Decision-making Perspective Research Articles

A Comprehensive Study on the Influence of Corporate Governance Factors on Financial Performance of Listed Banking Companies in Bangladesh

This comprehensive study investigates the influence of organizational management elements on the economic outcomes of publicly traded banking enterprises in Bangladesh. The research begins with an introduction highlighting the significance of this study Within the framework of the Bangladeshi Financial industry. The review of literature delves into existing research on Effective management of organizations and their economic achievements, providing a foundation for this study. It identifies gaps and emphasizes the need for specific analysis in the Bangladeshi banking industry. An abbreviated summary of corporate oversight principles and practices sets the stage for understanding the study’s framework. Subsequently, the analysis of the financial industry in Bangladesh offers essential context for the study. The examination and results portion showcases factual information and outcomes, demonstrating the correlation between corporate governance elements and economic efficiency in banks listed in Bangladesh. Here we use five years data of five banks and then we use SPSS as a statistical tool for data analysis. The conclusion synthesizes these findings, highlighting key takeaways and their implications for the sector. Finally, the study concludes by discussing policy implications. It outlines recommendations for regulatory bodies and banking institutions to enhance the financial performance of banks in Bangladesh by implementing effective corporate governance strategies and practices. This study intends to provide valuable perspectives for stakeholders and decision-makers in the banking industry.

The Use of an Optimized Grey Multi-Objective Programming-PLUS Model for Multi-Scenario Simulation of Land Use in the Weigan–Kuche River Oasis, China

The oasis serves as the primary supply of cultivable land, along with the hub for human production and habitation in Xinjiang. Accordingly, predicting the land use of these areas based on various goals is an effective instrument for encouraging the sensible distribution of resource space. The study investigated the creation of a land use-allocation optimization model based on the various objectives of ecological protection, food security, and urban growth using the Weigan–Kuche River oasis as an example. The GMOP-PLUS model’s restriction conversion area was adjusted to include the findings of the land suitability evaluation. Additionally, it optimized and simulated the spatial arrangement and quantitative structure of land usage in the Weigan–Kuche River oasis in 2035. The results indicate the following: (1) the model’s overall accuracy is 89.36%, and its Kappa coefficient is 0.872, more than 0.8. Thus, the model can be considered for adoption in the future when predicting changes in land use in the districts and counties of the Weigan–Kuche River oasis; (2) based on the results of the land suitability evaluation, the percentage of areas that are most suited for agricultural development, urban development, and ecological protection is 39.32%, 24.21%, and 14.06%, respectively; and (3) the three scenarios satisfy the various demands for growth within the oasis, and the land use structure of the oasis varies considerably in response to the various development objectives, with the construction and cultivated land undergoing the most substantial modifications. The multi-scenario simulation of land usage in the oasis can provide essential support and a range of perspectives for future land spatial planning and socioeconomic development decision-making in the Weigan–Kuche River oasis. This is essential for both the efficient use of land resources and sustainable development.

Bridging technology and care: integrating web-based PROMs in mental health services for refugees: a study on clinician training and technology adoption.

This study explores the integration of a web-based electronic database technology containing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) with electronic health records for refugees with PTSD, emphasizing the systematic inclusion of patient perspectives in clinical decision-making. Our research addresses the notable gap in literature regarding training clinicians for the competent integration of health information technology in healthcare. The training program developed aimed at equipping clinicians, particularly inexperienced with technology, to effectively utilize an electronic PROM system for collecting systematic patient information. Our study is set in the context of the Mental Health Services (MHS) in Denmark, focusing on a specialized clinic for treating trauma-affected refugees. The multidisciplinary team involved in this project reflects a wide range of healthcare professionals. The training program employed a variety of activities over nearly 2 years, adapting to feedback and aiming to engage clinicians in continuous improvement processes. Analyzing qualitative data with thematic analysis we interpreted that the training's extended focus on discussion of the implementation process, with limited hands-on experience, potentially reinforced clinicians' hesitations toward new technology, rather than reducing them. Clinicians prioritized immediate concerns over potential long-term benefits. Despite this, their approach reflects a strong commitment to patient welfare and careful evaluation of new practices. Notably, there were also positive engagements with the technology, highlighting its potential in patient care. This study concludes that the successful integration of technology in clinical settings hinges on its alignment with clinicians' workflows, respect for their professional judgment, and clear benefits to patient care.

