Rethinking the Process of Operational Research & Systems Analysis

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Invited contributions from distinguished practitioners and methodologists of operational research and applied systems analysis which represent a true state-of-the-art and which provide, perhaps for the first time, a coherent, interlocking, set of ideas which may be considered the foundations of the subject as a science in its own right.

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Front Cover 2
Rethinking the Process of Operational Research and Systems Analysis 5
Copyright Page 6
Preface 7
Table of Contents 9
Introduction 13
Chapter 1. Future Methodology Based on Past Assumptions? 17
- 1. ON THE METHODOLOGY - THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 17
- 2. ON THE ASSUMPTIONS OF THE PRESENT METHODOLOGY 22
- 3. TOWARDS A SOLUTION 25
- 4. ON A POSSIBLE APPROACH TO BE MORE "SCIENTIFIC'' 27
- 5. CONCLUDING REMARKS 30
- REFERENCES 31
Chapter 2. Systems Approach and Systems Analysis 35
- INTRODUCTION 35

Front Cover 2
Rethinking the Process of Operational Research and Systems Analysis 5
Copyright Page 6
Preface 7
Table of Contents 9
Introduction 13
Chapter 1. Future Methodology Based on Past Assumptions? 17
- 1. ON THE METHODOLOGY - THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE 17
- 2. ON THE ASSUMPTIONS OF THE PRESENT METHODOLOGY 22
- 3. TOWARDS A SOLUTION 25
- 4. ON A POSSIBLE APPROACH TO BE MORE "SCIENTIFIC'' 27
- 5. CONCLUDING REMARKS 30
- REFERENCES 31
Chapter 2. Systems Approach and Systems Analysis 35
- INTRODUCTION 35
- SYSTEMS ANALYSIS CRITICISM AND ITS LESSONS 37
- STRUCTURE OF MODERN SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND THE PROBLEM OF "WHOLENESS" 40
- THE PROBLEM OF THE INTERRELATION OF SYSTEM AND ITS ENVIRONMENT 43
- REFERENCES 47
Chapter 3. The Deliberative Context of Systems Analysis 49
- THE WORLD OF ORASA 49
- THE ORIGINS OF THE PRESENTATION TO THE IIASA SEMINAR 50
- AN OUTLINE OF THE PRESENTATION TO THE IIASA SEMINAR 52
- COMMENTS ON SOME ISSUES ARISING FROM THE IIASA SEMINAR 54
- REFERENCES 57
Chapter 4. Rethinking a Systems Approach 59
- INTRODUCTION 59
- SYSTEMS THINKING, THE SYSTEMS MOVEMENT AND "A SYSTEMS APPROACH" 59
- HARD SYSTEMS THINKING AND ITS "SYSTEMS APPROACH" 63
- SOFT SYSTEMS THINKING AND ITS "SYSTEMS APPROACH" 64
- SYSTEMS THINKING, SOCIAL SCIENCE AND SOCIAL REALITY 67
- MATCHING SITUATION AND METHODOLOGY 73
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 75
- REFERENCES 75
Appendix to Chapter 4: The Changing Process of Systems Analysis: An Outline Systems Analysis 77
- INTRODUCTION 77
- METHODOLOGY 77
- RICH PICTURE 78
- ROOT DEFINITIONS OF RELEVANT SYSTEMS 79
- COMPARISON 80
- REFERENCES 81
Chapter 5. Thought and Wisdom 83
- REFERENCES 92
Chapter 6. Policy Analysis for Advising Rulers¹ 95
- I. SCOPE AND PURPOSE 95
- II. IMPORTANCE OF RULERS AND THEIR DECISIONS 97
- III. REQUIRED CHANGES IN POLICY ANALYSIS 101
- POLICY ANALYSIS FOR ADVISING RULERS AS ISLANDS OFPROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE 104
- POLICY ANALYSIS NEAR AND FOR RULERS 111
- POLICY ANALYSIS FOR RULERS AS PROVIDING ESSENTIAL AND UNIQUE HELP 117
- ADVANCED POLICY ANALYSIS METHODS FOR ADVISING RULERS 126
- IV. REALITY AND PROSPECTS 132
- FOOTNOTES 135
- REFERENCES 136
Chapter 7. Change in the Paradigms of Systems Analysis 141
- REFERENCES 149
Chapter 8. Current Methodological Problems of Systems Analysis and Its Application 151
- 1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 151
- REFERENCES 157
Chapter 9. The Craft of Applied Systems Analysis 159
- 1. HOW SCIENTIFIC IS APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS? 159
- 2. THE SEARCH FOR STANDARDS OF QUALITY 161
- 3. SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM SOLVING 163
- 4. APPLIED SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AS CRAFT WORK 165
- 5. THE COMPONENTS OF ANALYSIS 169
- REFERENCES 172
Chapter 10. If Applied Systems Analysis is "True", must it also be "Bad" and "Ugly"? A note on the emerging methodology of Syste 175
- INTRODUCTION 175
- AN OVERVIEW OF A GENERAL METHODOLOGY FOR ASA 176
- REFERENCES 182
Chapter 11. Organizational Decision Processand ORASA Intervention 185
- INTRODUCTION 185
- 1. A RESEARCH PROGRAM: TO OBSERVE THE CONCRETE DECISION PROCESS IN ORDER TO MASTER INTERVENTION 186
- 2. WHAT IS DECISION? THE MANIFOLD COMPLEXITIES OF CONCRETE DECISION PROCESS 189
- 3. IMPLICATIONS FOR ORASA INTERVENTIONS 196
- BIBLIOGRAPHY 200
Chapter 12. Analysis of Systems Support – Some ideas on improving Systems Analysis 203
- INTRODUCTION 203
- SIGNALS TO RETHINKING 204
- SOMETHING ABOUT EXPERIENCE 206
- ENLARGEMENT. MORE EXAMPLES 209
- TECHNICAL MATTERS: ROUNDING UP 213
- MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEW 218
- REFERENCES 219
Chapter 13. Rethinking the Process of Systems Analysis and Operational Research: From Practice to Precept – and BackAgain 221
- INTRODUCTION 221
- IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PRACTITIONER 223
- IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER ACTORS 231
- REFERENCES 237
Appendix: About the Authors 239

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