Information Knowledge Systems Management - Volume 7, issue 4

Authors: John, Lawrence | Boardman, John | Sauser, Brian

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Based on preliminary research of the experience of groups like the policy community, we believe that engineers, especially those developing systems of systems, may benefit from an appreciation of paradox. For example, the policy community embraces and leverages paradox to address problems that might otherwise prove intractable. We believe that policy makers will also benefit from systems thinking. We briefly review the definition of paradox, introduce its potential to generate "breakthrough" thinking for innovative …solutions, and illustrate some contemporary engineering problems that contain paradoxes. We then recount several historical examples of successfully applied paradoxical thinking, illustrate the paradoxes inherent in two fundamental systems thinking constructs, and postulate a three-step approach to leveraging paradox in problem solving situations. We close by posing some key follow-on questions and a research program designed to support the development of paradox-related training in both systems engineering and policy development. Show more

Keywords: Paradox, innovation, systems thinking, boundary paradox, control paradox, wisdom

Citation: Information Knowledge Systems Management, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 357-376, 2008

Authors: Valerdi, Ricardo | Nightingale, Deborah | Blackburn, Craig

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The focus of this paper is to describe the domain of enterprise analysis. This is accomplished through an exploration of relevant definitions, a discussion on boundaries, and a summary of practical implications for researchers and practitioners. Specifically, we consider the perspectives of stakeholders involved in small- and large-scale enterprise transformation, be they executives in corner offices or line workers on the factory floor. Anecdotes derived from research experiences with enterprise transformation provide …insight into current enterprise research opportunities. To illustrate the domain of enterprise analysis, we identify three critical enterprise attributes – structure, function and value delivery – and investigate how these attributes can be used to influence boundary analysis, a discussion which provides researchers and practitioners the ability to use enterprise thinking as an invaluable tool to transform enterprises. Show more

Keywords: Enterprise boundaries, enterprise analysis, enterprise architecting, enterprise transformation, enterprise integration, lean

Citation: Information Knowledge Systems Management, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 377-399, 2008

Authors: Kumar, Sameer | Ghildayal, Nidhi | Ostor, Cheryl

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This paper takes a systems perspective in exploring and analyzing optimization possibilities and market dynamics of the global steel industry. To assess and improve this industry's performance, two analytical approaches are used. First, a multiple regression analysis was applied to determine the important relationships among world crude steel producers, international trading blocs and key countries to quantify the historical correlations in the steel industry. Next, game theory models are applied to study global steel …industry dynamics and to quantify and compare historical production data in order to determine optimal approaches that could be employed to gain market share by key countries and players. In order to gain an in-depth understanding of interplay among various system's players within this complex global steel industry, the paper discusses protectionism, quotas, tariffs, exports, imports, capacity, substitution, specialization, mergers and cooperation, among other strategies used historically within the industry. A geographical survey of the global steel industry data is presented in multiple chart formats. Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the industry players are compared. Implications of the analytical findings for the US, European, and Asian competitors in the global steel industry are outlined and recommendations that would lead to optimization of global steel industry operations are suggested. Show more

Keywords: Steel industry, systems thinking, game theory, systems management strategies, multiple regression analysis, China, exports, imports, production, forecasts, SWOT analysis, Co-opetition, Porter, Nash equilibrium

Citation: Information Knowledge Systems Management, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 401-427, 2008

Authors: Ye, Nong | Xu, Xiaoyun | Hurley, Patrick

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: QoS (Quality of Service) guarantee is highly desirable for many service-oriented computer and network applications on the Internet. This paper focuses on the timeliness aspect of QoS, especially the end-to-end delay guarantee. Resource reSerVation Protocol (RSVP) has been proposed based on the Integrated Service (InteServ) model to provide the QoS guarantee through bandwidth reservation that is applicable to jobs with continuous data flows over a period of time, such as those for tele-conferencing, voice over IP, …video and audio streaming applications. There are other applications such as emails generating one-time, instantaneous jobs that cannot be characterized by the flow rate and peak rate for bandwidth reservation. Hence, RSVP is not applicable to instantaneous jobs. This paper presents QoS protocols, called Instantaneous RSVP (I-RSVP) and Stable Instantaneous Resource reSerVation Protocol (SI-RSVP), which are developed for providing the end-to-end delay guarantee of instantaneous jobs. The performance of I-RSVP and SI-RSVP are tested and compared with that of the best effort service model using both small and large scale network simulations. Show more

Keywords: Quality of Service, end-to-end delay, network simulation, reservation and service protocol

Citation: Information Knowledge Systems Management, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 429-451, 2008