Systems in Action: A managerial and social approach : Joseph Allen and Bennet P. Lientz.

✍ Scribed by Alain Pirotte

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1978
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 374 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0378-7206
• DOI: 10.1016/0378-7206(78)90020-4

✦ Synopsis

Approach, by Joseph Allen and Bennet P. Lientz. 5'ysterns in Actian is not simply another introductory systems analysis text. It is intended 50 provide an entirely non-technical presentation of what the authors call "thle systems approach ," which is, of course, inherently technical material It seeks to present a complete, usable, applicable ntrotluction for the practitioners in business and the social sciences, without reference to modt .ing, ma::hem,atics, information systems, or computers. The task is quite difficult, and there is an abu Idance of unsuccessful efforts to produce such a text. Although Systems in Actiow is marred in places by imprecision and stylistic shortcomings that should have been corrected by referees and copy editors, its authors have largely succeeded.

The principal difficulty in present:ng systems without extensive reliance on technical material is that the practice of systems work actually employs this material; thus the elimination of this material also eliminates much of the detail bat makes comprehension of the systems approach possible. In fact, without detail it is impossible to discuss in t meaningful way the environmental study, systems analysis, design, and implementation stages; rather, this discussion may degenerate into a tiresome reci:a:ion of maxims, guidelines, and platitudes. It is probribly impossible to understand this material without aczt:ss to numer0u.s and specific references,