Systems Research and Behavioral Science articles from November 2005

Systems Research and Behavioral Science archives from November 2005

Editorial.(Editorial)
November 1, 2005... This edition of the journal contains an inspiring collection of papers which may be said to be truly at the forefront of systems thinking and practice. The research paper section starts with an outstanding paper by Raf Vanderstraeten. The...

System and environment: notes on the autopoiesis of modern society.(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... 1. INTRODUCTION We have become increasingly aware of the fact that our society not only changes its environment, but also undermines the conditions of its own existence. The changes, which it currently brings about in the environment, hit...

Nested institutions and the retardation of the adaptive process.(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... 1. INTRODUCTION During the last decade, a new attempt to understand social phenomena through a consideration of institutional mechanisms characterized the work of many social scientists, just as theories of state had garnered considerable...

Beyond system internals: expanding the scope of Living Systems Theory.( )(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Early social systems theory focused almost entirely on part-whole systems models, which examined the function that a part (such as an institution) served for the society as a whole (Parsons, 1951). Such internal-vertical...

The ideal of autonomy from the viewpoint of functional differentiation/ integration of society ([dagger]).
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Without doubt the notion of autonomy has a powerful effect on Western thought because it summarizes the description of the valued orientations of the Western individual. Besides, it is used by the current political discourse...

Determining value in organizations: myths, norms, facts and values.(Research Paper)
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION This paper explores the process of evaluation--such as using management information systems or change metrics--in a number of organizational settings. The aim is to assess the utility of the evaluation process and the measures...

'Conjecture-first' problem solving.(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION The phenomenon study is problem solving. The author is concerned that the conventional wisdom about how humans solve problems has been badly constructed. These concerns are not new: many writers, including Mason and Mitroff...

Information versus inertia: a model for product change with low inertia.(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION A company involved doing business that provides complex products attractive to the market need to be strategically alert. With complex products we also mean and include service. To remain competitive, the company must...

Knowledge resources: critical systems thinking, viable system model and 'gifts'.(Author Abstract)
November 1, 2005... Knowledge, as a resource, has been a major topic of discussion in the social science, business and management literature (Kogut and Zander, 1993; Buckley, 2002; Millar and Choi, 2003). In systems research, there have been at least two major...

Legal considerations for cyber-activism.
November 1, 2005... INTRODUCTION Weber et al. (2003) suggests that 33.8% of surveyed US citizens have sent a letter to their political representative. The capacity for the Internet to improve this level of engagement, be it through electronic voting systems,...

Alfred Locker (March 19, 1922-February 12, 2005).(Obituary)
November 1, 2005... Born in, and raised in and near Vienna, Alfred Locker embarked on a study of medicine when the Second World War brought these studies to a sudden halt, obliging him to work as a medical orderly in a military hospital in Vienna. Around this...