“Fifth Discipline”: Review and Discussion

The book Fifth Discipline is Peter Senge's account of the learning organization. For Senge, five disciplines are necessary to bring about a learning organization—personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking (called systemic thinking from here on). Systemic thinking is the discipline that integrates all five disciplines. Each discipline is briefly explored in this paper, with emphasis placed on systemic thinking. Senge's concern with localness and openness is also touched upon. The paper concludes with an outline critique of Senge's work.     

Turning Hindsight into Foresight—Our Search for the “Philosopher's Stone” of Failure

This paper tells the story of work using Systems thinking to study failure. It describes the methodological developments that have taken place in this area at the Open University and looks at how the emphasis has shifted from the examination of past failures to the prediction and prevention of future failures and the facilitation of organizational learning through the analysis of failures. It ends with an outline of some of the work on systems failures that is currently under way.     

An improved form of the ELMS algorithm

1.INTRODUCTION Adaptiveechocancellersarewidelyemployedintele conferencingsystemsinordertocompensateforthe impairmentinthequalityduotoundesiredechoesre sultingfromcouplingbetweenloudspeakerandmicro phone.Inastereophonicenvironment,thefunda mentalproblemofechocancellationisthatgiventhe inputtotheloudspeakersandtheoutputofthemicro phonesinthereceivingroom,theechopathcannot bedetermineduniquely[3,8,9].Theproblemisdueto thecorrelationbetweenthestereosignals.Asare sult,anyadaptivetechniqueusedi…     

A Discussion on the Introduction of Entropy into Economics

ＡＤｉｓｃｕｓｓｉｏｎｏｎｔｈｅＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎｏｆＥｎｔｒｏｐｙｉｎｔｏＥｃｏｎｏｍｉｃｓＪＩＡＮＧＬｕ（ＢｅｉｊｉｎｇＮｏｒｍａｌＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ，Ｃｈｉｎａ，ａｎｄＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙｏｆＴｒｅｎｔｏ，Ｉｔａｌｙ）Ａｂｓｔｒａｃｔ：...     

The Theory of Adaptation of the Nervous System

The explanation and simulation of the natural and artificial intelligence are the central goals of the studies of Neuroscience, Psychology, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science. This paper first gives an introduction to the core topics and approaches in the study. Then, GAF--a general adaptive framework for neural system is proposed. Interdisciplinary discussions around the adaptation of the human nervous system are presented. Rules describing the theory of adaptation of the nervous system are provided.     

The Prediction of the Ownerships of Chinese Motor Vehicle

ＴｈｅＰｒｅｄｉｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅＯｗｎｅｒｓｈｉｐｓｏｆＣｈｉｎｅｓｅＭｏｔｏｒＶｅｈｉｃｌｅＹＡＮＧＺｈａｏｓｈｅｎｇＷＡＮＧＤｉａｎｈａｉＪｉｌｉｎＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙｏｆＴｅｃｈｎｏｌｏｇｙ，Ｃｈａｎｇｃｈｕｎ，１３００２５，ＣｈｉｎａＡ...     

The Asymptotic properties of the Higher-order Moments of the Orthogonal Estimation for the Inverse C

Ｉｎｔｈｉｓｐａｐｅｒｗｅｄｉｓｃｕｓｓｔｈｅａｓｙｍｐｔｏｔｉｃｐｒｏｐｅｒｔｉｅｓｆｏｒｔｈｅｈｉｇｈｅｒ－ｏｒｄｅｒｍｏｍｅｎｔｓｏｆ崐ｔｈｅｏｒｔｈｏｇｏｎａｌｅｓｔｉｍａｔｉｏｎｆｏｒｔｈｅｉｎｖｅｒｓｅｃｏｒｒｅｌａｔｉｏｎｆｕｎｃｔｉｏｎ     

The Optimization of The Ecological Economic Development for the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River（Changjiang）

ＴｈｅＯｐｔｉｍｉｚａｔｉｏｎｏｆＴｈｅＥｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌＥｃｏｎｏｍｉｃＤｅｖｅｌｏｐｍｅｎｔｆｏｒｔｈｅＵｐｐｅｒＲｅａｃｈｅｓｏｆｔｈｅＹａｎｇｔｚｅ　Ｒｉｖｅｒ（Ｃｈａｎｇｊｉａｎｇ）ＬＩＵＧｕａｎｇｚｈｏｎｇ；ＸＵＪｉｕｐｉｎｇ；ＨＥＣｈ...     

