Decision theory: general Books

Book Synopsis'An endlessly fascinating tour of the many different factors influencing our decision-making and reasoning' David Robson, author of The Expectation Effect'An eye-opening and engaging richness of information that gives us a detailed insight into the strengths and weaknesses of human behaviour' Melissa Hogenboom, author of The Motherhood ComplexDo emotions really cloud your thinking? Are habits holding you back? Is AI manipulating your mind? Does IQ help you think better?Every one of our thoughts, actions, moods and decisions is shaped by a whole array of factors, most of which we don't pay any attention to. From culture, time and language to genetics, technology and the microorganisms living inside us - even our own unconscious routines and habits - it's clear that we aren't always in the driving seat.The good news is that by better understanding the external and internal forces at work, we can minimise their impact on our lives. Drawing on rigorous interdisciplinary research, leading science journalists Miriam Frankel and Matt Warren bring us extraordinary stories and studies that open our eyes to the inner workings of the mind, challenge our thought processes and improve our decision-making. Most of all, Are You Thinking Clearly? is a rallying cry to know yourself, think broadly, think boldly - and to listen.'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why their beliefs, mistakes, emotions and intuitions are the way they are' Richard Gray, BBC FutureTrade ReviewAn endlessly fascinating tour of the many different factors influencing our decision-making and reasoning . . . This book is sure to appeal to anyone who wishes to make the most of their mind -- David Robson, author of The Expectation EffectAn eye-opening and engaging richness of information that gives us a detailed insight into the strengths and weaknesses of human behaviour . . . This book will help you understand your own mind better, and teach you how to overcome some of the gaps in your thinking -- Melissa Hogenboom, author of The Motherhood ComplexAll who read this fascinating book will gain helpful insights into their biases - and those of others -- Martin Rees, Astronomer RoyalEssential reading for anyone who wants to understand why their beliefs, mistakes, emotions and intuitions are the way they are * BBC Future *

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Book SynopsisThis introduction to critical thinking focuses on an integrated, universal concept of critical thinking that is both substantive and practical. It provides students with the basic intellectual skills they need to think through content in any class, subject, or discipline, and through any problems or issues they face. Now available from Rowman & Littlefield, Richard Paul and Linda Elder's Critical Thinking: Learn the Tools the Best Thinkers Use focuses on the most basic critical thinking concepts. It includes activities that allow readers to apply these concepts within disciplines and to life. An added feature to this brief book is a focus on close reading and substantive writing.Content highlights include: Think for Yourself activities Discovering the parts of thinking and the standards for thinking Learning to formulate clear and substantive questions Making the design of a course work for you Close reading and substantive writing Becoming a fairminded thinker Trade ReviewThis book is well-written, lucid and contains abundant examples and applications that not only enliven the subject matter but present relevant contexts for building understanding and advanced critical thinking. In addition, it is faithful to the complexity and work required to improve one's thinking. It does not soft-pedal the challenge but actually throws down the gauntlet to the worthy reader to pick it up. -- Stephen J. Knopp, Ohio UniversityThis concise version is a comprehensive and robust textbook Many Critical Thinking books cover thinking from a narrow angle, but Paul and Elder offer a model of critical thinking that can be applied not only to academic disciplines but also to life in general. -- Connie Wolfe, Surry Community CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction: A Start-up Definition of Critical Thinking.1. How the Mind Can Discover Itself2. Discover The Parts of Thinking3. Discover Universal Standards for Thinking4. Redefining Grades as Levels of Thinking and Learning5. Learn to Ask the Questions the Best Thinkers Ask6. Discover How the Best Thinkers Learn7. Learn How to Read Closely and Write SubstantivelyPart I: Discover Close ReadingPart II: Discover Substantive WritingPart III: Practice Close Reading and Substantive Writing8. Become a Fairminded Thinker9. Deal with Your Irrational MindPart I: The Best Thinkers Take Charge of Their Egocentric NaturePart II: The Best Thinkers Take Charge of Their Sociocentric Thinking10. The Stages of Critical Thinking Development: At What Stage Are You?Appendix A: Further Exercises in Close Reading and Substantive WritingAppendix B: Sample Analyses of “The Logic of . . .”Appendix C: What We Mean By “The Best Thinkers?”Glossary

