom-up approach to address critical disasters. However, efforts were hindered by a lack of coordination between the various government bodies and aid organisations and communication failures that prevented a more coherent response. Furthermore, the forms of creative, bottom-up recovery and response resulted in long-term rebuilding practices that has been a key factor in maintaining the vitality and culture of the affected community. These findings should assist societies in remediating these shortcomings, responding more effectively to future disasters, and enhancing community resilience necessary for long-term recovery.

The continuance commitment of family firm CEOs

This study seeks to extend the classic socio-emotional and stewardship perspective on family CEOs with a complementary rational-economic perspective on their agentic behavior. To this end, using a sample of 103 top executives of U.S. family firms, we investigate the relationship between continuance commitment of family CEOs and their perceptions of family cohesion and discuss how this relationship is moderated by firm performance. Integrating insights from research on organizational behavior into the family business literature, we discuss how key decision makers in the family business context engage in rational cost-benefit analyses regarding their own personal investments in the firm. Our findings suggest that the continuance commitment of family CEOs interacts with performance to enhance perceptions of family cohesion.

Maternal health in Sri Lanka: 75 years of national commitment towards excellence

Sri Lanka has a legacy of religious and cultural practices promoting health, and its rulers have been responsive to health needs of the populace. The healthcare milieu that prevailed in the pre-colonial and colonial periods favorably influenced the evolution of maternal health in the last 75 years. Since independence, maternal health in the country improved in many dimensions and directions, in the backdrop of multiple sociodemographic changes and geopolitical fluxes, while far-reaching advances in the medico-technological and communication fields were taking place at global level.By 1948, maternal health services were extensive with maternity hospitals, midwifery training school and functional health units in place. The establishment of a cadre of government-trained midwives instead of training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) was a key policy decision that brought long-term dividends. The WHO supported training primary health care workers even before opening their country office in 1952. In the early days, obstetricians relied mostly on their skills to conduct dexterous maneuvers with the generous use of rotational forceps rather than resorting to abdominal deliveries.The Family Planning Association was founded in 1953, which introduced family planning services to the country till the government took over the subject in 1958. A rigorous campaign (punchi pawla raththaran), promoting sterilization was conducted for population control in 1974, which resulted in the total fertility rate coming down significantly.Maternal Death Surveillance and Response system (MDSR) was established in 1981 which has been recognized globally as a success and is being upscaled to a confidential Inquiry status. Commitment and untiring efforts of the Ministry of Health: Family Health Bureau, professional organizations, development partners including the WHO, have contributed for the achievements in the area of women’s health.

Maternal Health in Sri Lanka: 75 years of national commitment towards excellence.

Sri Lanka has a legacy of religious and cultural practices promoting health, and its rulers have been responsive to health needs of the populace. The healthcare milieu that prevailed in the pre-colonial and colonial periods favorably influenced the evolution of maternal health in the last 75 years. Since independence, maternal health in the country improved in many dimensions and directions, in the backdrop of multiple sociodemographic changes and geopolitical fluxes, while far-reaching advances in the medico-technological and communication fields were taking place at global level. By 1948, maternal health services were extensive with maternity hospitals, midwifery training school and functional health units in place. The establishment of a cadre of government-trained midwives instead of training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) was a key policy decision that brought long-term dividends. The WHO supported training primary health care workers even before opening their country office in 1952. In the early days, obstetricians relied mostly on their skills to conduct dexterous maneuvers with the generous use of rotational forceps rather than resorting to abdominal deliveries. The Family Planning Association was founded in 1953, which introduced family planning services to the country till the government took over the subject in 1958. A rigorous campaign (punchi pawla raththaran), promoting sterilization was conducted for population control in 1974 ,which resulted in the total fertility rate coming down significantly. Maternal Death Surveillance and Response system (MDSR) was established in 1981 which has been recognized globally as a success and is being upscaled to a confidential Inquiry status. Commitment and untiring efforts of the Ministry of health: Family Health Bureau, professional organizations, development partners including the WHO, have contributed for the achievements in the area of women's health.

