A system owned and operated by the trade managers for the purpose
of establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with senders
and supermarkets while constrained by the need to make a profit.SSM provided a framework for learning about the operations of im-
porting companies through the development of root definitions and con-
ceptual models. The ability to combine the input from several managers
into a CM of the total system was a notable contribution of SSM. Work-
ing as a team was critical to successfully documenting our learning about
importing companies. One company used results from the SSM study to
analyze the subsystems that would need to be added or changed and de-
cided the timing was not favorable for implementing ISO 9000 Quality
Management Programs.
Kuwait
In 1992 and 1993 multiple consulting assignments that included use
of SSM were completed for the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
(KISR). One project was to develop a proposal for the Food Technol-
ogy Group at KISR to obtain internal funding to conduct research for
reducing postharvest losses (Cassens et al., 1993). SSM was used to gain
an understanding of the businesses, institutions, and agencies involved
with food production, processing, distribution, and consumption in
Kuwait. Then root definitions and conceptual models were developed
for tomato production and marketing to demonstrate applications of SSM
as described in the project proposal.
The second project for KISR (Prussia, 1993) was part of a larger pro-
ject to develop a strategic plan for food security in Kuwait. A compre-
hensive conceptual model was developed for visualizing the interactions
of the businesses and agencies involved with the production, importa-
tion, and distribution of food along with its consumption. The results
helped to clarify the role of government agencies in gaining and pro-
viding knowledge to businesses.
One specific result of the second project was the concept of locat-
ing/building receiving facilities at the two main border crossings with
Saudi Arabia. Trucks with food and other products from shipping coun-
tries could be unloaded and the cargo reloaded onto Kuwaiti vehicles.
At the time of the assignment all trucks had to stop along the roadway
at the border for several separate inspections (military, immigration, cus-
toms, and quality standards). In addition, security considerations required
Examples of Soft Systems Methodology 281