Background
Sound and effective decision-making are known to be the primary competence of managers. According to Lopes and Bolland (2018), The decision-making process is a continuous and indispensable component of managing any organisation on a different level. The decision-making process ensures that a company achieves its goals using the most appropriate strategy. The decision-making process can be defined as choosing from two or more alternatives to achieve the desired goal (Eisenfuhr, 2011). Thus, it is crucial to identify the factors that affect the effectiveness of the decision-making process to define strategies that can help to improve it.
The proposed research will focus on the performance of decision-making on all levels in the telecom sector in Qatar. The telecom sector in Qatar is a duopoly dominated by two large companies, including Ooredoo and Vodafone Qatar. The telecom market in Qatar has witnessed a significant rise in recent years, and it is expected to grow in the nearest future (Global Monitor, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the development of the telecom sector in Qatar as the demand for telecom services increased. In particular, due to lockdown measures, live viewing is increased by 15%, and free video-on-demand is increased by 25% in 2020 in comparison with previous years (Global Monitor, 2021). Business Wire (2021) reports that telecom industry revenues will grow at a CAGR of 13.7% from 2021 to 2026. The primary factors contributing to the growth of the industry include the development of 5G technology, increased data consumption, demographic shifts in Qatar, and the hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2022 (Business Wire, 2021). Thus, the development of the industry was due to external factors rather than internal development.
The quality of decision-making in the telecom industry in Qatar had a low influence on the companies’ financial performance, as the influence of external factors was strong. However, in the nearest future, the effect of certain external factors may decrease their influence, which will affect the industry. In particular, the measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may be eased in the nearest future due to the development of collective immunity (Muley et al., 2021). Additionally, the increase in business activities may decrease after FIFA World Cup 2022. As a result, the effectiveness of the decision-making process may have an increased influence on the financial performance of the telecom companies in Qatar. Therefore, a full assessment of factors that affect the effectiveness of decision-making is required to provide the managers of the company with recommendations that can improve the financial performance of mobile operators.
Research points out numerous factors that may affect business decision-making processes. For instance, Gomez and Bernet (2019) stated that workplace diversity positively affects the decision-making process. Cultural and gender diversity allows the decision-making team to look at problems from different sides, which allows for finding innovative solutions to issues (Gomez and Bernet, 2019). However, diversity has a positive effect on the decision-making process only if managed adequately (Gomez and Bernet, 2019).
Employee participation is another factor that affects the business decision-making process. In particular, a qualitative study by Ejere and Jarbandhan (2019) demonstrated that employee participation in the decision-making process positively affects the performance of businesses. The employees feel more valued, which increases their organisational commitment and workplace satisfaction (Ejere and Jarbandhan, 2019). As a result, the company enjoys a higher level of financial stability and decreased turnover.
Having a clear vision and using it as the main criterion in the decision-making process also helps to improve the decision-making outcomes. Lilli et al. (2020) conducted a case study concerning the design of erosion and flood protection nature-based solutions in the Koiliaris Critical Zone Observatory in Crete. The study revealed that the central success factor of the program was that the stakeholders developed a clear vision, and the decision-making process was led by that vision (Lilli et al., 2020). The vision may encourage stakeholder participation and lead to reaching a consensus on controversial questions (Lilli et al., 2020). Thus, vision-led leadership may be a key to effective decision-making.
Aims and Objectives
The proposed research aims at determining the factors that affect the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar. The primary purpose of the study is to create a list of recommendations for managers in the telecom sector in Qatar to improve the decision-making process on all levels. In order to achieve the aim, several objectives need to be achieved. The identified objectives are listed below:
- Conduct a thorough literature review concerning the factors that may affect the effectiveness of the decision-making process and determine the gaps in the current literature;
- Design a statistical model that can explain the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom industry in Qatar;
- Develop instruments that will help to measure the variables included in the statistical model with a high degree of validity;
- Collect and analyse data collected from employees of the telecom industry to assess the effects of the identified factors on the outcome variable;
- Interpret the results of the analysis with regard to the current body of empirical and theoretical literature;
- Create a list of recommendations for managers to improve the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
Research Questions and Hypotheses
The research was guided by the following research questions:
RQ1: What factors affect the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar?
RQ2: How can the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar be improved?
A brief literature review identified that managed cultural diversity, employee engagement, and vision-based leadership can positively affect the decision-making process in general. Thus, the following hypotheses were identified:
H10: There is no significant correlation between managed cultural diversity and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
H1A: There is a significant correlation between managed cultural diversity and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
H20: There is no significant correlation between employee engagement in decision-making and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
H2A: There is a significant correlation between employee engagement in decision-making and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
H30: There is no significant correlation between vision-based leadership and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
H3A: There is a significant correlation between vision-based leadership and the effectiveness of the decision-making process in the telecom sector in Qatar.
