Abstract
I am a Visiting Scholar at the University of Strathclyde, from Chongqing University in China. When some British staff members in the Management Science Department I am visiting mentioned the terms “Soft System”, “Soft OR”, “Soft Systems Methodology” in conversation, they were new to me. What was a “soft system”? What was “Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)”? Were these terms essentially new and different concepts for Chinese academics or different only as a terminology? These questions deeply attracted my interest and led me to investigate Checkland's work.
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Bai Qinghua
BAI QINGHUA is Associate Professor at Chongqing Management and Business School, University of Chongqing, China. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Strathclyde. Before he moved to the University of Chongqing he had 18 years’ experience in industry. His experience covers systems analysis and systems design for computer-based information systems. His main research interests are in the combination of OR and information systems for decision-making and in the application of expert systems and decision-support systems.