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Book SynopsisA practical, non--calculus--based book on decision analysis for business and public policy. It includes a balanced presentation of quantitative and qualitative techniques, and integrates the use of a leading decision analysis software----DPL----throughout.Table of ContentsThe Context of Decision Making. Problem Definition and Structuring. Identifying Objectives and Creating a Value Tree. Identifying Alternatives and Creativity. Forecasting and Subjective Assessment. Comparing Alternatives and Utility Theory. Selection and Sensitivity Analysis. Appendices. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe first international handbook to bring the areas of reasoning, judgment and decision making together, now in paperback format. The book brings three of the important topics of thinking together - reasoning, judgment and decision making - and discusses key issues in each area.Trade Review“…presents a variety of stimulating and informative chapters which are representative of topical issues and debates in the area...” (Applied Cognitive Psychology, No.18, 2004)Table of ContentsList of Contributors. Introduction. Part I: Reasoning. Chapter 1: A Theory of Hypothetical Thinking (Jonathan St. B.T.Evans, David E. Over and Simon J. Handley). Chapter 2: Individual Differences in the Development ofReasoning Strategies (Maxwell J. Roberts and Elizabeth J.Newton). Chapter 3: Generalising Individual Differences and StrategiesAcross Different Deductive Reasoning Domains (Padraic Monaghan andKeith Stenning). Chapter 4: Superordinate Principles, Conditions and Conditionals(Neil Fairley and Ken Manktelow). Chapter 5: Premise Interpretation in Conditional Reasoning (GuyPolitzer). Chapter 6: Probabilities and Pragmatics in ConditionalInference: Suppression and Order Effects (Mike Oaksford and NickChater). Part II: Judgment. Chapter 7: Verbal Expressions of Uncertainty and Probability(Karl Halvor Teigen and Wibecke Brun). Chapter 8: Possibilities and Probabilities (Paolo Legrenzi,Vittorio Girotto, Maria Sonino Legrenzi and Philip N.Johnson-Laird). Chapter 9: The Partitive Conditional Probability (LauraMacchi). Chapter 10: Naive and yet Enlightened: From Natural Frequenciesto Fast and Frugal Decision Trees (Laura Martignon, Oliver Vitouch,Masanori Takezawa and Malcolm R. Forster). Chapter 11: More is not Always Better: The Benefits of CognitiveLimits (Ralph Hertwig and Peter M. Todd). Chapter 12: Correspondence and Coherence: Indicators of GoodJudgment in World Politics (Philip E. Tetlock). Part III: Decision Making. Chapter 13: Cognitive Mapping of Causal Reasoning in StrategicDecision Making (A. John Maule, Gerard P. Hodgkinson and Nicola J.Bown). Chapter 14: Belief and Preference in Decision Under Uncertainty(Craig R. Fox and Kelly E. See). Chapter 15: Medical Decision Scripts: Combining CognitiveScripts and Judgment Strategies to Account Fully for MedicalDecision Making (Robert M. Hamm). Chapter 16: On the Assessment of Decision Quality:Considerations Regarding Utility, Conflict and Accountability(Gideon Keren and W¨andi Bruine de Bruin). Author Index. Subject Index.

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Book SynopsisHow do we determine whose positions count in the making of foreign policy? Does it matter how these policy makers are configured? Does the decision-making process such people engage in influence the type of policy that results? This volume synthesizs the literatures on leadership, group dynamics, organizational theory, and coalition politics to demonstrate how the nature of the decision unity shapes foreign policy. Synthesizes theories on leadership, group dynamics, organizational theory, and coalition politics to demonstrate how the nature of the decision unit shapes foreign policy Authors explore how policymakers'' preferences become aggregated in the foreign policymaking process when there is a predominant leader or there are single groups or coalitions Table of ContentsPreface. Part I: Does Decision Making Matter? Joe D. Hagan. Part II: How Decision Units Shape Foreign Policy: A Theoretical Framework: Margaret G. Hermann. Part III: Who Leads Matters: The Effects of Powerful Individuals: Margaret G. Hermann; Thomas Preston; Baghat Korany; Timothy M. Shaw. Part IV: Resolve, Accept, or Avoid: Effects of Group Conflict on Foreign Policy Decisions: Charles F. Hermann; Janice Gross Stein; Bengt Sundelius; Stephen G. Walker. Part V: Foreign Policy by Coalition: Deadlock, Compromise, and Anarchy: Joe D. Hagan; Philip P. Everts; Haruhiro Fukui; John D. Stempel. Part VI: People and Processes in Foreign Policymaking: Insights from Comparative Case Studies: Ryan K. Beasley; Juliet Kaarbo; Charles F. Hermann; Margaret G. Hermann.

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Book SynopsisUndergraduates do not experience college as having a clear beginning and end. Their engagement with higher education is at best episodic. But as Practice for Life shows, the disruptions provide opportunities for reflection and course-correction as students learn to navigate the future uncertainties of adulthood.Trade ReviewUnlike many books on higher education, Practice for Life doesn’t rely on the usual ways of categorizing the undergraduate experience. The authors examine the most normal—even obvious—features of college life in new and insightful ways, showing how what students actually do in college can be profoundly important to how they live the rest of their lives. A satisfying read. -- Daniel Chambliss, coauthor of How College WorksI read this book first as a college president and then as a parent. In both respects, I found my views challenged as the authors opened up new avenues for thinking about and understanding how students experience college. By focusing on the daily decisions students make, the authors explore the ways college is practice for life and the strategies colleges (and parents) can use to deepen the learning that takes place across campus. -- Adam Weinberg, President, Denison UniversityAt a time when the value of college is a major subject of debate, this book answers the question: what do students really learn in college? The authors convincingly demonstrate that liberal education provides the critical framework needed for students to develop the ability to understand choices and make life-changing decisions. The depth of research reflected in this book, involving hundreds of students interviewed over the course of four years of college, makes it a unique resource for college and university administrators, professors, and students and families who seek to understand the nature of the college experience. -- Alison Byerly, President, Lafayette CollegeThis book…reminds us that a substantial amount of the learning that takes place—perhaps the majority of it—occurs outside of the college classroom. The arguments in this book will remain with me in the coming years in my role as a faculty adviser, or when I am meeting with students in my office hours, or even when I am considering how to invite students to connect more deeply with my courses. -- James M. Lang * Chronicle of Higher Education *[Practice for Life] has been invaluable as a way of thinking about helping my students adjust to college…For those interested in advising students, the vignettes collected here provide much food for thought. -- Jason B. Jones * Chronicle of Higher Education *

