If an alternative is attractive only at certain wealth levels of a decision maker, typically above some critical level, then there will be occasions when it is better to enter into an independent side bet prior to making a decision, than to accept or reject the alternative outright.

A fundamental problem in managing product development is the optimal timing, frequency, and fidelity of sequential testing activities that are carried out to evaluate novel product concepts and designs. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model that treats testing as an activity that...

Suppose that your choice between uncertain financial prospects is made more difficult by two independent contextual uncertainties concerning the size of your existing wealth. One contextual uncertainty has a greater spread than the other. If you could resolve one of these contextual...