Innovation Systems and Systems Development:Innovation Systems and Systems Development:Lessons from History and Prospects for the Future

This paper addresses the question What drives economic growth from a socio-technical perspective.It discusses the concept ofinnovation system,especially at the national level,and its three components: actors and factors,interrelationships and dynamics.Historical examples will be given from eighteenth century England (especially the Watt-Boulton steam engine firm) and the late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA (especially the contribution of Thomas Edison).Lessons are drawn for China,focusing on Har...     

Elements of surveillance: A new framework and future directions

This article argues for a wider conceptualization of the meaning and significance of surveillance in contemporary social studies. It has been written in the context of recently published work by Lyon (2001, 2002) who establishes a powerful argument illuminating the social and technical interconnectedness of surveillance systems, and the invisibility of their social ordering effects, in everyday life. The article is divided into two parts. The first examines recent empirical work concerning two domains of surveillance practice, which are significant, and typical of the research findings in these areas of study. The first surveillance practice is that of CCTV in public space, and the second is that which occurs in the workplace. The second part, mindful of Lyon's (2001, 2002) arguments, analyses the recently published work to examine broader ways in which we might want to conceptualize surveillance. It argues that it comprises four elements: representation, meaning, manipulation and intermediation which interact to form 'surveillance domains', and, at a local level, are contested, politicized places. Highlighting the role of intermediation, it uses this framework as the basis of an applied research strategy into everyday surveillance practices.     

企业生产计划与调度的实践研究述评———社会技术系统视角

生产计划与调度是企业运营管理的重要环节． 由于其重要性,科研和管理人员对其实施逻辑、实现技术及企业实践进行了大量研究,取得了丰硕成果． 然而当企业面临不确定环境和复杂调度问题时,这一问题迄今仍未有满意的解决方案． 事实上,企业的生产计划与调度过程是一个高度耦合的社会技术系统． 本文从这一视角出发,基于信息处理理论和权变理论,对企业计划与调度实践的“人”、“技术”、“组织”及三者间的交互作用研究进行了文献回顾与总结． 进一步,提出了考虑不确定性和复杂性两个维度的计划与调度研究的理论框架,并利用该框架讨论了若干重要的未来研究方向．     

Using interpretive sociology to explore workplace skill and knowledge

Drawing on original research, this paper considers the value of interpretive sociology for exploring clerical skill and knowledge and the role of the clerical function in organizations. It offers a critique of both the received view on clerical skill and knowledge and the epistemology generating such a view, and presents an examination of the notion of ‘common sense’. The paper draws to a close by demonstrating how an interpretive methodology can generate fresh insights to clerical work, skill and knowledge and to the clerical function.     

Innovation Systems and Systems Development:Lessons from History and Prospects for the Future

This paper addresses the question"What drives economic growth from a socio-technical perspective".It discusses the concept of"innovation system",especially at the national level,and its three components:actors and factors,interrelationships and dynamics.Historical examples will be given from eighteenth century England(especially the Watt-Boulton steam engine firm)and the late nineteenth and early twentieth century USA(especially the contribution of Thomas Edison).Lessons are drawn for China,focusing on Harbin Development Zone.A broader involvement of Chinese society and sustainable engineering are suggested to be conditional for further socio-economic growth.     

Masses,Crowds, Communities,Movements: Collective Action in the Internet Age

This article investigates two questions: One, how might the very differently structured social collectives on the Internet – masses, crowds, communities and movements – be classified and distinguished? And two, what influence do the technological infrastructures in which they operate have on their formation, structure, and activities? For this, we differentiate between two main types of social collectives: non-organized collectives, which exhibit loosely coupled collective behavior, and collective actors with a separate identity and strategic capability. Further, we examine the newness, or distinctive traits, of online-based collectives, which we identify as being the strong and hitherto non-existent interplay between the technological infrastructures that these collectives are embedded in and the social processes of coordination and institutionalization they must engage in, in order to maintain their viability over time. Conventional patterns of social dynamics in the development and stabilization of collective action are now systematically intertwined with technology-induced processes of structuration.     

What is the leanness level of your organisation in lean transformation implementation? An integrated lean index using ANP approach

We develop a lean index to assess the leanness level of the organisation in sustaining lean transformation. This ‘lean index’ is developed from theory, and is quantified using a multi-criteria approach i.e., analytic network process (ANP). This index provides a useful measure for sustainable lean performance because it adopts a holistic approach of performance measurement based on the socio-technical perspective which considers the interdynamics of human, system and technology.     

关键基础设施及其安全管理

关键基础设施(CI)系统是复杂的、高度相互依存的、网络化的社会-技术系统,一旦系统被中断或者被破坏,将会对国民健康、国土安全、经济稳定以及政府的正常运转等产生重大的影响.主要研究关键基础设施及其安全管理过程中的若干问题,对CI的特点进行了分析和总结,建立了网络化CI系统的体系结构,并利用视图模型来描述系统,同时还给出了灾难处理的一般过程.最后,进一步探讨了如何使用系统工程的方法来分析和模拟网络化CI系统的运行方式、潜在的薄弱环节以及改进这些薄弱环节的实施方法.