tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31661239796163397042024-02-20T00:41:11.066-08:00Consulting GiantsSub-blog of Thirsty Alexis: http://www.alexiskim.comAlexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-29220963924311596322011-04-05T14:52:00.000-07:002011-04-05T14:52:37.771-07:00Strong Bookings and Headcount Growth Carrying Accenture - Seeking Alpha<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/261928-strong-bookings-and-headcount-growth-carrying-accenture">Strong Bookings and Headcount Growth Carrying Accenture - Seeking Alpha</a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">Accenture (NYSE:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/acn" title="Accenture Ltd." style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">ACN</a>) is a major player in technology consulting where it competes with IBM (NYSE:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/ibm" title="International Business Machines Corp." style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">IBM</a>), HP (NYSE:<a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/hpq" title="Hewlett-Packard Co." style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">HPQ</a>) and Deloitte Consulting. Through a large number of skilled technology consultants, Accenture helps its clients to develop and implement customized IT strategies.</p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; "><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "></span></p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">Accenture reported strong results in its recent fiscal Q2’11 earnings release, raising the outlook for the full fiscal year’s revenues. The firm generated $6 billion in net revenues during the quarter, an increase of 17% over the same period last year and above guidance of between $5.6 billion and $5.8 billion. Consulting revenues grew 20% over last year to $3.5 billion for the quarter. Outsourcing revenues were strong as well, up 13% over last year to $2.5 billion.</p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">We currently have a <a href="http://www.trefis.com/company?hm=ACN.trefis&" rel="nofollow" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">price estimate of $51.92 for Accenture’s stock</a>, roughly 5% below market price.</p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; "><iframe src="https://www.trefis.com/forecastWidget?width=350&ticker=ACN&driver=0037" width="350" height="330" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "></iframe></p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; text-align: center; "><span style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">(Chart created by using Trefis' <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/store/app/47-trefis" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">app</a>)</span></p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; "><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Accenture Generates Strong New Bookings</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">Accenture delivered strong bookings and revenue growth in fiscal Q2’11. New bookings for the quarter were $7 billion, the highest in 10 quarters. The technology consulting and systems integration segments delivered the strongest gains in bookings. Technology outsourcing and BPO bookings also grew significantly.</p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; "><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); ">Accenture to Hire 64,000 in Fiscal Year 2011</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">Accenture’s headcount stood at 204,000 at the end of fiscal year 2010. The firm plans to hire more than 64,000 people in fiscal year 2011, and had only reached a total headcount of 215,000 at the end of fiscal Q2’11. Adjusting for the firm’s attrition rate of around 14%-15% over the first two quarter, Accenture’s headcount could increase by 10% for the full year 2011.</p><p style="margin-top: 7px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 20px; ">Our base case forecasts suggest a 2% increase in Accenture’s technology consultant headcount during 2011, to about 17,800 employees. However, a 10% increase in technology consultants, to about 19,200 in 2011, would add about 2% to our <a href="http://www.trefis.com/company?hm=ACN.trefis&" rel="nofollow" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(2, 73, 153); text-decoration: none; ">$51.92 price estimate for Accenture’s stock</a>. But technology consulting is just one business segment for Accenture. A 10% increase in headcount across all Accenture business segments would add about 7% to our price estimate for the company’s stock.</p></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-13067746974525717592011-04-01T12:17:00.000-07:002011-04-01T12:17:18.084-07:00Accenture offers digital mail service as postal market transforms - 4/1/2011 - Computer Weekly<a href="http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2011/04/01/246137/Accenture-offers-digital-mail-service-as-postal-market.htm?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4d9624a364e985ad%2C0">Accenture offers digital mail service as postal market transforms - 4/1/2011 - Computer Weekly</a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; "><div class="art-header" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><h2 style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.4em; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(70, 78, 81); font-weight: 700; "></h2><br /></div><div class="rbi-art-body" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 1em; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://www.computerweekly.com/assets/getasset.aspx?itemid=40973" alt="" width="250" height="197" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; float: right; max-height: 197px; max-width: 250px; height: auto; width: auto; " /><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; ">Accenture has added digital mail to the line of services it offers to postal agencies across the world to help them fend off new competition as traditional mail volumes drop dramatically.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; ">The service provider has 20 corporate postal services customers and estimates its postal services systems deliver half of the world's mail.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; ">With traditional mail volumes expected to fall by over 40% by 2020, digital mail offers an alternative. Digital mail converts traditional mail such as utility bills into a digital format and sends it to a secure mailbox, keeping it separate from e-mail.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 1.2em; ">Accenture recently presented research at the <a href="http://marketforce.eu.com/Conferences/eupost11/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(10, 115, 183); ">European Postal Conference in London.</a> It found that mail is expected to decline by 44% by 2020, to 165.2 billion pieces compared to 297.2 billion pieces in 2009 volumes for 26 postal agencies included in its research.</p></div></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-74787009988689657432011-03-20T12:01:00.000-07:002011-03-20T12:01:28.044-07:00AT&T to Buy T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion - NYTimes.com<a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/att-to-buy-t-mobile-usa-for-39-billion/?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=DB-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-ATB-032011-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click">AT&T to Buy T-Mobile USA for $39 Billion - NYTimes.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-28447869431591764412011-03-09T10:39:00.000-08:002011-03-09T10:40:52.193-08:00Consulting: Facts and TrendsManagement consulting is not losing its allure. With the demise of investment banking jobs, many MBAs in 2009 are talking about B2C - i.e., "Back to Consulting". Consulting firms are hiring although they remain selective - particularly in the top shops like <a href="http://www.bcg.com/" target="_blank">BCG</a> and <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/" target="_blank">McKinsey</a>.<br /><br />Less faddish junk and more focus on business. Management consulting firms have been racked by trends in the last 20 years - such as business process reengineering. Today, the large strategy houses are ever more focused on delivering good product - building businesses on paper from the ground up; analyzing profitability; growth potential; competitive dynamics and segmenting customers.<br /><br />Explosion of smaller shops. It has become ever easier for small firms to navigate the marketplace due to better electronic tools, availability of relevant datasets and the general escape of qualified professional consultants from the "grind" to be found in the larger firms.<br />Some of the best people in consulting work in small firms. The reason is that the best people may prefer the autonomy and impact that they can have there. The responsibilities of a consultant are significant, regardless of the size of the practice. Its much more like being an attorney; an attorney in a small firm can have a very large case.<br /><br />Although it can be rewarding to work in a small firm, it's tough to make it in solo consulting because of the difficulty of maintaining credibility and marketing yourself. Only one in ten solo consultants lasts for ten years.<br /><br />Growing sophistication of "pyramid power". The way to make money in a large consultancy is to sell projects that use substantial amounts of mid and junior level resources, to then bill out those resources at a substantial margin and distribute the profits up the pyramid. Firms are increasingly focused on doing this efficiently. Compensation in certain firms at the partner level is running over $2 million a year.<br /><br />The business of consulting is large. Last year, over 200,000 consultants sold over $100 billion of advice. Today, technology planning, strategic services and enterprise consulting represent 35 percent, 20 percent and 15 percent roughly of the worldwide consulting spending.<br /><br />It is very hard to break into the top firms in consulting like <a href="http://www.bain.com/" target="_blank">Bain</a>, <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/" target="_blank">McKinsey</a>, and <a href="http://www.bcg.com/" target="_blank">BCG</a>. McKinsey targets hiring at top MBA schools including Harvard Business School, Wharton, Stanford, Sloan (MIT), Kellogg (Northwestern) and INSEAD. That said, the firm hires heavily at these schools.<br /><br />The pursuit of specialized knowledge is rising rapidly. Firms are looking for consultants with very specific knowledge in areas like logistics management, knowledge management, data warehousing, multimedia, client-server development, sales force automation, electronic commerce, brand management and value management. Many large consulting firms also have practices targeted at particular industries--for example, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and electric power--which require specific technical qualifications.<br /><br />While consulting firms have traditionally targeted MBA students, they have becoming more willing to hire students with Ph.D degrees, lawyers and engineers and put them through business training. McKinsey has a three week mini-MBA course, and reports that only 44% of their consultants hold an MBA, while 24% have a master's degree in another field and 22% have an M.D. or Ph.D.<br /><br />That said, its important to show an open mind as an engineer or techie entering consulting. While consulting firms are always looking for sharp people with good analytical skills, surprisingly they are often hesitant to hire engineers because of fear that they can't break out of the box. Rigid thinking that can't adapt to business situtations is the worry. A good way to get a consulting position with engineering experience is to convey flexible thinking in an interview. Even better would be successful business experience where you applied your engineering know-how to solve a business problem.<br /><br />The accounting firms are back. After Sarbanes-Oxley in 2002 the large accounting firms disposed of their consulting practices (except Deloitte). These disposals had five year non-competes generally. Now, they are reversing themselves and there is a gigantic hiring wave coming out of firms like Ernst & Young, KPMG and PWC. The focus is on areas like systems integration and industry level consulting but there is also interest in getting into strategy consulting in a bigger way.<br /><br />"Relationship consulting" is on the rise. This involves working with a company over many years to ensure continued monitoring, discussion and implementation of new ideas.<br />Longer consulting contracts have brought higher fees. It is not uncommon for a long-term consulting contract to cost over $20 million in consulting fees.<br /><br />Growth in consulting has slowed in the U.S., but continued growth is expected in other countries. U.S. consultants have been consulting for major firms around the globe while helping companies at home such as AT&T and Avon Products crack foreign markets. The Big Six accounting firms and McKinsey have had a strong presence in Europe for many years. The global focus of consulting growth has created high demand for foreign students and those who speak two or more languages fluently.<br /><br />This growth in foreign business will be particularly significant in developing countries. The reason is simple. There is a narrowing gap between developing and developed economies. Consultants are helping to bridge that gap by bringing solutions and ideas to firms in economies as diverse as China, Brazil, and South Africa. Because these ideas are creating huge amounts of value, the demand for consultants' services has skyrocketed globally and should continue to do so for the next several decades, despite temporary cyclical slowdowns. Several of the main strategic consulting firms are now realizing over half of their revenue outside of the First World.<br /><br />As you go through school, try to develop a framework that you can use to analyze and think about developing economies by taking courses in development economics, trade and international finance. Don't forget foreign language courses. And if you're lucky enough to to spend a semester or more living abroad, spend as much of it as possible living like and socializing with the residents of your host country, not hanging out in an expatriate ghetto with friends and fellow students from home.<br /><br />It is now standard practice to include members of the management of the client firm as part of the consulting team. This eases implementation of recommendations and can commit the client to buying into new ideas.