A Systematic Review of Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest: Implications for Resource-limited Health Systems.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a prevalent condition with high mortality and poor outcomes even in settings where extensive emergency care resources are available. Interventions to address OHCA have had limited success, with survival rates below 10% in national samples of high-income countries. In resource-limited settings, where scarcity requires careful priority setting, more data is needed to determine the optimal allocation of resources. To establish the cost-effectiveness of OHCA care and assess the affordability of interventions across income settings. The authors conducted a systematic review of economic evaluations on interventions to address OHCA. Included studies were (1) economic evaluations (beyond a simple costing exercise); and (2) assessed an intervention in the chain of survival for OHCA. Article quality was assessed using the CHEERs checklist and data summarised. Findings were reported by major themes identified by the reviewers. Based upon the results of the cost-effectiveness analyses we then conduct an analysis for the progressive realization of the OHCA chain of survival from the perspective of decision-makers facing resource constraints. 468 unique articles were screened, and 46 articles were included for final data abstraction. Studies predominantly used a healthcare sector perspective, modeled for all patients experiencing non-traumatic cardiac OHCA, were based in the US, and presented results in US Dollars. No studies reported results or used model inputs from low-income settings. Progressive realization of the chain of survival could likely begin with investments in TOR protocols, professional prehospital defibrillator use, and CPR training followed by distribution of AEDs in high-density public locations. Finally, other interventions such as indiscriminate defibrillator placement or adrenaline use, would be the lowest priority for early investment. Our review found no high-quality evidence on the cost-effectiveness of treating OHCA in low-resource settings. Existing evidence can be utilized to develop a roadmap for the development of a cost-effective approach to OHCA care, however further economic evaluations using context-specific data are crucial to accurately inform prioritization of scarce resources within emergency care in these settings.

Assessing Real-World Data From Electronic Health Records for Health Technology Assessment: The SUITABILITY Checklist: A Good Practices Report of an ISPOR Task Force

This ISPOR Good Practices report provides a framework for assessing the suitability of electronic health records data for use in health technology assessments (HTAs). Although electronic health record (EHR) data can fill evidence gaps and improve decisions, several important limitations can affect its validity and relevance. The ISPOR framework includes 2 components: data delineation and data fitness for purpose. Data delineation provides a complete understanding of the data and an assessment of its trustworthiness by describing (1) data characteristics; (2) data provenance; and (3) data governance. Fitness for purpose comprises (1) data reliability items, ie, how accurate and complete the estimates are for answering the question at hand and (2) data relevance items, which assess how well the data are suited to answer the particular question from a decision-making perspective. The report includes a checklist specific to EHR data reporting: the ISPOR SUITABILITY Checklist. It also provides recommendations for HTA agencies and policy makers to improve the use of EHR-derived data over time. The report concludes with a discussion of limitations and future directions in the field, including the potential impact from the substantial and rapid advances in the diffusion and capabilities of large language models and generative artificial intelligence. The report’s immediate audiences are HTA evidence developers and users. We anticipate that it will also be useful to other stakeholders, particularly regulators and manufacturers, in the future.

Production planning and control of a pharmaceutical supply chain using evolutionary fuzzy approach

This study aims to enhance the effectiveness of planning a pharmaceutical or healthcare supply chain (PHSC). Past research mostly applied simulation or optimization methods, which were time-consuming or difficult to obtain the optimal solution. This study proposes an evolutionary fuzzy approach from a multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) perspective to addresses this issue. Primary factors considered in the proposed methodology include product quality, capacity, availability, experience and relationship, and product cost. In the proposed methodology, a calibrated fuzzy inverse of column sum (cFICSM) method is devised to derive the fuzzy priorities of criteria. Fuzzy principal component analysis (FPCA) is proposed to resolve the dependencies among criteria. Fuzzy VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (FVIKOR) is then applied to evaluate and compare PHSC partners. Finally, the required pieces are distributed among PHSC partners. The proposed methodology has been applied to plan a PHSC for medical masks in central Taiwan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the experimental results, the proposed approach minimizes the makespan while increasing the compliance with customers’ preferences by 29 %. This study concludes that planning a PHSC from an MCDM perspective can achieve synergistic effects.

A Pilot Evaluation of an Educational Video to Support Consent to a Pediatric Malignancy Biobank.

