Systematic Decision-making Process Research Articles

INDUSTRIAL ENERGY USE, MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PRICE SIGNALS: THE CASE OF SWEDISH PROCESS INDUSTRY

The objectives of the paper are to: (a) derive and discuss indicators of industrial companies' decision-making and management practices on energy use; and (b) investigate whether these practices can help explain variations in energy intensities across these companies. The data were collected through telephone interviews with 101 large industrial firms in Sweden. The indicators display a significant overall increase in firms' awareness of energy efficiency issues over time, including the attention devoted to these issues at the top management level. Still, our econometric results show that energy prices constitute the most important determinant of inter-firm differences in energy intensities. Higher energy prices over the time-period, have induced the implementation of energy-relevant management and practices, and led to more systematic decision-making processes. Finally, firms for which so-called ‘hidden' costs, e.g., the costs of production disruptions, are a large concern, will be more energy intense than others.Keywords: energy efficiency; industry; management practices; energy prices; Sweden. JEL Classifications: D22, L23, Q41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.7451

Selecting a Best Compromise Direction for a Powered Wheelchair Using PROMETHEE.

Research is described that determines the direction that a powered wheelchair will take, using the preference ranking organization method for enrichment of evaluations II (PROMETHEE II). This is the first time that this sort of decision making has been used in this type of application. A user suggests a desired direction and speed, and the decision-making system suggests a safe direction for a wheelchair. The two are mixed, and the wheelchair then tends to avoid obstacles. The inputs come from a powered wheelchair joystick and two ultrasonic transducers fixed onto the wheelchair, and the final direction is a simulation of the desired direction and a direction that moves the wheelchair away from obstacles. The arrangement assists a disabled driver to steer their wheelchairs. It uses a systematic decision-making process, and this paper presents the process and a new way of selecting a best compromise direction. Sensitivity analysis is employed to explore potentially suitable directions as uncertainty and risk may be present. A suitable direction is selected that provides a robust solution. The user would be able to override the suggestions by the PROMETHEE II system by holding the joystick in a position.

Disinvestment Activities and Candidates in the Health Technology Assessment Community: An Online Survey.

As healthcare decision makers continue to face challenges in health services delivery to their patients, disinvestment programs are being established for a sustainable healthcare system. This study aimed to collect data and information by means of a survey of disinvestment candidates and ongoing disinvestment projects in the health technology assessment (HTA) community. An online survey was conducted to collect information on disinvestment candidates and activities from members of the Health Technology Assessment International Disinvestment & Early Awareness Interest Group, the EuroScan International Network and International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment. Among the 362 invitees, twenty-four unique responses were received, and almost 70 percent were involved in disinvestment initiatives. The disinvestment candidates identified represented a range of health technologies. Evidence or signaling of clinical ineffectiveness or inappropriate use typically led to the nomination of disinvestment candidates. Health technology assessments and reassessments were usually conducted to evaluate the technology in question, and decisions usually led to the limited use of the technology. Barriers to disinvestment decisions included the strength of interest and advocacy groups, insufficient data for assessments, a systematic decision process and political challenges, while obstacles to their implementation were clinicians' reluctance and insufficient funding and incentives. The survey results suggested that disinvestment activities are occurring in the HTA community, especially in the public sector. Future research can further investigate the processes and methods used to reach and implement disinvestment decisions from our survey respondents and explore to form closer ties between the HTA and clinical communities.

Use of Proxy Variables to Determine the Impact of Protocol Complexity on Clinical Research Site Productivity.

Research coordinators (or teams) are usually assigned to multiple studies of varying complexity at any one time, each with different and ever-changing workloads. As a result, determining the impact of protocol complexity on productivity is not easily accomplished. Standard methods of effort tracking typically require oversight or create additional workload to the site staff under study; they are time-consuming, expensive, intrusive, and usually incomplete. This article describes a novel method for determining the impact of protocol complexity on clinical research coordinator (CRC) or team productivity by using proxy variables in place of effort tracking. A protocol assessment tool that quantitates complexity is used to determine cumulative workload. Productivity graphs are generated for each CRC per month and can be followed over time to assess trends or for comparative analysis. The data provide managers with unique insights into the functional capacity of study coordinators and support staff. The goal is to optimize efficiency by applying a systematic decision process from performance and productivity trends. In addition to exploring the theory behind the method, this article begins a discussion on the use of this information in clinical research site management.