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Book SynopsisEngaging Resistance provides a new empirical framework for understanding the nature of resistance to organizational change. This book points the way towards strategies that can be successfully employed by change champions as they work to engage less enthusiastic colleagues.Trade Review"Engaging Resistance meaningfully builds an emergent theory in an engaging style. Anderson grounds his framework well, illustrating how two institutions of higher education overcome resistance to change. The stories of these institutions include exemplary detail, so that students can easily transfer the lessons-learned to other organizational settings. This book makes a welcome addition to the reading list for my Strategies for Institutional Change course."—Sharon F. Rallis, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, author of Learning in the Field: An Introduction to Qualitative Research"In a refreshingly clear voice, Anderson presents powerful ideas on transformational change and resistance in an easy-to-understand format. Engaging Resistance serves as a template that may be used by change agents anywhere who are committed to making a positive difference in for profit, non-profit, and governmental settings."—Jane C. Edmonds, Senior Fellow, Northeastern University College of Professional Studies

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Book SynopsisThis book provides the first systematic comparative cross-national study of school disciplinary climates.Trade Review"Improving Learning Environments is a superb examination of the relationship between school discipline and educational achievement, carried out cooperatively by distinguished scholars who investigate countries on which they are leading authorities. It's a must read for scholars and school reformers alike."—Stephen L. Morgan, Cornell University"This state-of-the-art work addresses the important question of the extent to which school disciplinary environments shape educational outcomes. This new volume will provide policy makers with a much needed empirical basis for the development of effective policies."—Meir Yaish, University of Haifa

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Book SynopsisFor the sake of students, close the empathy gap between the classroom and the front office

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Book SynopsisFeaturing a substantial new introduction and two new chapters in the Postscript, this new edition makes one of the most significant works on power available in paperback and online for the first time. The author extensively engages with a body of new literature to elucidate and expand upon the original work, using rational choice theory to provide: • An examination of how, due to the collective action problem, groups can be powerless despite not facing any resistance • Timely engagement with feminist accounts of power • An explanation of the relationship of structure and agency and how to measure power comparatively across societies This book’s unique interaction with both classical and contemporary debates makes it an essential resource for anyone teaching or studying power in the disciplines of sociology, philosophy, politics or international relations.Table of ContentsIntroduction to the New Edition Part I. THE ORIGINAL TEXT 1. Introduction 2. Rational Choice and a Theory of Action 3. Preferences and Objective Interests 4. Political Power and Bargaining Theory 5. Collective Action and Dimensions of Power 6. State Power Structures 7. Preference Formation, Social Location and Ideology 8. Conclusions Part II. POSTSCRIPT 9. Some Further Thoughts on Power 10. The Nature of the Exercise

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Book SynopsisThis book is the latest volume in the Research on Stress and Coping in Education series. The authors present original research and current theory regarding the realities of coping with the stresses of teaching. The chapters highlight working conditions for teachers around the globe and the processes and strategies that teachers use to survive and thrive in their daily work with students, families, and educational administrators. Both stress researchers and educational policy makers will find the chapters offer insights into sources of stress for teachers, strategies for stress prevention and coping, and the negative consequences that stress can have on teacher retention. Researchers from Norway, Turkey, Greece, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Italy, and China illustrate through a variety of research methods both the centrality of cultural context and the commonalities of teacher experiences around the world.

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Book SynopsisThis book is the latest volume in the Research on Stress and Coping in Education series. The authors present original research and current theory regarding the realities of coping with the stresses of teaching. The chapters highlight working conditions for teachers around the globe and the processes and strategies that teachers use to survive and thrive in their daily work with students, families, and educational administrators. Both stress researchers and educational policy makers will find the chapters offer insights into sources of stress for teachers, strategies for stress prevention and coping, and the negative consequences that stress can have on teacher retention. Researchers from Norway, Turkey, Greece, the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Italy, and China illustrate through a variety of research methods both the centrality of cultural context and the commonalities of teacher experiences around the world.

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Book SynopsisContemporary Challenges Confronting School Leaders is the eleventh in a series on research and theory dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. Consequently, the chapters include analyses that investigate relationships between school organizations and administrative practice that affect teacher and student effectiveness. This edition is organized around concepts that are significant to contemporary school leaders: student achievement and variables that contribute to it or influence achievement indirectly.

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Book SynopsisContemporary Challenges Confronting School Leaders is the eleventh in a series on research and theory dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoretical analysis. Consequently, the chapters include analyses that investigate relationships between school organizations and administrative practice that affect teacher and student effectiveness. This edition is organized around concepts that are significant to contemporary school leaders: student achievement and variables that contribute to it or influence achievement indirectly.

