The pace of development in knowledge and know-how in the Organisation Sciences, Logistics and Information Technology is rapid. However, the gap between those who practice these sciences and the practicing manager is becoming larger rather than smaller. The Delft Systems Approach describes a fundamental approach for analysing industrial systems, which emphasizes a concept that can be used by all disciplines involved. It sets out to close the gap between theory and practice.
The few models on safety management that are available tend to explain a procedure to manage safety rather than a safety management system. The research carried out here, however, models safety management by transforming a common procedural model (i.e. the HSE's model, 1997) into a functional systems representation. The overall goal of the model is to offer clear graphic lines of influence of its different components on organisational safety. The model is innovative not in the components that it considers but in the representation of those components, which details relative distances between elements and, therefore, opens doors to model-driven hypotheses which account for those distances. Therefore, hypotheses are more accurate in their predictions. This model is firstly explored in the construction sector. Results from this exploratory research support the adequacy of the model to understanding safety management and encourage future research of a more confirmatory nature.
This book aims to help up and coming managers, students still in training or managers with a technological background to get familiar with to the way in which companies and institutions operate. The book is also of interest to professionals with different backgrounds who are interested in adopting a systematic approach to management problems. The business management approach adopted in this book is: 1. directed towards processes and the relevant accompanying functions; 2. dealing with the application of the systems and model approach; 3. interdisciplinary. The book is no manual. The aim is rat.
This two-volume book describes a flexible and adaptive system-based methodology and associated guidelines for the management and allocation of community-based WELF resources. Over the next 50 years, rapid population, urbanization, and economic growth worldwide will create unprecedented demands for water, energy, land, and food (WELF) resources. The discussion on how to meet human needs for WELF resources and how to guarantee their respective securities has changed over time from looking at all four sectors in isolation to understanding their interdependency through the so-called WELF nexus. The approach presented in this book responds to the overall agreement in the WELF nexus literature that the management and allocation of WELF resources at the community level need to be examined in a more systemic, multidisciplinary, participatory, and practical manner while seeking to increase synergies and reduce trade-offs. This book was written to explore the value proposition of that approach. This two-volume book describes a flexible and adaptive system-based methodology and associated guidelines for the management and allocation of community-based WELF resources. Volume 1 focuses on defining the landscape in which the nexus operates and outlines the proposed methodology. Volume 2 explores the quantitative and qualitative modeling of the nexus and landscape using system modeling tools including system dynamics. It presents a road map for the formulation, simulation, selection, and ranking of possible intervention plans. The proposed methodology is designed to serve as a guide for different groups involved in the science and policy decision aspects of the WELF nexus within the context of community development. The methodology focuses mostly on WELF-related issues in small-scale and low-income communities where securing resources is critical to their short- and long-term livelihood and development.
This book shows how the systems approach is employed by scientists in various countries to solve specific problems concerning railway transport. In particular, the book describes the experiences of scientists from Romania, Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. For many of these countries there is a problem with the historical differences between the railways. In particular, there are railways with different rail gauges, with different signaling and communication systems, with different energy supplies and, finally, with different political systems, which are reflected in the different approaches to the management of railway economies. The book’s content is divided into two main parts, the first of which provides a systematic analysis of individual means of providing and maintaining rail transport. In turn, the second part addresses infrastructure and management development, with particular attention to security issues. Though primarily written for professionals involved in various problems concerning railway transport, the book will also benefit manufacturers, railway technical staff, managers, and students with transport specialties, as well as a wide range of readers interested in learning more about the current state of transport in different countries.
Communities increasingly find that the water quality, water levels, or some other resource indicator in their river basins do not meet their expectations. This discrepancy between the desired and actual state of the resource leads to efforts in river basin restoration. River basins are complex systems, and too often, restoration efforts are ineffective due to a lack of understanding of the purpose of the system, defined by the system structure and function. The river basin structure includes stocks (e.g., water level or quality), inflows (e.g., precipitation or fertilization), outflows (e.g., evaporation or runoff), and positive and negative feedback loops with delays in responsiveness, all of which function to change or stabilize the state of the system (e.g., the stock of interest, such as water level or quality). External drivers on this structure, together with goals and rules, contribute to how a river basin functions. This book reviews several new research projects to identify and rank the twelve most effective leverage points to address discrepancies between the desired and actual state of the river basin system. This book demonstrates that river basin restoration is most likely to succeed when we change paradigms rather than try to change the system elements, as the paradigm will establish the system goals, structure, rules, delays, and parameters.
(R)Evolution studies the adaptation of industrial organisations to the dynamics of the environment by drawing an analogy with evolutionary biology, by extensively studying literature in management science, and by case studies. These investigations have lead to the insight that companies might evolve slower than generally expected; they doubt the effect of reorganizations, as commonly practiced in industry. Additionally, this work proposes the model for the Innovation Impact Point, the model for the Dynamic Adaptation Capability, the model for Collaboration.
Deze titel is digitaal beschikbaar via Open Access. Volg deze link om de publicatie te bekijken. Policy Analysis of Multi-Actor Systemsis an introduction into the art and craft of problem exploration and problem structuring. It positions policy analysis as a scientific discipline focused on systems analysis in a multiactor context to support better informed decision-making. The approach presented in this book is considered to be the cornerstone of the curricula of the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management of Delft University of Technology and underlies the research on (the governance of) socio-technical systems. Systems thinking applied in a multi-actor environment and its inherent multi-disciplinary character is what makes this work stand out from traditional hard- and soft systems approaches. The core of the book is dedicated to systems analysis, actor- or stakeholderanalysis and discusses methods for dealing with uncertainty. These analytical activities combined lead to a rich problem description and to plans for further research. Due to the stepwise approach this book serves as a basis for any problem analysis both for our bachelor and master students, our alumni worldwide and any interested practitioners.
This book makes the case for a systems approach to small-scale community development projects. It specifically looks at the application of one branch of systems science, called system dynamics, to develop conceptual models of small-scale communities and address specific issues they might be facing at different scales. A systems approach recognizes that, by definition, communities are complex adaptive systems consisting of multiple subsystems and parts (e.g., individuals, institutions, and infrastructure) that are interconnected, driven by some purpose, follow certain rules, and interact with each other and with their surrounding environment. In order to address community issues and problems, complexity and uncertainty must be embraced and dealt with. Inside, the author emphasizes and shows how to include a system- and complexity-aware approach in the different phases of small-scale community project management. Adopting this approach comes with unique challenges such as dealing with ill-defined problems, considering uncertainty, recognizing that no unique and best solutions to complex problems exist, and accepting satisficing solutions. The text demonstrates the need for community development practitioners to integrate in all stages of their projects: participation, systems thinking, continuous reflection-in-action, and a combination of critical and creative tools.
This book provides an introduction to the theory of linear systems and control for students in business mathematics, econometrics, computer science, and engineering. The focus is on discrete time systems, which are the most relevant in business applications, as opposed to continuous time systems, requiring less mathematical preliminaries. The subjects treated are among the central topics of deterministic linear system theory: controllability, observability, realization theory, stability and stabilization by feedback, LQ-optimal control theory. Kalman filtering and LQC-control of stochastic systems are also discussed, as are modeling, time series analysis and model specification, along with model validation. This second edition has been updated and slightly expanded. In addition, supplementary material containing the exercises is now available on the Springer Link's book website.