Impact of Information Technology on Information Search Channel Selection for Consumers

As information technology has evolved, digital media has become increasingly fragmented and has started to proliferate multiple information channels. In order to optimize on the various digital channels that are available, organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of gaining solid insights into consumer behavior and preferences that can be translated into marketing strategies. Specifically, they are keen to identify which information channels they can use to effectively reach and communicate with their target market. In this regard, this paper describes how multi criteria decision making can be used to develop a new method of decision making that will enable an effective and systematic decision process of fuzzy AHP and TOPSIS. Further, these techniques can be used for the developing framework for identifying consumer preferences. This paper provides a demonstration of the underpinning working methodology of the proposed model by examining an real case that is based on the decision process Internet users employ during their online search for information.

Exploring self-reflection in dual relationship decision-making

SummarySocial workers practicing in small rural towns regularly encounter overlapping or dual relationships with clients. This can lead to boundary crossing and conflicts of interest that require an ethical decision. Previous research on how rural social workers approach ethical decision-making in these situations has suggested that while they might draw on ethical codes, many rely on intuitive or personal viewpoints rather than systematic decision-making processes. Although social workers are often trained to engage in self-reflection when faced with the complexities of practice and the possibilities of personal biases, the role of systematic self-reflection in personal decision-making about dual relationships has not been sufficiently documented in the literature. Using qualitative inquiry, this study explored the lived experiences with dual relationships reported by 44 practitioners working in small towns in rural Canada. FindingsThe findings confirm that practitioners were frequently guided in their decisions by an intuitive or emotional understanding of dual relationships rather than by external codes, and while self-reflection was seen to play a role, a formal or systematic approach to personal self-reflection was not reported. ApplicationsThe findings suggest that educational or professional development on more intentional use of self-reflection in practice would aid in safeguarding the client and the worker when dealing with dual relationships, while providing an ethical process congruent with a rural and remote community identity. Explicit decision-making would also make the process more defensible and justifiable, not only to themselves, but also to colleagues, supervisors, and to their professional association.

Professional identity and shared decision making among psychiatry residents: designing a brief teaching module

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of shared decision making, the initial aim of the study was to understand how psychiatrists-in-training defined themselves as unique among physicians with an eye on how professional identity might shape approach to care. The second aim was to use those definitions and descriptions related to professional identity and tailor a brief training module to promote awareness of the shared decision making model.Design/methodology/approachThe authors do this by first conducting focus groups to ascertain how psychiatric residents characterize their professional identity and unique disciplinary characteristics. The authors then designed a brief training session that exploits the relationship between how they define themselves as physicians and how they approach clinical decision making with patients.FindingsThree major themes that emerged from the focus group data: the central role of societal and treatment contexts in shaping their professional identity and approaches to care, a professional identity characterized by a great sense of pride, and a strong commitment to systematic decision-making processes in practice. While the assessment of the training module is preliminary and lacks rigor for any generalizability or statements of causality, responses likely affirm the training tailored around professional identity as a possible vehicle for effective exposure to the concept of shared decision making and served as a useful avenue for self-reflection about needed changes to more fully embrace the practice.Research limitations/implicationsMore inquiry may be needed into the association between trust, relationship longevity and power and paternalism, as a way to bring greater insight into the adoption of shared decision making. Future research will have to investigate whether or not including identity-related content is empirically connected to successful training on shared decision making. Likewise, future research should also look at the reciprocal impact of effectively using shared decision making on the affirmation of professional identity among psychiatrists, and indeed all who embrace patient-centered care.Originality/valueThis is the one of the first papers to investigate issues of professional identity among psychiatry residents, and also among the first papers to consider the relationship between professional identity and use of shared decision making.

Haphazard, Systematic, or Both?

