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.     

Holism and Understanding Sustainability

In work undertaken in both Malta and Lebanon we have been reflecting on the current means by which the international community apply concepts intended to achieve what is called “sustainable development.” In an attempt to make means and ends conform to each other we have developed a holistic approach to what is essentially a timeless need for understanding, systemic planning, and compassionate stewardship. This essay indicates that we may be closer to holistic means with which to realize these goals than we know. It describes how some planning and analysis methods have their origins in ancient traditions. However, the milieu in which sustainability occurs is often unsympathetic to and sometimes incompatible with the ideals of holism. The essay assesses the current understanding of sustainability and points to the need for a wider and more inclusive base to contemporary sustainability as practiced in the community.     

Overview of complex systems in sport

The complex systems approach offers an opportunity to replace the extant pre-dominant mechanistic view on sport-related phenomena. The emphasis on the environment-system relationship, the applications of complexity principles, and the use of nonlinear dynamics mathematical tools propose a deep change in sport science. Coordination dynamics, ecological dynamics, and network approaches have been successfully applied to the study of different sport-related behaviors, from movement patterns that emerge at different scales constrained by specific sport contexts to game dynamics. Sport benefit from the use of such approaches in the understanding of technical, tactical, or physical conditioning aspects which change their meaning and dilute their frontiers. The creation of new learning and training strategies for teams and individual athletes is a main practical consequence. Some challenges for the future are investigating the influence of key control parameters in the nonlinear behavior of athlete-environment systems and the possible relatedness of the dynamics and constraints acting at different spatio-temporal scales in team sports. Modelling sport-related phenomena can make useful contributions to a better understanding of complex systems and vice-versa.     

CONFLICT ANALYSIS OF CITARUM RIVER BASIN POLLUTION IN INDONESIA： A DRAMA-THEORETIC MODEL

The need to manage water resource within a holistic approach is crucial in Indonesia. Conflict situation which involves a variety of stakeholder needs an appropriate methodology to handle it. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated framework of a river basin pollution case in Indonesia. This research try to obtain an understanding of the complexity of inter-relationship between stakeholders of the Citarum River Basin and to give feasible recommendations based on a new developed integrated framework. We first describe the problem in a comprehensive way, then develop a framework to analyze the conflict. Next, we propose a general procedure to apply it, which we call Drama-theoretic Dilemma Analysis (DtDA). After analyzing the conflicts that arise there between stakeholders using DtDA, we will show how to resolve the dilemmas by using holistic as well as intensive approaches. By applying DtDA in stakeholder analysis and resolving the dilemmas that arise in the interactions between them, we can identify barriers for collaboration.     

基于结构理解的笔迹智能编辑

随着人机界面朝着自然高效的方向发展,手写笔迹的结构分析和智能编辑越来越被人们所关注。给出了一种基于多层次相互作用的结构理解的笔迹智能编辑方法。该方法先自下而上初步提取单字、行、段,然后自上而下利用整体信息对组成信息进行精确分割,提取的信息表示成一个多层次的结构。基于笔迹的结构,用户可以使用笔手势对笔迹进行编辑。实验评估表明,该方法对笔迹的智能编辑具有较好的效果。     

基于Agent组织的作战模拟

基于Agent的建模方法是一种自底向上、综合的建模方法，是通过微观细节和规则研究宏观现象和模式的独特的研究方法，是一种研究复杂适应系统十分有效的工具。把作战系统视为一个复杂适应系统，将Agent组织理论应用于作战模拟，通过Agent在底层的交互作用来研究作战系统的涌现行为。在建模过程中，主要从作战单元Agent组织的角色的定义、静态结构建模和动态行为建模三个方面对作战系统进行建模。其研究结果表明基于Agent组织的作战模拟有助于揭示作战行为的本质特征和演化规律。     

On Requisitely Holistic Understanding of Sustainable Development from Business Viewpoints

In the new millennium, and in its global economy, everybody will have to be very competitive and hence innovative. For this reason most humans, economies, and businesses must innovate our understanding of economics in all areas and levels of human activity. The new challenges require a thorough innovation of work, including a requisitely³ holistic consideration of sustainable development (SD). In our contribution we would like to shift attention from a principle-based moralizing about relations between the sustainable development and enterprises to a very practical issue: how to support a more requisitely holistic understanding of SD from business viewpoints. The most important or most frequent issues of a new understanding and implementation of SD include the following: SD requires holism, hence professional and political aspects in synergy, hence systems thinking; SD requires linking of different approaches to problem solving; businesses should no longer forget about SD; ISO, etc., standards are not holistic enough concepts to solve all SD problems; A more requisitely holistic methodology is needed for implementation of SD in business. We offer some new suggestions.     

