I've been teaching
and carrying out research in discrete event simulation since the late
1970s (which seems an awfully long time). I was fortunate to start on
this just as the world of computing was changing dramatically. The
first IBM PC had yet to appear, but the first microcomputers were
available and many simulations were built and run on interactive
computer systems. I was convinced that this would affect the ways in
which simulation methods were used - and it did.
I wrote the first edition of Computer simulation in
management science because I thought that most of the texts
then available were rooted in an old fashioned view of computing and
also placed too much emphasis on the statistical aspects of simulation.
That the book is still in print after 25 years shows that some people
agree with this view.
The 5th edition is perhaps a bit long in the tooth, but is still in
use. It is organised into 3 main parts:
A general introduction to the principles of
computer simulation. The whole of Part I is deliberately
non-technical and makes little or no demand on computing or statistical
knowledge, other than the ability to use spreadsheets. It serves as an
introduction to those who wish to follow the rest of the book in
detail, but is also aimed at MBA and undergraduate business majors who
wish to gain an overview of the subject.
Discrete event simulation. This is
aimed at those readers who need to know how to produce valid, working
discrete event simulation models. It covers four important aspects of
discrete event simulation methods: discrete event modelling, computing
aspects, input and output analysis, model testing & validation.
System dynamics. The methods of system
dynamics as first propounded by Jay Forrester are, in my opinion, still
the most widely used formal simulation methods in management science
after discrete event methods.
The
details of the book are: Pidd M. (2004) Computer
simulation in management science (5th edition). John Wiley,
Chichester.
You can order the book from John
Wiley & Co over the web or from your book-store in the usual
way.
If you'd like a copy of a 3-phase simulation library to which the book
refers, please click on one of the links below. Each zip file contains
a Readme.doc file (in Microsoft Word for Windows format), which
explains how to use the relevant library. The software isn't pretty,
but it works.
Please note that I cannot accept any liability for these files, no
matter howsoever they are used. Hence you are welcome to use them for
your own purposes and at your own risk, as long as the work is not for
commercial gain.
