Soft systems methodology

P. Checkland and J. Scholes, Soft Systems Methodology in Action, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK, 1990, p.36. 

Checkland, P. (2000). Soft systems methodology A thirty year retrospective. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 17, S11-S58. doi 10,1002/1099-1743(200011) - http //citeseerxist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ download doi=10.1.1.133.7381 rep=repl type=pdf... 

Presley, A.R., Sarkis, J. and D.H. Liles, A Soft Systems Methodology Approach for Product and Process Innovation , IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 47, 379-392, 2000. 

Checkland Scholes 90] Checkland P Scholes J "Soft Systems Methodology in Action" Wiley, 1990... 

Although soft-systems analysis provided an over-arching framework for organising and interpreting data, it was also necessary to follow a methodology to extract and validate information from the interview... 

The concept of hard and soft systems appears in system theory. In hard systems, the components and their interactions can be described by mathematical models. Soft systems cannot be described as easily. They are mostly human activity systems, which imply unpredictable behavior and nonuniformity. They introduce difficulties and uncertainties of conceptualization, description, and measurement. The kinds of system concepts and methodology described earlier cannot be applied. 

Prediction of interaction between metal clusters with oxide surface The HSAB principle classifies the interaction between acids and bases in terms of global softness. In the last few years, the reactivity index methodology was well established and had found its application in a wide variety of systems. This study deals with the viability of the reactivity index to monitor metal cluster interaction with oxide. Pure gold cluster of a size between 2 and 12 was chosen to interact with clean alumina (100) surface. A scale was derived in terms of intra- and intermolecular interactions of gold cluster with alumina surface to rationalize the role of reactivity index in material designing [43]. 

Since all these derivatives should be evaluated at constant external potential v(r), the N0 +1 and N -1 electron system are calculated at the same geometry as the N0 electron system. The same methodology is used when local properties are calculated (Fukui function, local softness,...), both in their non-condensed and condensed form. 

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