<br /><br />Many consulting firms use the case interview method where you are presented with a business situation and asked to suggest a solution. Charles Wendel, VP of <a href="http://www.mercermc.com/" target="_blank">Mercer Management Consulting</a>, justified this approach by saying that "We want to get the people who are the most mentally alert and intellectually alive and the case approach works particularly well." (Business Week)<br /><br />According to a hot consultant at Bain & Co: "Its a funny business. Almost 100% of the it comes from referrals. You do a great job for one company. And a board member there who's part of another company brings you in. You do a good job there and that leads to more business elsewhere. This means that it is crucial as a consultant to have a total client focus on every job. Your future in the business depends on how well you do in generating enthusiasm and answers that work on every engagement."<br /><br />Be sure to ask about the extent and type of training that you will get as a consultant. Some firms favor the hit the ground running model of consultant, while others would like to mold you to their culture and values through a training program. Training is a good thing and the best firms have lots of it.<br /><br />One of the largest practice areas is health care. Health care payment and delivery systems are changing rapidly, generating high demand for consultants to help health care organizations change through alliances, innovation, management care, access strategies and quality improvement.<br /><br />Another hot practice area is sales force automation. Many firms with large sales forces are finding that they can vastly improve their marketing effectiveness by providing seamlessly integrated wireless PDAs, contact management systems, easily accessible support databases, e-mail systems.<br /><br />Source: <a href="http://www.careers-in-business.com/consulting/mcfacts.htm">http://www.careers-in-business.com/</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-77205334268964359982011-03-07T11:18:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:23:20.049-08:00Accenture wins Procurement Transformation Contract from City of London Corporation<p>LONDON; March 2, 2011 – The City of London Corporation today awarded Accenture (NYSE: ACN) a five-year contract to help it reduce its procurement costs by creating a new, world-class procurement shared service center.<br /><br />Under this new, value-based arrangement, Accenture will have a proportion of its fees directly tied to the savings achieved to demonstrate its commitment and confidence in its ability to deliver savings. Accenture will initially focus on delivering strategic sourcing -- savings from across the City’s diverse base of suppliers -- and by transforming the way that the City manages its procurement operations.<br /><br />A new central City of London Procurement Service will be created to undertake all procurement and procure- to-pay functions. This service will be delivered by a joint team from the City and Accenture for the duration of the contract.<br /><br />“The City is seeking to achieve savings and drive efficiencies through the way in which it conducts its procurement and procure-to-pay functions,” said Chris Bilsland, the City of London Corporation’s financial director. “We selected Accenture because of its proven success in delivering procurement services to organizations across the world, although, of course, this new contract will complement our commitment to local procurement. The City of London Corporation will continue to enjoy the legacy of both the financial and non-financial benefits after the contract period.”<br /><br />Change management will be central to this transformation program and Accenture will provide training for both the City staff that will be involved with the transformation as well as those who will take over the ongoing management of the centralized procurement service after Accenture. <br /><br />“The aim is to save the City of London Corporation more than £30 million over five years,” said Mark Lyons, Accenture’s United Kingdom and Ireland managing director for Health and Public Service. “This innovative, value-based arrangement will ensure that both Accenture and the City of London Corporation are committed to delivering these savings. Accenture will bring its deep industry skills and insight across its global network to drive continuous improvement for the City.”<br /><br />New technology will be deployed through the implementation of an eMarketplace and a buyer portal to assist departments in requisitioning and using the new service. This unified procurement function will help the City fully exploit the latest procurement techniques, such as category and demand management, and more effectively balance quality, price and operational costs.</p><p>Source: Accenture Newsroom</p><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-80883828082422569402011-02-23T15:46:00.000-08:002011-02-23T15:47:47.350-08:00Mobile payments to total $984 million in 2014<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><div id="newspost_top" style="width: 617px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; "><div class="newspost_title"><h1 id="article_title" style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 24px; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">Mobile payments to multiply sixfold over the next three years, from $162 million to $984 million</span></h1></div></div><div id="newspost_bg" style="width: 617px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="item" style="border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><div class="leftbox" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="newspost_details" style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136); "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; ">Financial trends and news by <a href="http://vator.tv/news/contributors/ronny-kerr" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(75, 97, 152); ">Ronny Kerr</a><br /><br />Short URL: <a href="http://vator.tv/n/1751" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(75, 97, 152); ">http://vator.tv/n/1751</a></p></div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; height: 0px; "></div></div><div class="item-post" style="border-bottom-width: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-color: initial; margin-top: 20px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><div id="news_post_content" style="line-height: 15px; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 20px; "><div id="article" class="KonaBody arkayne-post arkayne-body"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; "><img src="http://vator.tv/images/attachments/220211080206Mobile_Payment_Transaction_Value_Worldwide__2010___2014__billions_.gif" alt="" width="324" height="288" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; float: left; " /></p><div><span>Wallet in my left pocket, iPhone in my right--it’s the way it has always been for me and probably won’t change for a long while. It’s all I’ll ever need: money and identification on the left, friends and information on the right.</span><br /><span> </span><br /><span>However, it would be ignorant to think that the left pocket is maintaining its relevance. It isn’t.</span><br /><span> </span><br /><span>As smartphones and other powerful mobile devices increasingly proliferate the world over, mobile payments will grow more prominent in tandem. The worldwide transaction value of mobile payments, which reached $162 billion last year, will total $984 billion by 2014, according to a <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008242" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(75, 97, 152); ">forecast</a> from Yankee Group, an IT research and analysis company.</span><br /><span> </span><br /><span>“Mobile payments” encompasses any kind of purchase made with a mobile device, be it completely within the device (online) or between the device and external systems. That includes mobile banking, international and domestic remittances, contactless cards, mobile coupons and near-field communications.</span><br /><span> </span><br /><span>Now, no one can doubt that paying with a phone could be really convenient, but is it </span><span>more</span><span> convenient than credit card or payments from desktop computers? After all, there’s the increased risk of fraudulent activities and other security issues when you pay with a mobile device.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span><img src="http://vator.tv/images/attachments/220211080226Attitudes_of_Internet_Users_in_Asia__Europe_and_the_US_Toward_Mobile_Payments__Jan_2011____of_respondents_.gif" alt="" width="324" height="358" style="margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; float: right; " />Accenture, a management consulting firm, conducted a survey that asked “tech forwards” in Asia, Europe and the U.S. about those very issues. ("Tech forward” is defined as someone over 18 who owns at least four networked devices and uses at least four Internet services.) No matter which of the three regions respondents resided in, consensus seemed to be that there are indeed privacy and security concerns when paying with a mobile device.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span>In line with those concerns, tech forwards in Europe and the U.S. did not agree that the mobile phone is more convenient than other forms of payment, with only 26 percent saying so. Similarly, only 29 percent “welcome the day” when a mobile device is their primary form of payment.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span>Oddly enough, while tech forwards in Asia were nearly as concerned about security and privacy issues, they still responded favorably about the convenience of mobile devices, with 69 percent saying they are more convenient than other forms of payment. Of all Asian respondents, 64 percent say they “welcome the day” they primarily pay with a mobile device.</span><br /><span></span><br /><span>Personally, I find the hesitance of Europeans and Americans kind of amusing because innovations in technology are necessarily pushing us to a world where we actually do pay for most (if not all) things with our mobile device. Resisting this would be like resisting registering for social networks: it’s obviously far from impossible, but not really convenient. The security issues will never be completely ironed out, but</span> have they ever?</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Source: Vatornews</span></div><div id="arkayne-plugin-1"></div></div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; height: 0px; "></div><div class="leftbox" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><div class="community-links" style="display: inline; "></div></div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; height: 0px; "></div><div style="clear: both; "></div></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-26632458588774732022011-02-23T15:43:00.000-08:002011-02-23T15:44:35.583-08:00Accenture report IDs 3 primary models for electric vehicle charging infrastructure<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(37, 37, 37); line-height: 18px; "><h1 class="h s-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: normal; font-style: inherit; font-size: 3.33em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.08em; display: block; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(149, 149, 149); font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; ">By Heather Clancy | February 23, 2011, 6:35am PST</span></h1><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(149, 149, 149); font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px; "><br /></span></div><div class="clear" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; "><div class="area-4" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 20px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; width: 140px; "><div class="space-2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 20px !important; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><div class="hed hed-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; z-index: 0; "><h4 class="h s-4 c-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-size: 1.83em; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1.17em; display: block; color: rgb(150, 21, 21); background-image: url(http://i.zdnet.com/images/201004/bkg-hed-stripe.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; letter-spacing: 0.02em; background-position: 0px 0.5em; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; "><span class="int" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); display: inline; ">Summary</span></h4></div><div class="content fancy c-2" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: italic; font-size: 12px; font-family: Georgia, serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(149, 149, 149); "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Which came first, the electric charger or the electric vehicle?<br />A new Accenture analysis about electric vehicle charger infrastructure pilots and business models suggests that the availability of public electric vehicle charging technology remains a sticking point when it comes to electric vehicle adoption. There are three factors that the consulting firm is watching closely this [...]</p></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-style: inherit;"></span></span></div><div class="area-12 area-last" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; width: 460px; "><div class="content-1 entry space-1 clear" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px !important; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Which came first, the electric charger or the electric vehicle?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">A new Accenture analysis about electric vehicle charger infrastructure pilots and business models suggests that the availability of public electric vehicle charging technology remains a sticking point when it comes to electric vehicle adoption. There are three factors that the consulting firm is watching closely this year, since many analysts and firms have held up 2011 as a potential break-through year for mainstream electric vehicle adoption: the investment cost and uncertain potential for returns, the unpredictability of charging habits, and the relative scarcity of vehicles, which means we don’t know what technical challenges away.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Accenture’s report, called <a href="http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-changing-game-plug-in-electric-vehicle-pilots.aspx" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 83, 153); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; ">“Changing the game: Plug-in electric vehicle pilots,”</a> offers perspective into a number of public electric vehicle charging trials that are going on around the world. So far, there are three clear models for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Accenture finds:</p><ol style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 40px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Public infrastructure (primarily driven by municipalities and local governments, which aren’t necessarily expecting a return on their investment other than covering basic costs)</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Private infrastructure (this is the technology you might find at a mall or at a parking garage, which will be charged at a premium than public infrastructure)</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">End-to-end (this is like a service model, where the consumer will be charged some sort of fee under a long-term contract, which covers battery swapping and charging)</li></ol><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">There are also some early “lessons” summarized in the report that should be considered by anyone who is considering investment or involvement in electric vehicle infrastructure. Those insights include:</p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 20px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">The impact on the electric grid needs to be considered more closely, but so far so good: Early pilots have show minimal impact on the grid.