This diploma thesis deals with problems in the field of eToro social trading community. The aim is to analyze and outline solutions to specific problems. To solve selected problems, it is used Soft Systems Methodology by Peter Checkland. In the first part, important concepts are theoretically defined as well as a virtual social trading community is defined as a soft system for the purpose of the thesis. The second part describes the Soft Systems Methodology. In the third practical part, two problems of the eToro community are analyzed. The problems were selected by community members with a questionnaire. For each of these problems is performed single iteration of methodology cycle. The final part evaluates the use of methodology in the field of social trading communities in general and describes the advantages and problems of its application.

This diploma thesis aims to analyse virtual gaming community and it's problems in case of community belonging to EU server of the game called World of Tanks. To solve these problems, Soft System Methodology by P. Checkland, is used. The thesis includes analysis of significance of gaming communities for the gaming industry as a whole. Gaming community is then defined as a soft system. There are 3 problems analysed in the practical part of the thesis using newer version of SSM. One iteration of learning cycle of this methodology is used to solve every single one of the presented problems. Problems are chosen by players using questionnaire. At the end, application of the SSM is evaluated for the domain of gaming communities in general and problems with its application are presented.

The diploma thesis deals with computational modelling of stress-strain states in elastomeric components of a flexible coupling. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to research about usage and designs of flexible coupling and about fatigue of elastomers. The second part of the thesis concerns creation of the computational model. The model of material is determined based on uniaxial tension test of a specimen produced from a real elastomer component. The results are presented in the form of comparison of two designs of elastomer component with respect to fatigue behaviour based on a maximum principal strain range. The results of computational modelling in the viewpoint of crack initiation site are in good agreement with the results from the component used in operation and dif-ferences between the two designs are negligible. The quantitative difference of the two designs is 15 %.

Digital Transformation (DT) opens up to new opportunities for companies by providing organizational flexibility and improving their business models. Due to lack of resources in form of financial power and qualified employees, family-owned manufacturing companies have a hard time reaching DT. However, these companies try their best to reach DT and along the road various challenges arise. The challenges that arise, result in a complex situation that is hard to understand. Organizations with complex situations have difficulties to perform successful IT initiatives that are required to reach DT. The aim of this study was to identify challenges that family-owned manufacturingSMEs (FOMSMEs) encounter when striving for DT. Another aim of this research was to investigate how useful Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is in helping family-owned manufacturing SMEs to understand their own complex situation. Also, the managerial practice called Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) has been investigated regarding its usefulness in helping family-owned manufacturing SMEs to reach DT faster and easier. As a fourth and final aim in this study, an artefact has been created with suggested actions that address the identified challenges that FOMSMEs encounter when striving for DT. By interviewing employees who have participated in IT initiatives at a family-owned manufacturing SME, this research has been able to answer the research questions. Several challenges were identified; communication errors, old systems and exceeding deadlines in projects. All of these challenges can, with the help of SSM, be associated with the identified root challenge: Lack of overview of IT-landscape and strategy. The informants’ thoughts of usefulness of SSM in family-owned manufacturing SMEs were positive. In contrast, the informants’ thoughts of usefulness of EAM in family-owned manufacturing SMEs were negative. The argument expressed by the informants was that as long as the owner family makes most of the decisions, a new managerial practice as EAM will not be useful in family-owned manufacturing SMEs.

South Africa as a country faces stark socio-economic development challenges, such as extreme levels of inequality and unemployment, and specifically youth unemployment. To assist with addressing some of these challenges associated with the history of apartheid, the South African government instituted Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE). One of the instruments to implement B-BBEE is Corporate Social Investment (CSI). CSI refers to projects that companies undertake that goes beyond their primary profit motive, to assist and empower disadvantaged individuals and communities. A number of CSI projects in South Africa has an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) focus, where companies spend their CSI budget to contribute to, among other things, ICT skills development. Research has revealed that these types of projects are often short-lived, and at times unsustainable. As a result, communities are not necessarily benefiting from such projects. The objective of this research is to analyse the impact of South African CSI projects with an ICT focus on poor urban communities. The study is further limited in scope to CSI ICT initiatives aimed at supporting disadvantaged youth. The study followed a qualitative research approach. Four case studies were performed in poor urban communities in Soweto, all four of them CSI initiatives that were aimed at providing ICT support to disadvantaged youth. A systems framework was developed using literature as a foundation from which to analyse the cases. The systems framework is primarily based on Checkland’s soft systems methodology, which facilitates an inquiry into the problem situation and context. The Ubuntu philosophy, which emphasises the belief systems in which people and communities reflect their experiences in a day-to-day life, further supports the framework. Lastly, autopoiesis was employed as part of the framework, as it describes the self-production and sustainability of the system of interest. The study sought to gather qualitative data to understand the problem situation and use as a basis for analysis. Through an iterative process, data was collected from interviews, focus groups, documentation, and observations at four learning centres in Soweto. The collected data pertained to the implementation of CSI ICT projects by learning centres between 2002 – 2016. The case studies were analysed by applying the social systems framework, which was based on SSM, Ubuntu philosophy, and autopoiesis concepts. The findings of the study indicate that companies derived some form of benefit for contributing to CSI in poor communities. These benefits included having a local presence, achieving a better B-BBEE rating that enables them to do business with the government, and to retain or attract new business. In addition, the communities and their members benefited from the CSI ICT projects; this demonstrated an essential element of Ubuntu, namely, that collectively everyone could benefit. The CSI ICT projects had a positive impact on the socio-economic situation of the communities. It contributed to the employability of the unemployed youth, as they were trained in ICT skills. The school children used ICT to do their schoolwork and for ICT training. In addition, the learning centres proved to be self-reproducing and selfmaintaining, and therefore sustainable. The contributions of the study include a systems framework and guiding principles that companies, systems thinkers, and ICT4D practitioners could use to assess the sustainability and the impact of similar projects that are geared towards achieving socio-economic development in poor urban communities. Further, the research findings were used to refine the theoretical framework to analyse the impact of CSI ICT projects in poor urban communities in South Africa. / Thesis (PhD (Information Technology))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Informatics / PhD (Information Technology) / Unrestricted

