faculty of business studies tma cover sheet fbs-pt3 lebanon...

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FBS-PT3 F O R M

Faculty of Business Studies TMA Cover Sheet

Lebanon Branch

□ Second First Semester 2010 - 2011 Academic Year

2 □ 1 TMA No. T306B Course No.

I. Student Information (to be completed by the student) Amany El Douba

Student Name

215 Section No. 080479 Student No.

[email protected] E-Mail

I hereby certify that the work presented in this TMA is my own and is not copied from any source.

30/ 12/ 20 ١٠ Date of Submission Amany El Douba Signature

Q3 Q2 Q1 Questions Total

20 10 70 Weight Allocated Marks

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Total E-Library Word Count Referencing Presentation Criteria

Marks

Allocated Marks

Student's Total Mark ١٠٠

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I. Tutor's Comments

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Tutor’s Name …Dr. Saher El-Annan………………………………………………………

…….. / ……. / 20 Date Returned …………………………………… Signature

T306B_Final Project _Fall 2010_080479_Amany El-Douba _S215

ARAB OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF BUSINESS STUDIES

Lebanon Branch

T306. Managing Complexity: a systems approach

Final Project Title “breakdown of family ties”

Final Project Presented by Student Name: Amany El-Douba

Supervisor: Dr. Saher El-Annan

Fall 2010


“Breakdown of family ties”


Table of contents

1. Acknowledgments (and dedication)…………………... …………. 5

2. Abstract……………………………………………………….………5 3. Definition of ……………………………………….……………. 5

3.1 Tutor Report…………………………..………………………… 5 3.2 Client Report……………………………………………...……… 5 3.3 LOG project…………………………………………………………….. 5 4. Introduction……………………………………………………………………6 5. Tutor Report 5.1 Aim of project……………………………………….…………...... 7 5.2 The report…………………………………………………….….... 7 5.2.1 Ethicality statement …………………………….……………….. 7 5.2.2 LOG Frame..................................................................................……... 8-9 5.2.3 BECM and SSM stages…………………………………………….. 10-34 5.2.4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………...35 6- Client Report………………………………………...… 36 – 37

7. LOG Project……………………………………………….... 38 8. Overall Summary of Project ………………….……..…39 9. Lists of figures…………………………………………….40 10. References …………………………………………..… 41


1-Acknowledgments (and dedication) First, I want to say thanks for everyone who has help me and give me beneficial information while doing my project. And I hope that my process of work, of studying the mess, and of applying methods and concepts are useful in understanding and improving this messy situation. Since I wish that my work will be clear and organized… 2-Abstract: My project will describe my concepts and ways used in dealing with the messy situation called "breakdown of family ties" that affect the family members and the whole society negatively. So, I will use the SSM, it is an inquiry system used for dealing with messy problem situation by giving better understanding of it. It was developed by Checkland as learning and managing process to be effective and easy to use. (Blackmore, C., et al, 2000). 3-However this project will be divided into the following three main parts: 3.1-Tutor report: In this report I will be using the concepts and approaches of T306 in order to investigate the history of the complexity called "the breakdown of family ties", analyze it, and try to improve it through feasible and desirable changes debating with other stakeholders. Since this report will include the SSM method as well as diagrams and log frame to make sense of the situation, define the problems, and simplify it in the best way possible. Plus, it will include the ethical statement used as a guide for dealing with everyone related to the situation. (Richardson, M., 2010) 3.2-Client report: This report will be a document or a short essay about the complexity, including causes, effects, and options for the improvement and the change so that the client or any person can read it and understand it. Since here the representation of the mess will be without the using of T306 concepts. 3.3-Project log. Here is story of my project. It will include two sections. The first one consists of weekly summaries I followed during my work period. The second one is an overall summary about my reflections and how they have evolved during my working on this project.


4- Introduction:

The Breakdown of family ties is one of the dangerously and miserable social complexities affecting negatively the whole society in all its faces. It is complicates and unbounded. It has many ramifications and can lead for many problems such as divorce and deviation of children.

My attention and consciousness of this phenomenon started when seeing the sad effects of the divorce of my uncle and his wife on their children. Moreover, many articles have been published which said that nowadays many factors threaten the relations among the family members. And those political and social leaders in the country would have to do something to prevent the families from the break more and more, and to prevent the society formulated from these families.

