The Impact Of Functional Issue Classification On Managerial Decision Processes: A Study In The Telecommunications Industry.(Stat

Finally, the possibility does exist that post-choice rationalization processes may have led some issue classifications reported by participants to differ from the classifications that actually influenced the participants' decision-making processes. This suggests the need for longitudinal studies tracing the evolution of issue classification through pre- and postchoice events.

CONCLUSION

While the efficacy of functional classifications as appropriate decision labels has been established in the literature, the relationship of these categorizations to managers decision making behavior has not been examined. The results of this study contribute to the decision-making literature by providing important evidence that the interpretive processes which managers use to label decisions are linked to managers' behavior. Managers do not use consistent decision-making processes across different decisions. Rather, their behavior can be significantly different depending on the functional classification of an issue under consideration. The results also demonstrate the importance of including multiple classification dimensions in future decision-making research.

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Appendix A

Sample Descriptions of Decision Topics by Function

Marketing Decisions

Develop and launch a major marketing campaign.

Develop and distribute a brochure to advertise the organization's products and services.

Enter into specific operational arrangements with technology providers in order to gain a presence in targeted market areas.

Have a "major presence" at the key 1995 industry convention.

Review and potentially modify the packaging of the organization's products and services.

Deploy a new technology in targeted market areas.

Consider entering a potential market for the organization's services.

Develop an IntraNet Knowledge-Based web site.

Financial Decisions

Allocate the available budget among specific projects and programs.

Reduce/eliminate specific departmental costs in order to under-run the 1994 departmental expense budget by a targeted amount.

Risk investing in resources without pre-confirmed budget.

Commit to specific revenue and margin financial results.

Fund implementation of critical short-term features (and scale back long term dev.) related to an internal org. project.

Make the investments necessary to begin deployment of a new technology platform in the company's service.

Invest in the expansion of one of the organization's lines of business in order to meet business plan objectives.

Invest in 60 new multi-media personal computers.

Human Resource Decisions

Rate and rank employees using a new performance measurement plan.

Use "discrete" rather than "generic" job descriptions as part of the corporate reclassification process.

Reorganize the department.

Begin actively reducing the number of non-contributors/poor performers in the organization.

Establish and staff an additional clerical support position.

Implement a Force Adjustment Program.

Develop a compensation package to attract outside people into key management positions.

Use external consultants rather than internal staff to develop a mkt. plan.

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