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Book SynopsisTo commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN), this book is a compilation of the work conducted by network scholars. This volume is the first comprehensive overview of the studies conducted by ISLDN members engaged in examining how social justice leaders and leaders of high-needs schools address the social conditions, learning experiences, and performance of their students. Other international school leadership research consortia have emerged in the 21st century; however, the ISLDN is the second longest operating project, after the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). Since its creation in 2010, ISLDN scholars have delivered papers at a variety of international conferences and shared findings in research publications, including books and special issues of journals.Until now, ISLDN research findings have been disseminated separately for the project’s two strands: (a) social justice leadership and (b) leadership in underperforming high-needs schools. Therefore, the purpose of the book is to document the history and evolution of the ISLDN and to provide descriptions and reflections of the project’s research findings, methodologies, and collaborative processes across the two strands. This volume captures studies of school leaders from 19 countries representing six continents - Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. The authors examine important external and internal contextual factors influencing schools in different cultural settings and provide insights about the values and practices of social justice leaders working in high-needs school settings. Numerous practical strategies are provided for school leaders working in schools with similar conditions. The concluding chapter by the co-editors synthesizes the structural factors, personal beliefs and values, and contextualized change management strategies that shape school leaders’ actions aimed at ensuring the best learning outcomes for their students.Besides capturing the range of findings emerging from various ISLDN studies conducted over the past decade, several chapters critically examine the project’s current contributions to the field. Authors suggest broadening the dissemination of our findings to increase the visibility of the project, expanding the research methods beyond qualitative interviews, incorporating studies from non-Anglophone countries, and augmenting the scope of our analyses and research focus. These researchers’ journeys also reveal the obstacles to and benefits of engaging in these types of international collaborative research ventures.

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Book SynopsisTo commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN), this book is a compilation of the work conducted by network scholars. This volume is the first comprehensive overview of the studies conducted by ISLDN members engaged in examining how social justice leaders and leaders of high-needs schools address the social conditions, learning experiences, and performance of their students. Other international school leadership research consortia have emerged in the 21st century; however, the ISLDN is the second longest operating project, after the International Successful School Principalship Project (ISSPP). Since its creation in 2010, ISLDN scholars have delivered papers at a variety of international conferences and shared findings in research publications, including books and special issues of journals.Until now, ISLDN research findings have been disseminated separately for the project’s two strands: (a) social justice leadership and (b) leadership in underperforming high-needs schools. Therefore, the purpose of the book is to document the history and evolution of the ISLDN and to provide descriptions and reflections of the project’s research findings, methodologies, and collaborative processes across the two strands. This volume captures studies of school leaders from 19 countries representing six continents - Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, North America, and South America. The authors examine important external and internal contextual factors influencing schools in different cultural settings and provide insights about the values and practices of social justice leaders working in high-needs school settings. Numerous practical strategies are provided for school leaders working in schools with similar conditions. The concluding chapter by the co-editors synthesizes the structural factors, personal beliefs and values, and contextualized change management strategies that shape school leaders’ actions aimed at ensuring the best learning outcomes for their students.Besides capturing the range of findings emerging from various ISLDN studies conducted over the past decade, several chapters critically examine the project’s current contributions to the field. Authors suggest broadening the dissemination of our findings to increase the visibility of the project, expanding the research methods beyond qualitative interviews, incorporating studies from non-Anglophone countries, and augmenting the scope of our analyses and research focus. These researchers’ journeys also reveal the obstacles to and benefits of engaging in these types of international collaborative research ventures.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a methodological guide intended for those who wish to better understand how to conduct research in the education and training sciences. It is organized into three main parts. The first part deals with postures, emphasizing the idea that engaging in a research process involves taking a different stance from that of a social or professional actor. For example, this may require converting a professional or social question into a research question or reflecting on the use of a social vocabulary in research. The second part concerns practices, that is, how research is conducted: the definition of a research question based on findings, theoretical exploration and problematization, the production of empirical information and its analysis and restitution. The third and final part concludes by focusing on the diversity of research forms; not only research cultures specific to disciplinary fields and approaches, such as action research, collaborative research or research training, but also the design choices in terms of multi-, inter- or trans-disciplinarily.Table of ContentsIntroduction vii Chapter 1 Positions: Some Specificities of a Research Approach Compared to a Professional Approach 1 1.1 A difference in position between that of the social or professional actor and that of the researcher 1 1.2 The challenge of research is to move from a social/professional question to a research question 5 1.3 The challenge of research is also to focus on common-sense concepts 6 1.4 The issue of the epistemological choices made by the researcher and the implications 8 Chapter 2 Practices: Conducting a Research Project and Data Security Issues 11 2.1 Introduction: the research context 11 2.2 Scientific approach and methods in the social sciences 13 2.3 From research topic to problem statement 15 2.3.1 The initial question 15 2.3.2 The exploratory approach 16 2.3.3 Problem statement 18 2.4 Design of the survey protocol 19 2.4.1 Survey field and participants 20 2.4.2 Negotiating the survey and field access with the Local Education Authority and management teams: a project to be defended 21 2.4.3 General Data Protection Regulation on personal data and documents produced 22 2.5 The construction of data collection instruments 35 2.5.1 Constructing the questionnaire 35 2.5.2 Composing the interview guide 45 2.6 Data collection 48 2.6.1 Time in the field 48 2.6.2 Administering the questionnaires 51 2.6.3 Administering interviews 53 2.6.4 GDPR, tasks and constraints 55 2.7 Data processing 57 2.7.1 Clean up the database 57 2.7.2 Transcribing 62 2.8 Data analysis 63 2.8.1 Analyzing questionnaires 64 2.8.2 Interview analysis 88 2.9 Dissemination and publication of results 97 2.9.1 Group dossier 97 2.9.2 Reports, conferences and research articles 104 Chapter 3 Forms: Research Cultures, Diversity of Forms and Interdisciplinary Issues 111 3.1 Recognizing different research “cultures” 111 3.2 External research, engaged research, collaborative research, action research and related issues 114 3.3 Mono-, pluri-, inter- and transdisciplinary research and related issues 119 3.4 Communication and valorization of research (its outcomes and methodological steps) 122 3.5 Pursuing a doctorate 124 3.6 Careers in research and higher education 127 Conclusion 133 Appendix 1 Questionnaire 137 Appendix 2 Interview Guide 153 Appendix 3 Quiz 157 References 169 Index 173