Introduction: The collection of biological specimens is necessary to support basic and translational research. However, the complexity of biobanking introduces numerous ethical issues, particularly regarding informed consent. Objective: To evaluate the acceptability and perceived benefits of an educational video facilitating the consent process for the Children's Cancer Centre Biobank. Methods: We invited individuals who had previously consented to be (or their child to be) part of the Biobank, and health professionals who were involved in obtaining consent. Participants watched the video and completed a purpose-designed online survey. Results: A total of 16 health professionals (invited = 30) and 15 patients/caregivers (invited = 127) participated. Most patients/caregivers felt informed about the Biobank at consent, however, noted how overwhelmed they were at the time and that they did not engage with the written information. Overall, both patients/caregivers and health professionals rated the video favorably regarding the information provided and format. Participants valued that it was simple and clear, with several health professionals noting the need for linguistic translations to better support the families they work with. Most patients/caregivers agreed that the video provided enough information to begin considering participation. This aligned with the health professionals' feedback that the video was most effective when used as a conversation starter to help formalize the written consent. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that our video is an acceptable and beneficial tool to assist in the Biobank consenting process, from both the perspective of decision-makers and health professionals obtaining consent. It appears particularly valuable as a precursor to an interactive, formal consent discussion. Further work is required to determine whether our video has a significant impact on outcomes such as decision-making satisfaction and knowledge, and to determine the value to adolescents.

Assessing the Academic Performance of Turkish Universities in 2023: A MEREC-WEDBA Hybrid Methodology Approach

Research and reporting on university rankings serve as valuable tools for students in evaluating universities and understanding their current performance status. Within academic literature, university rankings are established using diverse criteria across various domains, each carrying varying degrees of importance. This study adopts a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) perspective to analyze the academic performance ranking of Turkish Universities in 2023. Data sourced from the 2023 reports of sixty-one universities from Times Higher Education (THE) serve as the basis for this research, with THE indicators—teaching, research, citations, industry income, and international outlook—considered as primary research criteria. The Method based on the Removal Effects of Criteria (MEREC) method is employed to ascertain criterion weights, while the Weighted Euclidean Distance-Based Approach (WEDBA) method is utilized for university ranking. The study identifies "citations" as the criterion of highest significance. Notably, the top-performing universities in the ranking include Çankaya University, Fırat University, and Bahçeşehir University. Furthermore, by comparing the rankings from this study with THE university rankings, the research offers tailored suggestions for universities. This study underscores the importance of deriving criterion weights from university performance datasets rather than relying on fixed weights, facilitating a more nuanced approach to university rankings. Moreover, it presents THE performance rankings for sixty-one Turkish universities, offering valuable insights for strategic planning within the university sector.

Building an implementation strategy for community-based rehabilitation for mental health in Colombia.

Scientific evidence indicates that the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) model is recommended for recovery from mental disorders. However, this approach encounters barriers and often lacks implementation strategies. The aim of this study was to create a strategy for the implementation of CBR for mental health in Colombia through the identification of barriers and facilitators, together with the expected outcomes, from the perspective of mental health decision-makers in Colombia. This study adopts a qualitative descriptive approach, using focus group data collection methods and thematic analysis to code and analyze the data. A total of 208 individuals participated in the study, including mental health decision-makers and health care professionals. Intersectoral collaboration, contextualization, financial resources, and community commitment and autonomy were identified as barriers and facilitators. The element that was considered a priority for successful implementation was the contextualization of strategies. CBR needs to be strengthened through implementation science if these strategies are to be successfully developed and implemented in various contexts. http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A210.

Peatland rewetting as drainage exnovation – A transition governance perspective

In the European Union, peatlands are largely drained for agriculture resulting in significant environmental damage and CO2 emissions. Rewetting is seen as an effective tool to reduce CO2 emissions, but drainage-based agricultural practices are locked-in. Instead of describing the scaling up of agriculture on wet peatlands, this paper examines the termination of drained peatlands use as an exnovation problem. Drawing on sustainability transitions research, we suggest exnovation as a conceptual perspective on the systemic changes towards sustainable agriculture. We propose a perspective on exnovation governance based on four dimensions: discourse, policy instruments, agency, and justice. We assess existing recommendations and government policy for peatland rewetting in Germany in terms of exnovation governance, and highlight strengths and omissions. The exnovation approach provides a new perspective for decision-makers, while peatland also offers a promising avenue for further research within this framework.

Weighted three-way conflict analysis in multi-attribute decision-making perspective

In real life, multiple issues may have different weights in leading to conflicts. Some of the existing conflict analysis literature related to weight does not involve an explicit weight method, and some use common methods such as entropy weight method. This paper aims to design a reasonable weighting method for the inherent characteristics of conflict analysis. The main motivation is that the issues getting vast majority of support (or opposition) are assumed to be more likely to cause intense conflicts. Firstly, a novel weighting method using N-bounded symmetric concave reciprocal function is brought in. Some properties of the method such as duality, objectivity and symmetry are discussed. Then, by embedding the weights into the existing distance function a weighted three-way conflict analysis model is proposed. Next the thresholds of conflict, alliance and neutrality relations are given by decision-theoretic rough set theory. In addition, as a main characteristic of the model, the conflict distance between any two agents is determined by the overall conflict table rather than their own. Finally, the model of this paper is compared with the existing conflict analysis weight model. At the same time, a comparative simulation experiment was carried out on the weight change and the number of maximal coalitions. The new weighted conflict model proposed in this paper can effectively compensate for the limitations of existing weighted models, especially in three-valued information systems and multi-valued information systems. It can also theoretically expand the field of three-way conflict analysis.

