Systems Research and Behavioral Science articles from May 2007

Systems Research and Behavioral Science archives from May 2007

Editorial.(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... It is with great sadness that we report the death of John P. van Gigch. Professor van Gigch will be remembered for his pioneering work on general system theory and the development of his own 'metasystems' paradigm. A 'systems profile' of...

On the possibility of restoring trust from mistrust and friendship from enmity and hatred ([dagger]).(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... SCOPE AND MEANING OF AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL INQUIRY At first, we seek to develop the argumentation which explains how the dualities between TRUST and MISTRUST and between FRIENDSHIP and ENMITY operate. To this end, as we acquire KNOWLEDGE about...

Thinking systems need systems thinking.(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE In the broadest sense, the thesis of this article is that our society should move beyond the industrial revolution and embrace the implications of living in an information age. Unfortunately, our mental models,...

Reducing the process lacuna in operational research by taking a knowledge work perspective.(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... INTRODUCTION Checkland and Holwell (2004) draw attention to the 'process lacuna' (p. 59) that they argue characterizes the present understanding of operational research (OR). They note the OR community's "surprising lack of interest in its...

Control information theory: the 'missing link' in the science of cybernetics.(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... INTRODUCTION Norbert Wiener's (1948) Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine, can truly be called one of the seminal scientific contributions of the 20th Century. Thanks to Wiener's inspired vision,...

Constructing the user.(Research Paper)
May 1, 2007... BACKGROUND This paper is the second in a series written to show how concepts from cybernetics can help to illuminate and possibly resolve some central, linked questions in architecture. The first paper (Gage, 2006) asked where the...

The paradox of observing, autopoiesis, and the future of social sciences.(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... THE REPRESENTATIONALIST-ANTI-REPRESENTATIONALIST CONTROVERSY Contemporary debates about social sciences reveal serious disagreements about their cognitive status and future. Whether these disagreements amount to a crisis or are as...

Autopoietic Viable System Model.(Research Paper)
May 1, 2007... 1. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to construct a foundation for an autopoietic Viable System Model (VSM) and investigate its properties, bearing Stafford Beer's words in mind. 'Only a viable system exhibits autopoiesis at all,...

Systems theory: a worldview and/or a methodology aimed at requisite holism/realism of humans' thinking, decisions and action([dagger]), ([double dagger]).(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... THE SELECTED PROBLEM AND VIEWPOINT OF CONSIDERATION Thinking is the most important human activity, and its holism and realism is its crucial attribute, which is lacking in education (Rosi et al., 2006). It requires humans' attention,...

Using soft systems methodology for computer game design.(Research Paper)(Report)
May 1, 2007... INTRODUCTION Although computer games may be viewed as purely a form of entertainment (Schaefer and Warren, 2004), computer games are not necessarily solely for amusement. Combat simulation computer games have been used by both the UK and...

Physical relationships among matter, energy and information ([dagger]).(Notes and Insights)(Report)
May 1, 2007... "Information is the difference that makes a difference'. Gregory Bateson BASIC ENTITIES AND THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THEM At least two previous civilizations ventured to define the basic building blocks of the universe. The ancient...

International Conference on Sociocybernetics: Technology and Social Complexity, Murcia, Spain, 18-23 June 2007.(NEWS)(Conference news)
May 1, 2007... Conference Theme Technology and Social Complexity Technical objects (basically, instrumental machines) are crucial in everyday life. Systematic reflection about object-producing devices relates technology not only to the context of the...

The VI International Conference on Decision Support for Telecommunications and Information Society, Warsaw, Poland, 18-20 July, 2007.(NEWS)(Conference news)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Conference Objectives The conference is devoted to issues of decision support in applications to telecommunications and computer networks, generally for information society. This will be the sixth conference on this subject of growing...

2007 International Symposium on Information Systems 2007 ISM): Management Track of WiCOM2007, Shanghai, China, 25-28 July, 2007.(NEWS)
May 1, 2007... Hosts Shanghai Jiaotong University, China Wuhan University, China AIS SIG-ISAP Association, USA Sponsors IEEE Communications Society IEEE Engineering Management Society (EMS) National Science Foundation, China...

The 8th International Symposium on Knowledge and Systems Sciences (KSS2007) Jointly with the 2nd International Conference on Knowledge, Information and Creativity Support Systems (KICSS2007), Ishikawa High-Tech Exchange Center, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan, 5-7 November, 2007.(NEWS)(Conference news)
May 1, 2007... Aims The KSS Symposium is an annual conference of the International Society for Knowledge and Systems Sciences (ISKSS). Knowledge science and systems science can be used for one another as methodology and tool and benefit each other....