The concept of an open system was formalized within a framework that enabled one to interrelate the theory of the organism, thermodynamics, and evolutionary theory.[1] This concept was expanded upon with the advent of information theory and subsequently systems theory. Today the concept has its applications in the natural and social sciences.
Systems: Flexible system that can adapt and change by interacting with its external environment and, therefore, can defy the effects of entropy. Open systems (such as living organisms, markets, economies) take inputs from the environment, process and transform them, and send them back to the environment as output or waste.
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Open Systems in Business
Businesses depend on employees, suppliers, customers and even the competition for research, development and profit. Because the business doesn’t have control of all the environmental forces, it relies on predictions and contingencies to cope with unexpected input. For example, an influenza epidemic can affect suppliers, personnel and even customers, causing lost production and lost profit.
Subsystems
Larger systems comprise subsystems that interact with one another. Subsystems operate somewhat autonomously inside of systems, so if a subsystem fails, it doesn’t mean the whole system will fail. For businesses, there are four main subsystem categories: the economy, technology, personnel and the political-legal sector. Failure in technology for an e-commerce