Den tekniska utvecklingen har bidragit till ett ökat antal kanaler mellan företag och konsumenter. Detta möjliggör för konsumenter att fritt röra sig mellan dessa kanaler för att skapa och forma dess köpupplevelse efter önskat behov. Utvecklingen har bidragit till att konsumenter kan använda både digitala och fysiska kanaler i sin köpbeslutsprocess. Detta har utvecklat omnikanaler, där showrooming är en framväxande konsumtionstrend. Showrooming syftar till situationen då en konsument söker information via en fysisk kanal och sedan genomför köpet genom en digital kanal.  Syftet med denna studie är att förklara hur kundvärdet påverkar kanalvalen i den förlängda köpbeslutsprocessen till att konsumenten utövar showrooming eller aktivt väljer bort showrooming. Kundvärdet definieras i denna studie som en avvägning mellan behovsuppfyllnad och uppstådda kostnader. Showrooming undersöks mestadels utifrån företagens perspektiv, och således bidrar denna studie till ökad kunskap utifrån konsumentens perspektiv. Att förstå detaljhandelsfenomenet utifrån detta perspektiv är av betydelse för företag, eftersom de då ges möjligheten att utforma värdeerbjudanden som medför att konsumenten fortsätter välja deras kanaler.  Studien är genomförd utifrån en kvalitativ design där intervjuer har använts för att få en nyanserad förklaring från konsumenternas perspektiv. Därav gjordes valet att inkludera respondenter med olika erfarenheter, för att erhålla flera perspektiv. Totalt genomfördes 14 intervjuer med respondenter som besatt olika erfarenheter av fenomenet, där tio av dessa vid något tillfälle valt att utöva showrooming. Det var av betydelse att respondenterna skilde sig åt och hade blandade erfarenheter för att belysa det presenterade syftet. Studien identifierade att personliga preferenser är avgörande för de kanalval som tas i köpbeslutsprocessen. Det var tydligt att kundvärde är drivande för respondenternas beslut, där detta avgörs av personliga preferenser. Stegen där konsumenterna väljer kanal är avgörande för eventuellt utövande av showrooming. / The development of technology has led to an increased amount of channels between companies and customers. This enables consumers to move freely across these channels to create and design their purchase experience after desired need. This development has contributed to customers using both digital and physical channels during their purchase decision-making process. This has developed omnichannels, where showrooming is a growing consumption trend. Showrooming refers to the situation where a consumer seeks information through a physical channel, and then completes the purchase through a digital channel. The purpose of this study is to explain how customer value affects the channel choice in the extended purchase decision-making process if the customer decides to practice showrooming or actively deselect it. Customer value is defined as a value trade-off between need fulfillment and emerged costs in this study. Showrooming is mostly investigated from a business perspective, and thus this study contributes with increased knowledge from a consumer perspective. To understand this retail phenomenon from this perspective is of importance for businesses, since they are given the opportunity to create value propositions which entails that the consumer stays within their channels. The study is accomplished through a qualitative design, where interviews have been used to get a nuanced explanation from the consumer perspective. Thereby, the choice was made to include diverse respondents to obtain different perspectives. A total number of 14 interviews were conducted with respondents with different experience of the phenomenon, where ten of these had chosen to perform showrooming at some point. It was of importance that the respondents differed and possessed different experience to receive a nuanced understanding from the presented purpose. The study identified that personal preferences are crucial for the channel choices through the purchase decision-making process. It was clear that customer value was of importance for the respondent’s decisions, where this was determined by personal preferences. The stages where consumers choose a channel is crucial for if showrooming will be practiced or not.

