Strategy Selection (strategy + selection)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Customer Learning Processes, Strategy Selection, and Performance in Business-to-Business Service Firms,

DECISION SCIENCES, Issue 2 2004
Debra Zahay
ABSTRACT Learning about customers takes place through relevant dialogues with those customers, also known as customer relationship management (CRM). As relationships develop, information about the customer is gathered in the firm's customer information systems (CIS): the content, processes, and assets associated with gathering and moving customer information throughout the firm. This research develops a measure of CIS management capabilities based on learning organization theory and measured by the ability to get, store, move, and use information throughout the business unit. This measure is then used to analyze customer learning processes and associated performance in the context of marketing strategic decision making. This study of 209 business services firms finds that generic marketing strategy positioning (low-cost and differentiation) and the marketing tactics of personalization and customization are related to CIS development. Customer information systems development in turn is associated with higher levels of customer-based performance, which in turn is associated with increased business growth. Since the strongest association with customer-based performance is strategy selection, the long-term benefits of the knowledge gained from the CIS may be in the ability to assist in measuring customer-based performance, rather than in the ability to immediately contribute to performance. Finally, for these firms, customization and personalization are not directly associated with performance and thus may not be necessary to support every firm's marketing strategy. [source]


Cholinergic and noncholinergic septal neurons modulate strategy selection in spatial learning

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2001
Jonathan F. X. Cahill
Abstract Rats solving a simple spatial discrimination task in a plus maze initially employ a place-learning strategy, then switch to a motor response strategy. The hippocampus is required for the use of a place-learning strategy in this task. Rats with 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the medial septum/vertical limb of the diagonal band (MS/VDB), that selectively removed cholinergic neurons projecting to the hippocampus, were significantly facilitated in acquisition of the spatial discrimination, and switched from place to response strategies just as control rats did. Rats with ibotenic acid lesions of the MS/VDB, that produced cell loss in the MS/VDB but little damage to cholinergic neurons, were significantly impaired in acquiring the spatial discrimination and did not reliably employ either a place or response strategy at any point in training. This suggests that the MS/VDB modulates hippocampal involvement in place learning, but that cholinergic MS/VDB neurons are neither necessary nor sufficient for using a place strategy to solve a spatial discrimination. [source]


The impact of problem size on decision processes: an experimental investigation on very large choice problems with support of decision support systems

EXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2004
H. Wang
Abstract: Choice problems as a class of decision problems have attracted great attention for the last couple of decades. Among the frameworks and supporting theories used in their study, two have had the greatest impact: bounded rationality and cost,benefit. Both theories could find support from past empirical studies under different conditions or problem environments. In the past studies, problem size has been shown to play an important role in decision-making. As problem size increases, a decision process may be detoured and the decision outcome may be different. In this paper we investigate the impact of problem size on three important aspects of the computer-aided decision process , strategy selection, decision time/effort, and decision quality , through very large choice problems. [source]


Effects of hippocampal cholinergic deafferentation on learning strategy selection in a visible platform version of the water maze

HIPPOCAMPUS, Issue 6 2003
J.L. Bizon
Abstract Recent evidence has suggested that the relative levels of acetylcholine (ACh) between brain structures may be an important factor in the choice of behavioral strategy in settings in which either hippocampal or dorsal striatal brain systems can be employed both effectively and independently (McIntyre and Gold. 1999. Soc Neurosci Abs 25:1388). The current investigation used the neurotoxin 192 IgG-saporin to deplete the hippocampus of ACh selectively, while leaving ACh in other brain regions, including dorsal striatum, intact. Rats were then trained on a version of the Morris water maze, in which behavioral strategies attributed to the hippocampus and dorsal striatum are placed in direct competition. It was predicted that rats with hippocampal ACh depletion would display a cue bias. Contrary to this prediction, depleting hippocampal ACh did not bias against and, in fact, promoted use of a hippocampal place strategy in this task, as indicated by choice in competition tests and performance on hidden platform training trials. These data add to a growing literature demonstrating that the septohippocampal cholinergic system is not required for accurate spatial learning and suggest a complex role for basal forebrain projections in processing information about the spatial environment. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Statistical Assessment of Numerical Models,

INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW, Issue 2 2003
Montserrat Fuentes
Summary Evaluation of physically based computer models for air quality applications is crucial to assist in control strategy selection. The high risk of getting the wrong control strategy has costly economic and social consequences. The objective comparison of modeled concentrations with observed field data is one approach to assessment of model performance. For dry deposition fluxes and concentrations of air pollutants there is a very limited supply of evaluation data sets. We develop a formal method for evaluation of the performance of numerical models, which can be implemented even when the field measurements are very sparse. This approach is applied to a current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency air quality model. In other cases, exemplified by an ozone study from the California Central Valley, the observed field is relatively data rich, and more or less standard geostatistical tools can be used to compare model to data. Yet another situation is when the cost of model runs is prohibitive, and a statistical approach to approximating the model output is needed. We describe two ways of obtaining such approximations. A common technical issue in the assessment of environmental numerical models is the need for tools to estimate nonstationary spatial covariance structures. We describe in detail two such approaches. Résumé L'évaluation de modèles informatiques à bases physiques pour des applications à la qualité de l'air est cruciale pour aider à la sélection d'une stratégie de contrôle. Le choix d'une mauvaise stratégie de contrôle peut avoir des conséquences economiques et sociales coúteuses. Une approche pour évaluer la performance du modèle est la comparaison objective de concentrations modélisées avec des données de terrain observées. Pour les flux de dépôts secs et les concentrations de polluants de l'air, l'offre de données d'évaluation est très limitée. Nous développons une méthode formelle pour évaluer la performance de modèles numériques, qui peut être mise en oeuvre même lorsque les mesures de terrain sont trés clairsemées. Cette approche est appliquée à un modèle de qualité de l'air de l'Agence de la Protection de l'Environnement Américaine. Dans d'autres cas, comme une étude de l'ozone de la vallée Californienne centrale, le champ observé est relativement riche en données, et l'on peut utiliser peu ou prou des outils géostatistiques standards pour comparer le modèle aux données. Une autre situation se présente quand le coút du modèle est prohibitif et qu'une approche statistique pour effectuer des approximations des sorties du modèle est nécessaire. Nous décrivons deux manières d'obtenir de telles approximations. Un problème technique commun à l'évaluation des modèles environnementaux numériques est le besoin d'outils pour estimer les structures de la covariance spatiale non stationnaire. Nous decrivons en detail deux de ces approches. [source]


An Examination of Established Antecedents of Power in Purchase Decision Making: Married and Nontraditional Couples

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 9 2004
Michelle C. Reiss
This research examined the extent that resource theory, sex-role orientation, least interested partner hypothesis, and involvement apply to cohabiting heterosexual, gay, and lesbian couples. Findings revealed that (a) resources significantly affected only married partners' relative influence and strategy usage; (b) sex-role orientation significantly affected relative influence for married partners and strategy selection for partners in both types of heterosexual couples; (c) least interest significantly affected relative influence for partners in both types of heterosexual couples and influence strategy selection for cohabi-tors; and (d) involvement significantly affected relative influence and strategy usage for all couple types. Overall, the effect of the antecedents on relative influence and strategy usage depends on the extent that partners within any couple type are similar on various antecedents. [source]


Predictors of coping strategy selection in paediatric patients

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2002
MA Landolt
Aim: To assess the prevalence of specific coping strategies and predictors of coping strategy selection in 179 patients (mean age= 10.2 y). The children were investigated one month after the occurrence of an accident (n= 105), diagnosis of cancer (n= 26) or diagnosis of diabetes mellitus type I (n= 48). Results: Patients used a great variety of coping strategies. The most frequent strategies were cognitive avoidance, positive cognitive restructuring and avoidant actions. The strategies of seeking problem-focused support and emotion-focused support were rarely used. Diagnostic category, length of hospital stay, and gender were not associated with coping strategy use. Age, socioeconomic status and functional status of the patient were found to predict coping strategy selection. Younger children made less use of active coping, distraction and seeking support. Patients of lower socioeconomic status used religious coping strategies significantly more often, whereas patients with lower functional status used avoidance and support-seeking strategies more often. Conclusion: In this study it was found that paediatric patients used a wide variety of coping strategies, irrespective of diagnosis and gender. Age of the child and functional status were the most important predictors of coping strategy selection. [source]