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This article delves into the complexities of consumer behavior, offering an analysis of traditional and modern behavioral models to understand purchasing decisions. It begins with presentation of the Marshallian, Pavlovian, Freudian, and Veblenian models, which focus on economic, psychological, and social influences. Subsequently, the study explores contemporary frameworks like the Nicosia, Engel-Kollat-Blackwell, and Bettman models, highlighting their contributions to comprehending the consumer decision-making process in a dynamic market environment. By integrating insights from various models, the article underscores the significance of understanding consumer psychology, external stimuli, and individual roles in purchase activities. This review aims to equip marketers with the knowledge to devise effective strategies that address current market challenges and enhance consumer satisfaction and organizational profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the aggravation of interstate conflicts at the regional and interregional levels. In these conditions, the issue of the effectiveness of decision-making mechanisms and procedures in the activities of the United Nations (UN), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) becomes relevant. The aim of the article is to carry out a comparative analysis of the decision-making process in the activities of international security organisations, such as the UN, NATO, and the OSCE, and determine their effectiveness in the context of aggravation of interstate conflicts at the regional and interregional level. Using the methodology of content analysis, descriptive, comparative methods and analysis of legal acts. The procedure for the development and adoption was analysed, and the effectiveness of the adoption and implementation of UN, NATO, and OSCE decisions was considered. Further research prospects may be the study of the mechanisms of such limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Politics & Society / Polityka & Społeczeństwo is the property of University of Rzeszow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Repeatedly unsuccessful vocational education and training (VET) examinees are educational policy actors who, through their decision making, influence not only their completion of upper secondary education but also their futures. Drawing on biographical narrative interviews with 18 Czech VET examinees who failed the Matura exam at least twice, we identified how examinees make their decisions about the Matura exam and how their individual decision-making ways differ. For our participants, we can confirm that the ways they make decisions depend on which attempt to pass the Matura exam it is, as well as on in what context and on what the repeatedly unsuccessful examinees have to decide. We concluded that repeatedly unsuccessful VET examinees perceive decision making about passing the Matura to follow the principle of free choice in the first and second attempts. Due to the influence of institutionally formed beliefs about their own academic success, it is a rather limited choice. If in the third attempt they integrate their decisions about passing the Matura exam in the context of their career development, their decision making becomes a process in which we identify several individualized steps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accession of Greece to the EEC/EU (1981) resulted in the application of European directives in all areas of public action. By 1989, Greek state-led development initiatives were fully integrated into Community Support Frameworks (CSFs) and sectoral EU funding programs. This article proposes an analysis of the Europeanization process and its impact on the evolution of local cultural policies during the period 1980‑2010. In this perspective, we wish to understand the nature of the changes identified in the process of decision-making, since a new component that of Community action, plays a dynamic role in defining the content of public policies.

Study Design: Multicenter, retrospective study.Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the performance and concurrent validity of the adult spinal deformity surgical decision-making (ASD-SDM) score compared to decision-making factors in the ASD population.Summary Of Background Data: The ASD-SDM score, which has been recently proposed, is a scoring system to guide the selection of treatment modality for the ASD population. To secure the justification for its clinical use, it is necessary to verify its clinical performance and concurrent validity.Methods: A multicenter prospective ASD database was retrospectively reviewed. The data were analyzed separately in younger (≤40 years) and older (≥41 years) age groups. The discriminating capacity of the ASD-SDM score in cases who selected surgical and nonsurgical management