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Book SynopsisProviding an accessible introduction to the application of multi-criteria analysis in law, this book illustrates how simple additive weighing, a well known method in decision theory, can be used in problem structuring, analysis and decision support for overall assessments and balancing of interests in the context of law. Through clear illustrations and a variety of concrete examples, this book shows how simple additive weighing can be applied in any situation in which there are one or more objectives, multiple options and multiple decision criteria. Further demonstrating the use of fuzzy logic in conjunction with this method, Bengt Lindell adeptly shows the reader how extra-disciplinary methods have much to contribute in a legal decision-making context. The methods covered in this book help to balance the issues of intuition versus structural analysis, risk and uncertainty, and the merging of probability and utility in the context of law. Practical and engaging, this book will prove an indispensible guide for academics and scholars across many legal disciplines. Public and private decision makers will also benefit from its clear and concise approach, affording them new insights into the application of multi-criteria analysis in law.Trade Review'Law is about balancing of interests. How to do this, is considered mainly to be a matter of intuition. This book offers a structured method based on decision theory and fuzzy logic. It helps lawyers to balance interests and make choices in complex cases in a systematic way, even when the weighting is based on subjective ratings and opinions differ fundamentally. The method of multi-criteria analysis is explained in a very clear and accessible way and applied to several, legal and other cases.' --Bart van Klink, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands'This is a highly original approach to a pressing problem of legal reasoning: how to decide in a context in which many different values and interests need to be considered. The interdisciplinary approach chosen, using decision theory and adapting it to a legal context, provides a fresh perspective on important issues such as balancing of interests and weighting of different legal values. Firmly grounded in Scandinavian discussions of legal reasoning and the international literature on decision theory, it is particularly relevant to administrative legal decisions, but it may also be relevant to judicial decision-making in private or criminal law.' --Sanne Taekema, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the NetherlandsTable of ContentsContents: 1. Overall assessments and balancing of interests 2. Multi-criteria analysis 3. Intuition 4. Legal examples of decision-making with SAW 5. Decision-making under uncertainty 6. Evidentiary aspects Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is it that makes some of us better - or worse - than others at committing to a choice? What are the forces that hold us back, and how can we successfully overcome them?Every facet of our lives depends on the decisions we make. Yet, how often do we pause to reflect on our ability to make the best and smartest choices? The key is how we confront and refine thedecision making process.Joseph Bikart explores the intricacies of decision making, challenging us to understand why we make the choices we do. He explores how the true power of decisions, especially the toughest among them, help us to face our fears and may in turn change how we think aboutourselves.The book is broken into four clear parts and punctuated with short practical essays Bikart presents a lively and compelling exploration of the process of decision making covering;Indecision, indecision - what makes us indecisive? What holds us back and why? Where Art Thou? How and where we get stuck and the importance of relaxing one's grip. The Momentum of Decisiveness - Keeping our focus and proactivity. The Deciding Mind - making our smartest choices. Drawing from such different fields as philosophy, psychology, neurology, literature, art historyand theology, we are taken on a journey from the depths of procrastination to the elation of decision making. Presenting a fresh perspective on what to do at the proverbial fork in the road, Bikart's unique philosophy is insightful, thought provoking, and potentially life-changing.Trade Review" With both wit and erudition ... Bikart's The Art of Decision Making leads the reader to greater understanding, greater accountability, and greater facility in cutting through the nettlesome thicket of life to a place of resolve." "Navigating the complex world of how we decide or more urgently, how we avoid decision, is for many ofus, a stormy sea. Bikart steers a brilliant course through these difficult waters and delivers his reader to new and clear-blue depths, encompassing the philosophy, psychology and cartography of every dimension of decision making."

