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The Importance Of Studying And Observing An Industrial System Phenomena

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2.3 Career Episode 3 2.3.1 Introduction. In this career episode, I describe an industrial engineering task which I undertook as part of my educational program in Ph.D. degree in School of Engineering-University of South Australia, Australia (2012-2016). In this task, I proposed systems thinking conceptual framework for studying and observing an industrial system phenomena. I implemented this framework to a real industrial system in a case study and recommended the operational system improvements for optimising the system performance. 2.3.2 Background. Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialised …show more content…

Therefore, in this task, I reviewed and investigated what systems thinking is, validated its proposed definition and applied it in a case study of the real integrated industrial supply chain system and recommended improvements in the efficiency of this system operations. 2.3.3 Personal Engineering Activity 2.3.3.1 Systems Thinking Definition. I clarified the ambiguities in systems thinking definitions. I reviewed the historical and philosophical perspectives underlying systems thinking and the categorisation of the systems thinking literature which has led to a proposed systems thinking conceptual framework. I established how systems thinking is influenced by: six influential theoretical approaches (tektology, general systems thinking, cybernetics, systems complexity hierarchy, hard and soft systems and critical systems thinking); three methodological approaches (functionalist, interpretive and emancipatory); and two practical perspectives of systems thinking (methodologies and conceptual application) (see Figure 5). Systems thinking has been applied, with useful results, to a wide variety of practical situations of interest. I concluded that the most important role of the systems thinking literature is as a conceptual understanding. To clarify the ambiguities of systems thinking definitions, I proposed that systems thinking can be defined as a conceptual understanding or mental

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