Article on the application of the Volterra-Lotka model to managing competition in the marketplace. Provides insights into a set of elementary marketing actions that has emerged that provide guidance when searching for a commercial image or an effective advertising message. Download the piece here. (PDF)

In just a few minutes, you’ll learn what you need to know about Simulation Science, also referred to as Operational Research (O.R.). It is a brochure written for busy executives by the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Download the piece here (PDF).

Complexity theory is at the forefront of science and math. It is being used to map biological events and forecast earthquakes. Can it be useful in manufacturing? The answer is yes, but… Download the piece here (PDF).

This is work that Justin Lyon did during his MIT studies in 2001. It is a highly simplified example of the development of a strategic simulation architecture of the growth of terrorists in Afghanistan. Download the piece here (.DOC).

Simulation synthesizes learning into a vision of the direction that the business should pursue. It acts as a catalyst, involves intuition and creativity and delivers an integrated perspective of the enterprise. Furthermore, along the way, it builds the enthusiasm of both managers and planners for the journey they will ultimately take together. Download the piece here (PDF).

This paper presents eight interrelated perspectives for examining a complex issue or problem and for inferring potential evolutionary tendencies or behavior based upon the structural characteristics of the system under study. Experience suggests these perspectives may be useful not only in dealing with qualitative system models, but also in validating and troubleshooting quantitative models. Download piece from Jay Forrest’s website. (Offsite links)

Inspiration for the next Coca-Cola or Unilever marketing campaign might come from a computer game that looks an awful lot like The Sims. Written by Allison Fass in the November 2005 issues of Forbes. Download the piece here (URL).

Scientists are planning to use the largest supercomputers to simulate life on Earth, including the financial system, economies and whole societies. The project is called “Living Earth Simulator” and part of a huge EU research initiative named FuturIcT. You can read the article online at ScienceDaily (May 28, 2010). In a practical sense, the scientists behind the project foresee the development of crises observatories and decision-support systems for politicians and business leaders. “Such observatories would detect advance warning signs of many different kinds of emerging problems,” says Dirk Helbing, “including large-scale congestion, financial instabilities, the spreading of diseases, environmental change, resource shortages and social conflicts.”

This article discusses General Motors’ North American Enterprise Model, a system dynamics model of the entire North American automobile market. The Enterprise Model takes a broad look across the corporation and its marketplace, combining internal activities such as engineering, manufacturing and marketing with external factors such as competition for consumer purchases in the new and used vehicle marketplaces. Download the piece here (PDF).

Proctor & Gamble used simulations that pointed the way to a supply chain restructuring that would consolidate P&G’s North American plants by 20% and lower supply chain costs by $200 million a year. This article provides a great overview of how they structure their Global Analytics practice. See the full article here (off-site link).

Dr. Suarez at Trinity University and Simudyne founder published ideas on a general theory of collective behavior and structure formation, with a resulting architecture that can be broadly applied. Read the full article here. (Offsite link)

It stocks your grocery store, schedules your favorite team’s games, and helps plan your vacation. A primer on the most influential academic discipline you’ve never heard of. By Virginia Postrel in The Boston Globe, June 27, 2004 Read the full article here (offsite link).

Agent-based simulations are allowing companies to build silicon versions of themselves, piece by piece and person by person. Article written by Mark Buchanan and published in strategy+business. Download the piece here (URL).

Great introductory presentation by Anylogic that compares SD and ABM. A must read for Simudyne team members! Download the piece here (PDF).

Technical document that explains the linkage between Agent Based Modeling and System Dynamics and Discrete Event Simulation. Download the piece here (PDF).

Jay Forrester’s computer models show the nonlinear roots of calamity and reveal the leverage that can help us avoid it. Article from Strategy + Business written by Lawrence M. Fisher. He is a contributing editor to strategy+business, covered technology for the New York Times for 15 years and has written for dozens of other business publications. Mr. Fisher is based in San Francisco. Download Jay Forrester’s piece here (PDF).

Visa, one of only a very few examples, of the application of complexity science to the organization and managment of global corporations. Simudyne’s business model is based on the early days of the Visa brand. Read the full article here. (Offsite link)

Information on the future of systems modelling and the approaching “tipping point” for the whole field. View the Notes in PPT to learn more about each slide. Download the presentation here (.PPT).