During his time in the mining industry, Graham worked throughout Australia and overseas on mineral exploration, mineral development projects, commodities marketing and on the development of minerals processing technology. His involvement ranged from the conduct of successful mineral exploration programs to the project management of a $20 million final feasibility study on the Mt Weld development project (Western Australia) involving the mining, downstream processing and marketing of rare earth compounds. The partners in this development project were Mitsui (Japan), Marubeni (Japan) and Carr Boyd Minerals (Australia), with Union Oil (USA) acting as a silent partner.

Throughout his career, Graham has demonstrated ability in the development of conceptual models of mineralisation and was associated with seven mineral discoveries including the aforementioned world-class deposits at MT Weld. He is also the author of a number of scientific papers relating to nickel and rare earth mineralisation. Principal employers included the Belgian company Union Miniere, Union Carbide and Union Oil of California (UNOCAL) from the USA and the Australian companies, Carr Boyd Minerals and Ashton Mining.

Graham's experience includes corporate strategic planning, setting of corporate policy and management to Board level, recruitment and management of multi-disciplinary technical teams engaged in research & development (R&D), overseeing financial and legal matters relating to major projects and negotiating deals at a national and international level. He has personally visited numerous technology companies in Europe, Japan and the USA in the fields of electronics, glass manufacture, automotive, alloys, ceramics and super-magnet fabrication in his role as Project Manager of the MT Weld development.

Graham is currently proprietor of his own business under contract with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia to market and manage the CEED Program (which places senior undergraduate and post-graduate students onto industry projects for their theses) on behalf of QUT and The University of Queensland. The work involves advising Queensland industry on R&D, setting up contracts and training students in conceptual thinking and project management. He has been with the program since inception (1992) and managed over 240 projects during this period, generating funds of over A$1.7 million from industry to operate the Program.

Since 1996, Graham has also been developing an exciting new scientific theory - The Unifying Theory of Entropy - a theory that recognises the basic coding of nature, which leads to the diversity of all patterns of behaviour observed in the natural world, including human society. Graham formed a private company, Living Business Systems (Aust) Pty Ltd, in early 2000 for the purpose of commercialising the theory.

By late 1996 it was becoming obvious to Willett, and many others, that 're-engineering' as a new methodology was experiencing both spectacular successes and flops. Willett observed that the key problem with 're-engineering' and other process-related methodologies was that they lacked a scientific basis of observation and measurement - rather, they had emanated from university business schools. Willett asked himself what constituted a process and what were the rules governing its behaviour? On these points the literature was sparse and inaccurate. It soon became obvious that to understand processes, a new understanding of the science behind processes and their mechanisms for change was required.

Willett's study of these issues soon ran into significant problems. While Chaos (Complexity) theory described the phenomenon of self-organisation and had produced significant evidence in support of this, the notion of self-organisation ran contrary to the common interpretation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and of 'entropy' (described later). Willett noted that Chaos theory was inadequate in this regard. Until this basic problem was solved, the theory of processes (systems) was going nowhere.

Willett then took a different approach. Having a background as a petrologist, mineralogist and crystallographer, he was fond of classifying things and describing their properties. He began to identify processes according to their fundamental properties and resultant behaviour and noticed that each pattern of behaviour was derived from a distinct geometry of process. At the time this observation appeared interesting, although it was only later that the full significance was apparent. Willett began to derive a set of "rules" that controlled the behaviour of processes. For example, without the ability to add processes sequentially only random events are possible. In this case, the resulting system is deterministic, inflexible and predictable. Such systems could easily be controlled. However, once an iterative process (new rule) was introduced into the system it became adaptable, flexible and less controllable or predictable.
After approximately a year of work, Willett recognised a small number of prime process geometries from which a diverse group of process geometries could be derived. It was observed that the same geometries could be used for both ordering and disordering reactions. Willett surmised that another factor (the role played by entropy) was involved in determining whether a process would be ordering or disordering when changing state. (Note: some scientists still regard entropy as being a measure of disorder and others see it as the dispersion of energy. The latter case is more accurate but still assigns a minor status to the role of entropy in nature, according to Willett).

Historically, there are two clear parallels to this discovery. Mendeleev spent days "playing cards" on which were written key properties of the known elements (~60 at the time). Eventually a pattern emerged, that of periodicity. This periodicity later proved to reflect the fundamental structure of the atom and formed the precursor of quantum mechanics. Later Darwin accomplished a similar feat when he recognised the phenomenon of "evolution" as the process structure relating plants and animals in the living world. By recognising patterns in nature Darwin was able to synthesise an enormous amount of data into a cohesive theory.

Evolution has now proven to be a far more intricate and complex phenomenon than previously thought. Willett's structure, or template, is now known to comprise over 100 process geometries intricately related as derivatives of several prime elements of natural code. The phenomenon of "self-organisation" or evolution results from the gross behaviour of this structure. Using this template, we now have a clearer picture of how nature works to evolve the living universe that we see.

