Due to resource limitations, the agent is not able to achieve all her goals. In general, the agent will try to achieve the more important goals. Decision making requires an understanding of the relative importance of different goals. In business domains, goals may include increasing market share or decreasing overhead. Agents are not alone in the world.
Agents have relationships with other agents.
The other agents have their own goal agendas. Through relationships, agents adopt each other's goals, so that decisions can incorporate the adopted goals. Just as goals vary in importance, so do relationships. Goals are adopted at a level proportional to the importance of the relationship. This means that an agent is more likely to help a friend than a stranger.