Activity-Based Management: Arthur Andersen's Lessons from the ABM Battlefield, 2nd Edition

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Summary: Managers : Read this
Review: New Managers and experienced managers alike can benefit from this book. Lots of good ideas to become a better balanced and "empowered" manager.

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Summary: Activity-Based Management: Life "In the Trenches"
Review: There's a plethora of books and articles available to anyone who wants to learn about the principles behind activity-based management (ABM). What is somewhat harder to find are practical tips and proven strategies for implementing ABM. The recently published second edition of Activity-Based Management: Arthur Andersen's Lessons from the ABM Battlefield, edited by Steve Player and David E. Keys (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1999), offers advice from professionals who've seen action in the ABM trenches and lived to tell the tale.

Lessons from the ABM Battlefield identifies what kind of organization should employ ABM and why, and explains how to link ABM with other initiatives to further enhance management performance. The first secion offers details on how to overcome 30 pitfalls commonly encountered at three stages of ABM -- starting an ABM initiative, developing a pilot program, and moving from pilot to mainstream application. This section includes topics such as lack of clear objectives, poor communication, poor definition of activities, and lack of project management.

Section Two features twelve firsthand accounts by members of Arthur Andersen's cost management practice who have successfully implemented ABM initiatives at various corporations. These case studies cover a wide range of topics, including storyboarding customer profitability analysis, benchmarking and target costing. The last section of the book addresses the next wave of tools for use in ABM environments, designed to provide readers with a solid practical framework for deploying ABM. These techniques are on the cutting edge of cost management theory and practice.

Lessons from the ABM Battlefield is a clearly-written, accessible guide to the fundamentals of ABM, offering valuable advice and insights from individuals who have "been there, done that."