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Book SynopsisDecision-making is an activity in which everyone is engaged on a more or less daily basis. In this book, Karin Brunsson and Nils Brunsson explore the intricacies of decision-making for individuals and organizations. When, how and why do they make decisions? The authors identify four distinct ways of reasoning that decision-makers use. The consequences of decisions vary: some promote action, others impede it, and some produce more responsibility than others. With in-depth discussions of rationality, justifications and hypocrisy, the authors show how organizational and political decision processes become over-complicated and difficult for both decision makers and external observers to understand. Decisions is a concise and easy-to-read introduction to a highly significant and intriguing topic. Based on research from several fields, it provides useful reading and essential knowledge for scholars and students throughout the social sciences and for everyone who wants to understand their own decisions and those of others.Trade Review'Decision-making is often a confusing and confused process. Emotions, judgements and prejudices can all play a part, whether a decision is made by an individual, a group or an organization. The study of decision making, however, doesn't have to be either confusing or confused as this excellent book eloquently demonstrates. The four logics of decision-making identified here provide the authors with a framework which enables them to explain in clear and simple terms decisions that appear complex, confusing or irrational.' --Yiannis Gabriel, University of Bath, UK'This rich, imaginative little book offers fascinating insights into the intricacies of decision making by both individuals and organizations, and a sobering appraisal of the delayed Swedish response to the 2004 tsunami. Any new book by Karen and Nils Brunsson is a welcome treat, and this one is a gem!' --Walter W. Powell, Stanford University'Decisions: The Complexities of Individual and Organizational Decision-Making by Nils and Karin Brunsson offers an excellent introduction to the complexities of decision-making. Decades of research on decision making are succinctly summarized and presented in a refreshing and easily accessible way. A must read for researchers, students and practitioners who want to get an overview of the latest insights into the particularities of individual and organizational decision-making.' --David Seidl, University of Zurich, SwitzerlandTable of ContentsContents: The Quake 1. Decisions 2. Individuals as decision makers 3. Organizations as decision makers 4. The Consequences of Decisions 5. Complex decision processes After the tsunami References Index

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a broad perspective on the economics of expectations. Experimental studies are used to analyse how human bounded rationality affects economic performance. The challenges posed for policy making are also addressed.Tobias Rotheli begins by presenting the basic tools and theoretical models necessary to our understanding of rational and boundedly rational expectations and their role in economic life. Key topics discussed include expectations in general equilibrium theory, probabilities and expected utility, heterogeneity of economic agents, behavioural alternatives to forecasting and the effects of expectations heuristics, particularly in financial markets. The author then goes on to explore the fascinating insights behavioural economics - the empirical analysis of economic decision making - has to offer. Here experimental studies illustrate the effects of costly information, the role of pattern recognition as basis of expectations, anticipation and coordination failures, and the role of expectations in determining the general price level. The book also addresses the implications of the experimental findings for applied economics.Aiming to achieve the accessibility of a textbook, this research monograph will appeal to economic researchers interested in economic behaviour and theory, as well as students taking upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. It will also be of interest to economists working in business and government.Trade Review'To a significant extent, the book is at the cutting edge of much economic thinking in microeconomics. . . it brings together nicely material on uncertainty, expectations and cognitive limitations and relates this to recent work in experimental economics.' -- Geoffrey M. Hodgson, University of Hertfordshire, UK'For more than 200 years, economists have debated the microfoundations of their science. There is only one way forward and that is to carefully examine the nature and the rationality of decision processes. Professor Rotheli's book is unique. He offers an idiosyncratic blend of theoretical analysis and experimental research that enlightens and provokes.' -- Werner F.M. De Bondt, DePaul University, USTable of ContentsContents: Preface Part I: Models and Tools 1. Markets and Expectations 2. Expected Utility Maximization 3. Effects of Heterogeneous Expectations 4. Forecasting Among Alternative Strategies under Uncertainty 5. Expectations in Time Series Models Part II: Experiments and Applications 6. Costly Information and Decision Making 7. Applied Welfare Economics with Boundedly Rational Expectations 8. Pattern Recognition as the Basis of Expectations 9. Pattern-Based Expectations and Financial Markets 10. Anticipations and Coordination Failures 11. Money, Transactions and Expectations References Index