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Early on, at least, consumers seem to prefer charging in the privacy of their own home.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">More standards are necessary for a true public charging infrastructure to emerge.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Most electric-vehicle drivers (so far) are males in their early 30s and 40s, who own a second vehicle.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Early indications are that electric vehicles don’t necessarily need to be charged daily.</li></ul><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Says Accenture analyst Melissa Stark, one of the report’s authors:</p><blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 15px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(104, 115, 127); "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">“The consumer is the most important factor in determining which business models will succeed. The capabilities needed to deliver these models will be the same across the world, but the players that choose to develop them will vary. This means that standardization of technologies is urgently needed to support the varied involvement of service providers. And greater efforts will be required to improve understanding of consumer preferences.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Source: ZDNet</p></blockquote></div></div></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-62745410485870625772011-02-23T15:27:00.000-08:002011-02-23T15:41:50.224-08:00Accenture Maps Eight Trends That Will Drive Future of IT<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; "><div class="date" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); "><a target="_blank" href="http://www.accenture.com/"><span>Accenture</span></a>, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, has <a href="http://mpls.tmcnet.com/news/2011/02/07/5293515.htm"><span>identified</span></a> eight emerging trends that will drive the future of <a href="http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2011/02/07/5293649.htm"><span>information technology</span></a>.</div><div class="story-article"><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">These eight trends are expected to challenge long-held assumptions about IT and will redefine the business landscape, according to Accenture .</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">“We took a look around the corner and saw a world of <a href="http://it.tmcnet.com/news/2011/02/07/5293649.htm"><span>IT</span></a> that barely resembles what enterprise computing looks like today,” said Gavin Michael, managing director of R&D and alliances, Accenture, in a statement.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">“The role of technology is changing; it is no longer in a support role. Instead, it is front and center driving business performance and enriching people’s lives like never before,” Michael added.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">According to the “Accenture Technology Vision 2011,” report, the most significant trend is that the age of viewing everything through an application lens is ending. Platform architectures will be selected primarily to cope with data volumes and the complexity of data management, not for their ability to support applications.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">The relational database will make way for other types of databases like streaming databases, according to Accenture.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">IT and other businesses will view application services as utilities that can be procured off the shelf. The role of application and data will be reversed, with data becoming the platform that supports application services. </p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Accenture predicts that there will be an evolution of social media into social platforms. Company websites may longer be the first port of call for customers. Social identities will become valuable to businesses than the traditional and isolated information they get when an individual registers on their corporate website.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Conversation, which is emerging around cloud computing, will become pervasive that the term itself becomes superfluous. Software as a service (SaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS) in combination with internal applications will cement IT’s role as a driver of business growth, according to Accenture.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">The role of people in data security will decline, and will be replaced by automated capabilities that detect, assess, and respond immediately.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); "> Individual privacy will take center stage as a result of increased government regulation and policy enforcement.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Companies that continue to view analytics as a simple extension of business intelligence will be underestimating analytics’ potential to move the needles on the business, according to the report.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">IT is evolving from a world that is server-centric to one that is service-centric.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">The Accenture report also says business process design is driven by the need for optimization and cost reduction. Tomorrow it will be driven by the need to create superior user experiences.</p><p style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">In December last year, Accenture announced that <a href="http://www.magnetimarelli.com/index.htm"><span>Magneti Marelli</span></a> selected the company for the design and development of the company’s in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), telematics and embedded software initiatives.</p><br /><i style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her <a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/columnists/columnist.aspx?id=100149">columnist page</a>.</i><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span">Edited by </span><a href="http://www.tmcnet.com/tmcnet/columnists/columnist.aspx?id=100415" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Tammy Wolf</a></div><div class="story-article" style="color: rgb(21, 21, 21); ">Source: InfoTech Spotlight</div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-32885243926669211162010-12-31T04:21:00.001-08:002010-12-31T04:21:42.728-08:00IT Industry Outlook for 2011 – Budgets and Salaries<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, 'Lucida Grande', arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-size: 10px; line-height: 13px; "><h1 class="entry-title" style="margin-top: 0.9091em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 2.2em; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-family: 'trebuchet MS', verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, 'Lucida Grande', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19px; font-size: 13px; ">Funding for IT budgets—including allocations for salary increases—will go up next year, but cost cutting is still a major concern. Business intelligence—despite its expense and effort—continues to be a No. 1 technology investment priority in 2010.</span></h1><div class="entry-content" style="margin-top: 1.5385em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 1.3em; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana, 'Lucida Grande', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5385; display: block; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">IT workers, listen up: Management is budgeting for raises next year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">These raises, however, come with an expectation for technology to be a strategic cost-cutting and simultaneous revenue-producing investment. Business intelligence—despite its expense and effort—continues to be the No. 1 technology investment of 2010.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">In exact terms, 61 percent of executives are planning to give technology worker salaries a boost in 2011. Only a third of employers will be keeping salaries flat. The silver lining is less than 10 percent will be chopping salaries next year, according to annual data compiled by SIM (Society for Information Management), which surveyed more than 172 companies.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Of most concern to executives such as CIOs and senior IT managers is business productivity coupled with cost reduction. Other major concerns include speed to market, business agility, business and IT alignment and the reliability and efficiency of IT practices.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">“The No. 1 response is getting more revenue from IT investments as in leveraging IT to reduce business costs,” said Jerry Luftman, professor of information systems at Stevens Institute of Technology, in an interview with eWEEK. “It is also clear that the trend for offshore outsourcing is expected to continue to rise.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Luftman is a former SIM executive vice president who will be presenting the survey results to SIM attendees Oct. 3 at its annual conference in Atlanta. Luftman has been producing the research for this report for the last 10 years.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">For IT budgets, 38 percent of executives are increasing them next year, 27 percent are decreasing them and 35 percent are keeping them flat. Compared to last year, there is an 11 percent increase in budget spending—a good sign for projects and resources that have been on hold or postponed.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Many executives are looking for IT to lead the way in business process re-engineering, in strategic planning and keeping data and intellectual property secure. Making the list of concerns for the first time, however, was globalization.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">The No. 1 technology investment for these 172 organizations is BI (business intelligence). According to Luftman, BI has been the top technology investment for the last three years despite a recession and challenges for many with effective BI implementation. Given the emphasis on cost reduction, how is it that business intelligence ranks above virtualization, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), continuity planning/disaster recovery and cloud computing?</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">“I am surprised too that it remains so high other than they recognize its importance but are still struggling to implement it,” Luftman said.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Cloud computing made the top five technology investments for the first time in this year’s SIM report, further confirming its ascendancy as companies look to reduce costs in areas across the landscape of cloud-based services. Another trend that continues to be taken advantage of is offshore outsourcing, which will see an increase of 2 percent, from 5 percent in 2010 to 7 percent in 2011 IT budgets, according to the SIM report.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">IT turnover rates were low in 2010, according to the study. Seventy-one percent of SIM survey participants saw less than 5 percent of IT workers leave their company. Nearly 16 percent saw 6 to 10 percent turnover. The average rate of turnover was about 5.5 percent for 2010; last year, that rate was 6.9 percent.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">“The insights from the study confirm that the economic downturn is continuing to cause a significant shift in IT priorities,” said Luftman in a SIM statement. “It is essential to recognize how organizations are leveraging IT during this prolonged economic conundrum, as well as preparing for when the economy will improve.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Another thing Luftman noted is that as the economy improves, many people are expected to hit the retirement ranks, though he expects to see a larger hiring pool next year.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5385em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Courtesy: Don Sears, eWeek.com</p></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-74123681393329842452010-12-31T04:17:00.000-08:002010-12-31T04:18:38.533-08:00Capgemini acquires German IT services firm CS Consulting GmbH<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; "><br /></h3><div class="post-header" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "><div class="post-header-line-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; ">Capgemini, a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has announced the acquisition of German information technology services provider CS Consulting GmbH from its previous owner LRPC, a fund managed by Süd Beteiligungen, a private equity arm of Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, founder Berndt Blumenthal and Dr. Kurt Rommel. The agreement was signed yesterday under conditional approval by the relevant anti-trust authorities. The acquisition will more than double Capgemini's market share in IT services for banking clients in Germany.<br /><br />CS Consulting is an IT consulting firm that specializes in the banking and insurance industry. Founded in 1984, the firm has consistently chalked profitable growth above the market average. In 2009, it generated EUR 47.4m in revenue.<br /><br />CS Consulting employs more than 400 experienced consultants and specializes in migration of core banking systems and business intelligence systems implementation. It is a leader in IT consulting and system integration in Germany, known for its innovative solutions and ability to develop complex applications for its clients in the banking sector.<br /><br />Olivier Sevillia, Member of Capgemini Group Executive Committee, said, "The service portfolio and company culture of CS Consulting, which focuses on reliability of services, independence in terms of consulting and strong collaborative client approach, fit perfectly with Capgemini. With this step, we are giving a clear signal for the further growth of our business in Germany."<br /><br />Berndt Blumenthal, CEO of CS Consulting, said, "Joining Capgemini will enable us to benefit from the experience of a truly international Group with a solid delivery network, and to offer promising perspectives to our employees. We will combine our strengths to serve German banks expansion and transformation."