Brainstorming Ideas: Reduce the Rate of Cost for the Input Used to Produce the Output

Use the same type of Input and the same activities, but pay less for the unit of Input employed in producing the Output. A reduction in rate is equivalent to a reduction in the number of Inputs for the same ICD. For example, if a person who makes $10 per hour could produce the same amount of Output as a person making $20 an hour, the substitution of the $10 person for the $20 person in the process would be equivalent to cutting the number of people required to do the work by 50%.

G. Expand in-house ICDs to reduce rate on purchased ICDs:

Sometimes it is better for the company to increase the activities (ICDs) inside the company in order to reduce the effective rate paid on purchased ICDs. This occurs when the price on purchased ICDs is high enough to allow the company to make a return on its investment by producing the same ICDs in-house rather than purchasing them from third parties.

Sell direct rather than through intermediaries

No.	Industry SIC	Year	Notes
1	4812	2006	Direct contracting helps big employers save money by cutting out the middleman and extra layers of bureaucracy and cost. When employees need care, they pay a co-pay each visit.
2	2085	1989	Foreign distillers, Guinness for example, have been buying up the importers that market their brands worldwide. The acquisitions give the companies better control over costs and brand strategies.
3	3316	2008	John McConnell managed Worthington Industries to become a conglomerate with nearly $2 billion in sales and an unbroken annual record of profits for almost 50 years. With a big demand for steel after WWII, the big steel companies had little interest in the specialized demands of smaller consumers. McConnell decided to open an independent service center to shape and process big steel sheets into smaller pieces for industries. The company produced a wide range of products for the automobile industry and acquired a former customer that produced propane cylinders, backyard BBQs, and helium cylinders for balloons.
4	4512	1996	Rather than buy into a central reservation system, Western Pacific sells 60% of its tickets directly.
5	5141	1997	All stores have sign-maker equipment, which provides quick, professional-quality in-store promotional product.
6	5399	2002	Online retailing has transformed the structure of many old-line businesses, particularly large manufacturers and distributors that now sell direct to consumers.
7	7372	2000	Serena Software had previously only been a research-and-development company that relied on contractors for distribution. The Company decided to reach customers directly instead and bought reseller Optima.

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