Research Approach & Methodology
The proposed research will utilise a quantitative approach to answer the research question. There are three approaches to research, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. Quantitative research is usually based on the results of qualitative research and provides specific answers to narrow questions (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2019). Quantitative research methods allow high breadth of the research, as numerous participants can be involved in a study (Copper and Schindler, 2014). However, questions that are answered by quantitative research are to be very specific.
Qualitative approach is the opposite of the quantitative research methods. In contrast to the quantitative approach, qualitative research aims to gain a better understanding of a problem or a phenomenon that has not been clearly defined (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2019). Qualitative studies identify problems in the general area of interest for future research to focus on specific issues (Copper and Schindler, 2014). The qualitative design allows the research to collect unstructured information concerning the feeling, emotions, and attitudes towards the phenomena of interest (Creswell, 2007).
A mixed-method approach unites the benefits of both qualitative and quantitative methods. However, mixed-methods approaches are associated with increased complexity, cost, and required time (Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill, 2019). Since the purpose of this research is to assess the effect of three independent variables (managed cultural diversity, employee engagement, and vision-based leadership) on a dependent variable (decision-making effectiveness), a qualitative approach is preferable.
The research proposes to create an online survey that will measure the three independent variables, a dependent variable, and demographic variables and distribute it among 200 participants. After the data is collected, a multiple regression model will be created to assess the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable. SPSS 26 will be used to analyse the data. The proposed conceptual model is provided in Figure 1 below.
Ethical Approach to Research
There are three basic approaches to ethics, including the deontological approach, ethical scepticism, and utilitarianism (Israel, 2014). The deontological approach presupposes that any action can be either ethical or unethical (Israel, 2014). Ethical scepticism assumes that ethical standards are specific to the culture of the participant (Israel, 2014). Utilitarianism is an approach that decides whether the action is ethical or not based on the evaluation of costs and benefits (Israel, 2014). This research adopts the deontological approach to ethics. The researcher believes that disclosure of sensitive information is inappropriate. Therefore, no personal information will be collected so that the participants will not be identified.
The research will be divided into several steps:
- May 1, 2022 – May 15, 2022. Writing research proposal and filling out the ethics form.
- May 16, 2022 – June 20, 2022. Writing a literature review and methodology section.
- June 21, 2022 – July 15, 2022. Collecting and analysing data
- July 16, 2022 – September 5, 2022. Interpreting data and finalising the paper.
- September 6, 2022 – final submission of the dissertation.
The participants will be employees of the telecom sector that identify themselves as senior workers, middle managers, upper managers, or executives. The participants will be briefly explained the purpose of the study and asked to complete a questionnaire that will consist of demographic questions and content questions based on a seven-point Likert scale. No personal or sensitive data will be collected. Since the primary data collection method is an anonymous survey that does not collect any information that can help to identify the participant, no significant risks to mental or physical health were identified. The privacy of the participants will be protected by the design of the survey, as it will not include any personal questions that will help to identify the participants. Moreover, due to the sample size of 200, the participants will be protected from being identified indirectly.
Reference List
Alemadi, A. N. and Abushanab, E. (2021) M-Service Quality of Telecom Companies in Qatar [online]. Web.
Business Wire (2021) Key Trends and Opportunities in the Qatar Telecom Operator Market: Market Forecast to Reach $2.9 Billion by 2026 [online]. Web.
Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, P. S. (2014) Business research methods. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Creswell, J.W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Eisenfuhr, F. (2011) Decision making. New York, NY: Springer.
Ejere, E. and Jarbandhan, D. B. (2019) Influence of Employee Participation in Work Decision‑Making on organisational performance. Administration, v.27 (3), pp. 109-127.
Global Monitor (2021) Qatar Telecommunication Market Report (2020-2025) [online]. Web.
Gomez, L. E. and Bernet, P. (2019) Diversity improves performance and outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, v.111 (4), pp. 383-392.
Israel, M. (2014) Research Ethics and Integrity for Social Scientists: Beyond Regulatory Compliance. India: SAGE Publications.
Lilli, M. A. et al. (2020) Vision-based decision-making methodology for riparian forest restoration and flood protection using nature-based solutions. Sustainability, v. 12 (8), article 3305.
Lopes, C. J. and Bolland, E. J. (2018) Decision making and business performance. Germany: Edward Elgar Pub., Incorporated.
Muley, D. et al. (2021) Quantifying the impact of COVID–19 preventive measures on traffic in the State of Qatar. Transport Policy, v. 103, pp. 45-59.
Saunders, M. N. K., Lewis, P., and Thornhill, A. (2019) Research methods for business students. United Kingdom: Pearson.
Appendix: Gantt Chart of Work on Dissertation
