With regard to acceptance of CBOR, we have presented an explanation
consistent with the data. This explanation depends on characteristics that tend to
hold for CDCs. We are confident in stating that CDCs are relatively receptive to
VFT as a qualitative method and less receptive to complex quantitative approaches.
Since many organizations are receptive to quantitative approaches, we certainly
cannot extrapolate this finding to all organizations. To the extent that other CBOs
share relevant characteristics with CDCs, we expect they would display similar
patterns. In the paper, we speculate about which characteristics are relevant in this
regard, but this study does not include variation that would allow us to identify
them. We do not believe the results here would necessarily extend beyond CBOs.
For example, Airoldi et al. (2011) effort on behalf of a UK governmental
organization (National Health Service) found high benefit from their accessible
quantitative analysis. Study participants were citizens who had preferences about,
but not expectation that they had direct influence upon, health care policies. Thus,
the participants may have had more interest in understanding the impacts of tradeoffs,
rather than ensuring that considerations were on the table, while the NHS as a
large agency had already defined objective for, in this case, quality of life. Thus, in
an organization that is quite different from CDCs, successful use of OR was
achieved in a different way.