Den 1 maj år 2021 infördes lag (2018:1212) om nationell läkemedelslista. Nationella läkemedelslistan (NLL) ska ge en samlad bild av patientens förskrivna och uthämtade läkemedel till hälso-och sjukvården, apoteken och patienten. De berörda aktörerna upplever olika orosmoment kopplade till implementeringen av NLL och det verkar inte finnas någon gemensam, konkret målbild. Studiens syfte är att undersöka upplevelser av och uppfattningar om implementeringen av Nationella läkemedelslistan med hjälp av mjukt systemtänkande. I studien användes tekniker inom Soft Systems Methodology. Som komplement användes kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Tre semistrukturerade gruppintervjuer med 2–5 deltagare, utifrån ett strategiskt urval, från vardera perspektiv myndighet, apotek och vård genomfördes. Från de tre tillfrågade perspektiven finns en samsyn kring att tanken med NLL i grunden är bra, men det finns ingen gemensam bild av när NLL kommer att vara implementerat eller hur det kommer att fungera då. De olika perspektiven har olika förutsättningar för att implementera NLL och har kommit olika långt. Störst utmaningar verkar finnas för vårdperspektiv där den teknik som beskrivs kring NLL ligger långt ifrån de arbetssätt som finns idag och det är oklart hur olika lagar samverkar. Gällande hur det kommer att fungera med NLL i december år 2025 finns en samsyn kring att det kommer att krävas ändrade arbetssätt för att nyttorna med NLL ska kunna realiseras, men uppfattningarna om hur och när det kommer att inträffa divergerar. Det finns uppfattningar om att implementeringen av NLL inte kommer att vara genomförd i december år 2025. Framtidsönskemålen kring NLL skiljer sig också åt mellan de olika perspektiven. Det är inte möjligt att implementera NLL med fokus endast på de tekniska delarna, utan det krävs mer fokus på arbetssätt och hur de påverkas. Det behövs mer forskning kring hur upplevda problem och hinder ska kunna lösas och studier för att utvärdera implementeringen och som mäter resultat och effekter av NLL. / On 1 May 2021, the Act (2018:1212) on the national medication list came into effect. The National Medication List (NLL) is supposed to provide a comprehensive and updated list of the patient's prescribed and dispensed medicines to the healthcare, pharmacies and the patient. The actors concerned experience various concerns linked to the implementation of NLL and there does not seem to be any common, concrete target image. The aim of the study is to explore experiences and perceptions of the implementation of the National Medication List using soft systems thinking. The study used techniques within Soft Systems Methodology. As a complement, qualitative content analysis was used. Three semi-structured group interviews with 2-5 participants, based on a strategic selection, from each perspective of authority, pharmacy and healthcare were carried out. From the three perspectives asked, there is a consensus that the idea of ​​NLL is good in essence, but there is no common picture of when NLL will be implemented or how it will work then. The different perspectives have different prerequisites for implementing NLL and have reached different stages of implementation. The biggest challenges seem to be for the healthcare perspective, where the technology described around NLL is far from the working processes that exist today, and it is unclear how different laws cooperate.  Regarding how it will work with NLL in December 2025, there is a consensus that changed working processes will be required in order for the benefits of NLL to be realized, but perceptions of how and when that will occur diverge. There are perceptions that the full implementation of NLL will not be carried out in December 2025. The future desires regarding NLL also differ between the different perspectives.  It is not possible to implement NLL with solely a technical focus. More focus is required on working processes and how they are affected. More research is needed into how perceived problems and obstacles can be solved and studies to evaluate the implementation and to measure results and effects of NLL are needed too.

