Doing the Right Thing : A Study of Cross-Generational Eldercare Decision-making in Community and Disease Context

Utilizing the sociology of knowledge perspective, as well as elements of structural-functional theory this study examined the decision-making process as it relates to eldercare. Specifically, how does the knowledge of available resources, community context, and caregiving beliefs affect the caregiving alternative one chooses? Furthermore, what role does family social milieus play in the decision-making process? This research used a 20-item interview schedule developed specifically for this study; and the unit of analysis was the individual responsible for making decisions about the care received by an elder. The survey used both closed and open-ended questions, designed to capture data related to the cultural, socio-demographic, and social structural level of each respondent. Thirty-three (33) individuals responsible for eldercare decision-making completed an interview, which took anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Data from closed ended questions were coded and entered into an SPSS file. The data from open-ended questions were summarized on a case-by-case basis and the content analyzed for particular themes or patterns that could be measured. Finding from this study, as well as policy recommendations are discussed, concentrating on social service agencies, medical organizational resources, public education as it relates to social and medical agencies, and economic and medical dilemmas effecting decision-makers

Doing the Right Thing : A Study of Cross-Generational Eldercare Decision-making in Community and Disease Context

Utilizing the sociology of knowledge perspective, as well as elements of structural-functional theory this study examined the decision-making process as it relates to eldercare. Specifically, how does the knowledge of available resources, community context, and caregiving beliefs affect the caregiving alternative one chooses? Furthermore, what role does family social milieus play in the decision-making process? This research used a 20-item interview schedule developed specifically for this study; and the unit of analysis was the individual responsible for making decisions about the care received by an elder. The survey used both closed and open-ended questions, designed to capture data related to the cultural, socio-demographic, and social structural level of each respondent. Thirty-three (33) individuals responsible for eldercare decision-making completed an interview, which took anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours to complete. Data from closed ended questions were coded and entered into an SPSS file. The data from open-ended questions were summarized on a case-by-case basis and the content analyzed for particular themes or patterns that could be measured. Finding from this study, as well as policy recommendations are discussed, concentrating on social service agencies, medical organizational resources, public education as it relates to social and medical agencies, and economic and medical dilemmas effecting decision-makers

Organizing an Online Community for Open Strategizing in a Large Organization

The creation of an online strategy community is increasingly attractive for companies as a mean to make the strategy process more inclusive and open. However, the fundamental difference between the flexible approach of open strategizing afforded by an online community and more controlled approaches of the traditional strategy formulation and implementation posits fundamental challenges for co-existence of these two processes. I argue that for these two processes to effectively co-exist, complex bridging process needs to take place in organizations. Furthermore, effective co-existence implies that open strategizing within an online community influences the formal strategy-making process. This thesis explores an online community as a distinct form of open strategizing in a large organization, to address two interdependent research questions related to organizing an online community for strategic influence: (1) ‘How do managers bridge open strategizing within an online community and formal strategy-making, characterized by closed and hierarchical decision-making?’ and (2) ‘How do managers organize an online strategy community to influence strategic decision-making in large organizations?’. This in-depth inductive single case study investigates strategy professionals at a large telecommunications firm Telco that instigated a unique online strategy platform to increase the openness of participation and to influence the formal strategy process. This empirical study utilizes multiple sources of data including interviews, online community logs, observations, and document analysis, the findings of which are summarized in two theoretical models. I identify three mechanisms that enable bridging between different strategizing processes, namely: 1) bidirectional framing with strategic concepts; 2) bidirectional structuring of communication; 3) building legitimacy of openness. The simultaneous enactment of three bridging mechanisms provides the greater influence of the formal decision-making process. Furthermore, I identify three main decision areas that managers have to consider carefully when organizing and online strategy community: 1) design of an online community structure; 2) cooperation of internal and external actors; 3) formulation of adequate strategic content. These decision areas are characterized by interdependencies and trigger contradictory demands that make open strategy processes a paramount organizational challenge

Emergency Conditions in Horses: Opinions and Decision Making of Livery Yard Owners

