The wider involvement of people in the decision‐making processes of an organisation is attracting increasing attention. This article explores why this should be and draws some wider implications.

Five hundred financial executives from North American companies were surveyed by means of a mailed questionnaire to gain a view from outside the operations functions of the basis on which aggregate inventory decisions are taken. The response indicated that more functions than might have been...

The majority of make or buy decisions are invoked in the name of “cost”, but the two case studies outlined in this paper demonstrate that cost is only one of a multitude of criteria which managers need to evaluate in this strategic decision. Also highlighted are the difficulties in...

Without a formulated quality management policy and a direct lead from the chief executive, companies are unlikely to be able to effectively co‐ordinate quality‐related decision making; consequently, the approach to quality tends to be inspection orientated. Results of a study on how...

Decision making is considered an important topic in management studies. However it is postulated that current thinking in decision making is out of date and inapplicable in today's organisations. Hence, a more realistic approach needs to be considered. A political framework is offered as the...

This article attacks, in a novel way, the continued gulf between the theory and practice of maketing. By adopting the tools of organisational behaviour, drawn particularly from information processing theories of organisation and models of organisational power and political behaviour, the writer...

Purpose – This editorial aims to outline the context of healthcare priority‐setting, and summarise each of the other ten papers in this special edition. It introduces a new multidisciplinary research programme drawing on ethics, philosophy, health economics, political science and health...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the organisational and procedural arrangements for priority setting in England and Wales. It describes the role of social values in the decision‐making process. Design/methodology/approach – The processes and content of...

Purpose – The paper summarizes data from 12 countries, chosen to exhibit wide variation, on the role and place of public participation in the setting of priorities. The purpose of this paper is to exhibit cross-national patterns in respect of public participation, linking those differences to...

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places...