TY - BOOK ID - 5453385 TI - Collective beings AU - Minati, Gianfranco. AU - Pessa, Eliano. PY - 2006 SN - 1280724587 9786610724581 0387359419 0387355413 144194205X PB - New York : Springer Science+Business, DB - UniCat KW - Social systems KW - System theory KW - Mathematical models. KW - Systems, Theory of KW - Systems science KW - Philosophy. KW - Organization. KW - Planning. KW - Management. KW - Industrial management. KW - Philosophy and science. KW - Applied mathematics. KW - Engineering mathematics. KW - System theory. KW - Philosophy of Science. KW - Applications of Mathematics. KW - Innovation/Technology Management. KW - Philosophy of Technology. KW - Systems Theory, Control. KW - Science KW - Sociology KW - Philosophy KW - Mathematics. KW - Systems theory. KW - Mental philosophy KW - Humanities KW - Administration KW - Industrial relations KW - Organization KW - Organisation KW - Management KW - Math KW - Normal science KW - Philosophy of science KW - Business administration KW - Business enterprises KW - Business management KW - Corporate management KW - Corporations KW - Industrial administration KW - Management, Industrial KW - Rationalization of industry KW - Scientific management KW - Business KW - Industrial organization KW - Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.) KW - Executive ability KW - Engineering KW - Engineering analysis KW - Mathematical analysis KW - Science and philosophy KW - Mathematics KW - Industrial organization. KW - Technological innovations. KW - Technology KW - Control theory. KW - Innovation and Technology Management. KW - Systems Theory, Control . KW - Dynamics KW - Machine theory KW - Technology and civilization KW - Breakthroughs, Technological KW - Innovations, Industrial KW - Innovations, Technological KW - Technical innovations KW - Technological breakthroughs KW - Technological change KW - Creative ability in technology KW - Inventions KW - Domestication of technology KW - Innovation relay centers KW - Research, Industrial KW - Technology transfer KW - Industries KW - Industrial concentration KW - Industrial management KW - Industrial sociology UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:5453385 AB - With collective behaviors playing a fundamental role in many scientific and technical disciplines, COLLECTIVE BEINGS focuses its attention on socio-economic applications to be used, for example, to increase corporate profitability and productivity. To this end, the book provides the reader with deep insights into modern conceptual tools of economy based on systemics. In the book, collective behaviors are shown by systems composed of individual parts or agents. Moreover, COLLECTIVE BEINGS illuminates the interplay between system and individual in a remarkable new way: their collective beings give rise to systems having quite different behavior, namely that of the group and that of the individual agent. The authors always take the various aspects into account - for instance, the components of one system may be simultaneously the components of another system as well. They stress the importance of cognitive models used by the interacting agents, of the role of the observer and of the dynamic use of many cognitive models. The concept of being virtual in contradistinction to being actual is examined, and the role of ethical agreements is underlined, along with a careful discussion of different concepts of ethics as well as their relation to quality. Systemics is viewed as a cultural framework crossing disciplines and the final result is a book coined by a profound humanitarian attitude, in which the authors state that often 'technological solutions are designed for problems rather than for people having these problems.'. ER -