With the recent rapid growth of interest in Multi-Agent Systems(MAS), has come an associated difficulty modelling basic terms, concepts. In this paper, the underlying homogeneousness between human being (society) and software agent (MAS, Multi-Agent System) is opened out, based on which a new definition and architecture for agent is proposed. An agent is made of certain soft genes and roles. Su...

The economic crisis created major problems for a successful, hi-tech Chinese company – Tonsan. They already had in place a performance management system based around the balanced scorecard which worked successfully in times of growth and high demand. However, with the world downturn they suddenly found that their current system was not able to cope with the demands placed on it. The authors wer...

own. CONCLUSIONS: Four different preference profiles were uncovered. Caregivers recognize these profiles in daily practice. Because the goal of Q-methodology is to establish different patterns but not their prevalence, the distribution of profiles will be explored in a large follow-up survey. Additional use of these profiles in daily practice will be also explored, because rank-ordering the sta...

Q-methodology was introduced more than 80 years ago to study subjective topics such as attitudes, perceptions, preferences, and feelings and there has not been much change in its statistical components since then. In Q-methodology, subjective topics are studied using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques. It involves development of a sample of statements and rank-ordering the...

Managing information technology services is becoming an increasingly difficult task. To support the management of IT services, different standards and methodologies have been developed. ITIL (short for IT Infrastructure Library) is the most commonly used best practice approach to effective IT Service Management to date. ITIL focuses primarily on what to do in order to ensure value of IT service...

The Rich Picture (RP), as described in Peter Checkland’s Soft Systems Methodology, is a flexible graphical technique used to represent a situation, problem or concept. In a university teaching environment which aims to encourage students to adopt deep learning (seeking meaning) approaches when learning about information systems, the RP is proving to be a useful technique. The use of and reactio...

Recent research has explored the principles of service system viability based on systems inquiry invoking perspectives from Systems Theory and Cybernetics in particular Stafford Beer’s viable systems model (VSM). However based on Banathy and Jenlink (2004), Systems inquiry encompasses more than just Systems Theory and includes domains such as Systems Methodology and Systems Philosophy. Building...

This research proposes a systemic framework for the understanding of client requirements in Information System development that is particularly relevant for project contexts characterized by diversity of stakeholder values and significant complexity. In spite of the strong research tradition associated with Soft Systems Methodology and the growing interest in the Work System Method, the level o...

Despite growing scholarly interest in aesthetic dimensions of organizational life, there is a lack of literature expressly engaging with the methodological mechanics of ‘doing aesthetics research’. This article addresses that gap. It begins with an overview of the conceptual idiosyncrasies of ‘aesthetics’ as a facet of human existence and maps out the challenges these pose for empirical researc...

Systems Engineering is not a new discipline; the term has been in use since World War II. Yet, whilst there has been no shortage of definitions of the term over the years (not all of which are consistent), there is little consensus on the scope of Systems Engineering. This is particularly true in relation to other overlapping disciplines such as System Dynamics, Operations Research, Industrial ...