During the 2010s Swedish principals received an increased responsibility to make decisions regarding the schooling for individual students. Simultaneously the influx of immigrants to Sweden was high and the responsibility of sorting out housing and schools for the migrants was split between the municipalities. This meant more schools received responsibility for newly arrived students. Laws and regulations regarding newly arrived was changed gradually after 2015 and principals were given increased responsibility of the decision-making. In the light of this a case study was designed to increase knowledge about decision making and influencing process relating to newly arrived students schooling. A partial purpose was to deepen the understanding around principals’ conditions and prerequisites to make decisions in line with the education act. Principals and representatives of the administration in the form of unit managers for mother tongue or reception units were interviewed. The study’s theoretical perspective emanates from theories of bounded rationality, institutional logics and a framework on organizational learning that describes how routines are developed. The result showed that decision-making was influenced by the frames and organizational conditions which existed in the context of each municipality and school. The decision-making usually happened with the hallmark of bounded rationality; the decision makers used solutions which had worked prior to achieve a result that they regarded as sufficient. This meant that the organizational solutions that were available in the organization prior were used to incorporate the new students in the school. Decision-making could be understood from several competing institutional logics: to realize political goals and comply with legislation (bureaucratic logic), to be an attractive school (market logic), to provide students with a good education (professional logic) and to use resources efficiently (organizational logic). The three cases showed major differences regarding the development of routines in the organisation. In one of the municipalities there were routines in place for a few important areas of decisions such as school placement processes and home multilingual classroom assistance. This led to a quick reception and school start for the newly arrived students while the lack of a functional routine in another municipality led to long school placement processes and frustration among the decision-makers. The results of the study points to the importance of having discussions on individual, group and organizational levels to develop routines which reduces the need of repeated decision-making. The result deepens the understanding of the complex context principals and unit managers must deal with in decision-making and underlines the importance of having discussions at the individual, group and organizational level to develop routines that reduce the need for repeated decision-making. / Svenska rektorer fick under 2010-talet ett gradvis utökat ansvar för att fatta beslut kring enskilda elevers skolgång. Samtidigt tog Sverige emot många nyanlända och ansvaret för att ordna boende och skola för gruppen fördelades mellan alla Sveriges kommuner. Det innebar att fler skolor fick ansvar för nyanlända elever. Lagstiftning och reglering kring nyanlända elever förändrades successivt efter 2015 och rektor fick utökat ansvar för beslutsfattandet. Med detta som bakgrund utformades en fallstudie med syfte att öka kunskap om besluts- och påverkansprocesser kring nyanlända elevers skolgång. Ett delsyfte var att fördjupa förståelsen kring rektorers villkor och förutsättningar att fatta beslut som följer skollagen. Rektorer och representanter för förvaltningen i form av enhetschefer för modersmåls- eller mottagningsenheter intervjuades. Studiens teoretiska perspektiv utgår från teorier om begränsad rationalitet, institutionella logiker och ett ramverk om organisatoriskt lärande som beskriver hur rutiner utvecklas. Resultatet visar att beslutsfattandet påverkades av de ramar och organisatoriska villkor som fanns i respektive kommun och i respektive skolas kontext. Beslutsfattandet skedde ofta med den begränsade rationalitetens kännetecken: beslutsfattarna använde sig av lösningar som fungerat tidigare för att uppnå ett resultat som de uppfattade som tillräckligt bra. Det innebar att de organisatoriska lösningar som fanns tillhands i organisationen sedan tidigare användes för att slussa in de nyanlända eleverna i skolan. Beslutsfattandet gick att förstå utifrån flera konkurrerande institutionella logiker: att förverkliga politiska mål och följa lagstiftningen (byråkratisk logik), att vara en attraktiv skola (marknadslogik), att ge eleverna en god utbildning (professionell logik) och att utnyttja resurser effektivt (organisationslogik). De tre fallen uppvisade stora skillnader gällande utvecklandet av rutiner i organisationen. I en av kommunerna fanns rutiner på plats för flera viktiga beslutsområden som skolplacering och studiehandledning på modersmålet. Det ledde till snabbt mottagande och skolstart för de nyanlända, medan avsaknad av fungerande rutin i en annan kommun ledde till utdragna skolplaceringsprocesser och frustration bland beslutsfattarna. Resultatet fördjupar förståelsen för den komplexa kontext rektorer och enhetschefer har att hantera i beslutsfattandet och understryker vikten av att föra diskussioner på individ-, grupp och organisationsnivå för att utveckla rutiner som minskar behovet att upprepat beslutsfattande.