So in my project I will be talking about the Breakdown of family ties and its causes and effect. And I will try to cover this situation by collecting information from different sources (magazines, internet, books...) in order to find feasible and desirable changes.


5-Tutor report 5.1 The aim of the report:

The aim from my project is to develop the insight of the phenomenon of the breakdown of family ties, or to find an effective way of improving and reducing this phenomenon by analyzing it, studying its aspects, and exploring its causes and implications in order to find desirable changes and then achieve successful actions.

Thus, me as a system practitioner doing this project, I will be engaging with a real world situation, dealing with it by using my own approaches and methods such as log frame, diagrams and many others. And by juggling the BECM balls to gain an effective practice.

Taking in our consideration, the importance of a good relation between family members, a good, ethical, comfortable, happy family brings a helpful, collective society (All for one, and one for all/ teamwork). Such society off course will reach sustainable development in all its factors in the environment. (Armson, R., Ison, R., 2000)

5.2-the report: 5.2.1 Ethicality statement As a system practitioner, my ethical statement sets out my ethical aspirations, or my objectives and values that I aspire to in my work. It reflects my important values, helps me in tackle tasks within my multi-committee membership. (Armson, R., 2000) which means t5hat this statement clarify my values and moral principles. I can use it as a guide to develop and interact with different stakeholders by accepting their experiences, information and point of views (values, beliefs, and circumstances), and by respecting their feelings, opinions and thoughts. Since, I keep the privacy of everyone who has given me data or details, and after the acceptance and satisfaction of them. And according to the breakdown of family ties, my ethical statement includes my respect of different point of views of all the stakeholders, and to be unbiased. In addition to encourage the communication among family members which lead to define roles and responsibilities. And to take into consideration the need of children such as love, tender, and security which can protect them from the deviation. And finally accept the right of families to have a good lifestyle. 5.2.2 LOG Frame


: Goal To make the Lebanese families very strong and united.

OVI MOV :Assumptions The education of public about the importance of the strong family and the financial helps for families are the roots by which this goal is achievable.

: Purpose Strategies and procedures to reduce the breakdown of family ties by the building of good relationship between members.

IOV MOV :Assumptions Good and clear strategies can be effective.

:Outputs 1‐having good communication between children and parents. 2‐having tender, love and respect between family members.

3‐having clear responsibilities and roles for each family member.

VIO MOV :Assumptions 1‐some improvements of the communication skills are possible.

2‐advising from religious people about the importance of the blood relation.

3‐family members’ responsibilities and roles should be clear.


: Activities 1‐improve the communication skills between family members.

2‐organize specific time for watching TVs and using internet.

3‐educate people about the importance of the strong family in the society.

4‐organize part time work for women to have enough time for its family.

OVI MOV :Assumptions 1‐it can be possible.

2‐this is difficult because of the importance of the technology in our daily life.

3‐this activity can be applied by the educational sectors and facilities.

4‐some families have financial problems.

Because of the complexity of this situation, it is very useful to use the logical framework (log frame). This log frame is a way of simplifying the complex situation. It is a 4*4 table including four columns. It can be used systematically by individuals in order to develop projects as purposeful systems. (Armson, R., Ison, R., 2000)


5.2.3 BECM and SSM stages Being:

As a system practitioner doing this project, I have to recognize and be aware of my possibilities and constraints. As well I have to be aware of my perspectives which should be unbiased and objective. Thus, this awareness helps me in thinking in a right way, creating the best choices, and take responsibilities for my own actions. Since, I have to be ethical by respecting the others feelings and perspectives even if they are in contradiction with my own perspectives and to what I believe. So, this ethicality helps me share ideas with other stakeholders, recognize their different values, beliefs, and circumstances, and then I can reflect on the important values for my system. As a result being aware and ethical allows me to achieve desirable and feasible changes.

Now, after being aware and ethical I must immerse myself in this messy situation more and more in order to appreciate the situation and observe its causes and effects, and the way to reach good improvement.


