Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons^™

On Becoming Analytic: The Effect Of Data Interactions On Decision Making, Brian G. Williams

Student Scholarship

This study explores data interaction as an antecedent for decision-making quality in visual analytic (VA) environments. Literature contends that the presence of accurate, high quality data and good system tools will have a positive impact at the individual and organizational decision-making. But in visual analytic environments, the decision maker's ability and intent to interact with data may be more valuable than the quality of data or tools used. Decision makers in this context are not just acting upon the findings of analysts and interpreting static representations of data. To understand this new phenomenon, we conduct an online survey among nearly …

Patient-Driven Vs. Evidence-Centric Decision Models In The Treatment Of Hemophilia, Christopher C. Lamb

Student Scholarship

Physicians treating hemophilia face difficult decisions related to complex bleeding disorders. To understand how physicians in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) make critical, life-saving decisions, a qualitative study was performed involving a series of interviews with treatment experts from each country. A total of twenty-four (24) physicians from the US and the UK were asked about their experiences treating hemophilia and how they made certain decisions. American physicians tend to be patient-centric; they are more influenced by a patient's specific preferences and unique, individual conditions. British physicians are more evidence-centric where they approach the patient based …

A Framework To Simplify The Choice Of Alternative Analysis And Selection Methods, James Paul Lewis Holzgrefe

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contributes a framework for analysts and engineering managers to investigate and choose alternative analysis and selection methods based upon their problem and its context. It began as an investigation into the alternative analysis and selection methods used in military planning. The existing military methods were inconsistent, violated the decision science body of knowledge, and provided no guidance to the practitioner on matching methods to problems. These challenges made it necessary to conduct this investigation.

This research used a three-phase mixed methods approach. The first phase applied the general inductive method to the decision making body of knowledge to …

A Strategic Planning Process For Barter Or Other Compensatory Arrangements, Bardia Kamrad, Arnold Reisman

Research Reports from the Department of Operations

This paper introduces a strategic planning process model tailored for barter and other compensatory arrangements, expanding upon other research on the topic. The model integrates concepts from utility theory, addressing scenarios with multiple potential outcomes, decision makers, and criteria. A cost-benefit analysis framework is employed, utilizing decision tables to evaluate and optimize these complex arrangements. The approach provides a systematic methodology for decision-making in contexts involving multiple variables and stakeholders. [Published circa 1988-1990.]

How Do They Do It? Legislators As Leaders: A Study Of Legislators' Values And Decision-Making, Alison J. Battaglia

Student Scholarship

Legislators as leaders have an immense effect on our lives, and for many, influence our ability to thrive and have equal opportunities for health and prosperity. Legislators are representatives elected by the people of the district in which they live. As a representative, they are the voice of that constituency group. They determine local, state and national policies that impact both our constitutional rights and government support as citizens of the United States. But little research is available about how they make decisions and if there are differences between male and female legislator decision-making approaches. These attributes include personal values …

The Model Of Network Carriers' Strategic Decision Making With Low-Cost Carrier Entry, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna L. Rhoades

Publications

"After deregulation in the United States in 1978, airlines faced intense competition on previously regulated routes. The proponents of deregulation stated that equilibrium in the industry would be achieved by providing lower fares and improved service (Daraban and Fournier, 2008). While this became true to some extent, the airline network in the U.S. was dominated by the hub-and-spoke system and concentrated in the hands of few large airlines. The emergence of the Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) model, which originated in the U.S. through Southwest Airlines in the early 1970s, became an instrument to drive the airlines towards a competitive equilibrium. The …

The Model Of Network Carriers' Strategic Decision Making With Low-Cost Carrier Entry, Tamilla Curtis, Dawna L. Rhoades

Publications

No abstract provided.

