ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a practical, close-up view of the maritime field of decisionmaking. Two case studies provide quintessential insight into decision-making with respect to the organizational structures and several influencing factors. We chose two examples with different foci. The first case study (Section 5.1) is based on shadowing decision-makers in a large-scale, live SAR exercise, involving numerous SAR units and information sources. The second study (Section 5.2) consists of participant observations in SAR missions in the Aegean Sea, where an interorganizational crew rescued people from overcrowded, unseaworthy rubber boats. Whereas the first case study helps us understand decision-making processes more clearly, the second case study shows how these processes can develop in the first place. These case studies represent two different types of mass rescue operations. They provide good examples of the challenges that decision-makers face in complex maritime task environments.
