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Systems Perspective (system + perspective)
Selected AbstractsRegional Entrepreneurial Transformation: A Complex Systems PerspectiveJOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2010Andaç T. Ar In this paper, I develop a descriptive process model of regional entrepreneurial transformation based on a conceptualization of regional economies as self-organizing complex systems that consist of interdependent subsystems as represented by heterogeneous actor groups. It is proposed that a change in a region's entrepreneurial profile requires shifts in collectively shared subsystem-level schemata that cause actors to behave in ways that prevent emergent entrepreneurship. The model highlights four factors that contribute to the initiation of a positive feedback loop through which simultaneous schemata changes and consequently a regional entrepreneurial shift occur. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed. [source] Exchange and Development: A Dynamical, Complex Systems PerspectiveNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 95 2002Reuben M. Baron Close relationships are complex systems that are frequently reorganized on the basis of prevailing communal and exchange norms. [source] Migration Theories and First Nations Mobility: Towards a Systems Perspective,CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 2 2006MARTIN COOKE Au Canada, la recherche sur la migration des autochtones vers les centres urbains a mis en avant l'importance de facteurs économiques, les mou-vements de retour étant expliqués comme un échec lié aux difficultés d'adaptation. Les facteurs sous-tendant la migration vers les villes ont été peu étudiés, et des études récentes ont mis l'accent sur l'ampleur des mouvements plutôt que sur d'autres théories. Cet article suggère des voies selon lesquelles on peut avoir recours à une approche systémique pour intégrer des facteurs des contextes politique, économique et social ainsi que des liens individuels, institutionnels et de culture de masse. The migration of Canadian Aboriginal people to cities has usually been understood as economically motivated, with return migration to Aboriginal communities resulting primarily from failure to adapt to urban life. However, the reasons underlying migration have rarely been directly addressed, and recent studies of migration have focussed on the size of flows, rather than relating this migration stream to theories of migration developed in other contexts. This paper suggests ways in which a systems perspective on migration can be used to incorporate elements of the political, economic and social context, as well as individual, institutional and mass culture links between the two areas. [source] Learning to Eat in an Obesogenic Environment: A Developmental Systems Perspective on Childhood ObesityCHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2010Leann L. Birch Abstract, Currently, children are developing in an obesity-promoting, or obesogenic, environment, which has emerged within the past 3 decades. This rapid change provides a rare opportunity to investigate the phenotypic outcomes that result from the expression of human genetic predispositions in a new environment. Unfortunately, the environmental changes that have occurred are associated with epidemic obesity rates in all age groups. Using a developmental perspective, this article argues that this probabilistic outcome is not predetermined, however. The article also provides examples of learning paradigms,familiarization and associative and observational learning,that present opportunities for parents and caregivers to restructure children's environments in early life, increasing the likelihood of healthy weight-status outcomes in the context of the current obesogenic environment. [source] Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Fall Prevention Programs that Reduce Fall-Related Hip Fractures in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010Kevin D. Frick PhD OBJECTIVES: To model the incremental cost-utility of seven interventions reported as effective for preventing falls in older adults. DESIGN: Mathematical epidemiological model populated by data based on direct clinical experience and a critical review of the literature. SETTING: Model represents population level interventions. PARTICIPANTS: No human subjects were involved in the study. MEASUREMENS: The last Cochrane database review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials categorized effective fall-prevention interventions into seven groups: medical management (withdrawal) of psychotropics, group tai chi, vitamin D supplementation, muscle and balance exercises, home modifications, multifactorial individualized programs for all elderly people, and multifactorial individualized treatments for high-risk frail elderly people. Fall-related hip fracture incidence was obtained from the literature. Salary figures for health professionals were based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Using an integrated healthcare system perspective, healthcare costs were estimated based on practice and studies on falls in older adults. Base case incremental cost utility ratios were calculated, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Medical management of psychotropics and group tai chi were the least-costly, most-effective options, but they were also the least studied. Excluding these interventions, the least-expensive, most-effective options are vitamin