<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; clear: both; "></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.3em; "><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "><br /></div><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; ">Source: <a href="http://consultancyrolefinder.blogspot.com/">Consultancy Role Finder</a></div></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-67991870065327368992010-12-31T04:14:00.000-08:002010-12-31T04:15:49.987-08:00Vault 2011 prestige rankings: Top consulting firms<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; "><br /></h3><div class="post-header" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "><div class="post-header-line-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; ">Employment and careers portal Vault.com released the 2011 prestige rankings for consulting firms - The Vault Consulting 50 - in late August in an attempt to determine the best consulting companies to work for.<br /><a href="http://www.theconsultancycareersfair.com/visitors/WhyAttend.aspx" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); "></a><br />The rankings were determined by a formula that factored in the results of Vault's Management and Strategy Consulting Survey, conducted annually between March and July. More than 4,500 consultants were asked to rate the prestige of their peer consulting firms on a scale of 1 to 10 as well as their own firm's quality of life.<br /><br />"We went out and asked consultants what mattered most to them in choosing an employer and prestige, while important, was not the biggest determining factor," said Brian Dalton, managing editor at Vault.com. "According to consultants, company culture was the most important factor, followed by practice strength, prestige and compensation, along with several other factors."<br /><br />The Top 10 Firms from the Vault Consulting 50 Rankings for 2011 are:<br /><br /><b>1. Bain & Company<br />2. The Boston Consulting Group<br />3. McKinsey & Company<br />4. Analysis Group<br />5. The Cambridge Group<br />6. Deloitte Consulting<br />7. Oliver Wyman<br />8. A.T. Kearney<br />9. Triage Consulting Group<br />10. Censeo Consulting Group</b><br /><br />Respondents note that Bain "set the bar (with McKinsey) in terms of prestige” and noted that the firm was “great for management consulting."<br /><br />In terms of quality of life, one strategy consultant at Bain & Company said of the firm: "There is no other company I’ve seen in my 10 years of professional experience with a stronger, healthier culture." A Toronto staffer added, "It is a demanding career, but yes, I have been able to live a very rewarding personal life over my last 10-plus years at Bain."<br /><br />Boston Consulting Group also received high praise. Said one health care consultant: "BCG is a fantastic place to work. They go the extra mile to invest in their consultants. The work is interesting, the people are brilliant, and the compensation and benefits are second to none."<br /><br />Other smaller, more niche firms that were recognized for their quality of life, include Analysis Group (No. 4), The Cambridge Group (No. 5), Triage Consulting Group (No. 9), Censeo Consulting Group (No. 10), and West Monroe Partners (No. 11).<br /><br />As an example of why these smaller niche firms are succeeding, one senior consultant at The Cambridge Group said, "I feel very lucky to have found TCG. I am constantly challenged and enjoy the work and the people. As a testament to the great experience I have had, I'm the only one of my friends from business school who has not switched companies since leaving school."<br /><br />According to Mr. Dalton, more jobseekers are discovering the benefits of joining these niche consulting companies. "These firms often get overlooked in the prestige rankings in favor of the more well-known firms," he said, "but they shine in the quality of life areas that many consultants care most about, leading to some deserved recognition in our Vault Consulting 50 Rankings."<br /><br />"Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group for that matter, historically dominates many of our quality of life categories, in addition to carrying a lofty reputation in the industry," added Dalton. "McKinsey, which is perennially the most prestigious firm, slips due to lower firm culture and work/life balance scores areas - where smaller firms tend to have the advantage."<br /><br />View the entire <a href="http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/rankings/individual?rankingId1=248&rankingId2=-1&rankings=1&regionId=0" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 153); ">Vault Consulting 50 Rankings for 2011</a>.<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; clear: both; "></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 11px; line-height: 1.3em; "><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 1.3em; "><br /></div></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-46134361679267042892010-07-08T04:46:00.000-07:002010-07-08T04:48:28.101-07:00AT&T CEO on Wireless Industry, Apple & More<object id="cnbcplayer" height="380" width="400" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" ><br /><param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash"/><br /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><br /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><br /><param name="quality" value="best"/><br /><param name="scale" value="noscale" /></object><br /><br><br><br />AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson discusses the wireless industry, the state of telecom and Apple with the Strategy Session crew.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-73191299715773564072010-07-01T17:17:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:18:41.500-07:00Wipro Announces Legacy Migration Initiative Based on Oracle(R) Tuxedo<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 17px; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><div id="above" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; "><div class="aboveleft" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; width: 570px; float: left; "><div class="headlines assetContainer pressrelease" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; float: left; width: 570px; "><h1 style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.8em; font-family: inherit; background-color: white; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 1.17em; letter-spacing: -1px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; font-size: 14px; ">New Capabilities Simplify Legacy Migration Initiatives; Help Reduce Cost, Risks and Accelerates Migration</span></h1></div></div><div class="clear" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; clear: both; "></div></div><div id="mainstory" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; "><div class="pressreleaselogo" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 7px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; float: left; "><img src="http://i.mktw.net/MW5/content/story/images/PR-Logo-Businesswire.gif" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; " /></div><p face="inherit" size="1.167em" color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; "></p><p face="inherit" size="1.167em" color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; "></p><p face="inherit" size="1.167em" color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; "></p><div class="imageSmall" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 7px; padding-bottom: 7px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; text-align: right; "><img alt="" id="image201" src="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/story/RenderImage?guid=449695F73F744C65B66797BEAC1D1E7A&imageID=201" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; " /></div></div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; "></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">BANGALORE, India, Jun 30, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Limited <span id="quote1085120894" class="quotepeekbase bgQuote down" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; position: relative; display: inline-block; font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;color:initial;">(<span class="symbol" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:0.92em;color:initial;"><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/WIT" title="Wipro Ltd" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; color: rgb(0, 65, 118); text-decoration: none; ">WIT</a></span> <b><span class="data bgLast symbol" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:0.92em;color:initial;">11.94</span></b>, <span class="data bgChange symbol" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; color: rgb(181, 0, 0); font-family:inherit;font-size:0.92em;">-0.04</span>, <span class="data bgPercentChange symbol" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; color: rgb(181, 0, 0); font-family:inherit;font-size:0.92em;">-0.33%</span>)</span>, today announced the launch of consulting and re-hosting implementation service offerings for migration of applications running on legacy environments to Oracle's Tuxedo platform. These new services leverage the Oracle Tuxedo product portfolio to accelerate and simplify legacy migrations.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">Legacy modernization is an important customer priority, given the large investment customers have in business-critical legacy applications. In an environment of constrained IT budgets, companies can no longer afford to spend a majority of their IT budgets on maintaining legacy infrastructure, which crowds out investments in new business priorities. Re-hosting legacy applications -- moving them intact from the legacy environment and migrating them to open systems without impacting business logic or data -- is an attractive migration approach. It can significantly reduce the cost, time and risk of migration and can enable customers to begin realizing savings within 12-18 months.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">These new offerings enable customers to benefit from Wipro's strong abilities to deliver migration projects on the Oracle stack using industrialized methodology and automated tooling for predictable, on-time, and on-budget delivery. Wipro's specialized Centre of Excellence for Legacy Migration provides skilled resources, best migration practices and reusable rehosting and modernization frameworks to accelerate legacy migration and modernization initiatives. Oracle proven technology gives customers the confidence to migrate mission-critical applications.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">Oracle Tuxedo Application Re-hosting Workbench 11g and Oracle Tuxedo Application Runtime for CICS and Batch 11g can help dramatically reduce migration cost, risk, project length and complexity with most legacy applications re-hosted on open systems 'as-is.' Customers can confidently migrate their applications to enable significant reductions in the cost of running online and batch applications while protecting their investment in business logic and data, and improving scalability and business continuity.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">"Wipro is excited to work with Oracle to provide service offerings for migration of legacy applications to Oracle's robust and proven stack," said K R Sanjiv, Senior Vice President, Business Technology Services, Wipro Technologies. "The new solution will help reduce the change involved in the migration process, allowing us to deliver more effective migration services. Hence, our customers can now see migration results more quickly, realize savings, and leverage these savings towards additional modernization initiatives."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">"Oracle Tuxedo Application Re-hosting Workbench 11g and Oracle Tuxedo Application Runtime for CICS and Batch 11g can dramatically streamline the migration process by providing an automated re-hosting toolset that enables more effective migration services with greater predictability, lower risk, and faster ROI," said Frank Xiong, Vice President of software development, Oracle. "Wipro can now help deliver migration projects faster and more effectively to our joint customers. This helps customers quickly achieve significant cost reductions, improved performance, flexibility, reliability, and scalability of Oracle Tuxedo and related product offerings."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 6px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-weight: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-size: 1.167em; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.354em; ">Source: Marketwatch</p></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-1438653080278463722010-07-01T17:12:00.001-07:002010-07-01T17:12:47.952-07:00IT firms likely to see good Q1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; "><div id="article-block" class="article-block" style="clear: both; padding-top: 10px; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); text-align: left; "><p id="p-tag" style="line-height: 16px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); ">July 1: With the first quarter of FY11 just over, markets have now started looking ahead to Q1 results. Technology major Infosys will be the first major player off the mark as usual, on July 13. There are some positive expectations from the Indian IT biggies this time, as results of US firms indicate that tech spending is recovering. The negative impact of the Eurozone crisis is expected to be limited.</p><p id="p-tag" style="line-height: 16px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); ">Accenture and Oracle have reported strong May end quarter results, says HSBC. “Strong management and technology consulting is a robust indicator of companies investing for future growth,” says the brokerage. This should be positive for Indian IT, according to the research house. Infosys and HCL Tech are the preferred picks of the broker amongst the larger Indian firms.</p><p id="p-tag" style="line-height: 16px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); ">Accenture’s Q3 results show a broad based recovery, says Macquarie. The company has reported a 6-8 per cent growth across all major segments. This kind of growth hasn’t been seen since August 2008, the brokerage says. Accenture has also bagged five deals of over $100 million, which indicates that spending is returning to the sector. Similar announcements could be expected for Indian firms. One segment that has done particularly well is financial sector services. Amongst Indian firms, TCS has a large exposure to this category, which Macquarie says is the top pick in the segment. HCL is another favoured name.</p><p id="p-tag" style="line-height: 16px; font-size: 13px; padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; text-align: left; color: rgb(70, 70, 70); ">One worry for the tech sector so far has been expected weakness in the British pound and the Euro. However, the fall in the rupee has helped mitigate the near term concerns.