A RELATIONAL SYSTEMS MODEL OF A BUSINESS

 

DON MIKULECKY

ISCE FELLOW

 

SEMANTICS OF THE SYMBOLS USED:

 

Dotted arrows (- - - >): Material Causes (Agents on materials, money, or “good will” to transform them.  The material being transformed is the  material cause  of the product of the transformation)

 

Solid arrows (  à ): Efficient Causes (Agents which actually make the transformation happen)

 

The various members of the system (Here we define “system” boundaries in a porous way to include the clients, consumers, consultants, etc.):

 

People: P

 

Capital: C

 

Raw materials and resources : R

 

Products: P

 

Profit: $

 

Good will: G

 

The Relational Systems Model is abstract and is an example of what has been called “Thermodynamic reasoning”.  That is it abstract so that it fits all realizable mechanistic models but therefore it can not be used to distinguish between alternative mechanistic models.  It retains the “organization” in a purely functional sense without embodying any of the structure.  Therefore for any given application it needs an accompanying structural diagram.

 

 


             C

 

                             R  - - - - - - - - >  P  - - - - - - - - -  > $ - - - - - - - - - - - > G

 

 

 

        P

 

 

Interpretation of the mappings (organizational functions):

 

C à R  = investment (efficient cause for manufacturing)

 

C à P  = investment (efficient cause for marketing and sales)

 

 

 

Cà R = labor, management manufacture or produce  the product

 

P à P = labor, management market the product for profit

 

P à $ = labor, management  manage the profits

 

P - - - > G = labor, management create good will

 

R - - - >  P  = manufacturing and service/information provision

 

P - - - > $   = Marketing and sales

 

$ - - - > G   = Creation of Good Will  by advertising and marketing

 

P - - - > G   = Creation of Good Will  due to reputation of the product

 

Gà P  = feedback (good will helping to sell the products)

 

Gà P = feedback (good will helping to build morale and loyalty)

 

$ - - - > C   =  reinvestment

 

$ - - - > P  = rewards

 

This is a crude first attempt and I invite feedback

 

 

Download as word file

 

SOME BACKGROUND EXPLANATION.

 

This is a crude first attempt and I invite feedback

 

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