D supplementation and home modifications. Vitamin D supplementation costs less than home modifications, but home modifications cost only $14,794/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained more than vitamin D. In probabilistic sensitivity analyses excluding management of psychotropics and tai chi, home modification is most likely to have the highest economic benefit when QALYs are valued at $50,000 or $100,000. CONCLUSION: Of single interventions studied, management of psychotropics and tai chi reduces costs the most. Of more-studied interventions, home modifications provide the best value. These results must be interpreted in the context of the multifactorial nature of falls. [source] Cost Analysis of the Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders Care Management InterventionJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 8 2009Steven R. Counsell MD OBJECTIVES: To provide, from the healthcare delivery system perspective, a cost analysis of the Geriatric Resources for Assessment and Care of Elders (GRACE) intervention, which is effective in improving quality of care and outcomes. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with physicians as the unit of randomization. SETTING: Community-based primary care health centers. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred fifty-one low-income seniors aged 65 and older; 474 participated in the intervention and 477 in usual care. INTERVENTION: Home-based care management for 2 years by a nurse practitioner and social worker who collaborated with the primary care physician and a geriatrics interdisciplinary team and were guided by 12 care protocols for common geriatric conditions. MEASUREMENTS: Chronic and preventive care costs, acute care costs, and total costs in the full sample (n=951) and predefined high-risk (n=226) and low-risk (n=725) groups. RESULTS: Mean 2-year total costs for intervention patients were not significantly different from those for usual care patients in the full sample ($14,348 vs $11,834; P=.20) and high-risk group ($17,713 vs $18,776; P=.38). In the high-risk group, increases in chronic and preventive care costs were offset by reductions in acute care costs, and the intervention was cost saving during the postintervention, or third, year ($5,088 vs $6,575; P<.001). Mean 2-year total costs were higher in the low-risk group ($13,307 vs $9,654; P=.01). CONCLUSION: In patients at high risk of hospitalization, the GRACE intervention is cost neutral from the healthcare delivery system perspective. A cost-effectiveness analysis is needed to guide decisions about implementation in low-risk patients. [source] Best practice from admission to discharge in acute inpatient care: considerations and standards from a whole system perspectiveJOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 6 2005A. JONES phd bn (hons) rmn Effective mental health care and promotion involves numerous agencies and individuals. Hence, practice development for people with acute mental health needs requires a systemic (or whole system) perspective. Whilst a policy imperative, this is unfamiliar practice for many health and social care workers. In a previous paper published within this journal, the authors argued that admission to acute inpatient care may sometimes be occasioned by the need to contain worker anxiety within the whole system, rather than being clinically justified or necessary. In this paper the authors seek to follow up this premise with proposals for purposeful admission and standards to assure the quality throughout the patient journey, into and out of acute inpatient wards. [source] The National Student Clearinghouse: The largest current student tracking databaseNEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, Issue 143 2008Craig Schoenecker This chapter describes the National Student Clearinghouse and discusses opportunities and challenges for tracking community college students. It also presents a system perspective on using clearinghouse data to promote more comprehensive student and graduate tracking. [source] A cost effectiveness analysis of omitting radiography in diagnosis of acute bronchiolitis,PEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Jean Hai Ein Yong MASc Abstract Objective To carry out a cost-effectiveness analysis of omitting chest radiography in the diagnosis of infant bronchiolitis. Hypothesis Omitting chest radiographs in the diagnosis of typical bronchiolitis was expected to reduce costs without adversely affecting the detection rate of alternate diseases. Study Design An economic evaluation was conducted using clinical and health resources. Emergency department (ED) physicians provided diagnoses pre- and post-radiography as well as a management plan. The primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy (false-negative rate) of alternate diagnoses with and without X-ray. The incremental costs of omitting radiography in comparison to routine radiography per patient were assessed from a health system perspective. Patient Selection We studied 265 infants, 2,23 months old, presenting at the ED with typical bronchiolitis. Patients with pre-existing conditions or radiographs were omitted from the study. Methodology Expected costs to the health care system of including and excluding chest radiographs were compared, including costs associated with misdiagnosis. Results All alternate diagnoses (two cases) were missed by ED physicians pre- and post-radiography, resulting in a 100% false negative rate. The specificity in detecting alternate diseases was 96.6% pre-radiography and 88.6% post-radiography. Of the 17 cases of coexistent pneumonia, 88% were missed pre-radiography and 59% post-radiography, with respective false positive rates of 10.5% and 16.1%. Omission of routine chest radiograph saved CDN $59 per patient, primarily due to savings in radiography and hospitalization costs. The economic benefit persisted after the inpatient length of stay, ED overhead and radiograph costs were varied. Conclusion For infants with typical bronchiolitis, omitting radiography is cost saving without compromising diagnostic accuracy of alternate diagnoses and of associated pneumonia. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:122,127. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Improved infection control in the prevention of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in Australia: costs and benefitsAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 6 2004Trang Vu Objective: To evaluate the costs and benefits of infection control strategies to prevent the transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in ophthalmic surgery in Australia. Methods: The reduction in the risk of iatrogenic transmission of vCJD from feasible infection control strategies was calculated using decision analytic models. A static model calculated the direct secondary transmission for surgical eye procedures, and a simple dynamic model estimated the change in the risk of a subsequent sustained epidemic over the longer term. The expected number of vCJD infections, their cost of care and years of life lost and the estimated cost of strategies included the direct costs of infection control measures were calculated taking a health system perspective. Results: The dynamic model (Markov process) predicted that from a hypothetical pool of as many as 100 primary vCJD cases there would be less than five iatrogenic infections in the next 30 years. If there are fewer than five primary cases the model predicted no secondary cases of vCJD. The costs of providing care for a vCJD case is estimated to be about 50,000, subject to considerable uncertainty. The minimum cost for using a partial infection control strategy to prevent an iatrogenic infection is likely to be in the order of several millions of dollars. Conclusions: Substantial public health investment would need to be made in order to reduce a low risk of iatrogenic transmission of vCJD. Given the likely number of cases of iatrogenic infection, and the order of magnitude of the costs of caring for cases of vCJD, it may be difficult to justify the high cost of risk reduction strategies. [source] Evolution of institutional rules: An immune system perspective: Parallels of lymphocytes and institutional rulesCOMPLEXITY, Issue 1 2005Marco A. Janssen Abstract This article discusses the evolution of institutional rules, the prescriptions that humans use to shape their collective activities. Four aspects of the rules are discussed: coding, creation, selection, and memory. The immune system provides us a useful metaphor to relate these four aspects into a coherent framework. For each aspect, the relevant dynamics in social systems and immune systems are discussed. Finally, a framework for a computational model to study the evolution of rules is sketched. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 11: 16,23, 2005 [source] Source,sink dynamics sustain central stonerollers (Campostoma anomalum) in a heavily urbanized catchmentFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 10 2008ERIC R. WAITS Summary 1. The influence of spatial structure on population dynamics within river,stream networks is poorly understood. Utilizing spatially explicit analyses of temporal genetic variance, we tested whether persistence of central stonerollers (Campostoma anomalum) reflects differences in habitat quality and location within a highly modified urban catchment in southwestern Ohio, U.S.A. 2. Estimates of genetic diversity did not vary with habitat quality. Nevertheless, evidence of weak but temporally stable genetic structure, location-dependent effective population sizes and rates of immigration among sites, together suggest that persistence of central stonerollers within the catchment may be attributable to source,sink dynamics driven by habitat heterogeneity. 3. Under this scenario, migrant-pool colonization from areas of relatively high habitat quality in the upper catchment sustains the presence of central stonerollers at degraded sites in the main stem and dampens population subdivision within the catchment. However, because intact habitat is restricted to the upper portion of the catchment, it is not possible to preclude net downstream dispersal as a mechanism contributing to source,sink dynamics. The slight genetic structure that persists appears to reflect weak isolation by distance diminished by high rates of immigration. 