Engaging: As a system practitioner while engaging in the situation I can explore the real world situation of the messy problem, and I can be immersed in it which can help me to look at different perspectives of different stakeholders. And as we have seen in T306 course that in order to immerse in the situation, I need a system of inquiry. So, it is helpful to me to use the SSM that is an inquiry system used for dealing with the messy problem situation of Breakdown of family ties by giving better understanding of it. (Blackmore, C., et al, 2000). Problem situation unstructured: Family is a group of two or more persons live together in one house, and related between them by marriage or blood relation. (Zalghut, 2009) It has different functions in the society like economic and political functions. Because of its importance in the society, the breakdown of family ties is a real mess in Lebanon. It is complicated and unbounded. It has many ramifications and can leads to many other problems specifically in Beyrouth where the most families are nuclear, in which parents passed their time at work while children passed their time in the entertainment places. This affects the communication in the family, because parents don’t have enough time to solve children’s problems or to give them tender and love. Then the lack of communication between family members can create bad relationships between them and this may push children specifically teenagers for many types of deviations like; drug, alcohol and smoking and many types of violence. And push the parents to the separation or to the divorce. (Hatab, Z., 2007) In addition, absolutely such problems affect the whole society in all its faces. Besides, it leave a bad impression in work life, social life, family life, plus, it affect the responsibilities of every member, so that, the role that the parents must play down and the role of children also breakdown. All these causes plus the work of women can leave a negative impact on the children’s life because in this case there is no free time for communication, care, tender etc…besides, the society and the people in it can affect the family’s life because in the society we share the same ideas, traditions, ideology and values… and when one member inside the society don’t agree and apply these values he/she might be ignored. Finally, family is an organization that built a society and makes a good or bad people so, we must take care and push this organization to protect our world and make a nature and intelligent persons with no psychological problems, this is a hard case but we must go for it. So, as we have seen, the breakdown of family ties is a real mess that needs improvement in order to minimize its bad influences. Here it is helpful to draw a spray diagram (figure 1).


Spray diagram is a simple and fast technique since it simplifies the complex situation of the breakdown of family ties and is relatively fast as it does not concern by the details of the structure. It helps in analyzing such complex situation that is difficult to understand. (Lane, 2000).

This complex situation drives me to find answers about many questions related to the causes, effects, and stakeholders… Thus, I want to try to answer these questions. First, I want to list the different stakeholders who have direct and indirect effect in the situation of Breakdown of family ties. There are many stakeholders who have different perspectives. And in order to make these perspectives clear and apparent, I should understand their values, beliefs, and circumstances.

According to the T306 course, the value “is something that people regard as good issue that gives meaning to life” and it cannot be changed. Since, the belief is the “starting point for a sequence of reasoning”, but it can be changed. Also, the circumstance is “the personal factor as role and experiences that affect how a situation is perceived.” (Blackmore, C., et al, 2000).


These stakeholders may be the followings:

circumstances

beliefs values Perspectives

Stakeholders

The divorce of my uncle and his wife

Juggling the BECM balls

Being a system practitioner

I want to deal with the Breakdown of family ties in order to reduce it

The system practitioner (me)

Full time work make women unable to take home responsibilities.

Part time job can help women to give enough time to her family.

Tender, the right of women to work.

She should organize her time between his work and her family.

Mother.

He was happy with his parents and his organized family.

Organizing roles and responsibilities of each member in his family, and achieve their needs which can prevent the children from deviation.

He values the safety and the comfort of his family.

He should achieve the needs of their family members.

Father.

A child who doesn’t have families was sad and deviate to bad behaviors.

Technology can help them to achieve the freedom. And their parents can protect them and care of them.

Care and freedom.

They need care, love, tender, and protection.

Children.


Work was helping them to achieve money.

Work in houses.

Collect money

They can have different values and traditions that are unacceptable in our culture. Violence on child.

Housemaid.

The educated parents have strong families.

Advices and information help people to take responsibilities and good job

education

Educate people about the importance of the family in the society.

Educational sectors (schools and universities)

Laws was organized many sides in the society.

Laws and regulations organize the society, and lead to stability.

Stability in the society.

Should make helpful rules and regulations.

Government ( Ministry of education, Ministry of labor, and Ministry of social affairs)

Increases in the rate of divorce and deviations.

Work of women, care for child…

The rights of women and children.

Help the women and the children.

NGOs ( CSA, Assembly of women rights, and Assembly of child rights)

Lack of circumstances

Love, forgiveness…

Religions. Advices the family about the importance of the blood relation.

People of religion

With globalization the world is like a one country

New programs, advertisement…

Attracting the people

Have high impact on the culture.

Media

Reduction of the effect of the religion and tradition on

Technology is bad Traditions and religions

High impact on the families.