A Systemic Approach to Addressing the Complexity of Energy Problems

This paper presents a conceptual framework for using energy as a vehicle for holistic development to address: poverty, gender discrimination, community involvement in decision making on social, economic, and environmental issues. The approach is systemic and participatory ironically, energy is always seen or considered in fragmentation from other areas and as a technical subject, without considering it in less literal and more metaphorical terms as an end and means of communication. Energy should be seen holistically. Holism is based on a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of the various parts and their relationship to the whole. The point made in this paper is that, by adding energy to the development plan, we solve nothing unless we also consider community mobilization, participatory approaches, and the role of gender in development. Pradhan's research in Nepal has demonstrated that if one thinks of energy only in technical terms and development projects strive to provide more electricity, the interventions can paradoxically just add more drudgery to the lives of women, unless policies consider energy within the context of the whole social, political, economic, and environmental system. Energy provision is more than merely a technical intervention. Participation uses human energy and the creative energy of human beings in a different way. The heart of participatory development is co-creating (in the sense used by Reason, 1988, 2002) understanding based on communication that is generative in the sense used by Paulo Freire. Generative understanding provides a different kind of energy, based on resonance. So this is a play on words when we place energy in a technical sense and energy in a human sense at the center of development. Also, physicists would argue that energy needs to be considered far wore widely as a basis for communication and life. Some also argue that energy is the basis of all organic and inorganic matter in the universe; it is the communication across subatomic matter.     

Women and systems

Despite the increase in women entering the professional work force, there are still few in systems. Yet women are nurtured as systems thinkers and rely, routinely, on their holistic understanding of complex relationships to resolve dilemmas. Once they have acquired formal systems skills to complement this “natural” systems thinking, women have a powerful array of techniques to use to their advantage at work, in politics, and in academia. Since systems can benefit from the participation of women, and reciprocally, women can benefit from applying systems skills, we should encourage more women into systems and offer them support as colleagues.     

Using Soft Systems Methodology to Fight Against Info-Exclusion: The Experience of a Brazilian University

The aim of this paper is to apply a systemic methodology to analyse the concept of info-inclusion which can guide strategic actions of institutions within civil society and within several levels of government. The paper provides a plan of action that, integrated with other tools, aims at fighting the technological and social gap. We apply Soft System Methodology (SSM), because it provides a holistic approach to info-exclusion. SSM is often used to analyse and resolve problems in complex social studies such as info-exclusion. An info-exclusion reduction project, developed by a university in the country region of Sao Paulo will be provided as a case study. This project is one of the several Brazilian initiatives to solve the problem of limited access to information technology tools. We start by contextualising info-exclusion in Brazil and follow with a review of SSM. We then introduce the concept of info-inclusion and apply SSM to it. We end with a discussion of the results obtained and with some suggestions for action and possible improvements.     

Systems practice in consulting

The paper covers the area of systems thinking and practice in management consultancy primarily in Tata Consultancy Service in India. As the largest consultancy organization in the country, it has the need and opportunity to deal with very large societal systems which are by nature complex. It needs to develop new holistic approaches to execute the assignments. The Systems Engineering and Cybernetic Centre (SECC) was started in 1982 to meet this requirement. The paper described the genesis and the arena of activity of SECC over the years, highlighting the formulation of an interactive consulting paradigm and a multimodeling approach to complex problem solving. The philosophical bases of these are discussed along with systems practice in some typical complex assignments.     

一种基于查找表的快速导航路径提取算法

虚拟内窥镜是医学图像可视化与虚拟现实相结合的产物.为了缩短诊断时间,虚拟内窥镜需要提供一种自动导航方式来加快器官的浏览,通过分析已有细化算法提出一种快速的导航路径提取方法.该方法首先利用一种快速模板测试方法来生成26-邻域编码的查找表,然后根据此查找表快速地查询边界体素的删除标志,从而将复杂耗时的模板测试过程转换成简单快速的查询.提取的骨架经裁剪、平滑后可以用于虚拟摄像机的自动飞行引导.实验结果表明,该算法提取效率高、速度快,基本上能满足虚拟内窥镜系统导航路径提取的要求.     

Corporate Social Responsibility as a Messy Problem: Linking Systems and Sensemaking Perspectives

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an essential topic with regard to the relationship between business and the wider society. It is a complex and controversial phenomenon that can best be addressed via systems theory and the sensemaking perspective. This paper proposes a way to link a dialectical systems perspective with communications that includes the sensemaking and dialogic collective approaches, which help to build systems of organised activities that aim to find solutions to complex problems from a holistic perspective. Companies are increasingly aware that if they wish to be successful actors in their business and societal relationships, the traditional sole focus on maximising profit is counterproductive, especially in terms of sustaining their value chains. A holistic approach to CSR and the value chain involves companies integrating their stakeholders along their value chains, especially at the downstream and upstream extremes (their customers and suppliers). This paper illustrates its theoretical perspectives with a case study of JYSK, a multinational company based in Denmark, which demonstrates how the company based its actual management of CSR on its willingness to learn from its own actions and from the actions of others.     

Multi-granularity evolution analysis of software using complex network theory

Software systems are a typical kind of man-made complex systems. Understanding their evolutions can lead to better software engineering practices. In this paper, the authors use complex network theory as a tool to analyze the evolution of object-oriented (OO) software from a multigranularity perspective. First, a multi-granularity software networks model is proposed to represent the topological structures of a multi-version software system from three levels of granularity. Then, some parameters widely used in complex network theory are applied to characterize the software networks. By tracing the parameters’ values in consecutive software systems, we have a better understanding about software evolution. A case study is conducted on an open source OO project, Azureus, as an example to illustrate our approach, and some underlying evolution characteristics are uncovered. These results provide a different dimension to our understanding of software evolutions and also are very useful for the design and development of OO software systems.     

