Systems Research and Behavioral Science articles from November 2002

Systems Research and Behavioral Science archives from November 2002

Obituary.(Jessie L. Miller)(Obituary)
November 1, 2002... Jessie L. Miller Scholar, Editor, Wife, and Mother Jessie Louise Miller, a native of Ohio, was an exceptional lady in so many ways. When she died in her LaJolla, California, home on July 31, 2002 at the age of 87, she left behind a lifetime...

Editorial.(introduction to issue)(Editorial)
November 1, 2002... It is with great sadness that we have to mark, in this issue, the death of Jessie Miller. For over thirty years Jessie was a collaborator and associate editor on the journal Behavioral Science which was, of course, founded and edited by her...

Self-construction and restricted conversations. (Research Paper).(transformation of collectives into organizations)
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION A collective can be understood as people acting together in pursuit of interests they share; however, in this pursuit they do not necessarily become a closed network of interpersonal relations producing a whole, that is, an...

Beyond generic models for information system quality: the use of interpretive structural modeling (ISM) ([dagger]). (Research Paper).
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION An important question that managers ask is how an organization can take best advantage of information technology (IT) in order to support its operations, add value to its products and services, and gain a competitive edge in...

Comparing the epistemologies of scientific disciplines in two distinct domains: modern physics versus social sciences. (Research Paper).
November 1, 2002... II. Epistemology and Knowledge Characteristics of the `New' Social Sciences LEVELS OF INQUIRY AND METAMODELING The sweeping survey attempted below is carried out at three levels of inquiry, namely, the philosophy of science level, the...

The complex dynamics of technological innovation: a comparison of models using cellular automata. (Research Paper).
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Complex systems theoreticians have developed a plethora of models that claim to model social behaviour and processes as a result of relatively simple underlying principles (e.g., Epstein and Axtell, 1996; Axelrod, 1997)....

How process philosophy can contribute to strategic management. (Research Paper).
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Strategic management has evolved from being concerned with formal decisions and managerial activities in stable, mechanistic and rule-governed structures (see Ansoff, 1965; Andrews, 1971; Hofer and Schendel, 1978), into...

Effective strategic and operational practices of manufacturing, service, and public sector organizations: an empirical examination. (Research Paper).
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Today's organization, whether they operate in manufacturing, service, or public sector operational environments, are facing significant challenges. Some of these challenges are due to external forces which center around...

In response to Robert Kay: Luhmann's ontology, ontogeny, and epistemology. (Notes and Insights).(Niklas Luhmann, autopoiesis, social systems)
November 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Robert Kay (2001) has recently constructed a welcome `new frame' for applying autopoiesis to social theory. The focus and brevity of his presentation unduly truncate consideration of major contributions made by Niklas Luhmann...

Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline.(Book Review)
November 1, 2002... By Richard A. Posner. Published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2001, 416 pp., ISBN 0 674 00633 X, 20.50 [pounds sterling] Readers of this journal Systems Research and Behavioral Science may wonder why a book would be reviewed...

My Double Unveiled.(Book Review)
November 1, 2002... By Giuseppe Vitiello. Published by John Benjamins. Publishing Company (Advances in Consciousness Research), 2001, 161 pp., ISBN 90 272 5152 4 (Europe), 1 58811076 1 (US), US$44.95/50.00 [euro]. Systems science emerged and continuously...

Accountability in Social Research: Issues and Debates.(Book Review)
November 1, 2002... By Norma R. A. Romm. Published by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2001, pp. 317, ISBN 0 306 46564 7, $45.00 (hardcover). In this book, the author seeks to deal with the issue of researcher accountability in the practice of...