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Book SynopsisEconomic players must often choose between several strategic options in a fierce competitive environment where interactions with competitors make decisions particularly complex. Game theory offers useful insights to choose an optimal decision or at least a basis for making rational decision given the constraints of the stakeholders' environment. In presenting the concepts and the logical structure of the reasoning offered by game theory and their applications, the book explains the rational process of decision making in the framework of firm management and market competition. By avoiding the usual complexity of presentation often due to mathematical formalism, the book proposes a reflection and practical insights of game theory for practitioners (managers, strategists) and social, managerial and economic researchers. The book will expose both general teachings and a comprehensive analysis applied to specific case studies of various sectors of the economy.Table of ContentsIntroduction ix Chapter 1. Game Theory and Strategic Management 1 1.1. Game theory and strategic management: semantic and/or conceptual convergences? 1 1.2. The current position of game theory in strategic management 7 1.2.1. Game theory and the school of positioning 7 1.2.2. Growing interest for game theory 13 1.3. The theoretical determinants of coopetition: borrowed from game theory 16 1.3.1. The origin of coopetition 16 1.3.2. Coopetitive practices 18 1.3.3. Mechanisms of value creation in the value network (value net) 21 1.4. Conclusion 25 Chapter 2. From Static Games to Dynamic Approaches 27 2.1. Introduction 27 2.2. Strategies and solution concepts: static games 28 2.2.1. Decentralized concepts 28 2.2.2. Maximin and Minimax solutions or the search for a new level of security 41 2.3. Process of dynamic decisions: solutions concepts 44 2.3.1. “Non-cooperative collusion” or “tacit collusion” 45 2.3.2. Sequential games 56 2.4. Conclusion 69 Chapter 3. Coalitions Formation 71 3.1. Introduction 71 3.2. The notion of a coalition and the cooperative approach 73 3.3. Emergence of cooperation: from collective rationality to individual rationality 84 3.3.1. Some illustrations 84 3.3.2. Emergence of cooperation 86 3.4. A simple conceptual frame of analysis for cooperation: notions of internal and external stability of a coalition 90 3.4.1. The concept of stability as a basic property of cooperation 92 3.4.2. The stability as an equilibrium property of a game 93 3.4.3. Examples 96 3.4.4. The role of heterogeneities 99 3.4.5. R&D in a context of asymmetrical firms 103 3.5. Conclusion 105 Chapter 4. Application 1: Dieselgate 107 4.1. Introduction 107 4.2. Storytelling: for those who missed the beginning 108 4.3. Presentation of the facts and strategic reading 110 4.4. The strategic variables and the associated game 115 4.4.1. The rules of the game 116 4.4.2. Payoff 121 4.5. Game resolution and strategic analysis 123 4.5.1. Perfect equilibrium of the game where fraud is deterred 125 4.5.2. Perfect equilibrium with the firm committing fraud 128 4.6. Conclusion 134 Chapter 5. Application 2: Emergence of Food Safety Standards 137 5.1. Introduction 137 5.2. The game 140 5.3. Nash equilibrium 145 5.4. Conclusion 154 Chapter 6. Application 3: Petrol Stations 157 6.1. Introduction: price structure of a multi-store firm and fragilization of isolated competitors 157 6.2. The facts 157 6.3. Strategic management questions 161 6.4. The game 163 6.5. Price structure in the event of collusion 165 6.6. Price war threat and game equilibrium 171 6.7 Game equilibrium within a time horizon 173 6.8. Conclusion 177 Chapter 7. Application 4: HD-DVD versus Blu-ray 181 7.1. Introduction: individual strategies and collective dynamics 181 7.2. Constitution of HD-DVD and Blu-ray consortiums 182 7.3. Definition of the game 186 7.4. Numerical application 191 7.5. Conclusion 195 Conclusion 199 Appendices 203 Appendix 1 205 Appendix 2 231 Bibliography 239 Index 259

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a broad perspective on the economics of expectations. Experimental studies are used to analyse how human bounded rationality affects economic performance. The challenges posed for policy making are also addressed.Tobias Rotheli begins by presenting the basic tools and theoretical models necessary to our understanding of rational and boundedly rational expectations and their role in economic life. Key topics discussed include expectations in general equilibrium theory, probabilities and expected utility, heterogeneity of economic agents, behavioural alternatives to forecasting and the effects of expectations heuristics, particularly in financial markets. The author then goes on to explore the fascinating insights behavioural economics - the empirical analysis of economic decision making - has to offer. Here experimental studies illustrate the effects of costly information, the role of pattern recognition as basis of expectations, anticipation and coordination failures, and the role of expectations in determining the general price level. The book also addresses the implications of the experimental findings for applied economics.Aiming to achieve the accessibility of a textbook, this research monograph will appeal to economic researchers interested in economic behaviour and theory, as well as students taking upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses. It will also be of interest to economists working in business and government.Trade Review'To a significant extent, the book is at the cutting edge of much economic thinking in microeconomics. . . it brings together nicely material on uncertainty, expectations and cognitive limitations and relates this to recent work in experimental economics.' -- Geoffrey M. Hodgson, University of Hertfordshire, UK'For more than 200 years, economists have debated the microfoundations of their science. There is only one way forward and that is to carefully examine the nature and the rationality of decision processes. Professor Rotheli's book is unique. He offers an idiosyncratic blend of theoretical analysis and experimental research that enlightens and provokes.' -- Werner F.M. De Bondt, DePaul University, USTable of ContentsContents: Preface Part I: Models and Tools 1. Markets and Expectations 2. Expected Utility Maximization 3. Effects of Heterogeneous Expectations 4. Forecasting Among Alternative Strategies under Uncertainty 5. Expectations in Time Series Models Part II: Experiments and Applications 6. Costly Information and Decision Making 7. Applied Welfare Economics with Boundedly Rational Expectations 8. Pattern Recognition as the Basis of Expectations 9. Pattern-Based Expectations and Financial Markets 10. Anticipations and Coordination Failures 11. Money, Transactions and Expectations References Index

