Trends of Hiring

Focus Hires Typical Firms

Technical Analysis Academics AD Little, Booz, Allen,

Hamilton, AT Kearney.
Strategic Management MBAs & McKinseys, Bain & Co.,
Academics Boston Consulting Group
Technical & Financial Graduates, Arthur Anderson, KPMG,
Specialisms MBAs IBM, Deloitte, E&Y
Niche: outsourcing, e- Experienced Razorfish, Sapient, Viant,
business, BPR hires iXL
 Generalist Firms Strategy Consulting

•Offer a wide range of services from strategy consulting and

human resources to IT and outsourcing on a global basis.
Many of these firms grew out of audit firms or IT companies,
eg.Accenture,Deloitte,IBM,PWC

Offer strategic advice to companies on a project-by-project

basis,
eg:
McKinseys, Bain & Co., Boston Consulting Group

Human Resources Consulting

Niche Firms

Often set up by an experienced consultant with an area of

expertise; these are smaller practices specialising in certain
•Offer specialist HR advice on areas such as personnel industry or business sectors. Usually recruite experienced
policy, job evaluation and industrial relations Mercer hires.
e.g Razorfish, Sapient, Viant, iXL
The Biggest Consulting Firms

• Accenture (IT, Operations, HRM)

• Cap Gemini (IT, Operations)
• CSC (IT, Operations)
• IBM BCS (IT)
• PWC (IT, Operations, HRM)
• KPMG / Bearing Point (IT, Operations)
• Deloitte (IT, Operations)
• McKinsey & Co. (Strategy, Operations)
• BAH (Strategy, Operations)
• Mercer (Strategy, HRM)
• Anderson (Operations)
• A. T Kearney (Strategy, HRM)
• Monitor (Strategy)
• BCG (Strategy)
• A.D. Little (Strategy)
• Bain & Co. (Strategy)
Segmentation
• Industry
– Telcos - Health
– Digital Media - Manufacturing
– Finance & Banking - FMCG&
Retail
– Utilities - Transportation

• Function
– Strategy - HRM
– Operations - IT (incl. e-business)

• Sector
– Non-profit
– Public
– Private
A Consulting Typology

Strategy
Consultants
Oliver Sapient Diamond
McKinsey Wyman

A.T. Kearney Scient

Service providers Software
Deloitte
/ Utilities Providers
EDS

PwC
Accenture CSC IBM

Technology
Providers
Sector Analysis

• Strategy
– Direction, Long-term plans & High-level goals
– Bain & Co. - BCG
– McKinseys - Monitor

• Operations
– Day-to day running of firm, Reaching, strategic goals
– Re-engineering, outsourcing, supply-chains
– Accenture - Deloitte
– Cap Gemini - CSC
Sector Analysis...

• IT
– Systems development, implementation
– Business focused requirements
– IBM - AMS (American Management Systems)
– Accenture - CSC

• HRM
– Strategic alignment of people function
– ERP, training, culture change, competence management
– Accenture - PWC
– Mercer - AT Kearney
 Marketing Consultancy Work
1. Finding a problem
• External threats
• Mimicking others
• Falling behind: benchmarks
• New opportunities

2. Marketing Consultancy
• Links with top academics / Business Schools (HBS, MIT, Sloan)
• Links to conferences, institutions,
• Publications: books, journals, the press

3. Getting in
• Free surveys / research
• ‘Solution’ stories
• Referrals
Why Employ Consultants?

1. Expertise

2. Objectivity

3. External knowledge (e.g. best practice, benchmarking)

Types of project

1. Providing Advice: should I launch this product?

2. Project Design: how should I launch this product?

3. Implementation: install a system that will pay suppliers

4. Functional Management: run our department for us

Working With Clients
• Defining the project
– Open  Closed questions: Predicament > Definition > Solution
– Key Decision Makers

• Enticing the Client

– Free analysis
– Free juniors
– Corporate entertainment

• Successful Projects
– Contract, contract, contract
– Clear goals, roles & procedures
– Quick measurable wins
– Solid Conclusions
The Consulting Life-cycle
• Initial Contact
Initial Contact Definition Proposal & Contract
Data Collection

• Project Definition

• Initial Analysis
Data
• Formal Proposal Review Analysis

• Contract
Disengaging

• Project Implementation
– Data Collection Intervention
Decision-making,
Planning
– Data Analysis
– Decisions / Plan
– Intervention

• Review
The Consulting Life-cycle

Initial Contact Definition Proposal & Contract

Data Collection

Data
Review Analysis

Disengaging

Decision-making,
Intervention Planning
Class Activity
Design your own Consultancy
• In pairs: you and 3 consultants wish to start your own medium-sized
consultancy. You will consult on general strategic management issues
such as mergers and acquisitions, outsourcing and new product
development.

• Write 2 that you think might be likely to occur while running this
consultancy. What functions, departments and skills will you need in the
consultancy. Sketch a brief organisational design and strategy outlining:

• Skills Required
• Structure & Function
• Major Costs
• Key problems