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The principal purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationships between film genres and the decision-making process of the tourist. Within the tourism industry, the specific type of tourism-Film Tourism-has recently been recognised and approached in several research projects and case-studies. As a result of these efforts, the researchers agree that, in certain conditions, a film may influence the decision of the viewer to travel to the destination that such film portrays. However, due to the recent recognition of this type of tourism and consequent low number of explanatory research in this area, there is an evident lack of understanding about the underlying reasons why films may have such a stimulating effect on tourist decisions. To develop deeper understanding of this newly emerged type of tourism, it is vital to research different elements of the film and their possible effects on tourism-related decisions of the viewer. This pioneering study focuses on the previously neglected “genre” element of the film and the role of this element in the overall influence of the film on the tourist’s decision making process. Accordingly, an extensive survey (n=241) was conducted, implemented via the Internet and to randomly selected Exeter residents. The survey was followed by a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=10) of randomly selected respondents from Exeter. The results suggest that film genres may affect the motivational factors, such as Exciting and Achievement (Yoon and Uysal, 2005). Moreover, emotions are an important factor in the decisions of Film Tourists (Kim, 2012), and films of specific genres may infuse destination with such emotions, alter the destination image and create an interest in the destination. The major contribution of this study is the discovery that the effect of film genres on the Film Tourist is but a small subconscious part of the overall film influence, which encompasses a wider range of elements such as visual beauty, plot, actors, credibility and the atmosphere. Moreover, it would appear that, for most tourists, film is an additional and not a primary factor which creates a wish to travel. The visual portrayal of the destination is the key element which determines whether the film will affect the decision of the viewer to travel, but the genres of the film may allow the prediction of tourist type and possible travel behaviour.

In this article, I discuss a new methodology for course of action comparisons within the Military Decision Making Process MDMP. I discuss the problem with the current methodology used to compare and recommend courses of action to operational or tactical level commanders, and I describe and demonstrate how using this new methodology gives commanders a better tool to select those courses of action. I also provide additional analysis of the comparison that can provide the staff and the commander with actionable information generated from sensitivity analysis. / text

As durables are essential in many households, the level of ownership is high and, due to the high degree of penetration, a vast proportion of the current sales are replacement purchases. Even though a lot of research attention has been paid to decision making and decision processes many models are oriented towards non-durable goods and although a majority of purchases of many durable goods are replacements, few studies seem to make a distinction between a replacement purchase decision and a decision to buy an item for the first time. The purpose of this thesis has been to increase the understanding of the consumer decision process in replacement purchase. More specifically, the research focus has been on the cognitive mechanisms behind the formation of a replacement decision and on factors affecting the timing of a replacement purchase of durable goods. Choosing to study the timing of replacement decisions reflects the emphasis on the ongoing process, not merely on what is happening at a certain moment. Many studies in the consumer behaviour research are cross-sectional and by using cross-sectional data, there is a risk of identifying cohort effects rather then identifying effects stemming from the individual process over time. This thesis' focus on the process is reflected in and emphasised by the choice of method, both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study have been undertaken. In order to address the research question, a theoretical framework and model were developed. The model is based on the traditional idea that many actual purchase decisions are realised through the approach of problem solving, entailing problem identification, information search, evaluation of alternatives, choice, and action. The underlying assumption of the model is that purchase expectations are related to a comparison between an aspiration level, defined in accordance with Simon's (1956) satisficing principle, and an evaluation of the currently owned product (current level). Purchase expectations are believed to be the result of a cognitive process encompassing the comparison between aspiration level and current level. When the discrepancy between aspiration level and current level goes beyond a noticeable difference, a purchase expectation is assumed to be formed and the purchase process initiated. The results from this studyreveal that the cognitive mechanism behind a replacement decision can be explained in accordance with the proposed model: Consumers compare the currently owned product with requirements of product for the same usage and if the current product falls below the requirements, replacement plans are formed. The timing of the replacement is therefore argued to depend both on factors effecting the requirements of a product for the same usage (the aspiration level), and on factors affecting the perception of the current product (the current level). Moreover, the study indicates that problem identification initiated through a change either in aspiration level or in current level might evoke different decision strategies and consequently, the problem identification stage might be more important for marketing strategies than previously assumed. The results aslo highlight the importance of considering the consumers present stage in the decision process for achieving an efficient segmentation for market communication as product attributes important early in the process might not be important later in the process. / <p>Diss. Umeå : Univ.</p> / digitalisering@umu

