A Systemic Exploration of Lesotho’s Basic Education through Interactive Management

Lesotho is an inland country striving to improve its economy. Accessible education is perceived as an effective approach to economic growth. Over the years, various projects were commenced to improve Lesotho’s basic education provision. However, the progress is not satisfactory or stable. This paper argues for systemic thinking and adopts Warfield’s interactive management to identify the difficulties in Lesotho’s education projects. Interactive management can help stakeholders to identify system elements, structure the relationship between systems elements and produce a diagraph representing the system in question. The core mechanism of interactive management is a binary matrix which can infer the existence of a relationship between system elements, provided that the relationship is transitive. Four root problems were identified through the interactive management process: ‘board members not educated’, ‘poor service delivery by the Ministry of Education and Training to teachers’, ‘food insecurity’ and ‘reduced and standardisation of school fees at post primary schools’. The developed model demonstrates how system elements are interconnected. The model has potential to be used as a starting point for the Lesotho government to manage on its basic education problems through the identified root causes.     

Critical Systemic Praxis for Social and Environmental Justice: A Case Study of Management,Governance, and Policy

Internationally, globalization has been paradoxically translated into colonization, economic rationalist development, nationalism, and closure born of a fear of the implications of globalization and global markets for the least powerful countries, regions, and interest groups. Social problems in terms of the economic rationalist approach are increasingly individualized and citizenship models emphasize the responsibility of individuals and families. Many current human service and social policy models in Australia (as elsewhere) are nonsystemic (psychological, medical, education, crime prevention, and economic). The paper reflects on an experience of undertaking a study of the life chances of citizens in a remote region of Australia. This is a paper about doing systemic thinking and practice in Alice Springs (Mpwartwe, or caterpillar dreaming) as a social policy researcher attempting to use and advocating a participatory action research approach to social policy development based on a multisite, multimethod research design of perceived, expressed, and normative needs.     

Uncovering the Dynamics of the Saudi Youth Unemployment Crisis

This paper explores a systems thinking approach to the persistent and urgent issue of youth unemployment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a complex problem given the unique social contract between government and citizens in the Kingdom. Generations of government-dependent Saudi nationals have come of age in recent decades, unfit for private sector needs and unprepared for its realities. Attempts to force this population into the private workforce are futile, resisted by Saudi workers and by private sector employers. The authors present a systems map inclusive of employment trends, education, and social dynamics, whose interactions undermine employment among Saudi youth. This mental model indicates that unemployment among this particular demographic is exacerbated by increased government spending on education, and by government-initiated measures aimed at protecting Saudi nationals in the private sector. Uncovering an archetypal systems thinking relationship between major stakeholders, that of accidental adversaries, the authors present the first steps towards modeling solutions.     

Re-framing Prostitution in Indonesia: A Critical Systemic Approach

This study applies critical systems thinking as a process to respond to and offer recommendations to address prostitution policy in Indonesia. The article addresses social, economic and environmental aspects of prostitution. The analysis centres on the way in which prostitution is framed by the different interest groups in Indonesia, and highlights the current crisis in policy-making praxis in Indonesia. The article develops a case for systemic policy praxis, and aims to: (1) Make a case for re-framing the issue of prostitution in the sense that it addresses the ‘capabilities’ prostituted women and children ought to have (see Sen in Development as freedom, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999 and Nussbaum in Women and human development: the capabilities approach, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000). (2) Re-frame the policy response to prostitution to address life chances and human dignity. (3) Assert that the lack of attention to a just and fair human rights for all is due to a policy-making gap where ‘systemic intervention’ is required to restore human dignity.     

新能源汽车“双积分”政策对生产商策略与社会福利影响研究

为进一步促进我国新能源汽车行业的发展,工信部等五部委于2017年9月印发了《乘用车企业平均燃料消耗量和新能源汽车积分并行管理办法》.论文在考虑实施"双积分"政策的前提下,分别构建模型以研究乘用车市场在完全竞争、新能源汽车生产商具有市场势力和传统汽车生产商具有市场势力的三种情况下,乘用车生产商各自的最优决策及最优社会福利.此外,论文进一步定量分析了政策性因素、市场性因素和成本性因素变动对结果的综合作用效果及各因素的贡献程度.研究结果表明:1)"双积分"政策可以有效地促进我国新能源汽车发展,相较而言在完全竞争的市场环境下政策效果最为明显;2)"双积分"政策的收紧会给传统汽车生产商的产量和利润带来负面的影响,对于新能源汽车生产商的产量、利润及社会福利的影响具有不确定性;3)但随着乘用车市场愈发成熟和单位生产成本的下降,市场性因素和成本性因素可抵消政策性因素带来的不确定性;4)此外,成本性因素在所有模型下均表现出最为明显的正向贡献作用.     