Communal parents (grandparents, aunts and uncles)


people especially teenagers.

The system map (figure 2) and the influence diagram (figure 3) are helpful here


The system map helps in developing ones understanding of the breakdown of family ties and in deciding how to structure it, and to communicate with external systems. It is like a snapshot that shows the components of the system and environment at a point time. (Lane, 2000).

The influence diagram is developed form the system map. It includes arrows representing the direction, the importance and the type of influence between elements. This diagram represents the main structural features of a situation and the important relationships that exist among them. (Lane, 2000).

Likely to affect Unlikely to affect

Social agencies NGOs Educational sectors People of religion

Government Media

High impact

Communal parents Family members

Housemaid

Low impact


The expressed situation: Here I want to draw my first rich picture.(figure 4) The breakdown of family ties is a real mess in Lebanon; it leads to many complex problems Specifically in Beyrouth where the most families are nuclear, in which parents passed their time at work while children passed their time in the entertainment places. This affects the communication in the family, because parents don’t have enough time to solve children’s problems or to give them tender and love. Then the lack of communication between family members can create bad relationships between them and this may push children specifically teenagers for many types of deviations like; drug, alcohol and smoking and many types of violence. And push the parents to the separation or to the divorce. As we know when the families are not stable the society becomes unstable because it is formulated from these families.


According to the rich picture, I symbolized each element related to the mess by A pictorial representation and interpreted the relationships and interactions between them. It helps in better understanding of the breakdown of family ties in Lebanon specifically in Beyrouth because it portrays all the element involved like; divorce, bad communication, technology, economic factors… it is said to be rich because it is rich in supporting the observer with required information about the mess, it embodies the reality that if you observe it in your eyes may influence you more than just information written. (Lane, 2000).

After my immersing I found many causes which are the following:

• Economic factors can help the family to achieve their needs • Family life style • The work of the women affects his responsibilities among her family which can lead to

the deviation of the children. • The divorce, the cohabitation and the conflict among family members can increase the

stress and the psychological diseases. • The technology can affect the communication among family members.

And there is many effects:

• Divorce • Stress • Violence on children • Deviation of children (smoking, alcohol, drug…)

The multi-cause diagram (figure 5) and the sign graph (figure 6) are helpful


The multi-cause diagram can be derived from the influence diagram. It is used to explore why an event happened. In this diagram, I represented the causes and the effects of the breakdown of family ties. And I used arrows to join it. So, through this diagram we can understand that many factors lead to the breakdown of family ties like; the technology that reduce family communication, the economic factors that affect the family lifestyle, and the work of woman that creates conflict between family members, increase the responsibilities of woman and affect her home life which can leads to separation and divorce. In the same time, there are many factors affected by the breakdown of family ties. For example this mess led to deviation which creates bad effects on the whole society. It affects the health of family members. It increases stress which lead to psychological diseases, separation and divorce. (Lane, 2000).

The sign graph is developed from the multi-cause diagram. It represents the relationships between causes and effects related to the situation of the breakdown of family ties to identify if we have positive or negative feedback loops. (Lane, 2000).


Contextualizing And now after my understanding of causes and effects I want to juggle the C ball by applying the information into context. So, I want to identify a relevant system and their root definitions. Relevant system: A system that works on reducing the breakdown of family ties and increasing the communication among the family members, which can help to organize the roles and responsibilities of each member as well it help parents to satisfy the needs of their children like tender, love, and security. And this can eliminate the deviation of children. This system can deal to reduce different nature of causes such as social (divorce, deviation) economic (economic factors), technological (technology) and cultural (family structure). Root definition: It is a system that should be prepared by all the stakeholders. And these stakeholders should try the best, and work hard in this situation in order to achieve desirable changes. So, root definition related to the economic system: management control system to increase salaries and organize part time job for women. So, government help families in getting high wages, and organize part time work for women which can help them to give enough time for their home responsibilities. Since the people of religion can help in increasing the awareness of families about the important of the blood relation. In addition, the family itself can organize its time of using technology, communicate with their children…. Also the educational sectors and the Media can help in giving good values to people especially Media when it choose the right programs that are related to our culture and accepting our traditions, values, and beliefs. The root definition for technology nature system organizes time for watching TV, when the women give more time for their children. The root definition related to the social nature is to protect children from deviation, to improve united families, and to develop sustainable society. The root definition related to the culture is to organize the family members’ responsibilities and advice these members about the culture. (Armson, R., Ison, R., 2000) And here I want to draw the conceptual model: (figure 7and 8)


CATWOE

C: (customers) family members

A: ( actors) all the stakeholders listed above

T: (transformation) family ties breaking reduction process. (Figure 8 and 9)

W: (worldview) families should be very strong and united. And children should be protected and Satisfied (love, tender…)

O: (ownership)families, Government, religion people and educational sectors

E: (environmental constraints) culture, globalization and the technology.