The impact of information presentation on self-other risk decision-making.

To explore the impact of social distance and information presentation types on self-other risk preferences in monetary tasks. Risk preferences were examined in decision-making tasks and experiential information tasks within different frameworks when participants made decisions for themselves and others. Experiment 1 employed experiential decision tasks and revealed individual differences in decision-making for oneself and others. In gain situations, participants exhibited more risk aversion when deciding for others compared to themselves. Experiment 2 presented both types of information simultaneously to investigate whether risk decisions for oneself and others are influenced by information types. Results indicated that experiential information led participants to make more conservative choices for others, while descriptive information eliminated this effect. This study discovered the influence of social distance on self-other risk decisions and the role of information presentation types in self and other risk decision-making. Future research could further explore self-other decision-making from the perspectives of decision-makers' traits and culture.

Effect of team identification on employee constructive deviance: the role of moral justification and environmental instability

Purpose Despite an emerging interest in constructive deviance, the exploration of its antecedents is still limited, particularly from an ethical perspective. This study aims to uses moral disengagement theory to investigate how team identification, moral justification and team environmental instability interact to affect employee constructive deviance. Design/methodology/approach With survey data collected in two waves from 315 employees of 49 work teams in five service companies in China, this study develops four hypotheses and tests them through hierarchical linear model. Findings The survey results support the complete mediating effect of moral justification on the positive impact of team identification on constructive deviance. They also confirm the moderating effect of environmental instability on the relationship between team identification, moral justification and constructive deviance. Originality/value This study explores the sources of constructive deviance at team level from the ethical decision-making perspective and reveals the mechanism and contingency factors in the relationship between identity and constructive deviance. In practice, the study findings imply that managers should encourage their employees to cultivate their identification with their team and align their moral justification with the team’s norms especially when the team faces turbulent environment.

Signature size and individual preferences

In this digital economy, customers' handwriting, such as signatures and related characteristics, can be easily collected and quantitatively analyzed. From the perspective of decision-making, obtaining information from signature characteristics is an important data-driven business leverage. In this regard, can we infer individual preferences from signatures? Through a large-scale laboratory experiment, this study measured the participants’ risk and time preferences and collected their signature information in order to determine the influence of behavioral preferences on their signatures. Based on the empirical results, the higher the risk and ambiguity aversion of the participants, the smaller were their signature sizes. Moreover, the greater their level of patience, the more likely their signatures showed a trend of increasing size. Overall, this study fills a research gap in signature-related behavior by highlighting the application of text mining in digital handwriting, especially in broad business settings such as the insurance industry.

Enhancing Democratic Governance: The Crucial Role of Broad Public Participation in Government Public Consultations

This paper examines the critical importance of broad public participation in government public consultations to enhance democratic governance. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as Arnstein's "A Ladder of Citizen Participation" and the IAP2 "Spectrum of Public Participation," as well as extensive empirical studies, this analysis underscores the essential role that inclusive public engagement plays in refining policy decision-making processes. With rising public demands for transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, the inclusion of diverse public voices in policymaking is pivotal for fostering public trust and enhancing policy effectiveness. Through literature reviews and case studies, this study highlights the benefits and challenges associated with broad public participation, offering insights and recommendations to improve participatory mechanisms in policymaking. By fostering a more democratic and inclusive approach, the paper advocates for proactive and inclusive public advisory systems that accommodate a wide array of perspectives in decision-making, thus leading to more democratic and effective policy outcomes.

