This book brings together an interdisciplinary group of experts to provide increased understanding of the ways in which cultural differences may influence decision making and action. It brings together current knowledge about decision processes, culture and cognition, design of products and interfaces for human interaction with machines and organizational processes culled from a wide variety of sources and puts them into one comprehensive resource. It examines how to design systems used by individuals from different cultures and accommodate the varied backgrounds that affect the users' decisions and actions.

Introduction to Cultural Factors in Decision Making and Action. Managerial Decision Making. How Decision Making in Companies Has Changed with Technology and Global/Cultural Diversity. Cultural Factors, Technology and Operations in Developing Countries: Two Case Studies. Cross Cultural Decision Making- Impact of Values and Beliefs on Decision Choices. Cultures, Situations, & Behaviors: Understanding Why People Do Not Behave As You Expect. Contemporary Perspectives on Decision Making and Culture. A Review of Decision Field Theory and Its Implications for Cross Cultural Decision Making. Cultural Identification and Conflict Resolution. Why do People Think Culturally When Making Decisions? Theory and Evidence. Population Stereotypes in Decision and Action. Cross-Cultural Decision-Making and Collaboration. The Impact of Collaboration Support Systems on Decision Quality. Effects of Group Orientation and Communication Style on Making Decisions and Interacting with Robots. Decision Making in Healthcare. Personality and Health Care Decision-Making Style. Decision Making in Healthcare System Design. Design of Performance Evaluation and Management Systems for Territorial Healthcare Networks of Services. Decision Making in Energy Use, Development, and Conservation. Energy, Society, and Policy Decisions. Energy and Energy Use: Emerging Challenges and Solutions. Research in Cultural Aspects of Environmental Decision Making. Future Directions. Current Issues and Future Research Directions Concerning Cultural Factors in Decision Making and Action.

Robert W. Proctor is Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. Dr. Proctor has a courtesy appointment in the School of Industrial Engineering and is co-coordinator of the interdisciplinary Human Factors program. Dr. Proctor teaches courses in human factors in engineering, human information processing, attention, and perception and action. He is faculty advisor of the Purdue Student Chapter of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Dr. Proctor's research focuses on basic and applied aspects of human performance. He has published over 200 articles on human performance and is author of numerous books and book chapters. His books include Human Factors in Simple and Complex Systems (1st and 2nd editions, co-authored with Trisha Van Zandt), Skill Acquisition and Human Performance (co-authored with Addie Dutta), and Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design (1st and 2nd editions, co-edited with Kim-Phuong L. Vu). Dr. Proctor is currently editor of the American Journal of Psychology. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science and an honorary fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Shimon Y. Nof is Professor of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, and held visiting positions at MIT and at universities in Chile, EU, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, and Mexico. He is the Director of the NSF-industry supported PRISM Center (Production, Robotics and Integration Software for Manufacturing & Management), recent Chair of the IFAC Coordinating Committee "Manufacturing & Logistics Systems", recent President of IFPR (International Federation of Production Research), Fellow of the IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers), and inaugural member of Purdue's Book of Great Teachers. He is the author, co-author and editor of 10 books, including the Handbook of Industrial Robotics 1st and 2nd editions, the International Encyclopedia of Robotics, (both winners of the "Most Outstanding Book in Science and Engineering",) Information and Collaboration Models of Integration, Industrial Assembly, and Springer Handbook of Automation.

Dr. Yuehwern Yih is a Professor of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University and Director of Smart Systems and Operations Laboratory. She is a Faculty Scholar of the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. Dr. Yih's expertise resides in system and process design, monitor, and control to improve its quality and efficiency. Her research has been focused on dynamic process control and decision making for operations in complex systems (or systems in systems), such as healthcare delivery systems, manufacturing systems, supply chains, and advanced life support system for mission to Mars. Dr. Yih published over 100 journal papers, conference proceedings, and book chapters on system design and operation control. Her recent book, Handbook of Healthcare Delivery Systems, was published in December 2010. She is an IIE Fellow.