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Systems
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Systems Thinking and Management Sciences Methodologies
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Systems Thinking and Management Sciences Methodologies

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2015) | Viewed by 21977

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Alberto Paucar-Caceres

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University All Saints Campus, Manchester M15 6BH, UK
Interests: literacy health and planetary health in Latin America; applying circular economy systemic principles to food waste management; promoting ecological and environmental awareness in HEIs; Interdisciplinary approaches to research climate emergency
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Diane Hart

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Senior Lecturer, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6BH, UK
Interests: systems thinking and practice; knowledge management and communities of practice; evaluation of educational development activity and technology supported learning; change management, information systems and business intelligence in higher education

Special Issue Information

 

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of systems thinking (ST) in management science methodologies has generated a set of systemic methodologies, embedded in an ever increasing application of the so-called problem structuring methods (PSM), which has enriched the long tradition of operational research/management science (OR/MS) applications [1–9].

The spread of these applications has been visible, not only in the OR/MS field (where they originally appeared), also in other fields of knowledge, such as general management, information systems, psychology, cognitive sciences, cybernetics, law, computer sciences, family therapy, and organizational theory (among others).

You are invited to submit a paper that explores the role of systems thinking in the development of management science systemic methodologies and its applications. We welcome papers concerning all strands of systems approaches in management sciences (systems engineering, systems dynamics, cybernetics, complexity theory, soft systems thinking, and critical systems thinking). Contexts for theory and practical applications may include, but are not limited to:

General management, information systems, education, environmental management; family therapy, agriculture, water management; environmental management; national and international security; business and management (in particular applications to SMEs and family business); project management; voluntary sectors and community sectors; local and national contexts; and governance.

We particularly welcome papers that propose and use a trans-disciplinary, multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary approach to tackle the complexity of problematic situations embedded in the areas above. Applications of PSM in emergent economies are particularly welcome.

This Special Issue will further cement and promote some of the key developments in the use of systemic thinking in Management Science, and illustrate how these developments are helping practitioners, policy makers, and decision makers tackle the complexity of contemporary and problematic social, political, business, security, health, and environmental situations.

Prof. Dr. Alberto Paucar-Caceres
Dr. Diane Hart
Guest Editors

References

  1. Checkland, P.B. SSM: A 30 Years Retrospective; Wiley: Chichester, UK, 1999.
  2. Checkland, P.B.; Poulter, J. Learning for Action: A Short Definitive Account of Soft Systems Methodology, and Its Use for Practitioners, Teachers and Students (Paperback); Wiley: Chichester, UK, 2006.
  3. Checkland, P.B. Reply to Eden And Ackerman: Any future for problem structuring methods? J. Oper. Res. Soc. 2006, 57, 768–771.
  4. Jackson, M.C. Systems Approaches to Management; Plenum: New York, NY, USA, 2000.
  5. Jackson, M.C. Systems Thinking: Holism for Managers; Wiley: Chichester, UK, 2003.
  6. Jackson, M.C. Beyond problem Structuring methods: Reinventing the Future of OR/MS. J. Oper. Res. Soc. 2006, 57, 868–878,
  7. Midgley, G. Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology and Practice; Kluwer Academic: New York, NY, USA, 2000.
  8. Mingers, J. Multi-Paradigm Multimethodology. In Multimethodology; Mingers, J., Gill, A., Eds.; Wiley: Chichester, UK, 1997.
  9. Rosenhead, J.; Mingers, J. Rational Analysis for a Problematic World Revisited, 2nd ed.; Wiley: Chichester, UK, 2001.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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2006 KiB  
Article
An Approach for Analyzing the Vulnerability of Small Family Businesses
by Lisa Cowan and Vic Wright
Systems 2016, 4(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems4010003 - 8 Jan 2016
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7300
Abstract
In a given operating environment, small family businesses typically have fewer resources to minimize vulnerability. Identifying this exposure is basic to strategic analysis and, potentially, public policy analysis. This can become even more important when structural change in the environment is expected while [...] Read more.
In a given operating environment, small family businesses typically have fewer resources to minimize vulnerability. Identifying this exposure is basic to strategic analysis and, potentially, public policy analysis. This can become even more important when structural change in the environment is expected while its exact character is not known. The implications of climate change for Australian family farms are an example. This paper reports a study designed to analyse the vulnerability of dairy farms in Victoria, Australia. The study draws on production control (applied general systems) theory, value chains and image theory to capture comprehensively the lock-in arising from salient past decisions and impact on the current business structure and strategy. This is the path dependence that defines the constraints and associated options available to small family businesses. The authors identify benefits associated with the use of dynamic analysis of vulnerability over static analysis. Generalizable implications regarding analysis of vulnerability in small family businesses are offered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Thinking and Management Sciences Methodologies)
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266 KiB  
Article
A Management Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Systems and Its Application to Food Waste Prevention
by Krista L. Thyberg and David J. Tonjes
Systems 2015, 3(3), 133-151; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems3030133 - 21 Aug 2015
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 13778
Abstract
Waste management is a complex task involving numerous waste fractions, a range of technological treatment options, and many outputs that are circulated back into society. A systematic, interdisciplinary systems management framework was developed to facilitate the planning, implementation, and maintenance of sustainable waste [...] Read more.
Waste management is a complex task involving numerous waste fractions, a range of technological treatment options, and many outputs that are circulated back into society. A systematic, interdisciplinary systems management framework was developed to facilitate the planning, implementation, and maintenance of sustainable waste systems. It aims not to replace existing decision-making approaches, but rather to enable their integration to allow for inclusion of overall sustainability concerns and address the complexity of solid waste management. The framework defines key considerations for system design, steps for performance monitoring, and approaches for facilitating continual system improvements. It was developed by critically examining the literature to determine what aspects of a management framework would be most effective at improving systems management for complex waste systems. The framework was applied to food waste management as a theoretical case study to exemplify how it can serve as a systems management tool for complex waste systems, as well as address obstacles typically faced in the field. Its benefits include the integration of existing waste system assessment models; the inclusion of environmental, economic, and social priorities; efficient performance monitoring; and a structure to continually define, review, and improve systems. This framework may have broader implications for addressing sustainability in other disciplines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Systems Thinking and Management Sciences Methodologies)
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