was compared using area under the receiver operator characteristic curves (AUROC). Concurrent validity was examined using Spearman correlation coefficients, comparing factors that are reported to be associated with the decision-making process for ASD, including baseline symptomatology, health-related quality of life measures, and the severity of radiographic spinal deformity.Results: There were 338 patients (mean age: 26.6 years; 80.8% female; 129 surgical and 209 nonsurgical) in the younger age group and 750 patients (mean age: 63.5 years; 84.3% female; 410 surgical and 340 nonsurgical) in the older age group. In both younger and older patients, the ASD-SDM score showed a significantly higher performance for discriminating the surgical and nonsurgical cases (AUROC: 0.767, standard error [SE]: 0.026, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.712-0.813; AUROC: 0.781, SE: 0.017, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 0.747-0.812, respectively) compared to the decision-making factors analyzed. In addition, the ASD-SDM showed significant correlations with multiple decision-making factors.Conclusion: The ASD-SDM score alone can effectively grade the indication for surgical management whilst considering multiple decision-making factors.Level Of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities become increasingly complex and varied market players. Commercialization of education market changes their current position while forcing to redefine the orientation from traditional academic values towards business models. Building a market advantage enforces the necessity to undertake actions that are directed at consumer-related values. It is the consumer who, on the one hand, becomes a key stakeholder of activities performed by universities, and on the other one, a partner. As a result, university transforms in an ecosystem of mutual multidimensional relations between its employees and students. It evolves while seeking subsequent factors of success and unique values. Its position in rankings becomes a reflection of the effectiveness of undertaken strategies and actions determining future decisions of its consumers - students. The paper is of empirical-theoretical nature and its aim is to identify the role of rankings in students' decision-making processes with a particular focus on the conditions for managerial processes implemented by universities. The discussion is based on the relevant literature and the empirical studies' results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the decision-making process in crisis management with focus on the Army of the Czech Republic (soldiers at the University of Defence in Brno). Within the research, 44 soldiers were monitored whilst managing various tactical situations during a three-week complex field training exercise. The soldiers were supposed to carry out the following combat assignments: fire control, battle order and radio operation. Prior the training, the soldiers filled out a questionnaire the questions in which corresponded with the above mentioned practical tasks. Based on the acquired outcomes, it may be stated that the assessment of theoretical solution of selected combat assignments among future squad leaders may be used for the prediction of how successful the management of such assignments may be in practice. / Предметом настоящей статьи является процесс принятия решений в кризисном управлении, с особым акцентом на Вооруженные силы Чешской Республики (курсанты Университета обороны в г. Брно). Исследование основано на наблюдениях за поведением 44 курсантов в различных тактических ситуациях, происходящих во время сложных трехнедельных полевых учений. Курсанты должны были выполнить следующие боевые задачи: управление огнем, боевой порядок и организация радиосвязи. До начала учений курсанты заполняли анкету-опросник, содержащий вышеупомянутые задачи. На основании полученных результатов можно утверждать, что оценивание теоретических решений отдельных боевых задач, которое будущие командиры подразделений привели в опросниках, может быть использовано при прогнозировании успешности управления анализируемыми боевыми задачами на практике. / Članak se bavi procesom odlučivanja u kriznom menadžmentu s naglaskom na vojsku Republike Češke (kadeti na Univerzitetu odbrane u Brnu). Tokom istraživanja, posmatrana su 44 kadeta u različitim taktičkim situacijama tokom složene tronedeljne vežbe na terenu. Od njih se tražilo da izvrše sledeće borbene zadatke: upravljanje vatrom, naređenje za borbu i komunikacija putem radija. Pre treninga, kadeti su popunili upitnik sa pitanjima koja su odgovarala gore pomenutim zadacima u praksi. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata, može se tvrditi da ocena teorijskog rešavanja izabranih borbenih zadataka među budućim komandirima jedinica može da se koristi za predviđanje uspešnosti rukovođenja takvim zadacima u praksi.