Имущественные и неимущественные риски в системе российского корпоративного управления

Introduction. Corporations today are the basis of any state’s economy, and within the framework of corporate governance, key strategic decisions are made that determine the fate of corporations. Accordingly, the problem of corporate governance risk management is one of the key economic problems, as it affects the interests of not only the participants of corporate relations, but also a huge number of economic agents. Theoretical analysis. The article presents the views of Russian scientists on the characteristics and classification of corporate governance risks, defines the property and non-property risks of corporate governance, considers the causes of their occurrence, as well as the mechanisms of influence on the corporation, its participants, creditors, public law entities. Also, a distinction is made between the objectively existing normal business risk and the predominantly subjective risks of corporate governance. Empirical analysis. Based on statistical data on bringing controlling persons to subsidiary liability, it is shown that the number of bankruptcies of Russian companies due to the manifestation of corporate governance risks is steadily growing. Results. The author’s typology of corporate governance risks, characterized by their relationship and interdependence is developed. Property and non-property risks of corporate governance are identified, the impact of which on the activities of Russian corporations is currently the most significant. Among them are those to which it is possible to adapt in the modern conditions of doing business. It is concluded that in the process of managing corporate risks based on the use of corporate law institutions existing in Russia and their combinations, it is impossible to nullify completely the occurrence and manifestation of the risks in question. Nevertheless, to ensure the necessary mutual control of the corporate relations subjects, limiting their ability to act in bad faith and unreasonably to the detriment of the company, is quite an achievable task.

Methodological implications of participant and researcher multilingualism: making language dynamics visible

ABSTRACT Language can impact the research process in complex ways. This special issue (SI) brings together seven contributions which discuss the methodological implications of researching in a multilingual world, where researchers and/or research participants are likely to know more than one language. The papers examine the relationship between researchers’ language ideologies and actual practices with multilingual participants, teams or projects, from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. The SI also considers positionality, including how researchers feel – and are perceived – when working in one or more first languages (L1), a later learned language (LX), or a language outside of their linguistic repertoire (L0). It provides practical examples of the stages of researching multilingually, focusing on key decisions that researchers make over the course of their projects, which are seldom made visible in research reports. We argue that linguistic reflexivity is an essential practice, through which researchers make informed language-related choices and continually reflect on the role of language(s) throughout their research projects. These illustrative accounts, from various geographic contexts, offer lessons from experience – distilled as questions and principles – to guide researchers in applied linguistics and beyond as they embark on the multifaceted journey of researching multilingually.

An Integrated Testbed for Power System Cyber-Physical Operations Training

The increased adoption of information and communication technology for smart grid applications will require innovative cyber–physical system (CPS) testbeds to support research and education in the field. Groundbreaking CPS testbeds with realistic and scalable platforms have progressively gained interest in recent years, with electric power flowing in the physical layer and information flowing in the network layer. However, CPSs are critical infrastructures and not designed for testing or direct training, as any misbehaving in an actual system operation could cause a catastrophic impact on its operation. Based on that, it is not easy to efficiently train professionals in CPSs. Aiming to support the advancement and encourage the training of industry professionals, this paper proposes and develops a complete testbed using a real-time simulator, protection and automation devices, and a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The testbed replicated the performance of smart grids, and the main potential cyber threats that electric grids may face. Different case scenarios include a distribution system protection study, a denial of service (DoS) attack, a jamming attack, a network packet manipulation attack, a sensor data manipulation attack, a false trip command attack, etc. The system’s performance before and after the cyberattacks are studied using packet-sniffing tools and a network packet analyzer. The impact on the grid is analyzed using metrics such as voltage oscillation, frequency deviation, and loss of active power generation. Moreover, the complex interdependencies between the cyber and physical domains are discussed in detail, providing insightful guidelines for key features and design decisions for future smart grid testbeds.