Purpose: The article describes how cross-cultural communication might impact purchase decisions in the fourth stage of the decision-making process. It also examines how cultural value influences the Ghanaian consumer. The results and conclusions aim to help MNEs comprehend Ghanaian culture. Literature review: The reviewed literature discussed cross-cultural communication. Such as Hofstede's cultural aspects and how they affect the purchase decision. The author offered six hypotheses for the research model from the literature review. Methodology: A quantitative research design was used with a deductive research technique. An online questionnaire constructed with Google Forms was used to collect primary data, and it received 154 replies. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, and Pearson's correlation were used to analyse the data. Findings: Hofstede's cultural qualities are positively linked to purchase decisions. Indulgence is the most vital link. The correlation research linked buying decisions to Hofstede's cultural characteristics. Positive connections were made. The thesis author analyses empirical data showing that Ghanaians keep to their culture but also follow trends.

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<p>  </p> <p>This study investigates consumers’ moral-decision making process when they become aware of brands’ controversial actions. Specifically, this study aims to understand the effects of consumers’ cognitive and affective responses on their moral judgments after learning about the controversy of brands conducting animal testing, which in turn impacts their brand switching intention. The current study also considers consumers’ approach-avoidance conflicts in the moral-decision making process in which consumers confront moral dilemmas. The particular brands’ controversial action of interest for this study is personal care brands’ conducting animal testing on their products and selling animal-tested products because many believe that animal testing is only vital for biomedical research purposes but not for pursuing beauty purposes. This study builds a conceptual model depicting the consumer moral decision-making process based on Rest's (1994) and Schwartz’s (2015) ethical decision-making (EDM) theory and Sirgy’s (1986) self-congruence theory. To test the model, highly valid responses were collected from 454 U.S. nationwide consumers through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results indicated that: (1) consumers’ affective response (outward-focused emotion) and cognitive response (moral awareness) both provoked their moral incongruence and brand switching intention, (2) consumers’ cognitive response had a negative and significant impact on their moral disengagement, but moral disengagement had a marginal impact on brand switching intentions, (3) consumers’ affective response has a stronger impact on their moral judgment than cognitive, and their affective response can directly lead to brand switching intention, and lastly, (4) moral incongruence and moral disengagement mediated the effects of moral awareness and outward-focused emotion on brand switching intention. Finally, the research findings contribute to the consumer science literature in the area of consumers' moral decision-making process. For practical contributions, this study encourages companies to conduct practice that follows general consumers' moral beliefs and values to avoid losing their loyal customers. </p>

After 12 years of isolation, the relations between Brussels and Minsk have been thawing starting in the last year. One of the components of the policy of re-engagement is the new initiative adopted by the EU called Eastern Partnership (EaP). This thesis sought to answer following question: what were the main reasons for the change in the EU policy towards Belarus after 2008? In order to answer the research question I formulated two hypotheses. The first hypothesis argues that while the EU has acted according to the normative power expectations up until 2008, after that date a more pragmatic approach in the foreign policy has been at work. The second hypothesis explains this change by the increasing influence of Eastern European countries in realm of decision-making processes within the EU, which resulted in a reformed EU foreign policy towards Belarus.These hypotheses are tested in a qualitative case study of the launching of the Eastern Partnership initiative, seen as the most important instrument that defines the new policy of EU. I will focus on the process of decision–making in regards to the adoption of the new initiative towards the Eastern European countries, using the rational actor model and the theory of formal leadership. The results of the paper point out that the main reason for changing the EU foreign policy towards Belarus were connected to pragmatic interests in the economic and energy areas, which weakened the EU normative claims. However, EU values are still counted as political conditionality has recently re-entered the agenda. Thus, the current foreign policy is two-fold: based on rational model of acting and normative power. Moreover, the EaP is the result of the strengthened position of Eastern European countries in terms of the power hierarchy among EU members, with Poland, and the Baltic States playing an increasingly larger role.