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate equine livery yard owners’ opinions of emergency conditions, and to identify factors influencing emergency decision making in the horse.Background: There is limited data on horse owners’ opinions and decision making in emergency conditions.Evidentiary value: An online questionnaire was distributed to UK livery yard owners accredited with the British Horse Society. There were 104 survey participants, who represented experienced owners with responsibility for care of a number of horses.Methods: The questionnaire consisted of open and closed questions on participants’ demographics, their experiences and opinions of the most common equine emergency conditions, and emergency decision making. Descriptive data analysis included frequency ranking and categorisation of free text responses.Results: The majority of respondents had kept horses for more than 10 years (97%), and reported previous experience of emergency conditions (99%), predominantly colic (96%) and wounds (92%). Participants considered that the most common emergency conditions were colic (98%), wounds (49%) and fractures (22%), and the most concerning conditions were colic (94%), lameness (36%) and wounds (21%). Factors believed to be important in emergency decision making were: degree of pain, likelihood of condition resolving, and severity of disease.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of colic and wounds as emergency conditions in the horse, and describes factors considered important in emergency decision making.Application: The outcomes identify where research and clinical resources should be targeted to improve emergency care for horses. The results were used to inform a survey of the wider horse population

Understanding Occupational Therapy Admissions Decisions Related to Diversity

The vast majority of occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are white, leaving gaps between the representation of our profession and those we serve. Admission practices determine the future of the profession. This cross-sectional study aimed to understand how admission requirements, particularly the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and interview, influenced OT graduate students\u27 application decisions, specifically those who identified as a first-generation college student (FGCS), underrepresented minority, English as a second language, or receiving public assistance. Methods included an online survey distributed to current OT graduate students. The survey consisted of background information, closed-ended questions on influence of application requirements, open-ended questions on priority factors in application decision-making, and barriers and supports to the application process. Of the 263 participants, 37.4% agreed that the GRE requirement influenced their application, most frequently citing test-taking ability and cost as reasons; 16.2% agreed that an in-person interview requirement influenced their application, most frequently citing cost and interviewing ability as reasons. Participants identifying as FGCS (

Themes and variations: An exploratory international investigation into resuscitation decision-making

AbstractBackgroundDo Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions are made in hospitals throughout the globe. International variation in clinicians' perception of DNACPR decision-making and implementation and the factors influencing such variation has not previously been explored.MethodsA questionnaire asking how DNACPR decisions are made, communicated and perceived in their country was composed: it consisted of seven closed-answer and four open-answer questions. It was distributed to 143 medical professionals with prior published material relating to DNACPR decisions. Under-represented geographical areas were identified and an additional 34 physicians were contacted through medical colleagues and students at the university hospital from which this study was based. The respondents had 4 weeks to answer the questionnaire.Results78 responses (44%) were received from 43 countries. All continents were represented. 88% of respondents reported a method for implementing DNACPR decisions, 90% of which discussed resuscitation wishes with the patient at least half of the time. 94% of respondents thought that national guidance for DNACPR order implementation should exist; 53% of countries surveyed reported existence of such guidance. Cultural attitudes towards death, medical education and culture, health economics and the societal role of family were commonly identified as factors influencing perception of DNACPR decisions.ConclusionsThe majority of countries surveyed make some form of DNACPR decision but differing cultures and economic status contribute towards a heterogeneity of approaches to resuscitation decision-making. Adequacy of relevant medical education and national policy are two areas that were regularly identified as impacting upon the processes of DNACPR decision-making and implementation

Consumer Choice Tactics for Common, Repeat Purchase Products: Using Tissues and Deodorant to Predict and Understand Consumer Behavior