„Papierowa wojna” – czyli o mniej znanych aspektach pewnej znanej klęski wojennej propagandy

‘PAPER WAR’ – OR THE LESSER-KNOWN ASPECTS OF A CERTAIN WELL-KNOWN FAILURE OF WARTIME PROPAGANDA The article presents examples of the construction of a war narrative aimed not so much at accurately informing the public about key decisions for the state, but at ways of constructing messages to achieve strategic objectives, which do not necessarily prove to be effective.

From Competition Law to Platform Regulation – Regulatory Choices for the Digital Markets Act

Abstract The digital landscape is characterized by the concentration of power in the hands of a few “gatekeepers.” Europe’s legal answer, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), constitutes a new legal approach. It aims at restricting this power and ensuring “fairness and contestability.” Traditionally, the tools of competition law were used to set the basic rules of how to operate in markets. The shift to a different technique, regulatory law, prompts three questions: First, why is it necessary to deviate from the path set in competition law? Second, what are the differences between the competition law approach and the regulatory approach of the DMA? Third, what are key decisions to be taken within the new regulatory framework? At the outset, the DMA is presented.

Understanding the adoption and institutionalization of workforce analytics: A systematic literature review and research agenda

Data analytics plays a crucial role in enhancing organizational decision-making. Various organizational disciplines have already embraced data analytics. However, human resources management is lagging in data-driven decision-making and, specifically, workforce analytics. Although an increasing number of studies explore the diffusion of workforce analytics, our understanding of why organizations decide to adopt workforce analytics and how organizations further institutionalize workforce analytics remains limited. Taking an HRM innovation and contextualized perspective, this systematic literature review aims to provide in-depth knowledge on factors driving workforce analytics adoption and institutionalization. The results, including relevant learnings from business analytics research, show the importance of competitive, institutional, heritage mechanisms, key decision-makers and actors, and HRM fit-related factors in the diffusion process. Based on the results of this review, various avenues for future research are presented. Additionally, insights from this literature review can help decision-makers allocate their scarce resources effectively and efficiently to cultivate workforce analytics as an organizational practice.

WHY DID RUSSIA INVADE UKRAINE? PLAUSIBLE THEORETICAL EXPLANATIONS

This paper examines three major theoretical frameworks to explain Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine. It is argued that although the war caught many by surprise, it can still be explained by at least several International Relations theories. President Putin’s decision may be erroneous but it should be treated as rational.
 The purpose of this research is to suggest theoretical frameworks suitable for understanding and evaluating the key foreign policy and security decisions taken by the current Russian leadership. It is assumed that the moves and choices taken by the Kremlin, in particular on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulted from the way decision-makers had perceived the threats and options of the time. It is also assumed that International Relations as a scientific discipline has relevant explanations and frameworks for dealing even with such seemingly irrational decisions like the one taken before the invasion. Political leaders are not going mad; they rather act within specific environments framed by available information and some basic theoretical assumptions.
 This article focuses on examining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through the lenses of security dilemma, rational decision-making and power transition process. The author argues that each of these approaches can provide a coherent explanation of a strategic logic behind the decision to wage war. Moreover, by using each of these instruments it may be possible to assess Russia’s foreign and security policy beyond its Ukrainian direction, and also in a retrospect.
 An interstate war in a modern world is assumed to bear extremely high costs and generate high risks. Because of that, wars are so rare. But this does not imply that wars are impossible. At different levels and under certain conditions, launching a war may still seem to be the best course of action, in particular for revisionist states, even if it a choice between the bad and the worst.