The aim of this paper is to point to an additional segment that is practically absent from tourism literature and research – children and their role in family decision-making process. Family vacation is categorized as a “child-centred” product because many children are encouraged to participate in the family vacation decision-making process. The paper analyses the influence of children’s gender and age, as well as the amount of monthly income and family structure on the decision making process when purchasing family travel. To this end, four hypotheses were set, which were tested by Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman’s rank correlation and Kruskal-Wallis test. The research was conducted on the sample of - 301 respondents – parents of children consumers aged up to 12 from the territory of Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Military Technical Courier / Vojnotehnicki Glasnik is the property of Military Technical Courier / Vojnotehnicki Glasnik and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Unplanned dialysis start (UPS) leads to worse clinical outcomes than planned start, and only a minority of patients ever receive education on this topic and are able to make a modality choice, particularly for home dialysis. This study aimed to determine the predictive factors for patients receiving education, making a decision, and receiving their preferred modality choice in UPS patients following a UPS educational program (UPS-EP). Methods: The Offering Patients Therapy Options in Unplanned Start (OPTiONS) study examined the impact of the implementation of a specific UPS-EP, including decision support tools and pathway improvement on dialysis modality choice. Linear regression models were used to examine the factors predicting three key steps: referral and receipt of UPS-EP, modality decision making, and actual delivery of preferred modality choice. A simple economic assessment was performed to examine the potential benefit of implementing UPS-EP in terms of dialysis costs. Results: The majority of UPS patients could receive UPS-EP (214/270 patients) and were able to make a decision (177/214), although not all patients received their preferred choice (159/177). Regression analysis demonstrated that the initial dialysis modality was a predictive factor for referral and receipt of UPS-EP and modality decision making. In contrast, age was a predictor for referral and receipt of UPS-EP only, and comorbidity was not a predictor for any step, except for myocardial infarction, which was a weak predictor for lower likelihood of receiving preferred modality. Country practices predicted UPS-EP receipt and decision making. Economic analysis demonstrated the potential benefit of UPS-EP implementation because dialysis modality costs were associated with modality distribution driven by patient preference. Conclusion: Education and decision support can allow UPS patients to understand their options and choose dialysis modality, and attention needs to be focused on ensuring equity of access to educational programs, especially for the elderly. Physician practice and culture across units/ countries is an important predictor of UPS patient management and modality choice independent of patient-related factors. Additional work is required to understand and improve patient pathways to ensure that modality preference is enacted. There appears to be a cost benefit of delivering education, supporting choice, and ensuring that the choice is enacted in UPS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I show how Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has promoted two major national and international economic policies- Abenomics and Japan's involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership-by focusing on his administration's domestic political struggles. Both agendas become significant in the face of China's regional engagement, demonstrating the inextricable ties between international affairs and domestic politics, a combination essential for grasping the "Abe effect" in foreign policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is focused on the discussion about the role of nongovernmental organizations during the decisionmaking process in local governance and what factors influence it. To achieve this, the following steps have been made: first, the concept of nongovernmental organizations and their relationship with civil society was analyzed, then possible variations of relationship between nongovernmental organizations and their impact to the public sector was described. In the last part of the paper, the stages of the decision-making and implementation process in the municipality were analyzed and theoretical aspects of enabling NGOs were discussed. The analyses showed that the decisionmaking and implementation processes depend on the understanding of the need to cooperate, the ability of both subjects to work together, their relationship with citizens and other interest groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present report is intended to analyse and propose methods for the improvement of the process of management decision-making in the field of agriculture in Bulgaria. It will increase the effectiveness and speed up simplification on the basis of analysis of existing gaps and opportunities in the management of funding available under the Rural Development Programme (RDP).It will also significantly reduce bureaucracy. It is important to note that avoiding frequent changes of rules for the implementation of the RDP is an essential condition for smooth operation of the programme. Impact Assessment is used at the EU level, and it is well known as an assessment tool of the potential economic, social and environmental consequences. This assessment tool was used before new initiatives of the European Commission were proposed, however rarely implemented at Member States level. The goal of the article is to justify the analyses need of the effects for the RDP measures implementation, using the Balanced Scorecard, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). It would allow simplification of the procedures and will increase the effectiveness of the RDP funding. The simplification and the analyse of the effects of the RDP measures funding are a new element of analysis. This analysis has to include the impact, as well as the costs for and benefits of the implementation of each measure. Economic effectiveness and simplification in the implementation of the different measures of the program are considered. The aim is to achieve