Tools for Thinking

Mike Pidd is Professor of Management Science at Lancaster University. He has served as President of the Operational Research Society and as Chair of COPIOR (the Committee of Professors in OR). His research interests focus on the development of usable models in management science and computer simulation, most recently in healthcare, and he has published widely in academic journals and books.

• Preface ix Acknowledgements xiPART I MODELLING IN MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 11 Models as convenient worlds 32 Management Science – making sense of strategic vision 213 Problems, problems . . . 434 Some principles of modelling 63PART II INTERPRETIVE MODELLING – SOFT MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 835 Soft systems methodology 896 Cognitive mapping, SODA and journey-making 1097 System dynamics 1358 Decision analysis 157PART III MATHEMATICAL AND LOGICAL MODELLING 1859 Optimization modelling – linear programming 18710 Computer simulation – visual interactive modelling and Monte Carlo simulation 21111 Heuristic search 241PART IV MODEL ASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION 26312 Model assessment and validation 265Index 285