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According to Harvard Business Essentials (2006) an organisation is a series of decisions linked by implementation and other activities. Decisions set the pace and direction; the rest is follow through. Paul Nutt has been studying how decisions are made for more than 20 years and have found that decisions fail half of the time, without realising any benefit for the organisation (Nutt, 2002). Decision making is an essential part of the management function of an organisation. But why do so many decisions fail? Why does the outcome of decisions sometimes not satisfy the initial problem or support the organisation’s goal? Four decision making processes were analysed for this dissertation, the conclusion was drawn that current decision making processes do not incorporate a clear system approach. The dissertation shows that a system approach, as defined by systems engineering,satisfies the need for ensuring decisions are made taking into account a holistic picture. By following a system approach when making a decision, a bigger picture view can be obtained. Having a bigger picture view, will aid the decision maker in identifying whether the decision to make is indeed the right decision to be made, or merely a symptom of another decision or problem. A system approach aids the decision maker to determine where the decision to be taken fits in and what impact it will have on the system. A system approach to decision making process was designed, incorporating the strengths of the decision making process and system approach methodologies researched. The system approach methodology can be applied successfully to management decisions. By using this methodology a holistic view is obtained of a decision regarding a problem, resulting in effectively handling and managing the decision or problem. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Graduate School of Technology Management / unrestricted

Perceived quality in the context of e-commerce was defined and examined in numerous studies, but, to date, there are no consistent definitions and measurement scales. Instruments that measure quality in e-commerce industries primarily focus on website quality or service quality during the transaction and delivery phases. Even though some scholars have proposed instruments from different perspectives, these scales do not fully evaluate the level of quality perceived by customers during the entire decision-making process. This dissertation purports to provide five main contributions for the e-commerce, service quality, and decision science literature: (1) development of a comprehensive instrument to measure how online customers perceive the quality of the shopping channel, website, transaction and recovery based on the customer decision making process; (2) identification of the determinants of customer satisfaction and the key dimensions of customer behavioral intentions in e-commerce; (3) examination of the relationships among perceived quality, customer satisfaction and loyalty intention using empirical data; (4) application of different statistical packages (LISREL and PLS-Graph) for data analysis and comparison of how these methods impact the results; and (5) examination of the moderating effects of control variables. A survey was designed and distributed to a total of 1126 college students in a large southwestern university in the U.S. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling with both LISREL and PLS-Graph are used to validate the comprehensive instrument and test the research hypotheses. The results provide theoretical and normative guidelines for researchers and practitioners in the e-commerce domain. The research results will also help e-commerce platform providers or e-retailers to improve their business and marketing strategies by providing a better understanding of the most important factors influencing customer behavioral intentions.