Research on historical consumers has focused on physical products, financial services have received less attention. A model, "The Consumer Decision Making Model for Financial Services," emphasizes variable interaction and was introduced to address this lack of knowledge. The study focuses on Generation Z, a consumer group with over 2 billion individuals and increased purchasing power. Despite extensive research on this group, there is a lack of empirical data on their consumption of financial services. The purpose of studies is to deepen the understanding of Generation Z's decision-making processes in financial services by analyzing their psychographic, demographic and situational characteristics.  The study follows a quantitative research design with a deductive approach. The deductive approach means that hypotheses are formulated based on existing knowledge and theoretical considerations. By using a quantitative method, objectivity was enabled in the exploration of various themes, which also provided the ability to identify trends and connections. To collect empirical data, a web-based survey was conducted, where responses were obtained from 51 respondents within the relevant target group. The research questions that guide the study's design and data collection are anchored in theoretical considerations. This approach increases the credibility and relevance of the study by following a systematic methodology that is anchored in established theory.  The theoretical basis of the study is based on established theories of decision-making and decision-making models, with particular emphasis on the complex landscape of financial services. A central point of reference is "The Consumer Decision Making Model for Financial Services" by Milner and Rosenstreich (2013a), introduced to address the unique challenges of this specific field. Literature about Generation Z have also been extensively researched to highlight the unique factors that influence their decision-making processes. The study on Generation Z's financial decision-making processes shows that demographic factors do not have a major impact on their choices. Despite varying life situations and incomes, education is a priority for them. Life events such as parenthood or moving house affect their search for financial information, and despite their digital skills, family still plays an important role in their decisions. The study provides both theoretical insights and practical guidelines for actors in financial services and marketing. / Forskning om konsumenter har historiskt fokuserat på fysiska produkter, finansiella tjänster har fått mindre uppmärksamhet. En modell, "The Consumer Decision Making Model for Financial Services", betonar variabel interaktion och introducerades för att åtgärda denna brist på kunskap. Studien fokuserar på Generation Z, en konsumentgrupp med över 2 miljarder individer och ökad köpkraft. Trots omfattande forskning om denna grupp saknas det empirisk data om deras konsumtion av finansiella tjänster. Syftet med studier är att fördjupa förståelsen för Generation Z:s beslutsprocesser inom finansiella tjänster genom att analysera deras psykografiska, demografiska och situationella egenskaper.  Studien följer en kvantitativ forskningsdesign med en deduktiv ansats. Den deduktiva metoden innebär att hypoteser formuleras utifrån befintlig kunskap och teoretiska överväganden. Genom att använda en kvantitativ metod möjliggjordes objektivitet i utforskningen av olika teman, vilket också gav möjligheten att identifiera trender och kopplingar. För att samla in empirisk data genomfördes en webbaserad undersökning där svar erhölls från 51 respondenter inom den relevanta målgruppen. Forskningsfrågorna som styr studiens design och datainsamling är förankrade i teoretiska överväganden. Detta tillvägagångssätt ökar studiens trovärdighet och relevans genom att följa en systematisk metod som är förankrad i etablerad teori.  Den teoretiska grunden för studien bygger på etablerade teorier om beslutsfattande och beslutsfattande modeller, med särskild tonvikt på det komplexa landskapet för finansiella tjänster. En central referenspunkt är "The Consumer Decision Making Model for Financial Services" av Milner och Rosenstreich (2013a), introducerad för att ta itu med de unika utmaningarna inom detta specifika område. Litteratur om Generation Z har också undersökts mycket för att lyfta fram de unika faktorer som påverkar deras beslutsprocesser. Studien om Generation Z:s ekonomiska beslutsprocesser visar att demografiska faktorer inte har någon större inverkan på deras val. Trots varierande livssituationer och inkomster är utbildning en prioritet för dem. Livshändelser som föräldraskap eller flytt påverkar deras sökande efter ekonomisk information, och trots deras digitala kompetens spelar familjen fortfarande en viktig roll i deras beslut. Studien ger både teoretiska insikter och praktiska riktlinjer för aktörer inom finansiella tjänster och marknadsföring.

Problematization: Family firms in Sweden play a vital role in the labor force, reflecting their extensive presence and essential role in the economy. Central to every family firm are its guiding values, shared among family members engaged in its activities. Driven by a commitment to their local communities and a sense of social responsibility, family firms actively pursue social initiatives. However, there is a recognized imperative for additional research to investigate micro-level aspects and enhance the comprehension of the Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) model. Purpose: The research aims to establish a conceptual framework for investigation of the interconnection between family firms and social initiatives. The primary objective is to explore how family values are embedded in the decision-making process concerning social initiatives within the local community. Method: An exploratory multiple case study design was employed, utilizing a qualitative approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with family members actively involved in the decision-making process regarding social initiatives and their subsequent implementation. Main results: Family values guide decisions related to social initiatives within family firms, driven by centralized ownership, while the business values of firms are influenced by the values upheld by family owners. Consequently, the decision-making process is influenced by the personal interests of family members, hence the essence of fostering community togetherness. The findings underscored an informal decision-making process across various industries,wherein decisions are guided by the personal interests of family members in pursuing social initiatives within the local community.