AbstractIn 2006, the Bush administration directed nine US attorneys to resign. This decision was a partial cause of the attorney general’s departure from the administration, and it prompted investigations and congressional hearings. Seen as largely ad hoc, we argue that theory predicts a more systematic decision-making process. We investigate this empirically and find, consistent with literature on principal-agent theories and bureaucracy, that performance on easily monitored metrics and adverse-selection concerns predict the firings. We explore the implications of these findings for efforts to centralize decision-making in the Department of Justice and to exert political control over US attorneys.

A systematic decision-making process on the need for updating clinical practice guidelines proved to be feasible in a pilot study

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to test and evaluate a new decision-making process on the need for updating within the update of a German clinical practice guideline (CPG). Study Design and SettingThe pilot study comprised (1) limited searches in Pubmed to identify new potentially relevant evidence, (2) an online survey among the members of the CPG group to assess the need for update, and (3) a consensus conference for determination and prioritization of guideline sections with a high need for update. Subsequently, we conducted a second online survey to evaluate the procedure. ResultsThe searches resulted in 902 abstracts that were graded as new potentially relevant evidence. Twenty five of 39 members of the CPG group (64%) participated in the online survey. Seventy six percent of those took part in the second online survey. The evaluation study found on average a grade of support of the procedure regarding the determination of the need for update of 3.65 (standard deviation: 0.76) on a likert scale with 1 = “no support” to 5 = “very strong support.” ConclusionThe conducted procedure presents a systematic approach for assessing whether and to what extent a CPG requires updating and enables setting priorities for which particular guideline section to update within a CPG.

Using cognitive interviews to improve a Psychological-Social-Spiritual Healing instrument: Voices of aging African Americans with serious illness

AimThe purpose of this study was to contribute to content validity, by providing input into the linguistic and pragmatic validities, of a 53 item Psychological-Social-Spiritual Healing instrument. BackgroundDiscovery of cultural values and beliefs from African American elders' experiences of illness provides insight for development of more culturally sensitive instruments. MethodsThrough an exploratory descriptive design, this study used cognitive interviewing methods to examine linguistic and pragmatic validity of the Psychological-Social-Spiritual Healing instrument, from the perspectives of aging seriously ill AAs. Participants were recruited from urban Jackson, MS from community settings from October 2014 to January 2015. With a purposefully chosen sample of seriously ill African Americans elders (N=15), and using the method of cognitive interviewing, responses related to cultural relevance, clarity and meaning of the 53 items of the instrument were collected. This in-depth query of items was accomplished through the use of both verbal probing and think aloud methods of cognitive interviewing. ResultsThirty-seven items were retained. Eight items were revised. Eight items were deleted. ConclusionsFrom the expert input of seriously ill African American elders, a systematic decision-making process of item retention, revision or deletion led to the development of a more culturally sensitive Psychological-Social-Spiritual Healing instrument.

CALCULATION OF THE LABOR CONSUMPTION RATE FOR SHUTTERING WORKS WHILST CONSIDERING UNCERTAINTIES

Calculating construction costs and times is one of the most important and demanding tasks in construction management and economics. To arrive at a realistic calculation base, valid data and information is constantly being sought for labor consumption rates, output rates, productivity, material consumption, volumes in stock, number of transport cycles, and cost and time parameters that must be estimated or calculated ex ante. Ultimately, final cost and time parameters must be determined on the basis of such considerations and calculations. Accurate figures must be stated or submitted at the end of any analysis. These depend on the complexity of the building and on the conditions prevailing at the actual work stages and rely on more or less uncertain input data. One possible solution to this issue is to consider ranges that can deliver final conclusions on determined values. To systematically consider ranges in input parameters, this paper concentrates on applying probabilistic calculation methods based on Monte Carlo simulations. Key outcomes of probabilistic calculations include histograms that are used to directly capture the chance/risk ratio relative to a specific (selected) parameter. This paper presents a practical example of calculating the labor consumption rate for shuttering works to highlight the significance of the chosen chance/risk ratio and to show how it can be integrated into the systematic decision-making process adopted by the parties involved in the project.

