This dissertation is two essays in business decision-making. The first essay is motivated by recent field evidence suggesting significant reliance on conventional techniques (e.g. NPV and DCF) without assessment of the decision profile - its degree of uncertainty, ambiguity and knowledge distribution. However, without knowing the decision profile, the chosen decision might not be appropriate given the decision situation. Therefore, essay 1 develops a multi-faceted conceptualization of the decision profile and provides a prescriptive model for choosing appraisal methods based on this profile. Specifically, it prescribes the limited use of conventional methods to low ambiguity and uncertainty situations and using decision trees, real options, scenario planning and case-based methods as the level of uncertainty increases. In high ambiguity situations, however, the only viable approaches are case-based methods which do not have perfect information assumption that conventional alternative methods do. Case-based methods have been supported theoretically in case-based decisions and case-based reasoning literature but lags in its use in business decision-making. Possible reasons for this include a lack of concrete applications and developments of major concepts such as its case memory, similarity and prediction functions. Therefore, essay 2 proposes a model of case-based decisions called similarity-based forecasting (SBF) and applies it to a high uncertainty and ambiguity situation -- namely forecasting movie success. In doing so, it outlines operational definitions of the memory, similarity and prediction functions and, based on data from the entertainment industry, provides empirical support for the hypothesis that case-based methods can be more accurate than regression forecasting; both SBF and combined SBF-regression models were able to predict movie gross revenues with 40% and 50% greater accuracy than regression respectively. This essay concludes with a discussion of some possible directions for future research including applications using data from other domains and settings, testing the boundary conditions for which the SBF approach should be applied, experiments using SBF under uncertainty and complexity manipulations, and 'time stamped' comparisons with predictions made using information markets (e.g. Hollywood Stock Exchange).

This thesis examines knowledge management from a social networking perspective, arguing that knowledge, as a social construct, has at its basis, people; and their interaction with one another. Knowing is an act of interpretation. From this perspective, knowledge management becomes more focused on managing these interactions and seeing staff as inquirers and generators of new knowledge. Thus, this research will explore the research question: Do managers perceive that the social network perspective of knowledge management, offers them a wider range of options of how to manage knowledge in dynamic environments? / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2009

Thesis (Ph.D) - Swinburne University of Technology, Faculty of Information & Communication Technologies, 2006. / A thesis submitted in total fulfillment of the requirments of for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Information and Communication Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology, 2006. Typescript. Bibliography p. 194-201.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007. / Title from electronic t.p. Special project advisor: Marianne D'Onofrio. Special project submitted for approval in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, Computer Information Technology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Melbourne, 1991. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 382-408).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2001. / Typescript. Bibliography: leaf 304-319.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, May, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Bond University, 2007. / "Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-159). Also available via the World Wide web.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-114). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.