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Book SynopsisThis book presents recent advances in the theory and application of the Best-Worst Method (BWM). It includes selected papers from the Second International Workshop on Best-Worst Method (BWM2021), held in Delft, The Netherlands from 10-11 June, 2021, and provides valuable insights on why and how to use BWM in a diverse range of applications including health, energy, supply chain management, and engineering. The book highlights the use of BWM in different settings including single decision-making vs group decision-making, and complete information vs incomplete and uncertain situations. The papers gathered here will benefit academics and practitioners who are involved in multi-criteria decision-making and decision analysis.Table of ContentsPreface.- The balancing role of Best and Worst in Best-Worst Method.- Hierarchical evaluation of criteria and alternatives within BWM: A Mon-te Carlo approach.- A two-step Best-Worst Method (BWM) and K-Means clustering recom-mender system framework.- A linguistic 2-tuple Best-Worst Method.- How does the entrepreneurship ecosystem contribute to the perfor-mance of entrepreneurial start-up firms?.- A multi-attribute decision-making to sustainable construction material selection: A Bayesian BWM-SAW hybrid model.- Risk assessment of passenger flow in an urban rail transit system: indi-cators, application, and analysis.- Bridge infrastructure resilience analysis against seismic hazard using Best-Worst Method.- A value-focused approach for the design of innovative logistics con-cepts: the case of off-peak pickup and delivery in the air cargo industry.- An Innovative digital maturity assessment model for smart cities.- Determining the importance of barriers to IoT implementation using Bayesian Best-Worst Method.- Assessment of environmental performance criteria in textile industry using the Best-Worst Method.

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Book SynopsisDieses Open-Access-Buch zur Consumer Decision Neuroscience verfolgt das Ziel, durch die Integration neurowissenschaftlicher Methoden in die Käufer- und Konsumentenverhaltensforschung die Identifikation verhaltensrelevanter, neurophysiologischer Variablen zu ermöglichen, um darauf aufbauend eine Theorieerweiterung zu schaffen. In ausgewählten Beiträgen werden Käufer- und Konsumentenentscheidungsprozesse anhand verschiedener methodischer, neurowissenschaftlich fundierter Herangehensweisen empirisch untersucht, um die Entscheidungsprozesse umfassend beschreiben, effektiver unterstützen und erfolgreich vorhersagen zu können.Table of ContentsEinleitung.- Theoretische und begriffliche Grundlagen der Consumer Decision Neuroscience.- Systematische Einordnung der Beiträge.- Ausgewählte Beiträge.- Zusammenfassung, Implikationen und Reflexion.- Schlussbemerkung.

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Book SynopsisWithin a technological context, this volume addresses contemporary theories of consciousness, subjective experience, the creation of meaning and emotion, and relationships between cognition and location. Its focus is both on and beyond the digital culture, seeking to assimilate new ideas emanating from the physical sciences as well as embracing spiritual and artistic aspects of human experience. Developing on the studies published in Roy Ascott's successful Reframing Consciousness, the book documents the very latest work from those connected with the internationally acclaimed CAiiA-STAR centre and its conferences. Their artistic and theoretical research in new media and art includes aspects of:

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Book SynopsisMeeting the Challenges of Existential Threats through Educational Innovation is the first book of its kind to provide an educational and systematic analysis of problems and solutions regarding the most pressing threats that humankind is facing. The book makes a case for the importance of education responding to significant threats; including climate change, pandemics, decline in global biodiversity, overpopulation, egoism, ideologies, nuclear, biological and chemical warfare, inequality, artificial intelligence, and ignorance and the distortion of truth. Written by leading experts in their field based on cutting-edge research, the chapters explore these issues and offer suggestions for how education can address these problems in the future. This groundbreaking and highly topical book will be an essential reading for academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of education research, environmental studies, educational politics aTable of Contents1 Basic Constructs in the Science of Sustainability Education 2 SSE-Based Frame of Reference. Outlines for a Global Curriculum: Turning Existential Threats into Resources 3 Climate change. Foundations for a Transformative Learning Agenda 4 Biodiversity. The Decline in Global Biodiversity and How Education Can be Part of the Solution 5 Overpopulation: A Century of Debate that Deserves Re-Examination 6 Infectious Disease, Pandemics, and Education. From Miasms to Covid-19 7 Infectious Disease Threats—Antibiotic Resistance, Covid-19 and Future Pandemics 8 Holding Oneself in the World: Is there a Need for Good Egoism? 9 Inequality: Education, Opportunity and Existential Threat 10 Ideologies, Threats and Sustainability. How can Education and Knowledge of the Unforeseen Help Reduce the Threat Posed by Ideologies? 11 Understanding the Threat of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Warfare 12 Artificial Intelligence: Is the Power Matched with Responsibility? 13 Ignorance and Truth Afterword

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Book SynopsisThis book defends the view that any adequate account of rational decision making must take a decision maker's beliefs about causal relations into account. In providing the most complete and robust defence of causal decision theory the book will be of interest to a broad range of readers.Trade Review"The author writes in a style that is on the one hand entertaining and lighthearted and on the other hand highly technical in its analysis of axiomatic foundations. Readers who are interested in theoretical, prescriptive decision making from a philosophical perspective will find this a valuable book." Journal of Mathematical Psychology"This book makes a significant contribution to the standard decision theory." Chrisw Swoyer Univ. of OklahomaTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction: a chance to reconsider; 1. Prudential rationality as expected utility maximization; 2. Decision problems; 3. Savage's theory; 4. Evidential decision theory; 5. Causal decision theory; 6. A general theory of conditional beliefs; 7. A representation theorem for causal decision theory; 8. Where things stand; Notes; References.

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