Organizational Leaders’ Experience With Fear-Related Emotions: A Critical Incident Study, Al Barkouli

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study used the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) to better understand how organizational leaders experienced fear-related emotions. Through semi-structured interviews, fifteen executive leaders, mainly chief executive officers (CEOs), shared their experiences in response to threatening, risky, or dangerous incidents. In addition to a phenomenological understanding of the experience, participants illuminated the role that fear-related emotions play in leader decisions, how these emotions influence leader-follower relationships, the impacts of fear-related emotions on leaders’ health and well-being, and the ways leaders managed their experience with fear-related emotions including the role courage played. Leaders often faced threats, risks, or dangers (stimuli) from within …

Enterprise Risk Management: Review, Critique, And Research Directions, Philip Bromily, Michael Mcshane, Anil Nair, Elzotbek Rustambekov

Finance Faculty Publications

Many regulators, rating agencies, executives and academics have advocated a new approach to risk management: Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). ERM proposes the integrated management of all the risks an organization faces, which inherently requires alignment of risk management with corporate governance and strategy. Academic research on ERM is still in its infancy, with articles largely in accounting and finance journals but rarely in management journals. We argue that ERM offers an important new research domain for management scholars. A critical review of ERM research allows us to identify limitations and gaps that management scholars are best equipped to address. This …

Achieving A Competitive Advantage Through Ethical Business Practices An Ethnographical Case Study, Valarie Denney

Publications

Ethical leadership can be a key driver of corporate behavior but it is an individual’s sense of ethics that has an impact on business success. The specific problem was that despite the plethora of academic, government, and industry studies, it remained unclear whether investing in ethics provided a competitive advantage for businesses. The purpose of this qualitative, ethnographic case study was to examine how the internal stakeholders in a single business defined and applied ethics and what elements of the business culture and competitive environment affected decision-making. The research was a practical application of the stakeholder theory, normative ethics and …

Conversational Dynamics: Decision Making As Discourse, Zackary R. Edens

Theses and Dissertations--Management

This dissertation examines decision making as discourse to capture subtle characteristics and processes within top management team discussions and examines their influence on decision outcomes. Additionally, this approach allows for exploration of decision making processes in real time by utilizing audio analysis techniques that can provide a more dynamic and integrative view of conversations and discussions as they relate to the dialogue and debate that goes on within top management teams, as well as providing an alternate pathway of study for top management team and group research, decision making studies, and the fields of communication and conversational analysis.

Does An It Organization Transform Its Identity When Engaged In Outsourcing?, Carol Mcguire

Student Scholarship

Firms have outsourced since the infant days of manufacturing. Many firms find that the ability to fill gaps in their expertise or gaps in human capital with individuals outside the organization is crucial to keep pace with customer demand. Much has been published about the decision making process and resulting impacts of outsourcing from business operations point of view, with financial considerations being extensively explored. But less has been published about the relationship between outsourcing and the identity of the organization engaged in outsourcing. Worldwide IT spending was estimated to be $2 Trillion in 2013 with approximately 12% directed to …

Decision Styles Of Corporate Leaders: Do Differences Make A Difference, Sherry Sanger

Student Scholarship

Ineffective decision making at the top rungs of organizations is a perennial concern, yet empirical research into the decision styles of corporate leaders is scant. Conceptually sound and psychometrically validated constructs for alternative decision styles of corporate leaders are rare. This study develops and validates a multi-dimensional measure of different decision styles used by corporate leaders. Structural equation modeling is used to examine if different decision styles are associated with different performance outcomes for strategic decisions related to new opportunities. The three dimensions of decision styles evidence convergent and discriminant validity in a sample of 100 Corporate Leaders. In addition, …

Evaluating Shared Governance For Nursing Excellence, Evette Michelle Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The national challenges of nursing shortages, decreased staffing levels, and increased patient acuities have contributed to nurse's increased workload and job dissatisfaction. Nurses have become frustrated with the professional practice environment. The inability to make decisions about issues that affect their nursing practice and the care provided to their patients results in nurses leaving the work environment in search of higher job satisfaction. Employers are becoming more creative in their strategies to improve the work environment and retain nurses within their organizations. Healthcare leaders have implemented management strategies such as shared governance models. These models focus on providing a satisfying …

An Examination Of Middle Manager Innovation Behaviors And Institutional Factors Impact On Organizational Innovation In The Usa And Mexico, J. Lee Brown Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Several scholars have suggested mid-level management is an important factor that explains strategic outcomes (Wooldridge, Schmidt, & Floyd, 2008), but little research has investigated how this relationship actually works in multiple institutional environments. The resource-based view of the firm argues that competitive advantage is a function of resource heterogeneity and immobility (Barney, 1991) and the discretionary decisions made by managers about resource creation, development, and allocation (Amit & Shoemaker, 1993). These boundedly-rational managers (Simon, 1957) make these decisions facing an uncertain and complex internal and external environment. Thus, this dissertation extends the current research by developing and testing a new …

Use Of Visualization In Digital Financial Reporting: The Effect Of Sparkline, Priyanka Meharia

Theses and Dissertations--Business Administration

Information visualization (InfoViz) is an essential component of decision support systems (DSS). Sparklines is a visualization tool. This study examines if Sparklines in digital financial reports aids novice investors and if so under what circumstances? Does it enhances decision-making performance and facilitates effective decision-making experience? Additionally, does it lowers decision making effort; reduces dilution effect from non-relevant data in financial reports and mitigates recency bias in using digital financial reports?