Dans un environnement économique décrit comme turbulent, la flexibilité est perçue comme un facteur clé de succès que les entreprises devraient maximiser. Pourtant, la notion de flexibilité est souvent présentée comme un concept relatif au domaine étudié. Celle-ci reste par conséquent un concept difficile à appréhender de façon globale et est souvent limitée à une fonction analytique malgré les nombreux travaux dont elle a fait l’objet depuis le début du XXe siècle. La complexité provient essentiellement de la multiplicité des domaines d’application, en témoignent les travaux portants sur la classification des différents types de flexibilités et de l’absence d’approche homogène pour traiter ces problématiques. L’enjeu, pour développer une gestion de la flexibilité au sein des niveaux stratégique, tactique et opérationnel, est alors d’intégrer cette dimension au processus décisionnel. Aujourd’hui, seules certaines décisions ont pour objet la flexibilité alors que tout processus de décision, par le changement d’état qu’il opère, modifie la topologie de l’espace des situations atteignables et par conséquent la capacité du système à être flexible. En vue d’établir une véritable politique de couverture du risque efficiente en univers incertain pour les entreprises, notre recherche s’est attachée à proposer une unité de gestion commune pour la flexibilité que nous avons nommée « potentialité ». Nous avons ainsi défini un cadre conceptuel sur lequel repose une méthodologie permettant de concevoir un système à flexibilité souhaitée. Nos travaux ouvrent des perspectives de recherches importantes sur deux axes majeurs. Le premier consiste à formaliser l’expression du besoin en termes de flexibilité dans le cadre de la méthodologie proposée. Le second, concerne le développement d’une politique de flexibilité basée sur la gestion d’un portefeuille de potentialités à l’instar d’une gestion de stock. / In an economic environment described as turbulent, flexibility is perceived as a key success factor which firms should maximize. Nevertheless, notion of flexibility is often presented as a concept relative to field studies. Therefore, flexibility remains a difficult concept to take on board in a global manner. Despite the fact that there are many studies on the subject since the beginning of XXth century, flexibility is often limited to an analytical function. Complexity results essentially from fields applications’ multiplicity and on lack of homogeneous approach to handle these problems as shown in carrying works on different flexibility types classifications. The aim in developing a flexibility management within strategic, tactical and operational levels, is to integrate this dimension into decisionmaking process. In today’s business, only few decisions process have for object flexibility while every decision making process, by the change of state that it operates, modifies space typology to reachable situations and consequently, modifies as well system capacity to be flexible. To establish a real policy for efficient risk cover in uncertain universe for today’s bussinesses, our research attempted to propose a unit of common management for flexibility, which we named "potentiality". Therefore, we defined a conceptual framework in which a methodology allows designing a “wished flexibility” system. Our works open on perspectives researches based on two major axes. The first one consists in formalizing expression of need in terms of flexibility within the proposed methodology framework. The second axe concerns developing a flexibility policy based on a potentialities portfolio management following stock management example.

Since its creation in 1875, the Canadian Supreme Court has undergone several institutional transitions. These transitions have changed the role of the Court toward a more explicit and influential policy making role in the country. Despite this increasingly significant role, very limited attention has been given to the Court. With this perspective in mind, this study presents several analyses on the decision making process of the Canadian Supreme Court. At the institutional level, the study found that within the stable workload, the cases composition has shifted away from private law to public law cases. This shift is more significant when one concentrates on appeals involving constitutional and rights cases. The study found that this changing pattern of the Court's decision making was a result of the institutional changes shaping the Supreme Court. Statistically, the abolition of rights to appeal in civil cases in 1975 was found to be the most important source of the workload change.

<p><strong>Problem:        </strong>To be able to be successful in attracting international students it is necessary to understand why students choose to study abroad. Students engage in international education because they are looking for certain benefits, but which are these benefits? Does different students want different things and how well does Sweden deliver the sought after benefits? Does the introduction of a tuition fee influence the students’ decision?</p><p> </p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong>        The study, both theoretically and empirically, investigates what lays behind the decision to take part in an international education with focus on what benefits associated with an international education that are important for students.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Methodolgy:</strong>  A prestudy was conducted to create an understanding of the topic. The theoretical conclusions are tested with the help of questionnaires distributed at Hangzhou Dianzi University in China.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong>  A conclusive summary is set up which lists the most important benefits with international education. The empirical study shows that improved English, culture experience, the university’s reputation and that the country offers a safe environment are key benefits influencing Chinese students to study abroad.</p>