Jeffrey Yi-Lin Forrest 
General Systems Theory [PDF ebook] 
Foundation, Intuition and Applications in Business Decision Making

This book demonstrates the theoretical value and practical significance of systems science and its logic of thinking by presenting a rigorously developed foundation—a tool for intuitive reasoning, which is supported by both theory and empirical evidence, as well as practical applications in business decision making. Following a foundation of general systems theory, the book presents an applied method to intuitively learn system-sciences fundamentals. The third and final part examines applications of the yoyo model and the theoretical results developed earlier within the context of problems facing business decision makers by organically combining methods of traditional science, the first dimension of science, with those of systems science, the second dimension, as argued by George Klir in the 1990s. This text would benefit graduate students, researchers, or practitioners in the areas of mathematics, systems science or engineering, economics, and business decision science.

Tabla de materias

Chapter 1: Introduction.- Part 1: The Foundation.- Chapter 2: The Concept of General Systems.- Chapter 3: Mappings and Constructions of Systems.- Chapter 4: Connectedness.- Chapter 5: Hierarchies – Construction of Large-Scale Systems.- Chapter 6: Controllabilities.- Chapter 7: Limit Systems.- Chapter 8: Systems of Single Relations.- Chapter 9: The Feedback Mechanism.- Chapter 10: Properties Invariant under Feedback.- Chapter 11: Decoupling of Single-Relation Systems.- Chapter 12: Decomposability Conditions.- Part 2: The Systemic Intuition.- Chapter 13: How Systems Could Be Intuitively Seen.- Chapter 14: Whole Evolutions, Where Systemic Yoyos Come From.- Chapter 15: Some Empirical Justifications.- Part 3: Applications in Business Decision Making.- Chapter 16: Economic Events and Processes.- Chapter 17: Issues of Competition.- Chapter 18: Some Issues of the Family.- Chapter 19: Some Remarks on Organizational Efficiencies.- Chapter 20: Dealing with Indecisive Customers through Pricing.- Chapter 21: An Idea on How to Heighten the Competitive Spirits of Sales Associates.