Changes in Multicultural Experience: Action Research on a Service Learning Curriculum

Service learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities designed for student learning and development. This study investigated the changes in the multicultural experience of graduate students who participated in a service learning curriculum. The participants comprised six graduate students who enrolled in the “Service Learning Research” course. Action research and qualitative methods were applied to analyze data including interview content, reflection diaries, and community service dossiers. The results revealed the following problems that the participants experienced at the beginning of service learning: (1) a sense of anxiety and anticipation before service engagement; and (2) substantial barriers during service delivery. Through guidance and reflection after intervention, the students demonstrated the abilities to question and observe. Moreover, the evaluation revealed that the participants reflected on the changes in their multicultural experience. Directly contacting service recipients was an essential factor affecting the participants’ changes, and keeping reflection diaries and engaging in in-class discussion facilitated supporting and inspiring the participants. According to the results of this study, we recommend that service learning curricula be reinforced through integrating multicultural teaching and challenging students to reflect on their conduct as well as supporting the students. Additionally, suggestions for subsequent studies are provided.     

城市房价为何不同:公共服务对房价的影响

本文研究城市基本公共服务差异对住房市场的影响,实证考察城市基本公共服务在住房市场发展中的作用及其影响机制.本研究基于2006-2014年我国29个大中城市的基本公共服务数据,采用熵值法计算出各城市每年的基本公共服务指数,并运用面板回归模型实证分析了城市的基本公共服务对商品住宅销售价格的影响.研究发现,医疗资源对住房市场的影响十分显著,对于一线城市更是如此,医疗资源的集中是引起一线城市商品住宅销售价格上涨的重要因素.本研究的政策含义在于,合理统筹医疗、教育等资源,推动区域基本公共服务均等化,有利于促进我国住房市场健康发展,有利于构建住房市场以及房地产市场长效调控机制.同时,统筹城市公共服务和制定房地产调控政策应做到因地制宜、因城施策.     

Participatory Design for Democracy and Wellbeing: Narrowing the Gap Between Service Outcomes and Perceived Needs

This paper explains how narratives told by Aboriginal service users and Aboriginal service providers form the basis for redesigning the approach to complex interrelated problems associated with unemployment, alcohol, domestic violence and homelessness. On the basis of the case study it develops an argument for how it is possible to mainstream the matching of services to meet perceived needs. It makes the case that (1) it is possible for democracy to be re-worked in such a way that (a) collective needs (and steering for the common good) can be married to (2) decentralized policy making (and steering from below). Sustainable participatory policy based on user perceptions of what works why and how could be the basis for enabling people to set aside narrow difference and to consider different ways to govern democratically. We conclude that bureaucratic and compartmentalized responses are inadequate to address complex multifaceted problems and that the process of engagement is in itself important for democracy and wellbeing. The area of concern is to address identity and social inclusion. The research explores convergent user-centric design. The criteria for UCD are: Improving wellbeing, Enhancing participation in thinking through if-then scenarios, Matching services to perceived need, Enhancing rational decisions, Generating evidence based policy based on mapping and modeling, Attaining sustainability, Fostering creativity and innovation, Building communities, Expanding opportunity. A dedicated website describes the work of the ARC team http://www.socsci.flinders.edu.au/av/pathways/binder.php.     

Systemic View of Interorganisational Relationships: An Analysis of Business Networks

Business networks are formed by organisations with common interests. Inter-firm relations can bring to the companies involved an important contribution in the innovation processes: stimulating the division and sharing of scientific and technical information. This union between companies seems to be an appropriate alternative to promote the organisation's effectiveness. Considering the relevance of inter-organisation networks, their consolidation and the need to understand their essence as a mechanism of competitive advantage, this study is a theoretical reflection on the development of business networks and their proliferation. Using multiple perspectives, the paper discusses the classic authors, as well as contemporary references. It also analyzes the concept of networks and their importance, from a system's perspective.The systemic analysis emphasizes a holistic interpretation, considers the environment, the interdependence of the parts and the business inter-organisation actions. More than a theory, the systemic view can be understood as a model of empirical analysis, used to better understand complex phenomena. Considering inter-organisational relations, the systemic approach consists of the mechanism to understand the dynamics of business networks, their interface, especially considering their role in gaining a competitive advantage. The results discussed in this paper can bring a rich understanding of the role of networks for companies that participate in this initiative.Flávia was sponsored in her Ph.D by CAPES, a Foundation subordinated to the Ministry of Education of Brazil.     