The hypothesis is guided by the theory of Proximity Compatibility Principle and the Theory of Cognitive Fit. The research methodology for this study is a repeated measure, controlled laboratory based …

Entrepreneurial Innovation As A Learning System, Robert M. Gemmell

Student Scholarship

We surveyed 172 technology entrepreneurs to explore links between learning style and learning flexibility and decision making behaviors hypothesized to produce entrepreneurial innovation and success. Our findings reveal a system of entrepreneurial learning and innovation with subtle and surprising interactions between learning processes and behavioral mediators.

Generalized Interval Neutrosophic Soft Set And Its Decision Making Problem, Said Broumi

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In this work, we introduce the concept of generalized interval neutrosophic soft set and study their operations. Finally, we present an application of generalized interval neutrosophic soft set in decision making problem.

Boardroom Climate: Understanding How It Impacts Board Level Strategic Decision Making, Bernard C. Bailey

Student Scholarship

This study seeks to better understand board effectiveness by opening the "black box" associated with board dynamics and behaviors. Drawing on the process oriented perspective of board level strategic decision making from Forbes and Milliken (1999) as well as the group engagement model by Tyler and Blader (2000; 2003), we analyzed surveys from 151 board directors representing 119 U. S. publicly traded companies. Our findings show that the creation of a climate of respect within the boardroom, as well as board member and top management team (TMT) collaboration are positively related to "effort norms" and "cognitive conflict" processes. TMT and …

Boardroom Climate: Understanding How It Impacts Board Level Strategic Decision Making, Bernard C. Bailey

Student Scholarship

This study seeks to better understand board effectiveness by opening the "black box" associated with board dynamics and behaviors. Drawing on the process oriented perspective of board level strategic decision making from Forbes and Milliken (1999) as well as the group engagement model by Tyler and Blader (2000; 2003), we analyzed surveys from 151 board directors representing 119 U. S. publicly traded companies. Our findings show that the creation of a climate of respect within the boardroom, as well as board member and top management team (TMT) collaboration are positively related to "effort norms" and "cognitive conflict" processes. TMT and …

Ethical Ideologies And Decision Making Among College Athletes, Mary-Beth A. Cooper

Student Scholarship

Ethical decision making is a complex, yet timely topic for managers and consumers alike. In a collegiate setting, student athletes are scrutinized on and off the field not only for their athletic success but also for the ethical decisions they make that could change the course of their lives and the reputation of their institution. This research includes a survey covering over one thousand collegiate student athlete from the northeast who participated in a study determining the impact of ethical ideologies and social norms on their decision making. Specific constructs in the analysis include locus of control, ethical ideologies (idealism/relativism) …

How To Make Unethical Decisions, Andrew Sikula Sr., John Sikula

Management Faculty Research

People make decisions and solve problems in a variety of ways. Oftentimes, little if any thought goes into choice selection. Sometimes, even very important decisions are made without serious contemplation of potential alternatives and their consequences. Many different tools/techniques and rationales are utilized in problem solving and decision making with little or no regard to ethical judgment and/ or aftermaths. Some ways of making choices are worse than others when using pity parameters. This article discusses commonly used but ethically unsound methods of making selections. Later in the writing, appropriate standards and benchmarks for determining ethical action will be presented.

Reducing Causal Ambiguity In Acquisition Integration: Intermediate Goals As Mediators Of Integration Decisions And Acquisition Performance, Margaret Cording, Petra Christman, David R. King

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Integration is a difficult process, but one that is vital to acquisition performance. One reason acquirers encounter difficulties is that the integration process exhibits high levels of intrafirm linkage ambiguity – a lack of clarity of the causal link between integration decisions and their performance outcomes. We introduce the construct of intermediate goals as a mechanism that reduces intrafirm linkage ambiguity. Our structural model results, based on a sample of 129 horizontal acquisitions, indicate that the achievement of two intermediate goals (internal reorganization and market expansion) fully mediates the relationships between four integration decisions and acquisition performance.