Selection of maintenance, renewal and improvement projects in rail lines using the analytic network process

This paper addresses one of the most common problems that a railway infrastructure manager has to face: to prioritise a portfolio of maintenance, renewal and improvement (MR&I) projects in a railway network. This decision-making problem is complex due to the large number of MR&I projects in the portfolio and the different criteria to take into consideration, most of which are influenced and interrelated to each other. To address this problem, the use of the analytic network process (ANP) is proposed. The method is applied to a case study in which the Local Manager of the public company, who is responsible for the MR&I of Spanish Rail Lines, has to select the MR&I projects which have to be executed first. Based on the results, it becomes evident that, for this case study, the main factor of preference for a project is the location of application rather than the type of project. The main contributions of this work are: the deep analysis done to identify and weigh the decision criteria, how to assess the alternatives and provide a rigorous and systematic decision-making process, based on an exhaustive revision of the literature and expertise.

A decision process model to support migration to cloud computing

Migration to cloud computing is a strategic organisational decision that can affect performance, productivity, growth, as well as increase competitiveness. The decision to migrate is usually complicated and dynamic due to the immaturity and the still evolving nature of the cloud environment. Although there have been many proposed methods for supporting the migration, no systematic decision process exists that clearly identifies the main steps and explicitly describes the tasks to be performed within each step. In this paper, a decision-making process model, based on a two-stage survey, is proposed. The model guides decision makers through a step-by-step approach, aiding them with their decisions for cloud migration. It offers a preliminary structure for developing a cloud knowledge-based decision support system. The model was evaluated by a group of cloud practitioners. The analysis demonstrates a high level of acceptance with regard to the structure, tasks involved and issues addressed by it.

A decision process model to support migration to cloud computing

Migration to cloud computing is a strategic organisational decision that can affect performance, productivity, growth, as well as increase competitiveness. The decision to migrate is usually complicated and dynamic due to the immaturity and the still evolving nature of the cloud environment. Although there have been many proposed methods for supporting the migration, no systematic decision process exists that clearly identifies the main steps and explicitly describes the tasks to be performed within each step. In this paper, a decision-making process model, based on a two-stage survey, is proposed. The model guides decision makers through a step-by-step approach, aiding them with their decisions for cloud migration. It offers a preliminary structure for developing a cloud knowledge-based decision support system. The model was evaluated by a group of cloud practitioners. The analysis demonstrates a high level of acceptance with regard to the structure, tasks involved and issues addressed by it.

A Decision-Making Process for Selecting Building Envelope Assemblies

Building Envelope (BE) design is a decision-making process that involves evaluating and selecting BE assemblies. In this study, a systematic decision-making process is developed for selecting BE assemblies in the BE design process. BE systems are composed of various assemblies, and each one must have certain attributes to satisfy several expected functions. Therefore, the selection problem of an Envelope Assembly may be considered a Multi Attribute Decision Making (MADM) problem. MADM methods can be used to select assemblies based on qualitative and quantitative attributes. Feasible alternatives are selected among all possible alternatives. Next, the relative importance of attributes are determined with the AHP method and alternatives are ranked with the TOPSIS method. A case study tests applicability of the proposed process. The proposed decision-making process can help designers achieve consistent results with preliminary information for BE assembly selection problems.

Big data-based deterioration prediction models and infrastructure management: towards assetmetrics

In the past decades, infrastructure management has been performed based on implicit knowledge, consisting experience and knowledge of professional engineers. The objective of assetmetrics is to convert such decision processes based on implicit knowledge and experience into systematic decision processes based on formal knowledge. The presented research and development policy is a practical approach that tries to create methodologies based on data obtained through daily and periodic inspections. Moreover, the authors point out that in the field of asset management, technical knowledge related to the analysis of existing data is more important than hardware technologies for obtaining new data. The authors also discuss these ideas as pertaining to the concept of big data. Finally, by presenting examples of advanced researches on assetmetrics, the authors give an overview of monitoring methodologies and comprehensive risk management in the relevant field.

