Assignment 1: Harmony Inside as a System

Assignment

    1. Describe Harmony Inside AB as a system using the general system definition “A set of objects together with relationships between the objects and between their attributes related to each other and to their environment so as to form a whole” (cited from Schoderbek et al. 1990). See  explanation in Kefalas, 2011, and, for example, the Russ Ackoff video referred to in “Introduction to Systems Concepts & Applications” in iLearn2.
    2. Specify five characteristics of Harmony Inside AB according to Churchman
      • Objectives/Goals and performance measures
      • Organizational environment
      • Resources of the organization
      • Components of the organization
      • Management of the organization

3. Based on your descriptions of the Harmony Inside as a system, make preliminary diagnostics of it by answering the following questions:

    • In what way is Harmony Inside as a system connected (or to be connected) to the environment, what channels are used (planned to be used)? If you feel that something is missing give some suggestions for improvement.
    • What type of environmental scanning does Harmony Inside use to design a strategy and tactics for moving to the Web? Is it clear from the information sources provided? What would you suggest for them to do to increase their chances to succeed with moving to the Web?
    • What information does Harmony Inside need from the environment on continuous basis to ensure its proper functioning? Which part of this information can be difficult to obtain? Give suggestions for creating a better scanning system.

Resources to be used

  1. Resources from this site
  2. Resources from topic “Introduction to Systems Concepts & Applications” in the course page in iLearn2
  3. Any resources you can find on Internet

Documentation and presentation

Your answers shall be documented on approximately two A4 pages and brought to the discussion during a meeting with your supervisor (one of the teachers). The meeting appears as Red1 in the course schedule. The whole group is expected to come to this session, to discuss your descriptions and suggestions.

Good Luck !