Browsing by Author "Reed, Ryan"
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- ItemToward a meta-methodology for real-world problem solving(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-04) Reed, Ryan; Van Vuuren, J. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Industrial Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are complexities inherent to the subjective experience of life that render real-world problem solving exceedingly subtle and difficult. Yet, all too often, it is not the complex nature of problems that result in their persistence, but rather the ineffective fashion in which practitioners dedicated to their resolution respond thereto. The process of real-world problem solving comprises three parts: The development of a formal formulation of a problem considered, the identification of an adequate response thereto, often by means of analytical modelling, and finally, the practical implementation of that response. In the history of real-world problem solving, the first of these phases has often been neglected and, as a result, solution methodologies dedicated to the formulation of problems, complicated by the dynamics of human nature, have failed to address several phenomena relevant to the success of problem resolution. Accordingly, the work documented in this dissertation is dedicated first to the identification of such phenomena, and then to the development and application of a meta-methodology dedicated to their management. The phenomena addressed include the identification of stakeholders relevant to a given instance of problem solving, the dissimilar states in which real-world systems exist and the effect thereof upon the resolution of problems therein, the sociological paradigm-based limitations of a select group of problem formulation methods, and the mitigation of irrational influences on human decision making. In an attempt to uncover dynamics relevant to the formulation of real-world problems hidden from a purely qualitative analysis, the unique utility of mathematical modelling is additionally employed to describe the context for which the proposed meta-methodology is designed. In order to illustrate the practical applicability of the meta-methodology proposed in this dissertation, several of its components are applied, first in a hypothetical fashion, to the context of the South African education system during the period of the fees must fall movement and then in a practical fashion, to the context of the South African energy sector.