Community perspectives on COVID-19 outbreak and public health: Inuit positive protective pathways and lessons for Indigenous public health theory

ObjectivesIndigenous public health theory and the voices of Canadian Indigenous communities remain under-represented in the literature despite the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, and the perspectives of Inuit are further under-represented in this literature. The goal of this paper is to explore the perspectives of Iqalungmiut (people of Iqaluit), frontline staff, and decision-makers on the management of the COVID-19 outbreak in Iqaluit in April to June 2021 and to identify lessons learned and contributions to public health policy and practice specific to Inuit populations in Canada.MethodsThis study used the Piliriqatigiinniq Community Health Research Model which was developed by Nunavummiut to guide community-based health and well-being research. Interviews were conducted with 44 individuals: 22 community members and shelter users; 17 frontline workers; and 5 decision-makers representing municipal and territorial government. Participants were asked about their experiences during the outbreak, sources of information, and strengths and challenges during outbreak management.ResultsChallenges included overcrowding, physical disconnection from family members, and mental health and trauma. Community-identified strengths included strong interagency cooperation, food hamper and COVID-19 care kit deliveries, and travel restrictions. Several Inuit positive health-protective pathways were identified including Ilaginniq; Silativut; Inuuqatigiittiarniq; Piliriqatigiinniq; Ikajurniq; and Pijitsirniq.ConclusionOutbreaks of infectious illness are not new to Nunavut communities and Inuit protective pathways have and continue to be critical avenues to adapt to and mitigate such challenges. This exploratory study provides clear direction for Inuit public health policy and practice in Canada, while contributing to the body of literature on Indigenous public health theory.

The Interaction Between Greenwashing and Chinese ESG Investors: Analyzing from the Perspectives of Credibility and Investment Decision-making

The Interaction Between Greenwashing and Chinese ESG Investors: Analyzing from the Perspectives of Credibility and Investment Decision-making

Fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS methods of analysing online impulsive buying of organic food: A cognitive-affective decision-making perspective

Buying decisions are influenced by a variety of factors that can give rise to impulsive, unplanned, or even irrational purchases. Research has examined the motivational factors that foster organic food consumption, but no study has explored the relative weights of these factors and whether their effects vary depending on the type of food. This study adopted the cognitive-affective perspective to examine the antecedents of online impulsive buying of organic food using a sample of 452 consumers living in Baghdad, Iraq. The fuzzy AHP and fuzzy TOPSIS methods were used to rank five organic food alternatives. The results revealed that the effects of cognitive factors on organic food purchases differ from those of affective factors.

Subjective Rationalities of Nonadherence to Treatment and Vaccination in Healthcare Decision-Making.

In this short report contributing to the literature on treatment and vaccination adherence, nonadherence was examined from the perspective of decision-making (DM) practice in healthcare. The objective of this study was to survey the rationalities given for treatment nonadherence and their association with DM practice. The Ottawa decision Support Framework was used as a theoretical background for the study. Multiple choice and open-text responses indicating nonadherence were drawn from vignette survey data. The results have been analyzed and reported as descriptive statistics and findings of data-driven content analysis. The number of observatory units was 1032 in the within-subject study design. DM practice was predominantly associated with nonadherence to vaccination, whereas nonadherence to treatment was consistently associated with attitudinal reasons independent of DM practice. Nonadherence to vaccination was most often rationalized by prior negative experiences in simple DM scenarios. After other DM practices, nonadherence was rationalized by uncertainty and criticism about the benefits of the recommended vaccine. Mistrust toward healthcare providers stood out, first in treatment nonadherence generally and, second, in vaccination nonadherence after simple DM where the final decision was left to the patient. In medical DM, adherence to treatment and vaccination may be achieved through a recognition of patients' previous healthcare encounters and potential trust-related concerns, which could pose a risk for nonadherence. To be able to observe these risks, patient engagement and mutual trust should be priorities in decision support in healthcare.

Counting Crowd by Weighing Counts: A Sequential Decision-Making Perspective.

We show that crowd counting can be formulated as a sequential decision-making (SDM) problem. Inspired by human counting, we evade one-step estimation mostly executed in existing counting models and decompose counting into sequential sub-decision problems. During implementation, a key insight is to interpret sequential counting as a physical process in reality-scale weighing. This analogy allows us to implement a novel "counting scale" termed LibraNet. Our idea is that, by placing a crowd image on the scale, LibraNet (agent) learns to place appropriate weights to match the count: at each step, one weight (action) is chosen from the weight box (the predefined action pool) conditioned on the image features and the placed weights (state) until the pointer (the agent output) informs balance. We investigate two forms of state definition and explore four types of LibraNet implementations under different learning paradigms, including deep Q-network (DQN), actor-critic (AC), imitation learning (IL), and mixed AC+IL. Experiments show that LibraNet indeed mimics scale weighing, that it outperforms or performs comparably against state-of-the-art approaches on five crowd counting benchmarks, that it can be used as a plug-in to improve off-the-shelf counting models, and particularly that it demonstrates remarkable cross-dataset generalization. Code and models are available at https://git.io/libranet.