System Dynamics
NEWSLETTER

Volume 23 – Number 3        September 2010

From The President

Rogelio Oliva

Greetings from Texas. It was a real pleasure to see many of you at the conference in Seoul. The conference was very well organized, the Conference Team and group of volunteers were extremely courteous, friendly and helpful, and the social program was a success. Thanks again to the Korean Chapter, the Conference Team including Conference Chair, Man-Hyung Lee; Program Chair, Tae-Hoon Moon; Organizing Chair, Dong-Hwan Kim; Workshop Chairs, Nam-Hee Choi and Sang-Hyun Park; as well all the committee members and volunteers for all of their hard work making the conference a success.

From what I experienced and the comments I have heard from attendees, the conference’s academic program was also a success. I am delighted to see that the Conference Program Oversight Committee, instituted during Jim Lyneis’ presidency, has managed to ensure continuity of policies from one conference to the next and that this has resulted in an increased quality of presentations and in an interesting and engaging poster symposium.

From my perspective, it was a pleasure to talk with several of the Presidents of the Chapters and initiate conversations on how the Chapters can take a leadership role in designing and organizing developmental activities (workshops, training, etc.) to take advantage of the Society’s commitment to support the development of the field through those activities. The Society’s Past Presidents renewed their unconditional support to this initiative, and I hope that during the spring of 2011 we will see the first workshop or training session put together by a local Chapter with support from the Society and the intellectual leaders of the field.

Finally, an administrative update from the Policy Council: As scheduled when first implemented, the tiered dues structure introduced in 2008 was reviewed after two full years of operation. The policy has not had the expected impact of increasing the membership in developing countries or the student population, but its implementation has resulted in slightly higher revenue from a given cross-section of members. While overall membership has experienced a decline since 2007, explained in part by the world-wide financial downturn and the fact that our membership peaked at our 50th anniversary Boston Conference, the Policy Council has decided to retain the tiered dues structure with the hope of attaining the goal of this program.

Thank you for your continued support of the Society. If you have any questions about the Society or about your membership, please feel free to contact me or the Society office by using the contact information below.

Best Regards, Rogelio Oliva, President 2010

News and Notes

Student Store Online

Catering to the system dynamics enthusiast, the Student Chapter is operating an online store with Chapter and Society-themed clothing, mugs, mousepads and more. Proceeds will benefit the Student Chapter of the System Dynamics Society. For one item or an upcoming event, please consider shopping at the online store. The store can be found at www.cafepress.co.uk/systemdynamics.

Publications by Our Members

Quality Uncertainty and Perception (Springer, 2010) was recently published by Lalilt Wankhade and Balaji Dabade. The book addresses the complex issue of quality uncertainty due to information asymmetry in the backdrop of information economics, total quality management and marketing science. Reliability Engineering, Seven Management Tools and System Dynamics are used to develop theories on quality uncertainty and perception. Quality perception is identified as a multidisciplinary measure of business performance.

Strategy Dynamics Essentials (Strategy Dynamics Ltd, 2010) was recently published as an e-book by Kim Warren. The book explains why a rigorous, dynamic approach to strategy is required, and provides a solution to that need. The chapters match those of the more detailed textbook Strategic Management Dynamics, but at just 140 pages may be more digestible for some readers.

New PhDs

Jay Forrest received his PhD in February 2010 from Leeds Metropolitan University. His dissertation was entitled “A System-Based Qualitative Method of Heuristics for Foresight and Futures Studies.” Jay is continuing his work as an independent consultant and plans to focus on writing in the coming years. Congratulations, Jay!

Andy Whitmore successfully defended his PhD dissertation “Toward a Policy Framework for the Design of Economic Information Packages,” in July 2010. It was approved by University at Albany, State University of New York. Andy is now a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. Congratulations, Andy!

Wiley Online Library Launched

Society members who access the System Dynamics Review online have probably noticed changes to the Wiley InterScience site as of August this year. As a registered user of Wiley InterScience, your registration details and profile have automatically transferred to the new online portal: Wiley Online Library. The Online Library has numerous upgrades, including easier navigation, expanded functionalities and a range of personalization and alerting options. Your e-mail alerts, subscriptions, and saved publications have also been transferred to the “My Profile” area of the Wiley Online Library. However, any saved searches will need to be reset. For more details on how to access the Review online please visit the “Members” section of the Society website.

European Master in System Dynamics Kicks Off

In August 2010, the European Master in System Dynamics was officially opened in Bergen, Norway. The two-year Master’s program is a collaboration between three universities: the University of Bergen, the University of Palermo and the Radboud University of Nijmegen. The inaugural class of twenty-four students from nineteen countries began their studies this fall. The program was developed during the last three years, funded by a grant from the Erasmus Mundus Curriculum Development Program. Approximately twenty students per year can be admitted to the program with this grant. For more information about the program and its partners, as well as details about scholarships and application procedures, please visit the program’s website at www.europeansystemdynamics.eu.

Call for Bibliography Updates

We are eager to hear about your new books, promotions, awards, completed degrees, new products, notable projects, and any other milestones. Please send your news to office@systemdynamics.org.

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