Chapter 7 Elements of a System Flashcards
Inputs
Resources (raw materials. labour, data input) put into the system from the environment
process
the conversion of inputs to outputs
outputs
the finished goods, services or information flowing to the user to meet their goal
boundary
the boarded between the system and its environment, or one system or sub system from another - may be physical or artificial
environment
anything outside the system boundary which may influence or be influenced by the system
feedback
info about actual results from within the organisation for the purpose of helping management with control decisions
negative feedback
indicates that the system is performing below the standard and needs to be brought back on course
positive feedback
indicates the system is performing above the standard and should be encouraged to continue this “path of deviation”
feed forward control
using anticipated/forecast results, comparing them to plan and taking corrective action in advance
sub-system
a system which is also part of a larger system - can be coupled or decoupled
coupled sub-system
the sub-system is highly linked to another e.g. JIT inventory
decoupled sub-system
sub-systems acting independently of each other
sensor
a device which measures and records the output of the system
comparator
the comparison between actual results and the standard/budget
effector
the decision maker who will make changes to the system based on the comparison. these changes can be single feedback loop or double feedback loop