Action Research to Enrich Learning in e-Tutoring for Remote Schools

Systemic Practice and Action Research - Because students in remote areas face unequal learning opportunities, the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan commenced a benchmark program in 2006 known...     

生产服务系统优先权能力协同分配策略

随着传统制造企业的经营模式向服务型制造的转变,企业所面对的传统生产库存系统转变为生产服务系统. 研究了由生产设施和服务中心组成的柔性生产服务系统的生产和服务能力协同分配问题. 生产设施生产两类产品,服务中心基于对应的产品为两类顾客提供服务. 管理者在生产和服务能力均有限的情况下需要决定将生产(服务)能力分配给哪一类产品(服务订单). 在集中决策下通过边际分析得到了最优服务能力分配策略.通过数值实验得到了最优生产策略的特征,然后基于最优策略特征,设计了固定优先权基本库存策略作为生产能力分配策略. 最后通过数值实验分析了由最优服务策略和设计的生产策略构成的协同能力分配策略的有效性,为企业的运作管理提供理论指导.     

Novel method for the evaluation of data quality based on fuzzy control

One of the goals of data collection is preparing for decision-making, so high quality requirement must be satisfied. Rational evaluation of data quality is an effective way to identify data problem in time, and the quality of data after this evaluation is satisfactory with the requirement of decision maker. A fuzzy neural network based research method of data quality evaluation is proposed. First, the criteria for the evaluation of data quality are selected to construct the fuzzy sets of evaluating grades, and then by using the learning ability of NN, the objective evaluation of membership is carried out, which can be used for the effective evaluation of data quality. This research has been used in the platform of ＇data report of national compulsory education outlay guarantee＇ from the Chinese Ministry of Education. This method can be used for the effective evaluation of data quality worldwide, and the data quality situation can be found out more completely, objectively, and in better time by using the method.     

Research and Reflection: Potential Impact on the Professional Development of Undergraduate Occupational Therapy Students

In occupational therapy education in South Africa, community service (CS) focuses learning opportunities during fieldwork placements. CS therefore enabled the researcher to utilise successive small scale research projects to guide learning of students during fieldwork while simultaneously developing the occupational therapy service at a residential care facility. This community setting provided a powerful environment through which research, in combination with opportunities for reflection, contributed to nurturing skills needed by these future health professionals. A technical action research (AR) approach incorporated AR cycles and opportunities for structured reflection. Therefore situations were created for the students to embrace experiential learning. Experiential learning in the form of anticipatory reflection, reflection-in-action, reflection on reflection and retrospective reflection impacted on the quality of the students’ work. Besides encouraging unique leaning opportunities for students when engaging in research during their fieldwork placement, engagement in AR cycles simultaneously improved service delivery to residents in the facility. Key benefits of this investigation were that fieldwork education utilising AR cycles within a CS situation promoted students to identify voids in their theoretical background as well as practice skills; to apply reflective practice that could contribute to their personal and professional development; and to utilize learning opportunities optimally. Despite positive gains showed by this study, the role of power relations between the researcher as fieldwork educator and the students prohibited the AR cycles from being more emancipatory in nature and should be addressed in follow-up studies.     

A differential game model for a developing and a developed country

A differential game (DG) model for a developing and a developed country is considered. Each player makes decisions about how much resource to be used to restrict the opponent's development so as to maximize his weighted sum of current consumption and final output. Current consumption is assumed to be preferred to final output for both players. The developing country is assumed to have a higher economic growth rate and a higher preference to final output, whereas the developed country is assumed to have a higher initial income and a higher efficiency in restricting his opponent. This problem is investigated under three kinds of information structures, i.e., a zerosum, a nonzero-sum, and a Stackelberg game. Open-loop equilibrium solutions are obtained for all the three cases. Economic implications of the result are provided. The research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 70771118 and 70371030 and the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry under Grant No. 2006.331.     

