For any endeavour (application), the goal is to ensure the chance is high that the conclusions, which flow from the underlying problem-solving, are valid and realistic. The extent and structure of the information available about the application and the degree to which this information is exploited in the modelling are the keys to making the chance high. At one level, this depends on the nature and amount of the available data. At another, it relates to the quality of the modelling which connects the available data to the indicators which characterize the relevant decision-making quantitatively. The interest of this paper is principally the latter aspect. The focus is link concepts which allow a model, which connects the available data to the indicators, to be partitioned into a number of interrelated sub-models. Such partitioning has a dual role in problem-solving in that it is a strategy for the formulation process itself as well as for the implementation of a model in terms of link concepts. The discussion is illustrated with a variety of examples including the modelling developed for a Decision Support System for the management of a beef cattle station in North Queensland.
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