Michael Pidd – författare

The 5th edition of this popular book is essential for management science students, MBAs and practitioners in this area. It shows how practical simulation models are built and used, and provides the theory needed to do this - whatever software is used. It covers the modelling methods, computing and statistical requirements for successful simulation.

The third edition of Tools for Thinking builds on the successes of the previous two editions. It creates a bridge between the soft and hard (Operations Research) OR schools of thought and provides an empirically based framework in which to place them. Focusing on modelling as an activity, rather than on models and techniques, Mike Pidd shows how models can be employed to explore possible future scenarios and to make sense of managerial vision. This third edition has been fully revised and updated without changing its focus.  It features a new chapter on Decision Analysis and includes up-to-date examples using popular softwares, such as Precision Tree, @Risk and Micro Saint Sharp, to illustrate how these help in developing and using management science models as tools for thinking

Systems Modelling: Theory and Practice brings together some of the leading minds in the fields of Systems Modelling and Operational Research, to produce a book which addresses issues that are of both practical importance and theoretical significance. This union of the theory and practice of Systems Modelling incorporates both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ aspects of Operational Research, creating a complementary approach that requires more than common sense and results in significant organizational benefits. The contributors are from organizations and academic departments that are major users of systems modelling, meaning their experience will be vital to readers who are seeking to expand their level of understanding in the development of these models. This book will appeal to students of computing, management science and operational research, and to practitioners who understand the many possibilities and applications that this complementary approach could have in industry.

Measuring the performance of public agencies and programmes is essential to ensure that citizens enjoy quality services and that governments can be sure that taxpayers receive value for money. As such, good performance measurement is a crucial component of improvement and planning, monitoring and control, comparison and benchmarking and also ensures democratic accountability. This book shows how the principles, uses and practice of performance measurement for public services differ from those in for-profit organisations, being based on the need to add public value rather than profit. It describes methods and approaches for measuring performance through time, for constructing and using scorecards, composite indicators, the use of league tables and rankings and argues that data-envelopment analysis is a useful tool when thinking about performance. This demonstrates the importance of allowing for the multidimensional nature of performance, as well as the need to base measurement on a sound technical footing.