Buyer group decisions are different from an individual due to the unlikeliness in the selection of choices. The decision process of a group represents the numerous needs of each member unit. Conversely, the individual decisions are personal. Researchers indicate that group decisions are less thoughtful than an individual due to the difference in participation. While the member units affect the consideration of choices, an individual buyer has no other person to contend. Moreover, the social norms influence the group’s decisions more than the individual. Therefore, the selection of choices, the needs, the participation, and the social norms influence the differences and similarities of decision makers when buying.

The selection of choices develops from the characteristics of collaboration and mutuality. The individual decisions are more collaborative and supportive than a group (Ambrus & Greiner, 2016). Group decisions are not collaborative because they have a wide scope that requires satisfaction of many needs. The second difference arises from the attitudes that are the probable outcome of an option. The risk attitudes are different between groups and individuals. A group will take a riskier option while an individual prefers a safer opportunity (Ambrus & Greiner, 2016).

The participation and needs of decision makers are the central points in the persuasive dispute theory. The differences in the needs of a single buyer and a group create the diverse ambitions and focus on the decisions process. Individuals who highly participate drive the decisions of a group (Sobel, 2014). The participation in a buyer group is a result of the number of arguments that the members present. The types of arguments in a group are more credible than the intrinsic arguments of an individual. The credibility of the arguments in a buyer group depends on the diversity in the needs and ambitions of the members (Sobel, 2014). Group members with superior needs persuade the other members and influence the aggregate decisions. Nonetheless, the selfish members of a buyer group are aggressive in the decision process, especially in the deliberation of possible options.

The scope of social norms in decision making is in accordance with the social dispute theory (Sobel, 2014). The theory focuses on the similarity of the group and individual decisions. The similarity of decision makers is dependence on the level of motivation. Motivation affects the manner that people present or recognize themselves. The human decisions are social. Therefore, every person makes a decision that conforms to the set cultural norms. The reaction of a group to a buying decision guarantees the uniformity of the choices with the norms of the society. On the contrary, individual decisions do not necessarily match with the social norms in the strict manner that group decisions use.

In conclusion, the decisions of both buyer teams and individual consumers involve the selection of the best judgment. However, the group decisions are critical, sociable, and persuasive more than the individual decision. The social argument construct proclaims that the buyer team decisions align more with the social norms than the individual decisions. Additionally, the persuasive theory indicates that the group decisions are more considerate of the available options in comparison to the single consumer decisions. However, the individual decisions are not as selfish as the decisions of the buyer teams. The individual buyer decision considers the collaboration and mutuality perspectives in a sensitive manner than the group choice. Contrariwise, a group that hosts selfish members make decisions that favor individual interest goals.