MJAMR

Decision Making Is a Choice but an Impulse Decision May Not Be the Best Choice: A Case Study of Ugandan CEOs

Akampurira Sarah, Magala Muhammed


Abstract

This article examined the decision-making processes of chief executive officers operating within Ugandan private and public sector organizations, with a particular focus on the conditions under which impulsive decision-making emerged, the organizational contexts that facilitated or constrained such decisions, and the consequences of impulse-driven executive choices for organizational performance and stakeholder welfare. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with sixty-two CEOs drawn from diverse sectors including banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, agriculture, and public utilities, the study revealed that impulsive decision-making was both more prevalent and more consequential in the Ugandan corporate context than existing decision theory frameworks had predicted. The research identified a distinctive set of cultural, structural, and psychological factors that heightened the propensity for impulsive executive decision-making in Uganda, including high power distance organizational cultures, weak board governance, the personalization of organizational authority in executive figures, and the specific psychological pressures generated by Uganda's volatile economic and political environment. The findings suggested that while impulsive decisions occasionally produced positive outcomes through the exploitation of fleeting market opportunities, the systematic preference for speed over deliberation in executive decision-making had been associated with poor organizational performance, high staff turnover, financial mismanagement, and reputational damage across the organizations studied.

Keywords

Decision Making Choice and Impulse Decision
Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research

Cite This Article

Akampurira Sarah & Magala Muhammed (2026). Decision Making Is a Choice but an Impulse Decision May Not Be the Best Choice: A Case Study of Ugandan CEOs. Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research, 5(4). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=556

More in This Issue

View full issue →
36
Supplier Quality Assurance And Business Performance Of Logistics Companies. A Case Study Of Aramex Company Ltd Uganda
Namayanja Mackline1 , Irumba Alex2
Supplier Quality Assurance Supplier Selection Supplier Performance Monitoring Continuous Improvement
37
Technology In Transferring Marketing Strategies: A Case Study Of Jumia Uganda Limited
Nansubuga Betty, Mwesigwa Henry
Technology Marketing Strategies E-commerce Digital Marketing
38
The Coping Mechanisms Adopted by Refugees in Response to Aid Reduction in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Kawenge District, Uganda.
Ocan Richard1 , Babirye Peninah2 , Aisha Nakyeyune3
Coping mechanisms Refugee Aid Reduction
39
The Effect Of E-Learning On Learners' Academic Performance In Secondary School: A Case Study Of St. Mary's Simbya Secondary School In Bundibugyo
Biira Annet Zadoki, Dr. Okee Jill Margaret
E-learning Academic Performance Secondary Education ICT in Education
40
The Effect Of Overfishing On Communities: A Case Study Of Lake Victoria, Kalangala District, Uganda
Atuhetrwe Joyce, Kirwisa Matovu
Overfishing Lake Victoria Kalangala District fishing communities