In this thesis I outline a view of primary legislation from a systems perspective. I suggest that systems theory and, in particular, autopoietic theory, as modified by field theory, is a mechanism for understanding how society operates. The description of primary legislation that I outline differs markedly from any conventional definition in that I argue that primary legislation is not, and indeed cannot be, either a law or any of the euphemisms that are usually accorded to an enactment by a parliament. I cite two reasons for such a conclusion. The primary reason for my conclusion is that I see primary legislation as being an output of a particular subsystem of society, while the law is the output of another subsystem of society. I argue that these outputs are the discrete products of separate subsystems of society. I argue that primary legislation should be viewed as a trinity. The first state of this trinity is that, upon enactment, primary legislation is a brute fact in that it is but a thing and the only property of this thing is that of being a text. The second state of this trinity is that following the act of enactment, the thing enacted will be reproduced and this reproduction is a separate thing that will sit in some repository until used. The third state of this trinity is that, upon use, this thing that is primary legislation will be transformed into an object and the user will attribute such functions and attributes to that object as are appropriate to the context within which the object is used. The thing has therefore become an object and an institutional fact. The second reason for my conclusion that primary legislation is not a law relates to the fact that the thing that is primary legislation is a text and the only function of a text is that it is available to be read. That is to say, of itself, a text is incapable of doing anything: it is the reader who defines the status of the text and attributes functions and attributes. Upon use, primary legislation thus becomes a censored input for future action and one of these actions may be some statement by a court of law. I assert that the view of primary legislation that has been accepted within the body politic is the product of the discourse of a particular subsystem of society that I have designated ?the legal practice?, and I outline why and how this has occurred. Outlining a view about primary legislation also necessitates outlining a view as to the nature of the law. I assert that the law is a myth and I see this myth as a product of the discourse of the legal practice. I have asserted that although it is the judges that state the law, such statements flow from the discourse of those who practise the law.

"July 12, 2002" / Bibliography: p. 130-137 / viii, 160 leaves ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied Mathematics, 2002

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

This thesis examines the reconstruction of Lebanon following the war with Israel in the summer of 2006. Based on Stehr’s notion of the contemporary global economy (1994), the thesis offers a comprehensive account of how Lebanon used a global network to rebuild its infrastructure following the war and questions if the country is able to integrate fundamental elements of a knowledge-based society to participate in a worldwide economy and ensure future prosperity. Drawing on Luhmann’s social system’s theory (2002), the importance of shared objectives in collaborative projects and the recent importance of sustainable development theory in international relations, the thesis explores the communication practices used to organize this large-scale project. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with a macroscopic conceptual approach to offer a general understanding of the different systems that cooperate to aid in the reconstruction efforts. In-depth interviews are conducted with ten key informants, combined with the analysis of governmental reports, to identify significant investments offered by the international community and the different objectives of those involved in the project. A model illustrates the dynamics of these interactions, and helps to identify the areas most important to the country’s knowledge society. The protection of the country’s democratic system is identified as the overarching and shared objective of all those who contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon, a value that is of great significance to a knowledge-based society.

This thesis examines the reconstruction of Lebanon following the war with Israel in the summer of 2006. Based on Stehr’s notion of the contemporary global economy (1994), the thesis offers a comprehensive account of how Lebanon used a global network to rebuild its infrastructure following the war and questions if the country is able to integrate fundamental elements of a knowledge-based society to participate in a worldwide economy and ensure future prosperity. Drawing on Luhmann’s social system’s theory (2002), the importance of shared objectives in collaborative projects and the recent importance of sustainable development theory in international relations, the thesis explores the communication practices used to organize this large-scale project. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with a macroscopic conceptual approach to offer a general understanding of the different systems that cooperate to aid in the reconstruction efforts. In-depth interviews are conducted with ten key informants, combined with the analysis of governmental reports, to identify significant investments offered by the international community and the different objectives of those involved in the project. A model illustrates the dynamics of these interactions, and helps to identify the areas most important to the country’s knowledge society. The protection of the country’s democratic system is identified as the overarching and shared objective of all those who contributed to the reconstruction of Lebanon, a value that is of great significance to a knowledge-based society.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. D52160/84. / Consultation copy in 2 volumes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004. Directed by Robert D. Foley. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-86).

No description available.

The concept of systems accounts for the organization and patterns of order that characterize the natural world. Throughout the history of science, scientific activity has been based on this concept, either implicitly under a mechanistic approach or explicitly under an holistic systems approach. Contemporary science is now based on an holistic systems viewpoint that encompasses both the natural and social worlds as objects for study. Based on this context for the systems viewpoint, the thesis addresses archival constructs, arising spontaneously as a byproduct of societal activity, as instances of systems. This is an aspect of their nature that was recognized by traditional theorists, who devised the methodology that still fundamentally guides archival practice. However, the archival field has not yet recognized the applicability and utility of formal systems notions to the work of the archivist, specifically to the tasks of arrangement, description, and appraisal. The thesis argues that appropriate handling of archival constructs requires that they be treated as systems, that the concept of systems provides a necessary framework for archival theory, and that by adopting a systems viewpoint, the archival field may regain the status of a recognized profession and join with other fields of applied science that contribute to systems research.

The contemporary approach to change in Nedbank is focused on mechanistic processes with little reference to social systems that exist in organisations. The contemporary approach assumes that an organisation is linear in nature and as such, a reductionist approach is employed for organisational inquiry to address organisational structure, strategy and culture. This research will focus on employing a systems approach to organisational inquiry to elicit themes that leadership should be aware of, to effect change in a dynamic and complex environment. The argument presented is that organisations are about people that interrelate with each other to achieve organisational goals, and as such exhibit social phenomena that have important implications in defining an organisation's capability for effective change. Therefore, a reductionist approach to organisational inquiry is not desirable and may not be effective for real change. The research will draw on various concepts within the frameworks of systems thinking, complexity theory, knowledge management and dynamic capabilities to elicit themes to complement Nedbank's existing transformation process. The results provide recommendations on how management's contemporary role is required to transform in order to address the challenges of organisational change in the knowledge world. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.