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An application of SSM in the on‐farm labour situation in the New Zealand dairy industry
Author(s) -
Reid J. I.,
Gray D. I.,
Kelly T. C.,
Kemp E. A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
systems research and behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 1092-7026
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1743(199907/08)16:4<341::aid-sres249>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - dairy industry , perception , process (computing) , business , marketing , computer science , psychology , chemistry , food science , neuroscience , operating system
Abstract The on‐farm labour situation is a matter of concern to the New Zealand dairy industry. Structural and demographic changes in the industry have contributed to a situation in which employers are unable to attract or retain the number and type of employees they seek. Perceptions of the issue, the nature and extent of the problem, and the likely means to address it vary among the people involved. Although used to a limited extent in New Zealand, soft systems methodology (SSM) was developed to deal with complex problem situations that are ill structured and defined differently by people in the situation. SSM was used in the on‐farm labour situation in the dairy industry to structure the problem situation and to provide a number of relevant systems models for an industry group to debate and learn about the situation. This paper reports on the process and outcomes of the inquiry to date. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.