“Companies experiencing a downturn in business due to the state of the global economy must not consider downsizing and layoffs as the best solution to current financial difficulties,” Ludy says. “Like other global economic markets, China has suffered losses in its tourism, catering, and other service sectors and is looking to adopt innovative measures to develop its economy more effectively. Chinese companies can greatly benefit by capitalizing on their people resources. However, managers must learn how to turn to their employees for feedback and insights for profit improvement and cost reduction.”

In Profit Building, Ludy presents a blueprint for profit improvement that executives, managers, business professionals, and small business owners can immediately implement. This book outlines a five-step method for cost reduction and profit improvement that starts with establishing a Profit Building Team, a cross-section of the best and brightest employees in the company.

A management veteran of such corporations as Procter & Gamble, Environmental Systems Products, and Pizza Hut (a subsidiary of PepsiCo), Ludy believes that this Profit Building Team could have a dramatic effect on the company.

“Business leaders must learn how to mine the organization not only for hidden profits but also for hidden people resources. By turning to a diverse group of people made up of representatives from each key department within the organization, the company can take advantage of a broad range of opportunities to improve profitability continuously without layoffs.”

Also in Profit Building, various techniques are described for refocusing an organization’s daily business activities on profit opportunities as well as how to obtain the necessary tools for avoiding inappropriate strategies and tapping into the expertise within companies for creative ways to build profits.

“Profit Building is a clear, easy-to-read book on how any organization can achieve profit improvement. Ludy has included real-world examples, coupled with his many years of management expertise, to illustrate how using a systematic approach, a company can find innovative solutions and ideas to reduce cost”, says Lionel L. Nowell, III, Senior Vice President and Controller, PepsiCo, Inc.

Furthermore, Profit Building offers more than one hundred specific, tested ideas for cost reduction, generated by a variety of teams using Ludy’s approach. For example: constantly look for software modifications that can reduce labor expenditures; explore the use of professional employee organizations to lower cost of benefits; hire consultants to challenge the price of utilities, telecommunications, and property tax; and assess the feasibility of videoconference and Internet solutions to reduce travel costs.

According to China Career Guide, “There is a great demand for job seekers who possess skills that contribute directly to the company's bottom line. Some of these skills include strong management, leadership, and an ability to build and train teams in key functional areas such as sales, project management, and marketing.” Profit Building is an excellent resource that shows how companies and individuals can be conditioned to achieve this.

Availability
Profit Building can be purchased at any major bookstore in Taiwan. Online it is available from Amazon.com, Berrett-Koehler.com, and McGraw-Hill.com.tw. The recommended retail price is $27.95 (US).

Profit Building has been translated into Swedish, Polish, and German languages.