The Profit Potential: Taking High Performance to the Bottom Line

Advance Praise for The Profit Potential "The Profit Potential breaks away from the stale nostrun served up in scores of 'new' cost management books in recent years. A leading cost management authority, McNair presents a refreshing new perspective on work, measurement, and profitability. Highly recommended for nonfinancial executives, financial managers, and students." Tom Johnson Retzlaff Professor of Quality Management Portland State University "A masterful work. At last, a real breakthrough in re-defining the role of accounting systems in increasing profitability. C. J. McNair demonstrates, simply and elegantly, that changing both focus and measurement leads to accounting taking its rightful place as a driver for positive change in an organization." Matther H. Booth Vice President of Quality Scudder, Stevens and Clark "McNair offers penetrating insights into the complexity and causes of waste that permeate the business structures of most companies.... This book should be a primer for those who are serious about purging the insidious monster of waste from their business..." Lou Jones Cost Management and Business Services Manager Caterpillar, Inc. "If you ve been having a tough time making gains in your improvement efforts, The Profit Potential shows why you may be fighting an uphill battle against your financial system McNair makes you ask is your company s financial system adding value that the customer will pay for (take a look at your bottom line) if not, you better ask why not (and read this book)." Brian Hettrick Director of Financial Services GOAL/QPC "The Profit Potential brings into sharp relief an important and overlooked restraining force that limits organizational effectiveness. McNair balances the emphasis placed on the driving forces of success and shows how they can be made stronger by focusing on the waste part of the equation. This book should be required reading for every manager. Their competency will be incomplete without it. Gary D. Robinson, Ph. D. Manager for Human Resource Initiatives The Boeing Company

Table of Contents:
The Profit Potential. Waste Versus Cost: Defining the Territority. The Efficiency Mirage. Getting It Right--the First Time. Truth or Consequences. Idle Equipment, Idle Minds. Assets That Aren't and Other Conundrums. The Hidden Costs of Quality. When Illusions Become Reality: Outsourcing and Waste. Making Waste Visible. Notes. References. Index.

About the Author :
C. J. MCNAIR is a professor of accounting at Babson College, Massachusetts, and author of World Class Accounting and Finance, and co-author of Benchmarking: A Tool for Continuous Improvement and Crossroads: A JIT Success Story. She lectures extensively on state-of-the-art management accounting systems, performance measurement, and continuous improvement for organizations such as The National Association of Accountants, The American Production and Inventory Control Society, and the Financial Executive Institute. McNair also consults for organizations such as Digital, Polaroid, and Caterpillar. C. J. MCNAIR is a professor of accounting at Babson College, Massachusetts, and author of World Class Accounting and Finance, and co-author of Benchmarking: A Tool for Continuous Improvement and Crossroads: A JIT Success Story. She lectures extensively on state-of-the-art management accounting systems, performance measurement, and continuous improvement for organizations such as The National Association of Accountants, The American Production and Inventory Control Society, and the Financial Executive Institute. McNair also consults for organizations such as Digital, Polaroid, and Caterpillar.