A recent study has shown that the power-law degree distribution alone may not guarantee a network be scale-free. Meanwhile, a structural metric was formulated to represent the extent to which a network is scale-free, where a new concept of smax graph was suggested, associated with a measure of a network being fully scale-free. Following this approach, in our recent investigation of a real competitive relationship network of en- terprises in the software industry in Guangzhou city, China, we constructed and analyzed the smax graph of the real network, hoping that this case study could help us con¯rm the seemingly attractive new theory. It turns out, however, that the concept of smax graph does not preserve many essential features of the real network. To that end, the main reason for the failure of the original concept of smax graph is discussed, with a possible remedy suggested for future research.

为了解释现实中存在的、有着相同的组织部门结构却有着不同的功能、似乎与“系统的结构决定其功能” 的系统原理相矛盾的现象, 在肯定结构决定功能的系统原理、在系统结构的一般定义以及切克兰德的系统分 类的基础上, 借鉴有关悖论的知识, 提出了“系统的类型不同, 其结构的具体定义也应不同”的观点, 由此得出 了直接移植“被设计系统”的结构定义到组织导致了上述矛盾的结论, 并进一步给出了作为“人类活动系统”的 组织的结构定义, 还用案例对这个定义的意义做了说明.

本文的复杂网络既有方法论意义：指一种对大规模网络的分析方法，又有本体论意义：指真实世界中存在的网络；竞争是市场经济的灵魂，是企业生存的方式。企业本来就是嵌入在由大量对手构成的竞争网络之中的，所以文章试图用复杂网络方法，发现传统方法未能揭示的、企业间竞争关系与对抗行动的新现象。