No label defined (Q4693733)

[For a review of the Dutch original (1988) see Zbl 0731.90001.] As an introduction to the field of simulation in the management sciences for undergraduates, this book succeeds very well. The choice of topics, the decisions about depth of coverage, and the organization have been well thought out. The twelve chapters deal with: computer random number generation, sampling non-uniform distributions, economic and corporate models, Operations Research models, simulation software, regression models, regression metamodels, design of experiments, validation, and miscellaneous topics such as renewal analysis, variance reduction and jackknife. Discussions are complete except that proofs for the most part are omitted in keeping with the elected depth of coverage. The student is treated to a wide view of the field due to the many and much appreciated references to extensions of the material as well as to the literature for further reading. The discussions are up to date. The book is in soft cover and is compact, 241 pages, but contains many exercises, some programs, written in Pascal, and flowcharts and is amply illustrated. Especially helpful pedagogically are the many worked out illustrative examples. Speaking of pedagogy, as a nice touch, each chapter begins with a bird's eye view of the chapter's content. In a kind of symmetry, the introductory chapter is itself a micro capsule of the whole book.