Currently there is limited research on the consumer decision-making process for low involvement products. The purpose of my study was to better understand the consumer decision-making process for common, repeat purchase products. Specifically, I was looking at how gender and generational differences impacted the decision-making process when purchasing two low-involvement products, tissues and deodorant. One hundred and ten students, staff and faculty were asked to look at a constructed store aisle and purchase both a box of tissues and stick of deodorant and complete a questionnaire responding to questions regarding their decision choice. The questiOl1J1ai re collected information regarding six dependent variables including brand loyalty, involvement level, and four choice heuristics: performance, price, affect, and normative. Through open ended and closed-ended questions as well as observational data that was collected, I developed a better understanding of each participant\u27s decision-making process. There was support for my hypothesis that would be more influenced by normative and affective choice tactics than Baby Boomers or Gen Xers. Overall we found that Millenials tended to be the most in influenced by the choice heuristics while Baby Boomers were the least influenced. Data suggested that this might have occurred because the decision-making of Baby Boomers was more influenced by brand loyalty, There were also few statistically significant differences found between the dependent variables measured based on gender

Integrating States, Traits, and a Dual-process Approach with Criminal Decision-making Literature: Theoretical and Methodological Advancements

When assessing what factors promote or deter criminal behavior, theories have primarily focused on: 1) distal, individual differences or 2) proximal, decision-making factors about perceived costs and benefits. By remaining independent, each approach limits its explanatory power. Methodologically, one of the primary ways of assessing criminal decision-making in the psychological literature is the written vignette approach. However, hypothetical scenarios may not accurately represent the circumstances under which people make real-life decisions, creating a potential intention-behavior gap. Furthermore, researchers tend to use closed-ended questions that assess factors that are deemed relevant to criminal decision-making, rather than allowing participants to naturally recall factors they themselves deemed important to their decision-making. Collectively, these limitations reduce the ecological validity of theories derived from such studies. Through a series of observational and experimental studies, this doctoral thesis advances the literature by integrating psychological and criminological theory. I align proximal with dual-process decision-making perspectives by including determinants such as emotions and norms and combine it with important individual differences. This thesis also offers novel methodological advancements by contrasting vignettes against immersive virtual reality and closed vs. open-ended responses. Using a large-scale survey, I first established a relationship between trait self-control, a dual-process model of decision-making, and criminal behavior. The results of which indicated that intuitive decision-making (traditionally unmodelled) is associated with criminal behavior (Chapter Two; McClanahan et al., 2019). Secondly, using a standard experimental ego-depletion task, I sought to examine how state self-control directly and indirectly influenced criminal behavior. Although participants were successfully depleted, there was no main effect of ego-depletion on criminal behavior. However, while perceived risk, a central tenant of the rational model, predicted criminal behavior for non-depleted participants, it did not predict criminal behavior for depleted participants (Chapter Three; McClanahan & van der Linden, 2020). Finally in a series of studies comparing virtual reality and video presentation of a vignette to traditional written methods, I examined how immersion, rather than imagination, influenced criminal behavior when self-control was depleted and what factors individuals naturally consider when making decisions around criminal behavior. Replicating the findings of Chapter Three, compared to control groups, depleted participants were no more likely to indicate criminal behavior when using virtual reality (Chapter Four), nor was there a difference in criminal behavior when compared to the traditional written method (Chapter Four) or videos (Chapter Five). Participants that either saw a video or experienced the vignette in virtual reality indicated a significantly greater subjective presence than participants that read the same vignette (Chapter Four and Five). Additionally, while participants naturally consider factors that align with traditional proximal theories (e.g., getting arrested), they also naturally consider a number of factors that do not fit within such a perspective, such as state affect and norms which were better predictors of criminal behavior (Chapter Five). Theoretical and methodological implications for research and policy are discussed.N/

South African asset manager perceptions on the integration of climate change risks into equity investment decision-making processes

The growing interest responsible investing strategies driven by bodies such as the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing Initiative has resulted in issues such as climate change and its impact on investment portfolios becoming part of the asset management industry discourse. However, the degree to which these issues are perceived by asset managers to be significant has not been expanded upon extensively in literature. This study was undertaken to evaluate South African asset manager perceptions regarding the integration of climate change risks within equity investment decision-making processes. The study was further aimed at providing an understanding of preferred methods of climate change risk integration, where integration does take place, and the perceived barriers to integration within the South African Asset Management industry. To achieve the above-mentioned aims, an online survey of South African asset managers was conducted. The questions in the survey comprised a combination of open ended and closed ended questions with Likert and ranking scales being used. The data which was both quantitative and qualitative in nature was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis methods involving the identification of trends