Employing Adaptive Structuring As A Cognitive Decision Aid In High Reliability Organizations, Karlene H. Roberts, Kuo Frank Yu, Vinit M. Desai, Peter Madsen

Faculty Publications

The article begins by discussing processes contributing to high and low reliability decision making. It then discusses three cases, covering similar processes used in the three situations and notes what managers can take from this. Finally, the article argues for research that does not concentrate on a single organization but examines interactions among geographically distributed units addressing the same problem.

Top Salespeople Don't Sell: Managing Frame Incongruence Through Network Partitioning, Stuart R. Strolin

Student Scholarship

Buying decisions surrounding complex, transformational software are not made by individuals but instead by buying teams. Existing research on sales behavior and salesperson traits focuses on one-to-one selling and gives little insight into the training and selection required of a successful sales force. This paper describes the selling style and personal traits of twelve successful salespeople engaged in complex computer software sales to buying teams. What do successful salespeople do and what is it about him/her that distinguishes the most successful? Technology Frames of Reference and Actor Network Theory were used to interpret the methods used in successfully selling to …

In Search Of Bold And Wise Decision Making In Associations, Mark Engle

Student Scholarship

What if we could encourage association leaders to make bold and wise decision? Board members of nonprofit societies have limited time to devote to strategic issues confronting their associations. It is essential that they use their limited time productively and remain focused on strategic decision making. Therefore, this study addresses how association leadership--both boards and CEOs--consider significant issues and make decisions. The purpose is to determine how boards and staff of professional societies (associations comprised of individual memberships whose primary purpose is to provide learning and knowledge for members of the profession they represent) navigate the decision-making process and make …

Sales Sense: Improving Communication Through A Network Of Frames, Stuart R. Strolin

Student Scholarship

Why, when one business unit is successfully using an IT product, will another business unit reject or block its deployment when they have the same or similar business needs? Sales practitioners involved in making sense of these situations, centered on the assimilation of complex software innovations, lack the descriptive tools and language for methodically formulating approaches to overcome such obstacles. Insights have been offered by theories such as Diffusion of Innovation (Rogers, 1995), Technological Frames (Orlikowski & Gash, 1994), and Actor-Network Theory (Callon & Latour, 1981; Law, 1987). Various authors (Fichman, 1992; Lamb, 2003; Letch & Perth, 2001; Silver, Markus, …

The Role Of Cognitive Biases And Framing In Strategic Decision-Making Processes Regarding Socially Responsible Actions, Jonathan Coleman

Student Scholarship

This paper is intended to provide a conceptual framework about the importance of cognitive biases and framing in the strategic decisionmaking (SDM) processes used by corporations when addressing socially responsible actions. Through crises, regulation, activism and attempts to gain competitive advantage, companies are facing a dynamic environment requiring increased incorporation of social actions into corporate strategy. However, the nebulous nature of social actions and the inertia of bureaucracies have led to inefficient implementation of those actions. The conceptual framework developed in this paper sheds light on SDM processes involving corporate social responsibility (CSR), and lays a foundation for research in …

Risk Transference And Risk Perception Analysis Of Serial Entrepreneurs And Venture Capitalists, Francis A. Papay

Student Scholarship

Risk is inherent in decision­making when uncertain parameters and outcomes are involved. In the creation of a new venture, both entrepreneurs and their subsequent investors assume and share a variety of risks emanating from a multitude of such uncertain parameters of the early developing venture. One such mid­stage investor, the venture capitalist, attempts to mitigate the risks of investing in a new venture by incorporating detailed market, intellectual property strategy, financial and managerial elements into his or her investment decision­making analysis. Since venture capitalists are historically successful less than 20 percent of their investments in nascent companies, it appears that …

The Analytic Hierarchy & The Analytic Network Processes In Multicriteria Decision Making: A Comparative Study, Ali K. Taslicali

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation is to identify the critical benefits and factors of decision making models in a changing technological environment. Decision making models are helping tools for the managers or decision makers to make future plans by using qualitative or quantitative data. In this research, a general idea about decision making models and, comparison between the two important models, the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Analytical Network Process (ANP), are introduced. The research was done by using the information in the literature and expert judgment. This paper can be used by academics as a foundation for further …