Opening Remarks -- WU Jie and Michael C. JACKSON, August 3, 2002

46th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS), Shanghai, P.R. China, August 2-6, 2002.

Saturday, August 3, 2002, 8:30 a.m.

This digest was created in real-time during the meeting, based on the speaker's presentation(s) and comments from the audience. These should not be viewed as official transcripts of the meeting, but only as an interpretation by a single individual. Lapses, grammatical errors, and typing mistakes may not have been corrected. Questions about content should be directed to the originator. These notes have been contributed by David Ing (daviding@systemicbusiness.org) at the IBM Advanced Business Institute ( http://www.ibm.com/abi ).

Professor WU Jie and Professor Michael C. JACKSON, co-chairs of the conference

Introduction of the conference organizers and committees

Welcome by the Mayor of Shanghai

Opening remarks by Michael Jackson

The conference theme is about complexity and change.

• Two of the most important things that companies and countries face in the 21st century.

The systems community, particularly the ISSS, think that systems thinking helps in complexity and change.

• 1. An emphasis on wholism, looking at wholes, rather than just parts
  • Ability to study, in tandem, relationship between stability and change.
  • Dr. WU Jie has produced a book on stability and change.
• 2. Systems thinking also produces interdisciplinary thinking.
  • Sie-Wei Chung has used this thinking for enterprise management in China.
• 3. Systems ideas are both in theory and practice.
  • Professor ....

Hope that we can learn from each other

Opening remarks by Professor WU Jie

Believe that this is the first meeting of this kind, in China.

• Of great significance to China

Since China adopted the policy of reform, and opening up, China has made great change in systems science and systems engineering.

• China has quite a few organizations focused on systems science, systems methodology and systems engineering.
• Has founded modernization of China.

Premier Zheng has said that we need breakthrough thinking

• Systems science can play a role.

Opening Remarks by Professor XIE Shen-Wu, President, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Since the last century, there has been great progress in systems sciences.

• It includes math, social science and physical science.
• It has drawn interest from around the world.

Complexity and change is the theme of this conference.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has conducted research, and tried to apply this to developing Shanghai.

• Have engineering, social science, management majors -- doctorate in management
• Have developed CIBI with the European Union
• One of two universities that can grant degrees in Singapore.

The 46th Annual Meeting of the ISSS is the first system science meeting to be held in a developing country.

• Will contribute to development.

Thanks to conference staff who organized the meeting.

Some letters of congratulations were read.

• From the president of the Chinese Academy of Science
• From the Minister of Science
• From Chongqing
• From Inner Mongolia
• From the Agricultural and Industrial Association of Beijing

[Hand off to the executive chairmen for the meeting -- handshakes and photographs for 5 minutes]