Zepto – 10-min grocery delivery service

Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Learning outcomes Learning objectives are as follows: critically analyze the business model of the Instant Grocery Delivery Model like Zepto; infer the importance of competitor analysis in determining the success of a startup; and analyze customer complaints and develop a corrective action plan. Case overview / synopsis The focus of this case is the controversy faced by Zepto due to its aggressive 10-min instant delivery service. This case discusses the negative publicity and criticism faced by Zepto from various influential netizens like members of the parliament, a well-known industrialist and independent experts questioning the 10-min express delivery plan that could endanger the lives of its delivery partners. The case also discusses customer complaints and the negative publicity faced by Zepto in digital forums and social media. The primary focus of this case is the dilemma faced by Zepto’s young founders in resolving the criticism faced by Zepto due to its 10-min delivery model and due to mounting customer complaints regarding poor product quality and deficient service. The key managerial decision that the protagonists are facing is whether should Zepto continue to operate in the 10-min delivery model or should it increase the delivery time to 15 to 20 min. Complexity academic level Undergraduate students studying Marketing courses in Commerce and Business Management streams can use this case. Subject Code CSS 8: Marketing.

An Integrated Approach Based on MADM and MODM for Order Picking System Considering Human Factors

Optimizing order-picking systems (OPSs) while considering human factors and integrating key decisions is a major challenge for warehouse managers. This study presents a two-stage framework based on multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) and multi-objective decision-making (MODM) models to integrate decisions on picker selection, order batching, batch assignment, picker routing, and scheduling. In the first stage, the human factors affecting picker selection are considered as the problem’s criteria and the available pickers are treated as alternatives. The fuzzy entropy method and fuzzy COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) are used to weight the factors and rank the pickers, respectively. In the second stage, a three-objective mathematical model is formulated to minimize makespan and the operating costs of picking while maximizing the total scores of the selected pickers. The improved augmented epsilon constraint method (AUGMECON2) and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) are applied to solve the proposed model. The performance of the two methods is tested on well-known benchmark instances and a real-world case study. The NSGA-II algorithm can generate optimal results using only about 6.58% of the CPU time required by AUGMECON2 to solve the problem. Our computational experiments show that increasing the number of pickers from 2 to 8 and doubling their capacity reduces the makespan by 2.61% and 2.74%, respectively.

CEO's self-oriented perfectionism, strategic decision comprehensiveness and firm resilience

PurposeFirm resilience is critical for firm survival and development. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether chief executive officer's (CEO) self-oriented perfectionism affects firm resilience by taking into consideration of the mediating role of strategic decision comprehensiveness and the moderating effect of competitive uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the survey method and uses two-wave survey data collected from 140 CEOs in different industries in China. The ordinary least square (OLS) regression model and path analysis are adopted to test the authors' theoretical hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that self-oriented perfectionism drives CEOs to pay attention to thoroughness and detail, which helps enhance strategic decision comprehensiveness and further facilitates firm resilience. Furthermore, the positive effect of CEO's self-oriented perfectionism on strategic decision comprehensiveness is weakened when competitive uncertainty is high.Practical implicationsTo promote firm resilience, self-oriented perfectionism can be considered when hiring or promoting key decision-makers. When making strategic decisions, top managers need to search for adequate information, consider various factors and seek more alternative plans to improve strategic decision comprehensiveness to further facilitate firm resilience.Originality/valueThis study pioneers the influence of CEO's perfectionism on firm resilience and further tackles the underlying mechanism behind the influence, which contributes to extending the micro-foundation of firm resilience and enriching perfectionism literature in the strategic leadership field.

Digital divide or digital exclusion? Do allied health professionals' assumptions drive use of telehealth?

Telehealth use within allied health services currently lacks structure and consistency, ultimately affecting who can, and cannot, access services. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing allied health professionals' (AHP) selection of consumers and appointments for telehealth. This study was conducted across 16 allied health departments from four Australian hospitals. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 58 AHPs. Analysis was underpinned by Qualitative Description methodology with inductive coding guided by Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach. Six themes were identified that influenced AHPs' evaluation of telehealth suitability and selection of consumers. These included the following: (1) ease, efficiency and comfort of telehealth for clinicians; (2) clear benefits of telehealth for the consumer, yet the consumers were not always given the choice; (3) consumers' technology access and ability; (4) establishing and maintaining effective therapeutic relationships via telehealth; (5) delivering clinically appropriate and effective care via telehealth; and (6) external influences on telehealth service provision. A further theme of 'assumption versus reality' was noted to pervade all six themes. Clinicians remain the key decision makers for whether telehealth is offered within allied health services. Ease and efficiency of use is a major driver in AHP's willingness to use telehealth. Assumptions and pre-conceived frames-of-reference often underpin decisions to not offer telehealth and present major barriers to telehealth adoption. The development of evidence-based, decision-support frameworks that engage the consumer and clinician in determining when telehealth is used is required. Services need to actively pursue joint decision-making between the clinician and consumer about service delivery preferences.