</p></div><div style="clear: both; "> </div><div style="clear: both; ">Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com</div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-90659621322026084262010-07-01T17:09:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:10:31.921-07:00Six Strategies for Successful Niche Marketing<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; "><span class="text4" style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(32, 32, 32); "><p dir="ltr" align="left"><br />There’s been a lot of buzz about the long-tail phenomenon — the strategy of selling smaller quantities of a wider range of goods that are designed to resonate with consumers’ preferences and earn higher margins. And a quick scan of everyday products seems to confirm the long tail’s merit: Where once we wore jeans from Levi, Wrangler or Lee, we now have scores of options from design houses. If you’re looking for a nutrition bar, there’s one exactly right for you, whether you’re a triathlete, a dieter or a weight lifter. Hundreds of brewers offer thousands of craft beers suited to every conceivable taste.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">It’s not surprising that so many companies have embraced this strategy. It allows them to avoid the intense competition found in mass markets. Look at the sales growth that has taken place in low-volume, high-margin products such as super-premium ice cream, noncarbonated beverages, heritage meats and heirloom vegetables.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">But the case for the long tail has frequently been overstated. This strategy can be expensive to implement, and it doesn’t work for all products or all categories. It’s surely better to produce a blockbuster film, for instance, than a smattering of low-volume art films.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Questions to Ask Yourself</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">1. As part of a strategy of selling a wider range of high-margin goods, are you being careful to distinguish potential future market sweet spots from valueless niches that produce needless complexity?</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">2. Are you listening carefully to what consumers are saying online about your products, not just to you but also to each other, and are you reacting quickly to make improvements that address any negative comments?</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">3. Are you standardizing design components as much as possible to limit the costs of producing an extensive product line?</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">4. Are you aggressively keeping inventory and distribution costs down with strategies that allow you to configure finished products quickly when orders arrive, swap inventory among outlets or share distribution with other producers?</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">5. Are you continually reviewing your product portfolio to weed out those products that aren’t contributing to profits, while being careful not to dump products that aren’t big sellers but still contribute to the portfolio’s overall profitability?</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">If you answered no to any of these questions, you’re not getting the most out of what we call resonance marketing — selling a variety of precisely targeted goods designed to resonate with consumers. Following the steps in this article will help you manage the complexity of this strategy and reap superior profitability.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">In other words, simply avoiding the clutter of mass markets isn’t enough. Companies need to stake out unique market sweet spots, those areas that resonate so strongly with target consumers that they are willing to pay a premium price, which offsets the higher production and distribution costs associated with niche offerings. We call this approach resonance marketing.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">The vast amount of information available on the Internet has made this kind of niche marketing more important than ever and easier to do. More important because all that information encourages comparison shopping, putting tremendous downward pressure on prices and profits in highly competitive mass markets. And easier because it eliminates much of consumers’ uncertainty about new niche products, since they can easily find reviews, ratings and comments on everything that hits the market. For decades consumer uncertainty blocked the launch of new offerings that were too focused to be supported by national ad campaigns; today’s empowered consumer is truly listening to word-of-mouth.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Finding sweet spots in the market is especially important in these tough economic times, when so many consumers are strapped for cash. Many shoppers will compromise whenever possible by looking for cheaper alternatives to the things they usually buy — but keep buying products that don’t have any direct substitutes.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">With the right approach, resonance marketing can fulfill its promise. We have found that six marketing principles, taken together, will allow a company to manage the complexity of this strategy and reap superior profitability.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Target Carefully</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Sweet-spot offerings aren’t better than other products in any absolute sense; they simply have to be different from existing options and better for their target consumers. They have to resonate powerfully with them.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">But that’s not as easy as it might sound. Finding profitable new niches requires a set of skills different from those needed to build market share or to create variations of an existing product — you’re looking for places where no offerings exist, not one where consumers are complaining about existing choices.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Executive Adviser</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Innovations in management theory & business strategy – a <a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/executive-adviser/" style="text-decoration: none; ">collaboration with <i>The Wall Street Journal</i></a></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Consider the success of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus line of luxury cars. Toyota’s research indicated there was an untapped market in the U.S. for Mercedes-quality luxury cars at a lower price, rather than superior quality at a comparable price. The Lexus line was designed to offer quality at a price that indicated the owners could afford whatever they wanted but also were smart enough to get it at a great price. The brand fulfilled an unmet need in the market and enjoyed immediate success.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Simply identifying gaps in the market isn’t enough, though. Plenty of unique consumer products have failed to capture the imagination of shoppers. There’s no guaranteed way to avoid such failures, but extensive research is essential. Often an ethnologist can help. Many companies use these analysts to explore why consumers buy what they do and what they would buy if it were available.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Listen to Your Customers. Really Listen.</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Traditional advertising campaigns don’t make sense for most niche markets; they’re too expensive and too difficult to target precisely enough. Indeed, there are entire product categories, including nutrition bars and craft beers, where most products are never advertised. Their producers have learned how to work with consumer-generated content online — reviews, ratings or just chatter about a product. They don’t just listen when customers talk to them; they listen just as carefully when customers talk about them.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">The beauty of consumer-generated content is that companies get immediate and continuous feedback about their products. The key here is to listen closely and react quickly. Marketing executives should watch for the first online comments about their wares with the same excitement and apprehension as Broadway producers waiting for opening-night reviews. Consumers will make it clear right away what they like about the product and what they don’t.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Harsh reviews can have devastating consequences. We analyzed two years of data on hotel bookings and found that the length, specificity and detail of negative online reviews are the best predictors of a hotel’s inability to sell itself online.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">So what do you do if the product you so carefully crafted to appeal to a particular market segment is trashed by those very consumers? Fix it immediately.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">If defects pointed out by consumers are fixed quickly, more-favorable comments will emerge just as quickly. But companies should never assume that they’ve gotten it right and can stop listening. Continuous monitoring of online comments will alert executives to any new issues that arise, any improvements consumers might like to see as they become more familiar with the product, and even the emergence of any competitors or alternatives that might siphon off buyers.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Some traditional marketing still has its place, and indeed has become more powerful thanks to the way word-of-mouth spreads so quickly over the Internet. Companies can generate positive buzz for niche products with events like the Great American Beer Festival that small, specialty brewers attend every year. The brewers make sure to attract both professional critics and passionate amateur bloggers alike.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Moreover, craft brewers have learned to work together to make these events successful; they understand that at this point in their industry’s development, their greatest danger comes not from each other but from consumer acceptance of mass-produced, generic beers.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Control Production Costs</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Selling a large number of narrowly targeted products may sound like a production nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. There are several ways to maintain economies of scale over a broad range of product offerings.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Variety and standardization can coexist. For instance, Callaway Golf Co. offers buyers of its drivers multiple options for a club’s head, loft angle and shaft — several hundred different combinations in all. But the company doesn’t manufacture every variety separately. Any configuration of the various components can be readily assembled, since the interconnections are standardized.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Manufacturing processes can also be standardized to a large extent. While pumpkin spice ice cream appeals to a very different group of consumers than vanilla does, the manufacturing process is nearly identical for both flavors and any others. Brewing involves cold-fermenting lagers in one set of tanks and warm-fermenting ales in another, but the two varieties share many other processes: mashing grains, adding hops, bottling.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">It also pays for a company to have a high-volume product in its portfolio that will keep its manufacturing equipment and employees from sitting idle for stretches of time. The relatively low volume of sales in narrowly targeted markets means production plants might not need to work to their full capacity to meet demand. A high-volume, if less profitable, product can take up the slack.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Control Distribution Costs</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">It’s not just production costs that will determine the profitability and ultimate success of resonance offerings. Distribution costs are also important. There are ways here, too, to keep costs under control.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">It can be difficult to forecast demand for products with limited sales, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a company needs to stockpile high levels of inventory to keep from getting caught short. Companies that offer many varieties of a product based on different combinations of components, as Callaway does with its golf clubs, can keep inventory low by postponing final assembly until a particular product is ordered — there’s no need to keep a given number of every combination in stock.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>See Also</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Further reading from <i>MIT Sloan Management Review</i></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">· <a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/articles/2006/summer/47413/from-niches-to-riches-anatomy-of-the-long-tail/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; ">From Niches to Riches: Anatomy of the Long Tail</a><br /><i>Erik Brynjolfsson, Yu “Jeffrey” Hu and Michael D. Smith</i><br />The Internet marketplace allows companies to produce and sell a far wider range of products than ever before. This profoundly changes both consumer behavior and business strategy.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">· <a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/articles/2009/spring/50315/cracking-the-code-of-mass-customization/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; ">Cracking the Code of Mass Customization</a><br /><i>Fabrizio Salvador, Pablo Martin de Holan and Frank Piller</i><br />Most companies can benefit from mass customization, yet few of them do. The key is to think of it as a process for aligning a business with its customers’ needs.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">· <a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/articles/2008/spring/49301/harnessing-the-power-of-the-ohsosocial-web/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; ">Harnessing the Power of the Oh-So-Social Web</a><br /><i>Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li</i><br />People are connecting with one another in increasing numbers, thanks to blogs, social networking sites and countless communities across the Web. Some companies are learning to turn this growing groundswell to their advantage.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Flexible inventory allocation is another way to keep from having to stockpile goods. Auto makers, for instance, often swap needed items. If a customer in New Jersey wants a copper-colored Infiniti FX35 and his dealer has the car in silver, while a customer in Pennsylvania wants the same car in silver and his dealer has the copper, the dealers can arrange an exchange.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Shared distribution is another option worth considering. Small brewers, for instance, cut costs this way.