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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 30 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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Turbo Pascal
Visual basic (v5 onwards)
C/C++ using Microsoft Visual C
Java (which includes javadoc files)