The Application of GTD to the Design of Chokes Horn

ＴｈｅＡｐｐｌｉｃａｔｉｏｎｏｆＧＴＤｔｏｔｈｅＤｅｓｉｇｎｏｆＣｈｏｋｅｓＨｏｒｎＳｕＤｏｎｇｌｉｎ；ＸｉｅＹｕｌａｎ；ａｎｄＬｕＳｈａｎｗｅｉ（Ｐ．Ｏ．Ｂｏｘ２０５，ＢｅｉｊｉｎｇＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙｏｆＡｅｒｏｎａｕｔｉｃｓａｎｄＡｓｔｒｏｎａ...     

The Continuous Improvement Grid: An Empirical Investigation into the Effectiveness of a Systems,and Action Research,Based Continuous Improvement Intervention,for ‘New’ Organisation Development

This paper is a rare example of a large scale (n = 1310), positivist, evaluation of an action research program. It documents how the Royal Navy used the principles of scholarly consulting and pragmatic science to develop, apply and review a systems based tool, and associated ‘new organisation development’ intervention, to help staff explore and share perceptions of working practices, in order to expand their awareness of their current work situation and so uncover opportunities for improvement. Survey results suggest that the majority of individuals found the interventions valuable and participants in the events enjoyed significantly higher levels of understanding of the organisation, and greater collective, and individual, benefit from it. Findings also provide empirical evidence of the importance of involvement to making successful change, especially when dealing with the change averse. Overall the experience, of which the action research based study and associated positivist survey were part, reinforce the importance of what is described as ‘normative realigning pedagogy’—helping people change by facilitating their generation of new forms of understanding.     

A Systemic Approach to Eliciting and Gathering the Expertise of a ‘Knowledge Guardian’: an Application of the Appreciative Inquiry Method to the Study of Classical Dressage

This paper reports on a study in which an interpretive systems-based approach to knowledge elicitation, the Appreciative Inquiry Method (AIM), is used to elicit and record the expertise of what is referred to as a ??knowledge guardian??. A ??knowledge guardian?? is an individual who is a current repository and representative of some culturally-embedded knowledge which, for generations, has been passed on through teaching and apprenticeship, and continues to be so. Such knowledge is rich, complex and precious and merits protection. The knowledge guardian in this study is a Portuguese rider and teacher of Classical Dressage. His expertise relies heavily upon the ability to ??feel?? and explain such feeling in his teaching. The view of Classical Dressage that emerges from the study emphasises the importance of the individual??s psychological development and motivation to participate in the art due to a desire to experience ??brilliance??. The paper describes the process undertaken during the elicitation sessions and provides the models developed and used to facilitate the discussion. These models (Root Definition and Conceptual Model) are of the type commonly associated with Soft Systems Methodology. The paper also provides comments on the use of AIM, the knowledge recorded about Classical Dressage and the reflections of the two collaborators involved in the study.     

An Optimal Experimental Method of the Large Scale Linear System

ＡｎＯｐｔｉｍａｌＥｘｐｅｒｉｍｅｎｔａｌＭｅｔｈｏｄｏｆｔｈｅＬａｒｇｅＳｃａｌｅＬｉｎｅａｒＳｙｓｔｅｍＣＨＥＮＧＪｉｌｉｎＹａｎｇｚｈｏｕＵｎｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ，Ｙａｎｇｚｈｏｕ，２２５００９ＺＨＯＵＺｈｅｎｈｏｎｇＷｕｈａｎＨｙｄｒａｌｉｃａｎ...     

The Analysis of the Influence Factors of TBT on the Export of Agricultural Products in China

With China＇s increased export of agricultural products, the influence of nontariff barriers, especially technical barriers to trade （TBT） is becoming more severe. In this paper, the hierarchical structure of the influence factors of TBT on agricultural products is designed. Then these influence factors are analyzed with the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process （AHP）. Finally, countermeasures for the enterprises to tackle TBT axe put forward.     

The Holistic Sense of Prison Phenomena in Venezuela. II. Toward a Profound Unveiling of the “Background”

This is the second article of the trilogy devoted to the study of the sense of Venezuelan prison institutions. It shows how the research reported in the first article gives way to the central question presented in this paper: What are the conditions of possibility of our discomfort and dissatisfaction with the current situation in the Venezuelan prisons? The reflection on this question progresses by uncovering different ways of understanding the sense of prisons. These serve as hypothetical grounds of the moral intuitions that make the prisons problematical. As the reflection develops, it seems to indicate that what underpins the problematical nature of the prison problem is the same post-modern liberal order which, according to the first article of the trilogy, underpins prison schizophrenia. This poses some theoretical questions, which give way to the third article of the trilogy. Finally, the possibility of an in-depth solution to the Venezuelan prison problem is discussed.