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Selling to customers directly from a company Web site can reduce costs by eliminating intermediaries. But companies should be aware that shoppers can be less forgiving online than they are offline. A consumer who visits a store to buy a product or orders it from a catalog may be miffed if it is temporarily out of stock. But frustration may rise to the level of anger if the same consumer orders the product online and isn’t notified until three days later that the item is out of stock, because of a glitch in the site’s inventory software.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Some Apparent Losers Are Worth Keeping</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Even with the best research and the most careful marketing, production and distribution, some products will be unprofitable or only marginally profitable. But before discontinuing a product, a company should consider the product’s value in broader terms.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Some products that don’t generate significant profit directly still help make a company’s other products more profitable. Feeder routes on airlines transport customers to more-profitable routes, such as trans-Atlantic flights. Likewise, niche books that don’t account for a significant portion of Amazon.com Inc.’s sales are valuable to the company because they contribute to its reputation as a one-stop source for any book.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b>Prune Your Portfolio Ruthlessly</b></p><p dir="ltr" align="left">Companies must relentlessly drop niche offerings that don’t contribute to profitability directly or indirectly. The scores of flavors discontinued over the years by Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., remembered fondly in the “flavor graveyard” on the company’s Web site, serve as a reminder to all companies that the flip side of creative expansion of a product line is eliminating those that no longer resonate with consumers. And the success of Ben & Jerry’s is a reminder of the power of resonance marketing done right.</p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="color:#006600;">Dr. Clemons is a professor of operations and information management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Nunes is executive director of research at the Accenture Institute for High Performance and is based in Boston. Mr. Reilly is a senior executive in Accenture’s management-consulting business, global managing director of the firm’s Process and Innovation Performance practice and global co-leader of its Operational Excellence service.</span></p><div><span style="color:#006600;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color:#006600;">Source: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; "><a href="http://fmoo3860.blogfa.com/post-536.aspx">http://fmoo3860.blogfa.com</a></span></div></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-72602151661353476552010-07-01T17:04:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:05:50.498-07:00'Global economy to drag on Korea'<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px; "><br />A noted global consultant said that Korea should keep its key interest rate at the record low level for the time being to ensure a sustainable economic recovery, citing the global economy, a rapid rebound of the won and household debt as the biggest obstacles to the Korean economy.<br /><br />His advice comes amid concerns growing over a double-dip recession of the global economy after the triple tremors from the banking crisis in Spain, crumbling confidence in the U.S. and a setback in China's leading economic indicator has jolted the global market.<br /><br />"Korea is generally in good shape. The exception is that household debt levels are still high. Keeping interest rates low should reduce the risk from debt levels and also the risk that the won rebounds too fast," Richard Dobbs, director of The McKinsey Global Institute, told The Korea Times.<br /><br />The institute is McKinsey's business, economics, and technology research arm, and is funded by the partners of McKinsey & Company.<br /><br />"The government needs to ensure the won does not rebound too fast against the Chinese yuan and Japanese yen in particular. It was also clear that the country had insufficient reserves during the crisis. Building up reserves can stop the won rebounding and allow Korea to be ready," he added.<br /><br />He pointed out that Korea should realize that it will take longer than expected for the global economy to complete the de-leveraging process.<br /><br />"The real challenge is that the global economy has high levels of debt, which typically takes three to five years to pay down. In addition, it has high unemployment, which again is going to take ages to work through. The global economy will be a drag on Korea."<br /><br />Regarding the sluggish real estate market, the Seoul-based consultant said that the government should opt for micro measures rather than macro policies. "It is better to manage real estate bubbles through loan-to-value ratios rather than interest rates," he said.<br /><br />But he downplayed concerns over inflation, saying, "A gradual strengthening of the won should offset the risk," he added.<br /><br />The global consultant stressed that Korea should seek to capitalize on the opportunity arising from the global financial crisis.<br /><br />"Korea needs to seize the opportunity from the fast rebound. I would hope that Korean companies can build regional leadership positions at a time when competitors from the U.S. and Europe are distracted."</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 6px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 6px; ">Source: Korea Times</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-49464804220958345052010-07-01T17:00:00.000-07:002010-07-01T17:02:03.691-07:00The McKinsey 7S Framework<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; "><div class="div9" style="width: 573px; height: 64px; background-image: url(http://mythemes.ir/t4/mytheme.ir_07.jpg); margin-top: 25px; float: left; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><div class="div10" style="width: 453px; height: 27px; text-align: right; direction: rtl; float: left; margin-top: 23px; "><b><span class="text2" style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(181, 0, 0); ">The McKinsey 7S Framework</span></b></div></div><div class="div11" style="width: 573px; background-image: url(http://mythemes.ir/t4/mytheme.ir_11.jpg); float: left; background-repeat: no-repeat repeat; "><div style="width: 50px; height: 50px; float: left; "></div><div class="div12" style="width: 491px; text-align: right; direction: rtl; float: left; margin-top: 5px; "><span class="text4" style="font-size: 8pt; color: rgb(32, 32, 32); "><h1 dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-size:85%;">The McKinsey 7S</span><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"> Framework<br /></span></h1><h3 dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Ensuring that all parts of your organization work in harmony</span></h3><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you go about analyzing how well your organization is positioned to achieve its intended objective? This is a question that has been asked for many years, and there are many different answers. Some approaches look at internal factors, others look at external ones, some combine these perspectives, and others look for congruence between various aspects of the organization being studied. Ultimately, the issue comes down to which factors to study.<br /><br />While some models of organizational effectiveness go in and out of fashion, one that has persisted is the McKinsey 7S framework. Developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey & Company consulting firm, the basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The 7S model can be used in a wide variety of situations where an alignment perspective is useful, for example to help you:</span></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Improve the performance of a company.</span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Examine the likely effects of future changes within a company.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Align departments and processes during a merger or acquisition.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Determine how best to implement a proposed strategy.</span></div></li></ul><div dir="ltr" align="left"> </div><h2 dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">The Seven Elements</span></h2><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The McKinsey 7S model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either "hard" or "soft" elements:</span></p><div dir="ltr" align="left"><table dir="ltr" border="1" cellspacing="0" border cellpadding="4" width="450" style="color:#cccccc;"><tbody><tr><td bg border width="50%" style="color:#999999;"><p><strong><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Hard Elements</span></strong></p></td><td bg border width="50%" style="color:#999999;"><p><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Soft Elements</span></b></p></td></tr><tr><td bg valign="top" border width="50%" style="color:#999999;"><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Strategy</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Structure</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Systems</span></p></td><td bg valign="top" border width="50%" style="color:#999999;"><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Shared Values</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Skills</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Style</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Staff</span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"Hard" elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them: These are strategy statements; organization charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">"Soft" elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The way the model is presented in Figure 1 below depicts the interdependency of the elements and indicates how a change in one affects all the others.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/mckinsey.jpg" width="275" height="310" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's look at each of the elements specifically:</span></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Strategy:</b> the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Structure:</b> the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Systems:</b> the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Shared Values:</b> called "superordinate goals" when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Style:</b> the style of leadership adopted.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Staff:</b> the employees and their general capabilities.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Skills:</b> the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company.</span></div></li></ul><div dir="ltr" align="left"> </div><h2 dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">How to Use the Model</span></h2><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you know what the model covers, how can you use it?</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The model is based on the theory that, for an organization to perform well, these seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing. So, the model can be used to help identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance, or to maintain alignment (and performance) during other types of change.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Whatever the type of change - restructuring, new processes, organizational merger, new systems, change of leadership, and so on - the model can be used to understand how the organizational elements are interrelated, and so ensure that the wider impact of changes made in one area is taken into consideration.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You can use the 7S model to help analyze the current situation (Point A), a proposed future situation (Point B) and to identify gaps and inconsistencies between them. It's then a question of adjusting and tuning the elements of the 7S model to ensure that your organization works effectively and well once you reach the desired endpoint.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Sounds simple? Well, of course not: Changing your organization probably will not be simple at all! Whole books and methodologies are dedicated to analyzing organizational strategy, improving performance and managing change. The 7S model is a good framework to help you ask the right questions - but it won't give you all the answers. For that you'll need to bring together the right knowledge, skills and experience.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to asking the right questions, we've developed a Mind Tools checklist and a matrix to keep track of how the seven elements align with each other. Supplement these with your own questions, based on your organization's specific circumstances and accumulated wisdom.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Here are some of the questions that you'll need to explore to help you understand your situation in terms of the 7S framework. Use them to analyze your current (Point A) situation first, and then repeat the exercise for your proposed situation (Point B).<br /><br /><b>Strategy:</b></span></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What is our strategy?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How do we intend to achieve our objectives?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How do we deal with competitive pressure?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How are changes in customer demands dealt with?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How is strategy adjusted for environmental issues?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Structure:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How is the company/team divided?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the hierarchy?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How do the various departments coordinate activities?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How do the team members organize and align themselves?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Is decision making and controlling centralized or decentralized? Is this as it should be, given what we're doing?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Where are the lines of communication? Explicit and implicit?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Systems:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the main systems that run the organization? Consider financial and HR systems as well as communications and document storage.<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Where are the controls and how are they monitored and evaluated?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What internal rules and processes does the team use to keep on track?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Shared Values:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the core values?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the corporate/team culture?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How strong are the values?