Making management decisions on infectious disease prevention in the corporate environment: barriers and incentives

Introduction. The article presents the complex analysis of management decision making on implementing recommended (not mandatory) preventive measures against infectious diseases in the corporate environment.The purpose of the study. To detect and systemize key barriers enterprises have to face at various stages in decision making when implementing recommended measures for infectious diseases prevention; to consider targeted instruments to stimulate their implementation.Materials and methods. The study relies on using the process approach, which considers a management decision as a sequence of interrelated stages: problem identification, search for options how to solve it, selecting an optimal variant, implementation, and efficiency estimate. The research methodology combines theoretical simulation (based on the adapted model by G. Simon) and qualitative analysis of data obtained by a social survey, which was conducted among top managers. This allowed verifying the existing barriers and to describe them in detail using examples form real business practices. Special attention is paid to identifying critical points of intervention where public measures can stimulate businesses most effectively.Results. Typical barriers were detected at each stage that hampered implementation of preventive measures. They included an absence of risk awareness, deficit of reliable information about preventive techniques, uncertain selection criteria, managerial difficulties in implementation, and difficulties in assessing performance and efficiency. At the problem identification stage, information campaigns and creation of standards for reporting are the key instruments; when selection options, creating registers of evidence practices and ‘packet solutions’; in implementation, financial support mechanisms.Research limitations. The study is limited by the size of the analyzed sample.Conclusion. The study results show the necessity to overcome information asymmetry and develop targeted instruments for stimulating businesses, which consider specific features of each stage in decision making. The study makes a contribution to developing the management decision and state regulation theory by suggesting a new outlook for analyzing interaction between businesses and the state in preventive medicine.Compliance with ethical standards. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies of Rospotrebnadzor (The meeting report No. 1 dated February 03, 2020). Prior to taking part in the survey, all respondents were provided with information about the study aims and had the right to cease their participation at any stage. All data were depersonalized.Contribution of the authors: Goleva O.I., Shur P.Z., Luzhetskiy K.P. — concept, editing the text, approval of the final version of the manuscript; Barg А.О., Luzhetskiy K.P., Goleva O.I. — data collection and analysis, writing the text and abstract, responsibility for the integrity of all the parts of the article; Barg А.О. — development of the questionnaire, data analysis.Funding. The study had no sponsorship.Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.Received: August 29, 2025 / Accepted: October 8, 2025 / Published: December 17, 2025

management decisions, infectious diseases, prevention of infectious diseases in the workplace, corporate health