     

The Stability of the Nonstationary Forest Evolution System and the Critical Proliferation Rate of Fo

Ｉｎｔｈｉｓｐａｐｅｒ，ｗｅｄｉｓｃｕｓｓｅｄｔｈｅｎｏｎｓｔａｔｉｏｎａｒｙｆｏｒｅｓｔｅｖｏｌｕｔｉｏｎｓｙｓｔｅｍ，ｄｅｆｉｎｅｄｔｈｅｔｉｍｅ－ｖａｒｙｉｎｇｃｒｉｔｉｃａｌｐｒｏｌｉｆｅｒａｔｉｏｎｒａｔｅａｎｄｔｈｅｃｒｉｔｉｃａｌｐｒｏｌｉｆｅｒａｔｉｏｎｒａｔｅ，ａｎｄｏｂｔａｉｎｅｄｔｈｅｎｅｃｅｓｓａｒｙａｎｄｓｕｆｆｉｃｉｅｎｔｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎｓｆｏｒｔｈｅｓｙｓｔｅｍｔｏｂｅｓｔａｂｌｅ．     

The Dark Side of the Moon—Unilluminated Dimensions of Systems Practice

This paper explores some of the unilluminated or less explicit aspects of issues faced by those using systems approaches in real-world problem situations. The paper contends that discourse on systems approaches tends to be dominated by rational logical aspects of methodology, though other aspects of the intervention process, such as political dimensions of legitimacy, have become more important in the last 10–15 years. Unsurprisingly the discourse has been different for different methods. Method has been largely invisible in the hard systems area (or at least relatively little discussed), and although it has been the subject of much debate in the soft systems area, the debate has been nonetheless narrowly defined. It is narrowly defined in its relative neglect of process aspects for conducting a systems study. Since the nature of these processes (for example, the client/consultant relation) changes from hard systems to soft systems to critical systems in a way that makes social process progressively a more important dimension of each approach, this aspect has featured more in discourse on critical systems, but in general it remains a curious area of neglect. There is increasing interest in this area, and some signs that relevant theory and practice from closely related domains is being accessed to strengthen these approaches. This paper attempts to make a contribution by outlining and discussing some areas that could usefully complement existing systems approaches. The paper considers the following areas: (a) client relations, (b) analyst role, (c) language and communication, (d) group processes, (e) culture (and rationalities), (f) information gathering techniques and processes, and (g) change management or implementation. The paper draws on experiences of systems practices in the literature, interviews with systems practitioners, and writings in related areas. The paper ends by discussing some of the implications of these issues for the development of well-rounded systems approaches.     

The Input-Output Model and the Analysis of Profit and Tax of Product

ＴｈｅＩｎｐｕｔ－ＯｕｔｐｕｔＭｏｄｅｌａｎｄｔｈｅＡｎａｌｙｓｉｓｏｆＰｒｏｆｉｔａｎｄＴａｘｏｆＰｒｏｄｕｃｔＹＡＮＧＨｏｎｇｚｈｉＸｉｎｙａｎｇＴｅａｃｈｅｒ＇ｓＣｏｌｌｅｇｅ，Ｘｉｎｙａｎｇ４６４０００Ａｂｓｔｒａｃｔ：Ｗｉｔｈｔｈｅｃｏｍｂ...     

The Popularization of Comprehensive Evaluation about the System of Bulk Cement Work

ＴｈｅＰｏｐｕｌａｒｉｚａｔｉｏｎｏｆＣｏｍｐｒｅｈｅｎｓｉｖｅＥｖａｌｕａｔｉｏｎａｂｏｕｔｔｈｅＳｙｓｔｅｍｏｆＢｕｌｋＣｅｍｅｎｔＷｏｒｋ￥ＷＡＮＧＰｅｎｇｔａｏ（ＴｈｅＭａｎａｇｅｍｅｎｔＥｎｇｉｎｅｅｒｉｎｇＤｅｐａｒｔｍｅｎｔ，ＴＩＴ，Ｔ...     

An analysis of the evolution of developers' role in open-source software community北大核心CSCD

In this paper, we collect developers' logs and mailing list information of 10 versions from Tomcat 6 during the time ranges from 2006 to 2010. Then we perform an evolution analysis on developers' activities. According to the trend of developers' activities, we extract typical evolutional patterns. Finally, a comparison between developers' contribution to the specific work and different evolution patterns is made. The results show that five typical evolution patterns exist in the developers network and those developers under different evolution patterns engage different work. ©, 2015, The Journal Agency of Complex Systems and Complexity Science. All right reserved.