Knowledge-scientific evaluation of community service systems

This paper proposes a knowledge-scientific approach to evaluation of community service systems from the viewpoints of knowledge creation, consciousness reform, and value co-creation. A concrete example of the community service system treated here is an education program for old men to find their reason for living after the retirement. After introducing this program and the traditional evaluation methods for such a program, the paper emphasizes the necessity of developing new evaluation methods for such a community service system based on knowledge science. The paper proposes a new evaluation framework and reports an actual evaluation result using the interview data from participants in that program.     

A comparative study of the inventory system with service facility and postponed demands

In this article, we present a continuous review （s,S） inventory system with a service facility consisting of finite buffer （capacity N ） and a single server. The customers arrive according to a Poisson process. The individual customer＇s unit demand is satisfied after a random time of service, which is assumed to be exponential. When the inventory level drops to s＇an order for Q（= S-s） items is placed. The lead time of reorder is assumed to be exponential distribution. An arriving customer, who finds the buffer is full, enters into the pool of infinite size or leaves the system according to a Bernolli trial. At the time of service completion, if the buffer size drops to a preassigned level L （1 〈 L 〈 N） or below and the inventory level is above s, we select the customers from the pool according to two different policy ： in first policy, with probability p （0 〈 p 〈 1） we select the customer from the head of the pool and we place the customer at the end of the buffer; in the second policy, with p （0 〈 p 〈 1） the customer from the pool is transferred to the buffer for immediate service and after completion of his service we provide service to the customer who is in the buffer with probability one. If at a service completion epoch the buffer turns out to be empty, there is at least one customer in the pool and the inventory level is positive, then the one ahead of all waiting in the pool gets transferred to the buffer, and his service starts immediately. The joint probability distribution of the number of customers in the pool, number of customers in the buffer and the inventory level is obtained in the steady-state case. Various stationary system performance measures are computed and total expected cost rate is calculated. A comparative result of two models is illustrate numerically.     

Performance Analyses of Production Inventory Systems Considering Service Time and Product Returns of Online Shopping

This paper considers a production inventory system with service time and product returns,dependent on the characteristics of online shopping behaviors. The customers arrive according to a Poisson process, in which the arriving customer requires an item in the inventory, as well as a server service that the service time is exponentially distributed. Moreover, there is one production facility to produce items according to(s, S) policy, and the production time also follows an exponential distribution. In the beginning, the stationary joint distribution is obtained in the product form for the queue length and the on-hand inventory level. Additionally, the resulting distribution is applied to derive some performance measures, which can be adopted to numerically calculate the optimal(s, S)policy. Finally, numerical analyses are processed to investigate the effects of some system parameters on the performance measures. The numerical results clearly indicate that the product return rate has a significantly monotonic effect on the optimal policy and optimal cost.     

Design for Mass Customisation in Higher Education: a Systems-Thinking Approach

The point of this research is to investigate the impact of systems-thinking principles (Seddon 2003) on operationalising the ‘mass customisation’ capability of student services in higher education institutions. The research empirically contributes to student-service mass customisation in higher education through the findings of a case study conducted at the admission and academic registry service department of one of the UK’s leading universities. A qualitative methodology was employed with the use of semi-structured interviews, focus group, observations, and documentation supplements. It was found that the principles of systems-thinking are positively related to enhancement of mass customisation capability through the realisation of three different levels of service mass customisation determinants. These three levels are: employee level (i.e. micro determinants); operational level (i.e. meso determinants); and functional level (i.e. macro determinants). A conceptual model was developed to explain the relationships among these three organisational levels, supported by empirical evidences. The value of this paper is the introduction of a conceptual model that could operationalise ‘mass customisation’ in universities by integrating human resources, operational and functional dimensions in a systematic design to deliver customised services for students as individuals.     

The coming crisis of western management education

The aim of this paper is to explore the contention that Western Management Education has entered a period of “crisis” and to examine the implications of such a development. Drawing on historical studies of management education in America and Europe, four modes of management “formation” are identified, each of which has been dominant in a particular period. From its preparadigmatic beginnings management education has been successively transformed under an “old” and latterly a “new” paradigm. Current changes in and critiques of the “new” paradigm imply that Western Management Education is entering a postparadigmatic mode. The implications of this postparadigmatic turn are considered in relation to management practice, management knowledge, and management “formation.” An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Annual Conference of the British Academy of Management, Aston University, Birmingham, September 16–18, 1996.