(Jotin Khisty, C., 1995) I want to draw the control model that represents the transformation process.(figure 9and 10) The first closed loop control of breakdown of family ties represents the inputs like; government rules, information about family structure, information about woman’s work, norms and values and strategies. Used in the process for stronger family relation in order to achieve the goal of having a stronger relation in the family. I choose these inputs because they are useful, it is easy to find it and to use it in the process. The process for stronger family relation leads to many outputs like; rate of divorce, level of deviation, psychological diseases and increase in family burdens. But the sensors like the family members can note an increase in burdens in the family, and doctors can note that the number of psychological diseases increase. So, when the sensor notes these deviations he gives a negative feedback about the result. Then the comparator like family members and sociologist compare the output with the goal and then take action to reduce the deviations between outputs and goal. After this the actuator like minister of society rights tries to reduce these deviations by using the knowledge about the breakdown of family ties. For example, he can change the strategies and the rules designed by them. The second closed loop control of breakdown of family ties represents the new inputs regulated by the actuator like new strategies and rules and woman’s work. I choose these inputs because for example, in the first closed loop control the sensor see that the taxes increase the burdens of families. In this closed loop control I represent better outputs like the decrease in the divorce rate, deviation level and density of psychological diseases and the most important output is the stronger relation in family. (Lane, 2000).


Managing: Now I want to compare the conceptual model with the real world situation.

Conceptual world Real world comment Feasible and desirable

Increase salaries Salaries are very low by referring to the taxes and burdens

Government should help families and increase wages

If government increase salaries, family burdens will decrease.

Organize part time work for women

There is part time work but with low wages

Women need to work full time to help his husband

Government should do this with increasing salaries

Decrease family burdens

Every day the burdens increase

Development and technology increase the demand of the family

It is a good way to achieve a stability in families

Give more free time for children (time for communication)

There is no enough time for children because of the full time work of women

Parents have different responsibilities which affect their relation with their children

It is the best way to share tender, love..

Organize family members’ responsibilities.

It is not present in the families

When responsibilities are organized, roles will be organized

Very beneficial

Protect the family ties

There is no protection

Communication is important

It’s feasible and desirable

Improve united family

the number of united families is low

Technology minimize the unity

It is very feasible and desirable. And give benefit to the


society

Protect children from deviations

high levels of deviation

Nowadays it is difficult to protect children

It is very important for the society.

Develop sustainable society.

There is no sustainability

Education courses and advices can be helpful

Very feasible and desirable

Now I want to draw new rich picture (figure 11)


Debating with other stakeholders: Now I need to choose the best and effective way to improve the situation of breakdown of family ties. Based on sheer observation and careful scrutiny of the data, and after many interviews and a lot of researches and studies with the different stakeholders, I recognized that their perspectives are different about reducing our mess. So, me as a system practitioner I have to decide with them, which means I have to act as a facilitator and participate with them in decision making about how to reduce the complexity we are facing. Thus, we have all to recognize that the changes should be systemically desirable by being logical and achievable. Since, they must be culturally feasible to be implemented. And we have recognized the dangerous of this mess on the family and the whole society. And as a result we suggested some ideas that could be done:

• Increase the wages of part time work for the women, so that she will not be obligated to live their home and their children long hours.

• Provides social services such as free entertainment places for families, and obligate them to visit these places at least one time in the week.

• Organize obligated tests before marriage for all couples. And encourage free courses about the families and the right way to deal with their children and protect them from the deviation toward bad and dangerous behaviors

• Increase the social awareness for the children and their parents • Monitor and check the places where children and teenagers are going. (Such as the

entertainment places.) • Provide the families with all rights such as free hospitals and security or shelters.