Influence of encoding focus and stereotypes on source monitoring event-related-potentials

Source memory, memory for the origin of a memory, can be influenced by stereotypes and the information of focus during encoding processes. Participants studied words from two different speakers (male or female) using self-focus or other-focus encoding. Source judgments for the speaker׳s voice and Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded during test. Self-focus encoding increased dependence on stereotype information and the Late Posterior Negativity (LPN). The results link the LPN with an increase in systematic decision processes such as consulting prior knowledge to support an episodic memory judgment. In addition, other-focus encoding increased conditional source judgments and resulted in weaker old/new recognition relative to the self-focus encoding. The putative correlate of recollection (LPC) was absent during this condition and this was taken as evidence that recollection of partial information supported source judgments. Collectively, the results suggest that other-focus encoding changes source monitoring processing by altering the weight of specific memory features.

A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Model for a Cloud Service Selection Problem Using BSC, Fuzzy Delphi Method and Fuzzy AHP

In rapid changing the global business environment, information communication technology (ICT) is essential for the survival of a firm, and the functions of ICT is becoming increasingly important. The emergence of cloud computing represents a fundamental change of ICT services and cloud services continue to grow rapidly with increasing functionality and more users. As a result of this growth, it is a critical issue to select a suitable cloud service which meets all the business strategies and the objectives of firms. This paper proposes a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model for a cloud service selection problem using balanced scorecard (BSC), fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). We focus on selecting an IaaS among cloud services for firms' users. The BSC concept is applied to define the hierarchy with four major perspectives (i.e. financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth), and to derive decision-making criteria and decision-making factors are selected for each BSC perspective. FDM is used to select the list of important decision-making factors within each BSC perspective based on the decision makers' opinion. A FAHP approach is then proposed in order to compares the decision-making criteria and factors and determine the importance of them. It is also used to select the best cloud service among the cloud service alternatives based on the predetermined weights of decision-making criteria and factors. In this study, the BSC and FAHP as the hybrid multi-criteria decision-making technique are used to select the best cloud service. Our findings can be utilized as bases to apply systematic decision-making processes for the best cloud service selection and for providing guidance to IT department managers or CTO regarding performance evaluation and strategies to improve companies' performance and capability.

Decision Making for Capacity Expansion of Water Supply Systems

This study developed a systematic decision-making process for water supply capacity expansion using the analytic hierarchy process. The decision-making criteria were categorized into environmental, economic, technical and socio-cultural aspects. Capacity expansion of three water resources (Kpong, Weija and Teshie plants) of Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area (Ghana) was studied as a test case. The research resulted in the environmental criterion with the highest priority weight (52.4%), followed by the economic (30.6%), technical (11.3%) and socio-cultural criteria (5.8%). The overall analysis ranked the Kpong plant with a score of 36.1% followed by the Weija and Teshie plants with scores 33.8% and 30.2%, respectively.

International study of technology investment decisions at hospitals

Purpose – Healthcare costs have increased considerably over the past decades around the world. Major contributors to this trend are expensive medical technologies. The purpose of this paper is to use a case study approach to understand how organizational and country level factors influence hospital investment behavior. Design/methodology/approach – The paper developed a conceptual framework based upon decision theory and institutional theory from which key questions were derived. The paper conducted semi-structured group interviews with relevant stakeholders in six hospitals located in five countries (Germany, India, Thailand, South Korea, USA). Findings – The paper found that the investment decisions of the interviewed hospitals are primarily affected by the healthcare system, the socio-economic and cultural context, and the organization's mission. Most of the interviewed hospitals consider multiple criteria in their decision-making framework and share similar organizational processes. Practical implications – The paper identified an international best practice approach to investment decision making at one of the hospitals. The other hospitals, despite being leading institutions in their respective countries, do not have sufficiently advanced and objective assessment approaches and would benefit from a more data-driven and systematic decision process. Originality/value – Prior research has documented that investment decisions at hospitals are driven by organizational factors. This paper shows how, in addition, country level factors – in particular healthcare system and cultural aspects – affect hospital decision-making behavior.