Fall 2000
Dr.
Irwin Pressman
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
Fall 2000
|
|||||
Prerequisites:
Business 42.142*
and 42.230* and Economics 43.220 or Mathematics 69.266* and 69.267* (with
a grade of C- or better in each). It is the responsibility
of each student to ensure that he/she has met the prerequisite requirements
for the course. Failure to document this requirement will lead to mandatory
deregistration from the course. Waiver of any prerequisite requirement
can only be granted by the School of Business. Students are urged to
IMMEDIATELY contact the School in all cases of doubt, and are reminded
that responsibility for this matter rests with the student.
Calendar Description: Computer-based simulation.
Specific topics will include generating random observations, problem formulation,
simulation model design, implementation using a computer language, and
interpretation of simulation output.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Objectives
The objective of this course is to introduce Business
students to the essential ideas and tools of computer simulation and to
illustrate their applications to the study of business systems. The MATLAB
technical computing environment will be used as the basic tool through
which the various aspects of simulation modeling are introduced. Our goal
is for students to learn how to model business systems and familiarize
themselves with a set of widely used tools. We will study how to develop
conceptual models of industrial systems, build computer simulation models
from them, and analyze their simulation results. However, it
is development of critical thinking and analytical skills that are the
real goal.
Course Design: The
first two weeks of the course will include a crash course in MATLAB.
Do not miss the first lecture because we will spend several hours in a
computer lab.You may purchase a copy of the MATLAB
PRIMER from the COPY SHOP in LOEB205A for
a nominal fee. We will use MATLAB throughout the term and
your skill levels will develop. In the first 2 weeks we will spend part
of our time in computer labs. Please attend these lectures.
I will post the first assignment on the web early so that you
can get some feeling as to the direction that the course will take. I expect
you to complete assignments on time. Late assignments will be penalized;
they are due at 8:30 AM in class on the due date. I encourage the
creation of teams of two but this is NOT required. You need not have
the same partner throughout the course. We expect that you
will share information about MATLAB with classmates, but it is not appropriate
for any student to copy another person's work. Copying of work is a violation
of the Senate Code, and is subject to the sanctions contained therein.
See the relevant sections in the Calendar or: http://admissions.carleton.ca/cu0001uc/general%20regulations/Academic_Standing_and_Conduct.html
You are expected to learn to debug your own software. Frequently much is learned by this process. When you identify your mistake you are not likely to repeat it. One possible outcome for slackers is to end up like our friend Walter: http://208.239.13.53/walter.htm
MATLAB will provide a unique opportunity and challenge for students. MATLAB is widely taught in Schools of Engineering. It has penetrated a few leading Business schools in the U.S.A. (e.g., University of Pennsylvalia, Wharton Business School course 653: Mathematical Modeling and its Application in Finance, and University of California at Berkeley BA238C: Finance Seminar and E236: Derivatives.) I have taught MATLAB to a wide range of students in the past, and they have not found it difficult. My goal is that that you will acquire skill in using a useful, reliable tool set and appreciate the details of the systems involved.
Some Business Schools focus on Spreadsheet systems. To quote Michael Pidd, a leading authority, in Computer Simulation for Management Science4'th edition, p. 248: "Spreadsheet models … are ideal for carrying out simple system dynamics simulations, although they are NOT recommended for large-scale or complicated models. … There is a tendency for spreadsheet models to grow too large and to contain spaghetti-like links between cells. When a spreadsheet model gets into this state it is almost impossible to validate or verify and is probably best scrapped." This has been my personal experience and is the reason why we will move to a superior set of tools. This may be a competitive advantage for those students considering working for Engineering oriented or consulting firms. There is, however, a greater demand on the students who will have to acquire some introductory aspects of high-level programming skills in this course.
SOFTWARE: MATLAB is available to all students on the Carleton Unix network on PRINCE. There will be some stand-alone copies in labs. You can go to the web site for MATHWORKS http://www.mathworks.com who are the developers and marketers of MATLAB in case you wish to purchase a copy. Check http://www.mathworks.com/products/education/9364v01_edu_broch.pdf regarding special student licensing prices, and concerning STUDENT MATLAB that is available in the Carleton Bookstore. You are not required to purchase the software. There are manuals in the bookstore
| Assignments, class participation, and presentation
of final project
DUE DATES: Assignment 1: Sept. 28; Assignment 2: October 19; Assignment 3: November 2 |
40% |
| Tests # 1. Oct. 12 ; # 2. Nov. 9 (15 marks each) | 30% |
| Final take home project: Due date
MONDAY Nov. 27 4-5:30 PM
BONUS (5% if received Nov. 23 by 3:45PM) PENALTY (5% if received by 3:45PM Nov. 30, which is the last time projects will be received) |
30% |
| Total | 100% |
Week 1. Introduction to Simulation. Introduction to MATLAB. Intercorporate
Ownership.
Week 2. MATLAB functions and scripts. Built in tools. Graphics.
Lotteries.
Week 3. Simulation Examples: Chapter 2 . Queueing Systems. Simulation
of Inventory Systems.
Week 4. General principles. Other Simulation Software. Chapters 3-4
Weeks 5-6. Statistical Models in Simulation. Distributions. Poisson
Process. Queueing Models. Chapters 5-6
Week 6. TEST
Week 7. Random-Number Generation. Monte Carlo methods. Pseudo-Random
Numbers. Chapter 7.
Week 8 . Random-Variate Generation. Input Modeling. Statistical
analysis. Chapter 8-9
Week 9-10 Verification and Validation of Simulation Models. Model
Building, Verification, and Validation. Chapter 10.
Week 10. TEST
Week 11. As time permits: Output Analysis for a Single Model.
Measures of Performance. Steady-State Simulations.Comparison and Evaluation
of Alternative System Designs. Optimization. Linear Programming. Introduction
to simulation of Manufacturing and Material Handling Systems. Case
Studies. Selected topics. Chapter 11-12
Weeks 12-13. Presentation of projects by the groups (~15-20 minutes
each)
Albright, S.C., W. L. Winston, and C. Zappe Data Analysis
and Decision Making. Duxbury (1999)
Banks, J. Handbook of Simulation, Wiley Interscience,
John Wiley and Sons (1998).
Clemen, Robert T. Making Hard Decisions: An Introduction
to Decision Analysis. Duxbury (1996).
Fishman, G. S. Principles of Discrete Event Simulation.
John Wiley and Sons (1978).
Hanselman, D. and B. Littlefield, MASTERING MATLAB 5, Prentice
Hall (1998). Excellent reference.
In bookstore soon.
Khoshnevis, B. Simulation. McGraw-Hill, Inc. (1994).
Law, A. M. and W. D. Kelton Simulation Modelling and Analysis,
Second Edition, McGraw-Hill (1991).
Pidd, M. Computer Simulation in Management Science 4th
edition. John Wiley and Sons (1998).
Schriber, T. J. An Introduction to Simulation Using GPSS/H,
John Wiley & Sons (1991).
Thesen, Arne and Travis, L. E. Simulation for Decision Making,
West Publishing, St. Paul, (1992).
Vose, D. Quantitative Risk Analysis, John Wiley and Sons (1996).
Winston W.L. Simulation Modeling Using @Risk Duxbury Press
(1996).
Winston W.L., and S. C. Albright Practical Management Science,
Wadsworth (1997) Discrete Systems
Document URL: http://www.carleton.ca/~ipress/42338/announce/announce.html