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the fundamental values that the company/team was built on?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Style:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How participative is the management/leadership style?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How effective is that leadership?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Do employees/team members tend to be competitive or cooperative?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Are there real teams functioning within the organization or are they just nominal groups?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Staff:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What positions or specializations are represented within the team?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What positions need to be filled?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Are there gaps in required competencies?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><b><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Skills:</span></b></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the strongest skills represented within the company/team?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Are there any skills gaps?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the company/team known for doing well?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Do the current employees/team members have the ability to do the job?<br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">How are skills monitored and assessed?</span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>7S matrix questions</u><br /><br />Using the information you have gathered, now examine where there are gaps and inconsistencies between elements. Remember you can use this to look at either your current or your desired organization.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">, which contains a matrix that you can use to check off alignment between each of the elements as you go through the following steps:</span></p><ul dir="ltr"><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Start with your Shared Values: Are they consistent with your structure, strategy, and systems? If not, what needs to change?<br /><br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Then look at the hard elements. How well does each one support the others? Identify where changes need to be made.<br /><br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Next look at the other soft elements. Do they support the desired hard elements? Do they support one another? If not, what needs to change?<br /><br /></span></div></li><li><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">As you adjust and align the elements, you'll need to use an iterative (and often time consuming) process of making adjustments, and then re-analyzing how that impacts other elements and their alignment. The end result of better performance will be worth it.</span></div></li></ul><div dir="ltr" align="left"> </div><h2 dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;">Key Points</span></h2><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The McKinsey 7Ss model is one that can be applied to almost any organizational or team effectiveness issue. If something within your organization or team isn't working, chances are there is inconsistency between some of the elements identified by this classic model. Once these inconsistencies are revealed, you can work to align the internal elements to make sure they are all contributing to the shared goals and values.</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The process of analyzing where you are right now in terms of these elements is worthwhile in and of itself. But by taking this analysis to the next level and determining the ultimate state for each of the factors, you can really move your organization or .</span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" align="left"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Source: http://fmoo3860.blogfa.com</span></p></span></div></div></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-68614541657927159342010-06-21T18:56:00.000-07:002010-06-21T18:57:00.816-07:00Consultants predict double digit growth for CRM workSourceforconsulting.com research identifies why over a third of CRM projects under deliver. <br /> <br /><br />Consultants predict double digit growth for CRM work <br /><br />New research by Sourceforconsulting.com has found that consulting firms are bullish about the CRM market with more than half of firms surveyed expecting double digit growth over the next six months. The Source research also found that the financial services sector is showing the most demand for CRM consultancy at the moment. <br /><br />Why over a third of CRM projects under deliver <br /><br />Source found that the proportion of projects failing to deliver what’s expected of them averaged out at just over a third (40 per cent). Chief amongst the reasons for under-performing projects were the lack of a clear strategy, and inadequate definition of requirements. <br /><br />Although sales departments within organisations are likely to be behind most CRM projects, Source findings show that they’re not necessarily where CRM will deliver most benefits. Consultants working in the area said that customer services and marketing were both functions more likely to benefit than sales. The main reasons people embark on CRM projects at the moment were identified as: <br />1. Improving customer experience<br />2. Increasing retention rates/reducing churn<br />3. Increasing customer profitability <br /><br />Ed Haigh, Head of Content and Marketing at Sourceforconsulting.com commented: “More than anything else, CRM initiatives are still borne out of a desire to improve customer experience and to increase retention rates amongst existing customers. Consulting firms are already reporting considerable demand from organisations, particularly in financial services - anxious to reconnect with their customers as confidence returns post recession.” <br /><br />CRM and thought leadership <br /><br />Source also utilised its online subscription based resource White Space to evaluate CRM thought leadership, both by quantity and quality. It found that thought leadership on CRM and how organisations segment, engage with and retain customers – accounts for around a third of all marketing and selling-related thought leadership. The Source ranking by quantity and quality of thought leadership is as follows: <br /><br />Quantity of thought leadership <br /><br />Leading CRM consulting firms by quantity of thought leadership are: <br />1. McKinsey<br />2. Accenture<br />3. Bain<br />4. Boston Consulting Group <br />5. IBM <br /><br />Quality of thought leadership <br /><br />Leading CRM consulting firms by quality of thought leadership are: <br />1. Booz<br />2. IBM<br />3. McKinsey <br /><br />Fiona Czerniawska, co-founder of Source and editor of White Space, concluded: “CRM, as a source of consulting income as much as a topic of thought leadership, has been comparatively unimportant in recent years, but the last few months of the recession has reversed that trend.” <br /><br />The Sourceforconsulting.com briefing note provides clients with a comparison of consulting firms that provide CRM services, and the sectors that they have experience within.<div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-39311787650140611872010-06-21T18:52:00.000-07:002010-06-21T18:55:28.188-07:00Consulting firms among choice employers for US studentsGoogle is the #1 overall IDEAL Employer for the fourth year in a row among US undergraduate students; McKinsey maintains #2 spot.<br /><br /><br />Consulting firms among choice employers for US students<br /><br />Among US undergraduate students, Google is perceived as being an IDEAL Employer at 14.76%, according to year’s IDEAL Employer Survey from Universum USA.<br /><br />Based on the frequency of being selected as an ideal employer, Universum produces an ideal employer ranking, dubbed the Universum Top 100. This year’s results are based on more than 163,246 employer evaluations, reflecting the opinions of approximately 56,900 Undergraduate students. The rankings reflect the level of employer attractiveness that companies or organizations have on the recruitment market, and consequently the strength of their employer brands.<br /><br />Top 10 IDEAL Employers for undergraduate students, segmented by their main field of study are:<br /><br />Business: 1. Google, 2. Ernst & Young, 3. PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, 4. Deloitte, 5. Walt Disney Company, 6. KPMG LLP, 7. J.P. Morgan, 8. Apple Computer, 9. Goldman Sachs, 10. Nike<br /><br />Engineering: 1. NASA, 2. Lockheed Martin Corporation, 3. Google, 4. Boeing, 5.General Electric, 6. Microsoft, 7. U.S. Department of Energy, 8. BMW,9. Exxon Mobil Corporation, 10. Apple Computer<br /><br />IT: 1.Google, 2. Microsoft, 3. Apple Computer, 4. IBM, 5.Cisco Systems, 6. Intel, 7. FBI, 8. Electronic Arts, 9. Sony, 10. NASA<br /><br />Google, McKinsey & Company and Goldman Sachs take top 3 spots among US MBA students<br /><br />Top 20 IDEAL Employers for MBA students are:<br /><br />1. Google<br />2. McKinsey & Company<br />3. Goldman Sachs<br />4. The Boston Consulting Group<br />5. Apple Computer<br />6. Bain & Company<br />7. J.P. Morgan<br />8. Walt Disney Company<br />9. Nike<br />10. Johnson & Johnson<br />11. Amazon<br />12. Deloitte<br />13. The Blackstone Group<br />14. Morgan Stanley<br />15. Microsoft<br />16. General Electric<br />17. Procter & Gamble<br />18. IDEO<br />19. The Coca-Cola Company<br />20. Credit Suisse<br /><br />Source) <a href="http://www.consultant-news.com/">http://www.consultant-news.com</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-86236082610812405942010-06-21T18:47:00.000-07:002010-06-21T18:50:33.895-07:00India’s cloud computing mkt to touch $1 bn by 2015The domestic cloud computing market is expected to touch $1.08 billion by 2015 from $110 million currently, research firm Zinnov on Monday in New Delhi said.<br /><br />Cloud computing refers to a pay-per-use model of computing where applications and software are accessed over the Internet and not owned by users. IT companies can save huge costs on these products as they would not have to invest in purchasing them, resulting in reduced IT costs.<br /><br />"We are expecting sectors like banking and financial services, telecom, manufacturing and government to drive cloud adoption in the country. As companies look at cost and operational efficiency, they would embrace the cloud," Zinnov Management Consulting chief executive Pari Natarajan said.<br /><br />These sectors have huge data storage requirements and complex applications, which can be served well through the cloud, he added.<br /><br />The global cloud computing market is expected to grow to $70 billion by 2015 from $20 billion now.<br /><br />The adoption of cloud computing is being led by the small and medium businesses. "Domestic SMBs in specific, lack budgets and often the staff required to manage internal IT.<br /><br />However, they are looking for rapid growth and to achieve that, cloud computing is indeed the answer," Zinnov manager Praveen Bhadada said.<br /><br />Cloud computing has three parts: software-as-a-service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and Platform as a service (PaaS). While SaaS, which is the most common form, is likely to touch $650 million-mark by 2015, PaaS and IaaS markets cumulatively would touch $434 million each by then, the study said.<br /><br />The SaaS market, estimated to be about $66 million currently, is dominated by applications like customer relationship management, enterprise resource management and e-mail solutions.<br /><br />"These numbers do not include private clouds (servers), otherwise it is a much more wider market," Bhadada pointed out.<br /><br />Some organisations, especially larger ones, set up a cloud-like infrastructure in their own data centre to secure data, which is called a private cloud. Public cloud refers to providers such as Amazon, Google and Salesforce.com, whose shared services are available to all.<br /><br />Read more at: <a href="http://beta.profit.ndtv.com/news/show/indias-cloud-computing-mkt-to-touch-1-bn-by-2015-76505?cp" target="_blank_">http://beta.profit.ndtv.com/news/show/indias-cloud-computing-mkt-to-touch-1-bn-by-2015-76505?cp</a><br /><br />Press Trust of India, June 21, 2010 (New Delhi)<a href="http://beta.profit.ndtv.com/news/show/indias-cloud-computing-mkt-to-touch-1-bn-by-2015-76505?cp" target="_blank_"></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-2670631384839361592010-04-19T20:06:00.001-07:002010-04-19T20:06:32.012-07:00Why Business Management Consultants Are In Such Great Demand<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: rgb(204, 102, 0); font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-left: 0px; "><a href="http://smallbusiness-help.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-business-management-consultants-are.html" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; display: block; font-weight: bold; "><br /></a></h3><div class="post-header-line-1"></div><div class="post-body entry-content" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; "><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">Business <a href="http://www.futureafrica.eu/meetlars.html" style="color: rgb(183, 68, 71); text-decoration: none; ">management consultants</a> have a very varied and interesting career, and are in great demand. Whereas managers in a traditional business situation are tied to one place of work, consultants get to work in a variety of situations. Many are freelance, which will also appeal to people who want to gain more control over their working life, and who want to create a small business of their own. Some kind of background in commercial management will be highly desirable, but even that is not necessary if you can demonstrate the right skills.</span></p><div id="topAd" dir="LTR" style="font-family: verdana; "><table width="2" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><col width="2"><tbody><tr><td width="2"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">When you are in business on your own account, and looking to serve corporate clients who are averse to taking risks with the company's money, it is essential that you can demonstrate competence in your chosen field. The best way to do this is by having a respected qualification after your name. If you are worried about the possibility of studying, be assured that it is much easier than it once was. There is no longer any need to physically attend a college campus.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">The world of online learning has totally revolutionized the education industry. For so many years, people were frustrated about their lack of opportunity. While they were desperate to train for a new career, they were also in need of the income from their existing job. Many also had young families which meant that studying anywhere away from home was completely impossible. Now, this huge sector of the market is being served, both by the established institutions we know so well, and by new players who have come into the market purely to serve the need for online learning.