Since 1997, Willett has continued to refine the theory of processes and systems. In so doing the phenomenon of entropy was re-visited. Entropy is proving to be a phenomenon of far greater significance than previously thought. Willett made a further significant breakthrough - in understanding the role of entropy as the movement towards relative stability. Using this knowledge, combined with the coding of evolution, Willett has moved on to generate a new systems theory that embraces complex and diverse living and non-living systems, with universal applications. Willett has called his new systems theory 'The Unifying Theory of Entropy'

The word entropy is derived from the ancient Greeks meaning the "in turning or forward motion of the universe". The concept of forward motion causing change is fundamental to the understanding of entropy. Originally, entropy was not viewed as a measure of disorder in any particular system or the dispersion of energy but was more akin to a "life force" that moved the universe and those souls within it towards their ultimate destiny. One important aspect of the philosophy of the Stoics (Zeno, 334 - 262 BC) was their belief that a natural 'logos' (the happening and the reasoning) existed in the universe. This set the pattern for human behaviour and flowed through as a belief in "pre-destination". Events happen for a reason (good or bad) and there is no point struggling against the inevitable. Conformity with destiny was inevitable and the Stoics described this inevitability as fate. It has taken approximately two millennia for humankind to progress much beyond this point.

It can now be demonstrated that entropy is not simply expressed as predestination but rather follows an intricate and complex set of geometric forms (the logos) that comprise a spectrum of behaviour spanning what was previously viewed as a paradox of determinism and free-will. A new paradigm is required to describe the expression of entropy in nature. Until recently one factor was still missing in expositions of entropy in nature. What generated the "forward motion or life force" in the first place? Current views favour either the tendency to disorder or the dispersion of energy as the driver of change. Entropy is seen as the measure of this change.

Entropy re-defined

• A series of related processes that form an integral operation (process system)
• Pathways of change that link needs to benefits (moving from instability to relative stability)

The Unifying Theory of Entropy allows complex systems to be analysed much more easily than by using traditional mathematics. Instead, the Theory uses a new paradigm based on geometries and their behaviour. Once understood, this new paradigm allows complex systems to be analysed much more quickly and effectively than by using other methods.

Living Business Systems intends to licence this methodology and the associated Intellectual Property to third parties for:

• Application in business and management consulting, process improvement, re-structuring, mergers and acquisitions, development programs, product analysis, market behaviour
• Human studies, social and psychological phenomenon, human performance
• Policy development involving complex systems and their behaviour
• Medical research including virology and immunology and systems that generate cancer and other complex diseases
• Economics related to systems performance, system modelling
• Computing - development of a systems-based computing platform (dubbed the 'Entropy computer' by Graham Willett) and software with the capability for decision-making, creativity and intelligence
• Defence and security applications for planning and information processing

It is also the intention of Living Business Systems to encourage collaborative research into areas of national importance.

Keys steps in the Methodology

The Unifying Theory of Entropy describes the formation of a system from processes and the rules for systems to combine into arrays and clusters. For use in existing organisations, technologies, strategies etc. the method of analysis is based on mapping the component systems and their composite processes as flow charts.

The steps involved are:

1. Determine the "systems chain" that leads to the direct goal of the systems array

This is the core business of the organisation involved, what it delivers as a service or profit or outcome. This is the prime function of the organisation. The systems chain may appear as a linear or nonlinear array (including natural networks) of systems or any combination of these geometries that deliver the desired outcome.

2. Map out the systems comprising the "systems chain"

Once the systems chain is identified, subdivide the chain into component systems (key steps along the road to delivery and profits). Systems are linked through value-adding steps that are anchored when the desired outcome is achieved.

3. Re-design individual systems within the chain or alter the juxtaposition of systems within the chain

Once the key systems chain is understood, the problems experienced by the organisation will have apparent causes that can be eliminated by either re-designing or removing systems from the chain or by moving systems into a new configuration. The Living Business Systems' methodology describes the rules for doing this.

4. Map out the supporting systems that inhibit the progress of the systems chain

Where problems cannot be resolved within the systems chain then it becomes necessary to drill down through the supporting systems to locate the problem. Layer upon layer of systems support most system chains. The same rules apply to supporting systems as to the systems chain.

The Unifying Theory of Entropy allows complex systems to be analysed much more easily than by using traditional mathematics. Instead, the Theory uses a new paradigm based on geometries and their behaviour. Once understood, this new paradigm allows systems to be analysed much more quickly and effectively than using other methods.

The Unifying Theory of Entropy can be applied to any systems analysis project. The Theory can also be used to create systems that exhibit specific behaviours including:

• Smarter drugs and vaccines, based on a better understanding of virus/disease behaviour and evolution;
• Anti-virus software for computers, which analyses the way viruses propagate and the system behaviour that is required to combat them;
• Advanced government policy, designed for better outcomes in the community;
• Crime prevention strategies, based on analysis of criminal behaviour/crime structures
• Products and services, with specific behaviours in the marketplace

The theory can also be used to redesign systems already in use to alleviate problems in performance.

The 'Entropy Computer' is an application that is set to revolutionise the IT industry and accelerate new technology. This new computing platform will permit operations that are, at present, "unthinkable" on today's conventional computers, allowing for the development of software that is capable of creativity, independent thinking, decision-making and intelligence.

Unlike binary coding, the new system will use a new programming language, based on natural coding of processes, that will form a new operating system. The computer will have the capability of modelling the behaviour of living systems such as viruses, bacteria, animal and plant ecosystems as well as non-living systems such as financial markets, the Internet and new products.

'Example - Evolution of a System, using the Basic Codes and hybrid geomerties, for enhanced performance.'