Driven by the highly cyclical nature of their increasingly commoditised product offerings, many capital goods manufacturers are seeing the benefits of delivering services integrated with their core product offerings. Whilst existing research is almost unanimous in advocating the value of a servitization strategy, understanding how these product-service systems (PSSs) can be developed and delivered remains a significant challenge. The closely related PSS field, which has its heritage in the environmental and social science disciplines, is more mature in this area and a number of models have been proposed. The research reported within this thesis contributes to knowledge by investigating whether the approaches to PSS development, reported within the PSS literature, reflects the PSS development practice of servitized manufacturers. More specifically, soft systems methodology was used to explore the delivery of PSSs within the UK railway industry in order to gain an understanding of the implications for developing new PSSs. With this understanding, the existing approaches to PSS development were evaluated with respect to one servitized manufacturer through an in-depth single case study. The findings highlighted a number of significant differences between the practice of the servitized manufacturer and the literature. A survey was used to investigate whether the differences were generalisable to a larger sample of servitized manufacturers. The findings point towards the simplification of the reported phases within PSS development and the inclusion of a number of previously unreported processes and activities. Based on these results a new model of PSS development is proposed to better reflect the practice of servitized manufacturers. The model, consisting of four phases and seventeen processes, was operationalised in the form of a workbook and tested through application. Applying the workbook resulted in the successful creation of a number of new PSS concepts.

This thesis seeks to review Urban Sustainability in cities of the Developing South within the broader spectrum of Sustainable Development. Notably, the Developing South has for many years struggled to embrace Sustainability in its general terms: in part, because of the fragile institutions that cannot be counted on to uphold sustainability in the truest sense of the word; and in part because of the numerous challenges that often distract any attempt to prioritize Sustainable Development. Sustainability then becomes an option in the midst of other options, rather than an option that should affect all other options. Narrowing it down further to matters urban makes it even stranger in a host of cities across the Developing South. It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to examine in depth the contextual challenges that have invariably stood in the way of Sustainable Development across the Developing South. While it may not be practically possible in a four-month study to offer outright solutions or recommendations that could address these challenges in entirety, this study nevertheless has endeavoured to stay true to the realities that are often ignored whenever challenges of Sustainable Development are mentioned on global platforms. Among these realities is the reality of slum presence in most cities of the Developing South that existentially complicates any equation for urban sustainability ever formulated to provide a way out or forward for these cities. State governments understand this too well, and so do Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and international organizations alike involved in the crusade for improved living conditions for city resident, and in particular slum residents. Yet the State governments have never been as resolute in their quest for slum free cities. The question then remains: exactly what are the sustainable approaches for this noble cause? While the State governments have over the years insisted on enforcing conventional approaches (that include forced evictions, relocations and/ or redevelopment); one international network, however, thinks and responds differently to slum situations. The network is Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI). It is considerably this network of slum dwellers and their undeniably innovative approach to urban sustainability and inclusivity that largely frames the direction and general content of this study. Specifically, the methodology adopted in the study is one of a Case study - which in this case is SDI; and two separate Cases, namely Railway Relocation Action Plan (RAP) in Nairobi, Kenya and slum Re-blocking project in Joe Slovo, Cape Town, South Africa, respectively - as typical cases that captures in large part the enormous contribution that SDI is making towards inclusive and sustainable cities in the Developing South. In the discussion part, however, the study introduces Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) as a comparative methodology to SDI’s approach. SSM particularly benefits from LUMAS model and Social Learning – both key components that potentially reserve a dynamic capacity to enriching SDI’s approach as a future reference methodology for urban sustainability and inclusivity.

After the introduction of the term,  sustainable development, a variety of  academicians from different disciplines tried to conceptualize it in their own way, drawing on these views, many different degrees but with similar titles have been established in many universities all around the world. Masters  program in  Sustainable Development  (MSD) at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is one the most recent ones. Before starting this study, it was investigated that the expectations of the different actors in this program are not fulfilled completely. Presence of many different ideas and perspectives in addition to the high number of actors involved in the situation made the situation too complex to be fixed easily. Therefore, the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), as an appropriate approach for improving complex problematic situations,  is  used to reform the organization of  the  MSD in coming years. The process of identifying the  challenges of this program and then  improving some of them in  practice  are described in this thesis. Alongside the  action phase, the applications of Systems Approach in transformation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are explored.  It is investigated that three levels of learning, i.e. basic, meta-  and epistemic learning, and accordingly three levels of organizational change, i.e. the first, second and third order, need to be recognized, if an ESD program is to be different from the unsustainable trends of education.

After the introduction of the term, sustainable development, a variety of academicians fromdifferent disciplines tried to conceptualize it in their own way, drawing on these views, manydifferent degrees but with similar titles have been established in many universities all around theworld.Masters program in Sustainable Development (MSD) at Uppsala University and the SwedishUniversity of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is one the most recent ones. Before starting this study, itwas investigated that the expectations of the different actors in this program are not fulfilledcompletely. Presence of many different ideas and perspectives in addition to the high number ofactors involved in the situation made the situation too complex to be fixed easily. Therefore, theSoft Systems Methodology (SSM), as an appropriate approach for improving complex problematicsituations, is used to reform the organization of the MSD in coming years. The process ofidentifying the challenges of this program and then improving some of them in practice aredescribed in this thesis. Alongside the action phase, the applications of Systems Approach intransformation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are explored.It is investigated that three levels of learning, i.e. basic, meta- and epistemic learning, andaccordingly three levels of organizational change, i.e. the first, second and third order, need to berecognized, if an ESD program is to be different from the unsustainable trends of education.