Biparty multiobjective optimal power flow: The problem definition and an evolutionary approach

The multiobjective optimal power flow (MOOPF) problem consists of adjusting the generator power and the voltage state of each node within the feasible range in the process of power transmission and, finally of achieving the objectives of optimizing the cost, loss and stability, etc. In the MOOPF, two key decision makers are usually involved, which are the power generation sector and the transmission sector. Thus, it is more suitable to model an MOOPF as a biparty multiobjective optimal power flow (BPMOOPF) problem. However, so far, there is no work on treating and solving the MOOPF problem from the perspective of biparty multiobjective optimization. In this paper, we propose the definition of the BPMOOPF problem as well as a novel evolutionary biparty multiobjective optimization algorithm for solving the BPMOOPF problem, which we call BPMOOPF-EA. Our experimental results show that, compared two state-of-the-art algorithms (C-MOEA/D and A-NSGA-III), our proposed BPMOOPF-EA has a better performance when solving the BPMOOPF problem.

Проблемы и пути совершенствования правового регулирования государственных инвестиций в России

The article describes the main conclusions of the research work aimed at identifying key problems of and ways to improve the legal regulation of public investment in Russia. This work was based on the analysis of legislation and practice of its application. The analysis leads to the conclusion that there are significant shortcomings in the current legislation on planning and implementation of public investment, which hinder their efficiency. Among such shortcomings, the author highlights contradictions on the issue of bodies authorized to make key investment decisions; duplication of the investment component of state programs and national (federal) projects; approval of budget allocations for projects that are not ready for implementation; unclear grounds for raising the price of construction contracts, as well as for centralizing the functions of planning and implementation of sectoral investments, reduction of requirements for justification of investment projects. To mitigate these shortcomings, the author suggests to ensure systematic planning of large investments as part of national and federal projects, excluding these costs from the state programs; as a general rule, to abandon the practice of approving decisions on the implementation of budget investments by individual acts of the government and financing projects without the necessary documentation; to organize a comparative assessment of the efficiency of centralized and sectoral customers in investment management according to legally defined criteria; to return to the use of some previously applied criteria for the efficiency of investment projects.

Naturalistic decision making and decision drivers in the front end of complex projects

Decision making plays a crucial role in the front end of projects which is a critical stage for maximising the performance of complex projects. Although it has been suggested that project managers rely more on analytical approaches to decision making as opposed to an intuitive mode, there is emerging evidence of project managers using intuitive decision processes. Yet, little is known about how this occurs during the front-end phase, with few attempts to study the underlying cognitive processes and what influences project decision making. This research gap is addressed by interviewing project managers experienced in front-end decision making (n = 16) of large-scale complex projects within the oil and gas industry. Adopting a naturalistic decision-making (NDM) methodology and using a form of cognitive task analysis, a thematic coding of their accounts of decision making during the front end of large complex projects identified key decision processes and influencing factors (drivers). Formal analytical processes (e.g., data-driven calculations, software rating tools) were favoured but, and in line with emerging findings, these experienced project managers also used intuitive decision-making processes, such as pattern recognition and feelings/associative memory. Decision drivers were grouped into 5 clusters - project external factors, project internal factors, social dimensions, individual differences, and time pressures. The findings suggest that project managers should be trained on how to recognise when intuitive decision making is occurring and how to use it while being aware of its strengths, weaknesses and influencing factors. A focus on building descriptive models of actual decision making in complex environments, for the training of project managers, by applying NDM methods will enhance the management of the front end of projects.