4. This study suggests that without a systems perspective of the conditions that sustain populations in degraded waterways, environmental assessments may underestimate levels of impairment. Conservation and management of stream fishes could be improved by maintaining habitat in areas that are net exporters of migrants or by remediation of impaired habitat. [source] Attachment and sensitivity in family context: the roles of parent and infant genderINFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006Sarah J. Schoppe-Sullivan Abstract This study examined the role of child gender in fathers' and mothers' sensitivity to and attachment relationships with their infants from a family systems perspective. Eighty-seven 1-year-olds participated in the Strange Situation with each parent. Parental sensitivity was examined during a competing demands task. Results indicated that fathers and mothers were equally sensitive to sons, but fathers were less sensitive than mothers to daughters, and mothers were more sensitive to daughters than to sons. Although mothers and fathers within the same families were similarly sensitive to daughters and sons, daughters' attachment security with fathers and mothers was similar whereas sons' was not. Further analyses revealed that fathers were more sensitive to sons with an insecure relationship with their mothers. Results of this investigation suggest that child gender is relevant for parent,infant, especially father,infant, attachment relationships. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Closing the gap: towards a process model of post-merger knowledge sharingINFORMATION SYSTEMS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2007Youngjin Yoo Abstract., We develop a process model of post-merger knowledge sharing based on distributed cognition, a systems perspective and path dependence. The framework conceptualizes knowledge sharing by layers of management choice and employee appropriation of knowledge resources seen as knowledge as content and knowledge as connection. We use the framework to study a merger of two polymer companies. The study reveals that mergers represent a discontinuity in knowledge sharing. Yet, chosen strategies often mirror the learned knowledge-sharing practices of one of the merged companies and match poorly with the post-merger knowledge-sharing needs. Five factors emerged contribute to this knowledge gap: (a) the nature of the merger; (b) a lack of shared context; (c) the incompatibility of existing knowledge systems; (d) the tacit dimension of knowledge; and (e) time pressures of the merger. Our study shows that, employees enacted knowledge new sharing practices that differed significantly from the official strategy to close to the post-merger knowledge gap. [source] Costs of community-based public mental health services for older adults: variations related to age and diagnosisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 12 2006Todd Gilmer Abstract Background Several studies have examined service use among older adults although, to our knowledge, none has examined costs from a systems perspective. This study examined use and costs of mental health services among older adults in San Diego County in order to determine how expenditures and modes of service varied by age cohort and psychiatric diagnosis. Methods Utilization data from San Diego County Adult and Older Adult Mental Health Services (AOAMHS) were used to identify older adults (age,,,60) receiving services in the community during fiscal year 2003,2004. Cost data were derived from detailed examination of cost reports, and Medicaid fee schedules. Trends in demographic and clinical characteristics by six age cohorts were described. Multivariate models were used to estimate the relationships between costs, age, and clinical diagnosis while controlling for other demographic and clinical characteristics. Components of costs were also examined. Results Total expenditures declined from age cohorts 60,64 through ages 85 and over. Expenditures were similar, and greatest, for clients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while outlays were lower for those with major depression, other psychotic disorder, other depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and cognitive disorders. Clients diagnosed with cognitive disorder had high use of emergency services and little connection to outpatient services. Conclusions Expenditures were related to age and clinical diagnosis. Future efforts should investigate older adults' pathways to care, and should determine whether older adults presenting in emergency services would benefit from a specialized case management program providing linkages to community based resources. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Analysing Emergency Response SystemsJOURNAL OF CONTINGENCIES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008Christian Uhr We suggest a method that can be used for analysing an emergency response system. Both the literature and empirical findings indicate that response operations sometimes diverge from existing plans when adapting to an event and its consequences. The method, which aims at achieving a better understanding of emergency response management, adopts a systems perspective using various relationships that exist or develop between personnel belonging to those organizations that are part of the emergency response operation. Results of a study of such an emergency response system are presented and discussed in order to demonstrate how the method can be employed. [source] Capacity development for agricultural biotechnology in developing countries: an innovation systems view of what it is and how to develop itJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2005Andy Hall There are divergent views on what capacity development might mean in relation to agricultural biotechnology. The core of this debate is whether this should involve the development of human capital and research infrastructure, or whether it should encompass a wider range of activities which also include developing the capacity to use knowledge productively. This paper uses the innovation systems concept to shed light on this discussion, arguing that it is innovation capacity rather than science and technology capacity that has to be developed. It then presents six examples of different capacity development approaches. It concludes by suggesting that policy needs to take a multidimensional approach to capacity development in line with innovation systems perspective. But it also argues that policy needs to recognise the need to develop the capacity of diversity of innovation systems and that a key part of the capacity development task is to bring about the integration of these different systems at strategic points in time. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The Bridge to the ,Real World': Applied Science or a ,Schizophrenic Tour de Force'?*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 6 2004Alexander T. Nicolai abstract This article concerns those publications which have received considerable attention in an academic as well as in a practical context. In these rare cases, it seems that it was possible to transfer scientific findings more or less directly into managerial implications. This widely shared view is contrasted with a socials systems perspective. From this point of view there cannot be a direct application of scientific knowledge. This also holds true for the classic examples of applied science. It is argued that even in these cases there is no evidence of linear knowledge transfer but rather ,Applied Science Fiction' (ASF). ASF comprises all techniques with which the scientific system reacts to external application pressure without having to relinquish its own self-referential logic. Different forms of ASF are introduced. These are retrofitting, reputation, symbolic labels and undisciplined eclecticism. The ASF-concept will be illustrated by Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy. Paradoxically, however, the conventional concept of application and ASF are a barrier for the sustainable relevance of management studies. [source] Learning and organizational effectiveness: A systems perspectivePERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT, Issue 1 2009Nicholas Andreadis The challenge for leaders today is to create and develop the capability of their organization. Leaders must perceive and manage their organization as a dynamic, open system where learning is the core competence underlying innovation, growth, and sustainability. Creating a culture of learning is the first work of leadership. This article presents a practical framework in which to consider organizational effectiveness, emphasizing the critical role of systems thinking and learning theory in organizational development. [source] Migration Theories and First Nations Mobility: Towards a Systems Perspective,CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY/REVUE CANADIENNE DE SOCIOLOGIE, Issue 2 2006MARTIN COOKE Au Canada, la recherche sur la migration des autochtones vers les centres urbains a mis en avant l'importance de facteurs économiques, les mou-vements de retour étant expliqués comme un échec lié aux difficultés d'adaptation. Les facteurs sous-tendant la migration vers les villes ont été peu étudiés, et des études récentes ont mis l'accent sur l'ampleur des mouvements plutôt que sur d'autres théories. Cet article suggère des voies selon lesquelles on peut avoir recours à une approche systémique pour intégrer des facteurs des contextes politique, économique et social ainsi que des liens individuels, institutionnels et de culture de masse. The migration of Canadian Aboriginal people to cities has usually been understood as economically motivated, with return migration to Aboriginal communities resulting primarily from failure to adapt to urban life. However, the reasons underlying migration have rarely been directly addressed, and recent studies of migration have focussed on the size of flows, rather than relating this migration stream to theories of migration developed in other contexts. This paper suggests ways in which a systems perspective on migration can be used to incorporate elements of the political, economic and social context, as well as individual, institutional and mass culture links between the two areas. [source] Testing an Individual Systems Model of Response Evaluation and Decision (RED) and Antisocial Behavior Across AdolescenceCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2008Reid Griffith Fontaine This study examined the bidirectional development of aggressive response evaluation and decision (RED) and antisocial behavior across five time points in adolescence. Participants (n = 522) were asked to imagine themselves behaving aggressively while viewing videotaped ambiguous provocations and answered a set of RED questions following each aggressive retaliation (administered at Grades 8 and 11 [13 and 16 years, respectively]). Self- and mother reports of antisocial behavior were collected at Grades 7, 9/10, and 12 (12, 14/15, and 17 years, respectively). Using structural equation modeling, the study found a partial mediating effect at each hypothesized mediational path despite high stability of antisocial behavior across adolescence. Findings are consistent with an individual systems perspective by which adolescents' antisocial conduct influences how they evaluate aggressive interpersonal behaviors, which affects their future antisocial conduct. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||