The solutions suggested above can be very effective. And the share of efficient ideas with the stakeholders was very useful. But these ideas need a lot of time to be implemented and need a strong support from the government which is the biggest source of authority. This support can be legal or financial and this is the hardest part. Thus, all these ideas could have long-term or sustainable effect. Implementation: Now after contending actors come to accept changes as systemically desirable and culturally feasible. The relevant systems will eventually take over to implement the defined changes. And here hierarchies can be helpful. Thus, applying the ideas suggested can help in reducing the Breakdown of family ties, and then to improve united families that drive to develop sustainable society. (Armson, R., Ison, R., 2000)


5.2.4-Conclusion: In conclusion, the increase in the dangerous impacts of the breakdown of family ties on the family and the whole society, and the serious problems occurred drove me to study this situation and immersing myself in it by taking into consideration the perspectives of different stakeholders. And everyone has a role to do while dealing with this situation, and is responsible to reduce it. For example, the parents can organize their home life. Mother can organize her time between work and home. For example she can have a part time job, then she return to her home and prepare healthy foods for their children. Father can give his family part from his time to solve the children problem. So, family members when they understand better ways to communicate with each others, they can solve problems, avoid hurting feelings and misunderstandings, sharing feeling, and pay attention to each others.

However my uses of T306 approaches and concepts were help me in understand the messy situation. Thus, I used the SSM approach which is useful in dealing with complexities, and different others tools like diagrams and log frame… All these issues was helpful allow me to analyze the situation in a good manner. (Word count: 3031)


6-Client report Aley, Ain El-Remmeneh 30/12/2010 Dear minister of social affairs… After a deep understanding, and a ethical and carefully sharing with many stakeholders related to the situation, I find that the Breakdown of family ties is very dangerous, it have serious negatively impact on the society because it leads not only to the breaking of the families, but also to the breaking of society unity and stability... So, this harmful mess should be eliminated and reduces in order to protect people and their society. First, many causes lead to the breakdown of family ties. These cases can be the Economic factors can help the family to achieve their needs, the Family life style. And the work of women that affects their responsibilities among her family which can lead to the deviation of the children. Since the divorce, the cohabitation and the conflict among family members can increase the stress and the psychological diseases. And the technology can affect the communication among family members.

Second this complex situation has a lot of impacts that harm the families and the society. Some of these impacts can be Divorce, Stress, and Violence on children and the deviation of children (smoking, alcohol, drug…). In addition to the psychological diseases that make the life of children very sad, and make them unproductive people in the society which can increase its burdens So, as we have seen it is very urgent to do something in order to improve this negative situation that threatens our life. And for this in my project I concentrate on the causes and effects mentioned above, and I used many ways to achieve effective results. So I suggested the following solutions; Increase the wages of part time work for the women, so that she will not be obligated to live their home and their children long hours. And provides social services such as free entertainment places for families, and obligate them to visit these places at least one time in the week. Since, Organize obligated tests before marriage for all couples. And encourage free courses about the families and the right way to deal with their children and


protect them from the deviation toward bad and dangerous behaviors. Plus Increase the social awareness for the children and their parents. Also monitor and check the places where children and teenagers are going. (Such as the entertainment places.) And provide the families with all rights such as free hospitals and security or shelters. Moreover, the parents can organize their home life. Mother can organize her time between work and home. For example she can have a part time job, then she return to her home and prepare healthy foods for their children. Father can give his family part from his time to solve the children problem. So, family members when they understand better ways to communicate with each others, they can solve problems, avoid hurting feelings and misunderstandings, sharing feeling, and pay attention to each others.

In conclusion, everyone have the right to live a happy and to enjoy his life within a comfort and secure society. So we are all responsible to act and reduce the breakdown of family ties which can make our society sustain, and our families united. Thus, we can live happy life without problems. With all my respect… The system practitioner. (Word count: 535)


