Interviews
»One on One with Mission Measurement’s Pranav Kothari
One effect of the economic downturn has been a significant slowdown in the flow of public and private charitable dollars. Pranav Kothari, Managing Director of social impact consulting firm, Mission Measurement, says the firm helps clients quantify the outcomes of their philanthropy work.
»Geo Focus: What’s Next for the World’s No. 2 Economy?
Shaun Rein is the Managing Director of CMR, a Shanghai-based strategic market intelligence firm. His forthcoming book, The End of Cheap China, is due out in March. “I wrote the book to show that China no longer is a cheap place to do business. Companies need adjust to a changing China to stay ahead of the curve or else they will face serious pain, like many U.S. companies did after corporate Japan emerged to take market share in the 1970s and 80s,” Rein says. Consulting sat down with Rein to discuss the current state of the consulting marketplace in China.
»One on One with AlixPartners’ William Callender
Following its August acquisition of retail financial services consultancy, Mercatus, AlixPartners continues to broaden its footprint in the financial services sector, this time by hiring William Callender as a Managing Director of the firm’s Financial Services Practice.
»One on One with Cliff Consulting’s Robin Nasatir
Not many management consultancies can say they got their start during the Nixon Administration, but Cliff Consulting can. In 2012, Cliff will celebrate its 40th anniversary and President Robin Nasatir says the Oakland-based firm has big plans to celebrate the start of the firm’s fifth decade in business.
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Cmag.com Exclusives
»How to Achieve an ROI for Healthcare BI
As hospitals make significant investments in electronic medical record (EMR) technology, along with related updates to hospital billing, materials management, costing, and quality systems, they typically find that the promised analytics and reporting are not adequate. To tie together data from these disparate systems and even to optimize access to data within an integrated system, a Business Intelligence (BI) strategy is needed.
»Bold Predictions for 2012: It Will Not Be a Quiet Year
Will 2012 bring the end of days? The Mayans thought so, but I’m not convinced. The coming year is certain to see major events play out on the world stage that may forever alter our course in history. So what can we actually expect as we start this turbulent year and how will it impact our lives?
»Looking for 'Superstars' in All the Wrong Places
Many sales gurus and consultants suggest we study (for several hundred thousand dollars) how these superstars sell and then train everybody else to use the same techniques. But the average performers, no matter how many new sales techniques they learn, never produce even half as much as the superstars.
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»Data Watch: 91% of Execs Expect Revenue Growth in 2012
»What impact do you think Showtime's "House of Lies" will have on the consulting profession?
Focus: Client Industries
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Manufacturing
»What Drivers Want: High-Tech Safety and Connection Features
Blind spots be damned. Drivers want automated driver-assistance and traffic-avoidance technologies, according to the findings of a new global study by Accenture.
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Communications
»Case Study: Slalom Slam Dunk—A New Marketing Portal for NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers
Burdened by a slew of mixed platforms and out-of-date, fragmented technologies, the Portland Trail Blazers organization, an NBA franchise since 1970, needed a way to make their legacy systems support more collaboration while still being easy to maintain. So the Trail Blazers looked for an assist, and got it, from Seattle-based Slalom Consulting.
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High Tech
»Discovering the Social Network's $2 Billion Pot of Gold
The enterprise social platforms market, which represents one of many components of corporate social media spending, was a mere $370 million in 2009, according to IDC; by 2014, this spending should surpass $2 billion.
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Public Sector
»Booz Allen’s Back in the Commercial Business
A non-compete agreement recently expired that allows Booz Allen Hamilton back into the commercial business. The non-compete was related to the spin-off of Booz & Company back in 2008, which had prohibited the government-focused consulting business from re-entering the commercial market. But that was then and this is now.
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Focus: Service Lines
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Operations
»North Highland’s $1 Billion Goal
North Highland grew 38 percent in 2011 and finished the year with revenue in excess of $300 million. But don’t expect anyone at North Highland, especially CEO Dan Reardon, to stop there. If everything goes according to plan, North Highland, an employee-owned firm that began with a single office in Atlanta 20 years ago, will be generating $1 billion by 2020.
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Strategy
»Kennedy Corner: House of Lies—What’s in a Name?
Many of you have probably watched the new Showtime series, “House of Lies.” The black comedy’s portrayal of management consultants makes me blush. At least the guys and gals in AMC’s 1960s-era Mad Men look cool sipping martinis and smoking unfiltered Lucky Strikes. The “Lies” cast can’t pull off the same with their money-grubbing soullessness, and brilliant-but-vacuous characterizations of blood-sucking consultants.
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Travel Advisory
»2012 Travel Forecast: Up, Up and Away
Expect to pay more for business travel this year. So, what else is new? Well, the good news is that domestically, those price hikes won’t feel too bad. But if you regularly travel to Latin America or Asia, expect to pay more, especially for hotels, in 2012.
»Best Places to Stay Survey: Consultants Travel Up About 10%
Consultants are earning significantly more frequent flyer miles in 2011—as clear a sign as we’ve seen yet that the recovery is in full swing. The average consultant is now traveling 96 nights per year,
»Road Warrior: International Travel Must-Haves
For the road warriors that have to fend for themselves on the road less traveled, we offer the following suggestions:
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Book It!
»Q&A: A Real ‘Optimization Imperative’
The upper echelons of analytics is where winning companies gain competitive advantage.
»Review: Reimagining Japan
Reimagining Japan is a McKinsey-inspired treasure trove of great ideas.
»Review: Reinventing Professional Services
In Reinventing Professional Services, recognized business and career development expert Ari Kaplan presents the ideas and information that you need in order to stay successful.
»Review: Pricing and Profitability Management
In Pricing and Profitability Management, Deloitte practitioners and authors Julie Meehan, Mike Simonetto, Larry Montan and Chris Goodin bring decades of experience in pricing and profitability management to support their perspectives on pricing.
»Review: Managing the Risk of Fraud and Misconduct
In Managing the Risk of Fraud and Misconduct, a pair of KPMG advisors lay out a roadmap for business leaders who are looking for an integrated and comprehensive approach for cutting through the complexities.
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Consultants on Consulting
»How Do You Measure Value Delivered to Clients?
Clichéd as it may sound; a management consultant is hired by a firm to ‘add value’. But what is value? How is it measured? And how can the consultant process and articulate such value to her client in simple, non-confounding terms?
»The Business Benefits and Risks of Cloud Computing
What is Cloud Computing? Why is it important? Why should businesses care about this new technology? These are some of the many questions that all organizations and their leaders are asking. The answer is clear.
»What Did You Say? The Language of Communication
How easy is it to talk to someone and really think that your message got through? How do you know for sure? If they didn’t look at you quizzically, how do you know that they simply didn’t want to ask you to repeat, for fear of appearing unintelligent?
»Lessons of a Software Salesperson: Why Selling is a Critical Consulting Skill
What would be on your list of professional skills absolutely necessary to build a successful consulting career? Content expertise? Communications skills? Organizational skills? Sure, these should all be on the list. What about selling skills?
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