| Driving Down Cost: How to Manage and Cut Costs - Intelligently by Andrew Wileman is timed to perfection. Organisations in the public and private sectors are focusing on cost like never before. This book shows how costs should be managed intelligently and is a gem. The broad spectrum of cost is covered without delving too deeply into specialist cost areas.
Structured around 11 chapters, the book starts with an introduction to cost management and leadership. Cutting cost is shown to promote better generated work as well as containing delivery expense. Strong management and leadership are prerequisites of cost management and is the subject of the opening chapters. Wileman gets straight down to business in chapters focusing on techniques and tactics, people cost and supplier cost. This is rounded off with a case study which provides considerable detail on how a complex cost saving project was undertaken for a European business services company.
Cost removal through engaging with the internet and future trends in outsourcing are examined and the author’s innovative thinking is carried through to other ways to reduce cost; for instance, passing elements of business processing on to customers.
The penultimate chapter covers the role of cost management in underpinning business strategy, such as delivering value through acquisitions, providing opportunities for competitive pricing and business development. Using the framework developed throughout the book, the final chapter examines the challenges of cutting government spending.
A cost manager’s toolkit completes each chapter which brings together the thinking developed on each topic. The conclusion neatly summarises the process of effective cost management providing a checklist for reference.
Wileman is a lucid author and his book is both highly readable and a source of considerable value to the general manager reader.
Reviewed by Andrew May FCMI
Published by Nicholas Brealey
£14.99
ISBN 978-1-857-88544-6
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