optimal management solutions that will generate higher added value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mature organizations get stuck to current operations, draining their competitive advantages. In unstable times, right projects are the key to success. But CEOs tend to focus on 'generating current cash flow', avoiding investment and missing the opportunities. The simple yet powerful framework was discovered and implemented, allowing the real organizations to balance and mix their project-based development with current operations, with affordable learning curve and initial resources. The idea is representing an organization as 5 (usual count) specially selected product portfolios, and allocating all the tasks to them. The tasks are categorized as 'reproduction, promotion, development' classes, and gradually grouped to products and projects to reproduce, improve, or promote specific product versions. Permanent and temporary responsibility is assigned. The process similar to P2M 'Vision--Product--Service' cycle is established. Customer expectations are set as the reason and the target for any tasks. This allows for lowering overhead for project management, fully integrating the developmental project management to a decision-making process, and decisions based on total cost of ownership allocation per any product. Subsets of Project Management, Product Management, Demand/Value management, Interaction Design, and Strategic Management were adopted and linked together to form a unified process of decision-making and value delivery through both waterfall and iterative projects. Selected guidance from IPMA ICB, PMAJ P2M, ISO 9241, and Lean was implemented. The framework is being successfully implemented in several pilot organizations to lead 'projectbased development through versioned product portfolios', under the name of 'D3' or 'Demand- Driven Design for Organizations'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Ciencias Sociais is the property of Revista Brasileira de Ciencias Sociais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This work consists of a comparative analysis of union government interaction in Argentinean and Brazilian pension reform. The research problem is to investigate in which political-institutional conditions union confederations are supposed to be included in a negotiated process of pension reform. This work argues that the peculiarities of decision-making process, and not the demand and resources of union confederations, set the terms of union-government interaction in Argentinean and Brazilian pension reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Web-based decision support or advisory tool that allows developers, planners, and other local government decision makers to utilize a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) and floodplain-related geographical information system (GIS) data layers in making floodplainmanagement decisions is described. The tool was developed using datafor a small subdivision in St. Charles County, Missouri, which is one of the fastest growing counties in the Midwest. A high-resolution DEM was generated using digitally scanned National Aerial Photograph Program (NAPP) photos in conjunction with highly accurate ground control from a rapid-static Global Positioning System (GPS) survey. Designand development of the Web-technology utilized ArcView GIS(r) and Internet Map Server, Java, JavaScript, HTML, and Avenue programming. This Web-based interface allows local users to interactively display and query different floodplain-related GIS layers. Important applications include determining whether a parcel is within or outside the current FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) 100-year floodplain and determining the elevation of a particular point. This paper also discusses the limitations and future direction of the present prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American cotton producers face rising production costs, falling prices, minimal yield increases, and increased competition from overseas markets and artificial fibers. Many producers are looking toward technology to gain an advantage in the only two variables that are withintheir control: reducing production costs and increasing yield. ITD-Spectral Visions and the NASA Commercial Remote Sensing Program are working with cotton producers Kenneth Hood of Perthshire Farms, Mississippi and Jay Hardwick of Newellton, Louisiana to test remote sensing and precision-agriculture technologies to solve some of these problems, with the eventual goal of integrating successful techniques into aDecision Support System (DSS) for cotton production. Components of the envisioned DSS currently being tested through field experiments include variable-rate seeding, spatially variable insecticide, spatially variable plant-growth regulator, variable-rate nitrogen, and others. The objective of these tests is to reduce costs and/or increase yield in an economically feasible manner. The eventual goal-integration of these and other components into a DSS-may occur only after the components are field-tested to show positive and repeatable results thatjustify the costs of such a system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current revolution in interconnectivity and online availability of Earth science data has enabled hydrology end users to access a wide variety of Earth science data through the World Wide Web (WWW). However, these distributed data sources have various data formats and numerous spatial and temporal resolutions, which limits the usability of the available datasets. In this paper, we describe how we have applied semantic modeling and ontology to achieve context-based information integration. We are developing a Hydrology Decision Support System(HyDSS), a prototype state-of-the-art web-based decision support system that provides a comprehensive environment for information integration and analysis. HyDSS is a part of the Hydrology Information System (HyDIS), an overall information system to support the requirements of hydrologic end users. It is aimed at supporting the entire decision-making process of hydrological end users, i.e., it helps in information collation and can provide an interface to third-party modeling and simulation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological advances in remote-sensing (RS) science and cultural changes brought about by the 'digital revolution' are combining to bring the worlds of remote sensing and land-use planning closer together. The University of Connecticut is engaged in a series of three projects that investigate RS-based decision support systems (DSS) for local land-use officials. The NEMO Project is focused on town-level decisions, the Connecticut River Watersheds Project is focused on watershed-level decisions, and the NAUTILUS Project is working on specific tools addressing urban sprawl. Each DSS is built upon a delivery systemof professional outreach educational programs, based on RS information, and enhanced through the use of geographic information systems (GIS). A review of this work demonstrates that, when integrated with applications and outreach to form tailored decision support systems, RSinformation can be a powerful force in assisting local officials to plan better the growth of their communities." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation databases (digital maps) for USDA Forest Service lands inCalifornia (approximately 10 million ha) have been developed over the last decade using remote sensing and GIS methods. The databases areintended to support national and regional land-cover inventory and monitoring, interagency conservation and fire risk assessment, and wildlife habitat evaluation, as well as more traditional uses including land management planning and forest inventory within each National Forest. The digital maps are fine-scale relative to their extent, beingderived from 30-m-resolution Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data and digital elevation models (DEMs). Map attributes included a vegetation life form class, a vegetation type, and canopy cover and size class estimates for forested polygons. Land-cover and vegetation type labelswere more accurate than forest structure estimates. However, the mapping methodology is not static. New remote sensing data and analysis methods offer some promise to improve map attribute estimation. The database is being provided by the Forest Service to agency personnel, cooperators, and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a decision support system for flood plain risk assessment and its applications and benefits are examined. The paper focuses on an application in the insurance industry and describes the use of airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) map products data in the development of a large-scale flood risk assessment system for the River Thames in the United Kingdom. Airborne radar technology was originally developed for military applications. In recent years, applications in telecommunications, oil exploration, and agriculture have proven that radar technology can also be used commercially. The innovative use of digital elevation model (DEMs) and orthorectified radar image (ORI) map products derived from IFSAR for flood risk assessment is discussed in the context of other risk assessment methodologies and techniques. The wider applications of this technology are considered for any organization exposed to flood risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A SpatioTemporal Gazetteer as a model to manage change information at the geographic entity instance level is presented. The Gazetteer framework links an image repository, that is the source of change information, to instances of geographic entities, and is change specific to these instances. The ability to quickly detect and extract change from image data is an essential component of the model. The paper alsopresents a modified template matching function used to detect change, and describes the association of this function with the spatiotemporal gazetteer. The change detection function embedded within the spatiotemporal gazetteer creates a foundation for up-to-date geospatial information and change information that can serve rapid-response decision-making applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to use remote sensing data within the purview of an information support system, to assess urban thermal landscape characteristicsas a means for developing more robust models of the urban heat-island (UHI) effect are described. We also present a rationale on how we have successfully translated the results from the study of urban thermal heating and cooling regimes as identified from remote sensing data, to decision-makers, planners, government officials, and the public at large in several U.S. cities to facilitate better understanding ofhow the UHI affects air quality. Additionally, through the assessment of the spatial distribution of urban thermal landscape characteristics using remote sensing data, it is possible to develop strategies to mitigate the UHI that hopefully will, in turn, drive down ozone levels and improve overall urban air quality. Four U.S. cities have beenthe foci for intensive analyses as part of our studies: Atlanta, Georgia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Sacramento, California. The remote sensing data for each of these cities has been used to generate a number of products for use by 'stakeholder' working groups to convey information on what the effects are of the UHI andwhat measures can be taken to mitigate them. In turn, these data products are used to both educate and inform policy-makers, planners, and the general public about what kinds of UHI mitigation strategies are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understanding and management of coastal zone processes and resources is of great economic and social importance as at least half of the world's population resides and works within the coastal zone. Coastal zones have been greatly exploited by man for establishment and growth of industry, resource extraction, tourism and urbanization, which have led to the evolution of thriving coastal economies. The over-development of the coastal areas has also brought about a multitude ofnegative environmental impacts such as the effects of improper industrial and human waste management, accelerated erosion and deposition,eutrophication, destruction of marine life and overall decrease of bio-diversity. This paper proposes a method and tool for improved decision aid in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM). It discusses the advantage of implementing, in a spatial decision support system, the most efficient strategies for data capture, integration, analysis and modelling, for the assessment of impacts deriving from possible development scenarios. The importance of integrating socio-economic and biophysical parameters in the context of ICZM and the need to define environmental indicators on which decision-making processes are based, are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]