Changes in the environment are a major area of concern to any firm in its strategic decision making process (SDMP). SDMP is considered to be an important component in the success of firms in the strategic management literature. This includes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the electronic, telecom and information technology (IT) sector which are subjected to frequent and extremely dynamic environments both internally and externally, unlike many other industries. A lack of prior studies supporting an understanding of the SDMP in SMEs is evident, and coupled with the extremely volatile environmental conditions that compound the problem, makes SMES dealing in electronic, telecom and IT products and services highly vulnerable to closure. An immediate investigation into the SDMP in SMEs is needed and long overdue. This research seeks to address this gap in the knowledge. In order to address the gap this research used synoptic formalism and incrementalism to develop an understanding on how SMEs in the electronic, telecom and IT sector make decisions and what is the nature of these decisions. A Strategic Decision Making Process (SDMP) model was developed based on prior research. Decision magnitude of impact acted as the input to the SDMP, rationality and intuition acted as the process component, and decision process output as the output component. Thus these three concepts acted as the three components of a process (input-process-output) configuration. The model facilitated the development of an understanding of the functioning of decision magnitude of impact as a decision characteristic factor, its relationship to SDMP and process dimensions (rationality in decision making and intuition) as an antecedent (and hence as a predictor) of decision output variables (decision process effectiveness), quality of the decision process output through the mediation of decision dimensions. In line with the need to understand the SDMP in SMEs data were collected from managers of a large number of SMEs belonging to electronic, telecom and IT sector. The territory chosen was the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates) as this region provides a rich source of such SMEs and the environment is highly dynamic. A self-administered questionnaire was developed by adapting previously validated questionnaire scales. Pre-testing and pilot surveys were used to ensure that the contents, format and scales were appropriate. A range of decision makers in those SMEs were targeted. 464 valid questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of over 50%. The data was coded and analysed using SPSS/AMOS, two widely used statistical software tools. The data analysis steps included reliability and validity testing (Cronbach’s alpha and Confirmatory Factor Analysis, respectively). The entire model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Using SEM it was possible to identify the model, test the parsimonious nature of the model, determine whether the identified model makes theoretical sense and examine the fitness of the model to the data. The predictability of decision process output by decision magnitude of impact was analysed using path analysis as part of the SEM. The research outcome showed that in the electronic, telecommunication and information technology sector, where the environment is dynamic, decision magnitude as an important independent variable influences rationality in decision making directly and decision effectiveness, quality of decision process output and firm commitment indirectly. Rationality in decision making was found act as an important medicating variable in the strategic decision making process. In the same vein it was found that intuition is not affected by decision magnitude of impact. Further, dynamism in the industry and firm performance were also seen to influence decision effectiveness, quality of decision process output and firm commitment although the influence of dynamism in the industry on firm commitment was found to be very low. Thus the main contribution of this research is the development of an understanding of the relationship between decision magnitude of impact as input to the SDMP and hence as predictor of decision process output and the SDMP process output. Furthermore, the research has advanced current knowledge on the influence of rationality in decision making and intuition as mediators between decision magnitude of impact and decision process output variables. These two aspects have been tested in an SME sector that is affected seriously by dynamism in the industry and with varying firm performance as a contextual feature. The comprehensive research outcome can be of benefit to the SMEs in the electronic, telecom and IT sector and support them in overcoming potential vulnerabilities by making strategic decisions whose magnitude of impact on the firms is high and a decision process that is rational. In addition from the point of view of methodology this research has used SEM in understanding the nature and functioning of the model as well as the operationalisation of the variables. The outcome of this research is expected to benefit the SMEs in the electronic, telecom and IT sector in their SDMP and has opened up a new area of research for other researchers and academics.