Cognitive Competency, Problem-Solving Skills and Decision-Making: A Case Study of Students’ Extracurricular Activities in The Distribution Chains Sector

Cognitive Competency, Problem-Solving Skills and Decision-Making: A Case Study of Students’ Extracurricular Activities in The Distribution Chains Sector

Purpose: Despite significant research on decision-making, researchers struggle to comprehend the decision-making process. This paper aims to not only examine the relationship between problem-solving skills, cognitive competency, and decision-making but also develop measurement instruments for cognitive competency and problem-solving skills to better model decision-making. Research Design, Methodology and Approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted by surveying 292 university students in HCM City, Vietnam, via email sent randomly by Google Forms. This study identifies the conceptual framework and tests the hypotheses using a deductive approach. The SPSS program was used to evaluate the scales' reliability, and the SmartPLS program was used to assess the measurement and structural models. Results: The results show that the research model better modelled the relationship between problem-solving skills, cognitive competency, and decision-making. Although thinking ability has no direct impact on decision-making, both creativity and problem-solving skills have a positive impact on decision-making. The mediating role of problem-solving skills is also determined by the positive relationship between cognitive competency and decision-making. Conclusions: This study highlights decision-making efficiency through the cognitive process from low to high levels and provides for policymakers and managers to explain the decisionmaking process in a variety of sectors, such as distribution chains, marketing, and human resource distribution.