因特网系统特性浅析

Internet建立以后，实现了从低级到高级的演化，对人们的生活产生了极大的影响。把握Internet的整体演化规律，从整体上分析和解决Internet的网络安全、信息堵塞等问题，对推动Internet的有序发展有重大的现实意义。根据开放的复杂巨系统理论，探讨Internet的本质，指出Internet是一个开放的复杂巨系统，应该采用处理开放的复杂巨系统的方法论和方法来指导关于Internet整体发展的研究工作。     

经济复杂系统的建模研究--人工经济模型

经济系统是一个由大量自由买卖主体构成的复杂适应系统,可以用基于Agent的计算经济学（Agent-based Computational Economics, ACE）方法进行研究.本文提出了一个自主开发的ACE系统：SIMECO模型.用CRA（Classifiers, Rules, Actions）三层结构对Agent建模可以得到比传统基于简单固定规则的ACE模型更丰富的涌现行为,包括社会分工的自发形成、价格围绕某一固定区间动态波动、流的自发出现并增长.进一步,计算机模拟实验中还形成了由集体大规模Agent自发的交易行为导致的交易网络之上的商品流,它会伴随着系统的进化而不断增强,并使得SIMECO中的大量Agent能更好地适应多变的环境.     

复杂背景下的人脸定位拍摄

提出了一种在复杂背景下基于肤色和模板的人脸检测方法和基于图像梯度代价函数的自动对焦方法 ,并设计完成了一个实际系数 ,将运动补偿、人脸检测、人脸跟踪、机械控制、自动对焦、数据压缩等多项技术进行综合 ,实现了复杂背景下的人脸检测、定位、对焦和拍摄。实验结果表明 ,本系统在复杂背景下能取得很好的效果     

The Application of Critical Systems Thinking to Enhance the Effectiveness of a University Information System

Faced with the common problem of dissatisfaction with the outcome of investments in information systems (IS), the IS community has long sought ways to improve information systems development (ISD). This paper reports on action research (AR) that sought to improve the effectiveness a UK university’s student record system (SRS), which had exhibited persistent problems. Critical systems thinking (CST) is seen to have value for ISD and was used to guide the AR. In the first stage of this research, the issues with the initial design of the SRS were identified to have largely resulted from insufficient elicitation of the underlying assumptions about, and perspectives on, complex organisational issues. The second stage centred on examining the situation from an “ought” perspective analysing what should be done and how, in order to develop creative solutions to the problems uncovered. The third stage involved recommending solutions to address the problems identified in order to improve the effectiveness of the SRS. Overall, the AR indicates that CST enables those involved to view the design and implementation of the SRS as a holistic system, critically reflect upon broad and complex human, technological and organisational issues from different perspectives, and thereby identify creative solutions. The main contribution of this research is in generating support for an ISD intervention guided by CST. The results of, and the understanding developed from, this intervention are likely to be relevant to the problems that frequently occur in similar situations.     

基于容器的复杂系统仿真应用自动封装技术

容器技术为复杂系统仿真应用的快速灵活部署提供了一种全新的解决方案。容器支持对仿真应用的服务化封装,可以大大降低仿真应用在不同运行环境上部署的难度。目前主流的容器镜像封装技术主要依赖手动编写Dockerfile文件,导致封装效率低且容易引入人为错误。因此,提出了一种基于容器的复杂系统仿真应用自动封装技术,定义了支持重用的库组件模板,并将仿真应用与库组件模板融合生成组合镜像模板,组合镜像模板在通过语法优化与错误检测后自动生成Dockerfile。基于SUPE仿真引擎的复杂系统仿真应用封装实验证明了该自动封装技术的有效性。     

Revisiting the similar process to engineer the contemporary systems

This paper addresses the present-day context of Systems Engineering, revisiting and setting up an updated framework for the SIMILAR process in order to use it to engineer the contemporary systems. The contemporary world is crowded of large interdisciplinary complex systems made of other systems, personnel, hardware, software, information, processes, and facilities. An integrated holistic approach is crucial to develop these systems and take proper account of their multifaceted nature and numerous interrelationships. As the system’s complexity and extent grow, the number of parties involved (stakeholders and shareholders) usually also raises, bringing to the interaction a considerable amount of points of view, skills, responsibilities, and interests. The Systems Engineering approach aims to tackle the complex and interdisciplinary whole of those socio-technical systems, providing the means to enable their successful realization. Its exploitation in our modern world is assuming an increasing relevance noticeable by emergent standards, academic papers, international conferences, and post-graduate programmes in the field. This work aims to provide “the picture” of modern Systems Engineering, and to update the context of the SIMILAR process model in order to use this renewed framework to engineer the challenging contemporary systems. The emerging trends in the field are also pointed-out with particular reference to the Model-Based Systems Engineering approach.