We have gathered together a list of recommended books that we think are of particular interest to our society members. If you click on each book image, it will take you to the Amazon page so you can read more about it and order it if you wish. *Note: SPCEA does not make any money from the sale of any book.
The Cost is a story of a cost engineering consultant named Doug Benson who does his best to help companies understand and improve cost. When Doug arrives at Electronica, the company is on a verge of bankruptcy and hardly even knows why. He must use all his cost engineering knowledge and leadership skills amidst some considerable corporate drama, all the while fighting his own personal demons in order to give Electronica a chance.
Looking for a recommended book with practical, proven methods to gain that crucial competitive edge for your company? It’s as simple as ABC. Activity-based costing (ABC) is a decision support tool that gives you that needed edge through a greater understanding of your product and process costs…
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This legendary book was first published in English in 1990. It has been re-translated and extensively revised, including material not found in the original translation. No wonder it is on our list of recommended books! It is Altshuller’s most popular book in Russia on how to become an inventor, and how to solve technical problems. The translator, Lev Shulyak, is himself an accomplished inventor, engineer and TRIZ expert.
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Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?
The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie.
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Learn how to integrate the two important cost reduction systems that have revolutionized manufacturing. Target costing is used during the development and design stage of new products. It focuses on profit realization by planning quality products in the design and review stage. Kaizen costing helps you decrease production costs for existing products. Combining the target and kaizen methods leads to a complete cost reduction system that can be applied from product inception to completion.
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Our recommended book, Target Costing, describes the scope, framework, process, and tools for implementing an integrated target costing system. It details aspects of the process such as focus on relationships with customers, suppliers, and dealers. In turn, it illustrates how this method has helped companies including Chrysler and Boeing. For managers in marketing, engineering, finance, support, and logistics.
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Written in a fast-paced thriller style, The Goal, a gripping novel, is transforming management thinking throughout the world. It is a book to recommend to your friends in industry – even to your bosses – but not to your competitors. Alex Rogo is a harried plant manager working ever more desperately to try to improve performance. His factory is rapidly heading for disaster. So is his marriage. He has ninety days to save his plant – or it will be closed by corporate HQ, with hundreds of job losses.
In factories around the world, Toyota consistently makes the highest-quality cars with the fewest defects of any competing manufacturer, while using fewer man-hours, less on-hand inventory, and half the floor space of its competitors. The Toyota Way is the first book for a general audience that explains the management principles and business philosophy behind Toyota’s worldwide reputation for quality and reliability.
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In our recommended book, Project Profitability, Dr. Lee explains why opportunities are not realized and offers a framework that will guarantee your teams identify projects that align with your strategy, calculate cash savings appropriately, and realize these cash savings upon implementation.
Consultants and internal project teams often make substantial claims about the savings opportunities resulting from their projects. Most of the time, these claims do not come true. Read More
C-O-S-T, short for Cost Optimization System and Technique, details how a company’s product development teams, their supporting functions, and company leaders can optimize product costs before production starts and thereby maximize lifecycle profits.
In this recommended book, Craig Theisen asks, “Why do companies exert high effort to reduce the costs of products that are in production?” Because they can! Because unnecessary product costs were not removed during product development.
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