7-Log project: Week one: In this week I read carefully the TMA questions and I looking for its purposes, I discussed them with my tutors and I asked him about any unclear ideas. Then my topic was already chosen in the last question of the TMA 01 of this semester. This topic was breakdown of family ties, and in order to understand it more and more, and to immerse in it, I needed a lot of data and information. I started to do interviews with people who have experiences related to my topic, and to do researches and collecting ideas from many sources such as (document, magazines….). I wrote my acknowledgment, my ideas, and the definition of the reports. Week two: it is the week when I revised all the concepts and approaches related to the T306 course. Since, I started to use them in my tutor report. First I finished the aim of the report, and then I completed my ethicality statement and the log frame. Also I listed the stakeholders and their values, beliefs and circumstances, I juggled the BECM balls, and I drew the diagrams while applying the SSM in order to find systemic desirable and cultural feasible changes. Then I wrote the conclusion that summarizes my work in the tutor report, and the way of dealing with the Breakdown of family ties. And finally I revised this report. Week three: in this week I did the client report that was helpful to anyone to read and understand the situation. I wrote it to the minister of social affairs. And I listed in it the different causes and effects that are related to the Breakdown of family ties. Since, I talked about the changes and activities that are acceptable by the different stakeholders including in my project. Finally I explained the need of its dangerous and negative effect. And after this report I did an overall summary about my reflections and what I have done and improved. Week four: I revised all what I have done step by step. I corrected all the mistakes that I have fined. Then I did the log project which summarizes what I have done during five weeks. Since I used the Harvard style referencing, I terminated my list of references and of figures. Week five: this is the last week when I was very tired. I put my table of contents, and then I started to type my project about the Breakdown of family ties in the PT3 forum on the moodle. I organized my presentation and my design of the project; I put the header and footer. And finally I used the site ( www.spellcheckplus.com) to correct any mistake. And then I send my project to my tutor through the internet. (Word count: 461)

http://www.spellcheckplus.com/


8. Overall summary. The increase in the dangerous effects of the breakdown of family ties on the family and on the society; drive me to know more about this mess and to find some solutions that help me to build a happy family in the future.

So, after doing the TMA I really understand the mess, because now the information is clear. The analysis followed in my project was very helpful. It helped me to deal with the messy situation in a systemic way. So, I find that referring to the history of the situation is very important, and that dealing with different stakeholders is very beneficial. Since, the SSM inquiry system was very helpful and useful for analyzing and dealing with the mess. It helped me to understand many causes and effects through sharing ideas, skills and experiences with different stakeholders, which can help me to be creative in the improvement of the complex situation. Moreover the representing of the values, beliefs and circumstances, the perspectives of stakeholders were clear and apparent. (Blackmore, C., et al, 2000). In addition by immersing myself in the situation, I find the roots of its negative and dangerous impacts. And this engagement was helpful to think about different systems of interest which can help me to touch the relevant solutions. Also the use of diagrams was very helpful in my project, because the rich picture and the spray diagram clarify the situation and help me to make sense about it (Sensing Phase). And the sign graph, multi-cause diagram, system map, and influence diagram make the relation among causes and effects, or among stakeholders clear and apparent, which help me understand and the situation more and more (understanding phase). Since the control models and the conceptual models help me to take decisions about the feasible and desirable changes, and then to achieve successful actions (deciding and acting). (Martin, J., 2001) Thus, I was applied the SUDA process which facilitate my work on the project. Besides while writing the client report I make the situation clear to any person. Finally I hope that everyone take the responsibility of his action and decision, and the stakeholders such as government do active changes in order to live and develop successful, safe, and developed future. In general, the TMA was very helpful. I take from it many ideas about the situation, and many ideas that help me to explore and understand any other situations


9. Lists of figures

Figure 1: spray diagram of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 2: system map of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 3: influence diagram of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 4: first rich picture of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 5: multi-cause diagram of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 6: sign graph of the breakdown of family ties. Figure 7 and 8: conceptual model. Figure 9 and 10: the closed loop of control model of breakdown of family ties.

Figure 11: the second rich picture of breakdown of family ties.


10. References:

Armson,R., Ison,R., 2000, managing complexity: A systems approach, Block one

Juggling with complexity searching for system, the Open University. Armson, R., 2000, The systemic practitioner: being reflective, becoming aware,

the Open Universitiy. Blackmore, C., et al, 2000, Managing complexity: A systems approach, Block 4

Managing sustainable development. Learning with other stakeholders, the Open

University.

Hatab, Z., 2007, society structure and activity, the center for research and development, Lebanon.

Jotin Khisty, C., 1995, journal URBAN PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, soft-

systems Methodology, Vol. 121.

Lane, A. (2000), Appendix a glossary of diagram types in Lane, A. (2000), systems thinking and practices; diagramming, the Open University

Martin, J. (2001), course guide, the Open University. Richardson, M., 2010, eHow contributor updated. Zalghut, R., 2009, sociology education, Barakat house.

faculty of business studies tma cover sheet fbs-pt3 lebanon...

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