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">Personal business management courses are among the most in-demand, but online learning means there is plenty of opportunity. There is also plenty of opportunity for skilled managers in the job market. Although there will be many qualified people as a result of the increased opportunities for learning, the business sector will be increasing at an even faster rate. The largest growth will be coming in the small and medium sized business area, and there will be many opportunities for qualified people to be earning good salaries.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0.08in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">There is no doubt that the small business sector is going to play a major role in helping the country to emerge from the economic downturn, and there is no doubt that management in business is going to vitally important in helping this to happen. Good management means efficiency, and efficiency means getting the most out of every resource available. Whether that resource is the employees of a company, or whether it is working hours or equipment, a good manager can get the most from them. Most managers in business would benefit from the guidance of an expert consultant, so there is going to be a lot of opportunity in the coming decade for business management consultants.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-family: verdana; "><span style="font-size: 12px; ">Resource <a href="http://www.businessmanagementinfo.com/articles/business-management-consultants.php" style="color: rgb(183, 68, 71); text-decoration: none; ">http://www.businessmanagementinfo.com/articles/business-management-consultants.php</a></span></p></div></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-38306045962417914122010-04-19T19:59:00.000-07:002010-04-19T20:04:17.962-07:00How To Prepare For A Consulting Interview<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1437px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Where to look for consulting jobs</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1437px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc754997f8b9a201ddc0000-400-300/where-to-look-for-consulting-jobs.jpg" alt="Where to look for consulting jobs" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The most surefire way to score a consulting interview is <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">through a network connection in the business or a contact at a firm.</strong></p></div><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"The thing about consulting is that most of the big management firms don't do postings on job sites. You're going to need to get introduced internally, or know a recruiter," Gao tells us.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Make sure you're working those LinkedIn relationships, as well as your school's alumni network and career services.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">If you don't have any connections, you're not completely out of luck -- you just have to be more resourceful. <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Actively search for new contacts in the business, and be persistent in reaching out personally to recruiters at firms of your choice.</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">And check out Vault's 2009 ranking of <a href="http://www.vault.com/wps/portal/usa/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gzQ0u_YHMPIwP_gABTA09npxDXgKAAY0tLc6B8JLJ8oLGLgadBsJ-vsZmpj7GPIQHd4SD7cKsINkaXxzQfJG-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" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">the top 50 management consulting firms</a> to make sure you're targeting the best companies.</p></div><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1425px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; "><br /></h2><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">The resume and cover letter</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1425px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc76cd27f8b9ab5684f0900-400-300/the-resume-and-cover-letter.jpg" alt="The resume and cover letter" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: iStockphoto</p></div>All consulting positions will require you to submit a resume with a formal cover letter.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"For the resume... keep it short, keep it results-oriented, keep it looking very, very nice," Gao advises.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"For the cover letter... keep it short, keep it focused on 1-2 important topics/stories only, and personalize it to the extent that you can (e.g., mention people you know at the firm, a tidbit or two about the company that you read in WSJ or NYT, etc)."</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">One thing Gao says to keep in mind, "<strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">For big companies, it's all about the resume. For small companies, the cover letter matters more.</strong>"</p></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1225px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">How to dress</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1225px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc769a97f8b9ab32c500300-400-300/how-to-dress.jpg" alt="How to dress" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kplanz/2568385457/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">karsten.planz</a> via Flickr</p></div>The dress for a consulting interview is standard professional business attire: a nice, plain suit (for both men and women). As usual, make sure you're <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">clean-cut (for men, clean-shaven), neat, and not wrinkled</strong>.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Gao's one warning: "don't be too fashionable." That means no flashy ties or trendy accessories.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Be neutral; <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">keep it simple</strong>.</p></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1396px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Be on top of current events in the industry</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1396px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4ba3d6b47f8b9ad65eda0100-400-300/be-on-top-of-current-events-in-the-industry.jpg" alt="Be on top of current events in the industry" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dead_sea_newspaper.jpg</p></div>You won't make it through your interview if you can't show that you pay attention to current events. Knowing what's going on in finance and politics (both domestic and international) is a crucial part of consulting.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Gao advises candidates to <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">scan the general news the morning of the interview</strong>. It's even better if you also know <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">what's been going on with the firm that you're interviewing with</strong> and you drop some of those tidbits into your interview.</p></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1170px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">The Case Study</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1170px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc76b677f8b9af72a360900-400-300/the-case-study.jpg" alt="The Case Study" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidmasters/3618249963/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">David Masters</a> via Flickr</p></div>During the case study portion of the interview, you'll be given information about a business situation (real or hypothetical). You'll then be expected to analyze it and propose a solution.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The point of this exercise is to see how well you understand business, and how strong your analytical, problem-solving, and logic skills are.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The key to preparing for the case study is simply to <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">practice, practice, practice -- you have to do as many practice cases as you can</strong>.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"Get grilled by friends and current consultants willing to help you," Gao suggests.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">You can find plenty of sample cases on the web, or you can purchase a case prep book -- one of the most highly-recommended is <a href="http://www.casequestions.com/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation</a>, by Marc Cosentino</p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><br /></span></div><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1018px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Sample case question #1 : Logic Question</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1018px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/49b9b91428ef9a492ba27000-400-300/sample-case-question-1--logic-question.jpg" alt="Sample case question #1 : Logic Question" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /></div>You have a 3 liter bucket and a 5 liter bucket. How will you measure out exactly 4 liters of water? Assume you have an endless supply of water and no markings on the buckets.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i><br /></i></p></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1150px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Possible answer</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1150px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/49b9b91428ef9a492ba27000-400-300/possible-answer.jpg" alt="Possible answer" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /></div>Fill the 3L bucket and pour all of its contents into the 5L bucket. You now have 3L of water and 2L of empty space in the 5L bucket .<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Fill the 3L bucket back up and pour as much as you can into the 5L bucket (i.e. 2L). This leaves 1L in the 3L bucket. Empty the 5L bucket and pour in the 1L of water you have sitting in the 3L bucket.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Now fill the 3L bucket to the top and pour it into the 5L bucket -- and you're done. 1L + 3L = 4L measured exactly in the 5L bucket.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; ">(from <a href="http://www.acethecase.com/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">Ace the Case</a>)</em></p></div><br /><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 923px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Sample case question #2: Market-sizing/Estimation</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 923px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4b8fffa57f8b9a7e5a300000-400-300/sample-case-question-2-market-sizingestimation.jpg" alt="Sample case question #2: Market-sizing/Estimation" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnzy/311586890/</p></div>Estimate the size of the U.S. disposable diaper market.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i><br /></i></p></div><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 2264px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Possible answer</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 2264px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4b8fffa57f8b9a7e5a300000-400-300/possible-answer.jpg" alt="Possible answer" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dawnzy/311586890/</p></div>First, I’m going to assume that there are 250 million Americans. I’m going to further assume that the average life expectancy of an American is 75 years. I’m also going to assume that there are even numbers of people in each age group. And that there are exactly same numbers of 8 year-olds as 68 year-olds.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">You divide 250 million by 75 and you get about 3.3 million people per age group. Children wear diapers from ago zero to 3 so that’s 9.9 million kids wearing diapers. So we’ll round it off to 10 million kids. You said disposable diapers. So I’ll estimate that 80 percent of children wear disposable diapers. So now we’re talking 8 million children wearing 5 diapers a day. That’s 40 million diapers a day times 365 equals approximately 14.6 billion diapers a year.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; ">(from <a href="http://www.casequestions.com/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">CaseQuestions.com</a>)</em></p></div><br /><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 937px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Sample case question #3: Market-sizing/Estimation</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 937px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4b2935df00000000004df04f-400-300/sample-case-question-3-market-sizingestimation.jpg" alt="Sample case question #3: Market-sizing/Estimation" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /></div>How many ATM machines are there in the United States?<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><i><br /></i></p></div><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1497px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Possible answer</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1497px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4b2935df00000000004df04f-400-300/possible-answer.jpg" alt="Possible answer" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /></div>I live in Needham, Massachusetts. The population of my town is approximately 30,000. There are fifteen ATM machines in town so I’ll assume that each ATM services 2,000 people. I’m going to assume that the population of the US is around 260 million people.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Next I’ll divide 2,000 into 260 million and come up with 130,000 ATMs.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; ">(from <a href="http://www.casequestions.com/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">CaseQuestions.com</a>)</em></p></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1716px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">The "Fit" Questions</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1716px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc76a907f8b9a5068ff0a00-400-300/the-fit-questions.jpg" alt="The "Fit" Questions" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/generated/501445202/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">jared</a> via Flickr</p></div>During the "fit" portion of the interview, the interviewer will ask questions about your personality and approach to work. They'll generally prompt you to offer examples of how you've handled certain situations in the past.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">It's important to remember that <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; "><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; ">how</em> you answer the questions is just as important as what you're saying</strong>. Your interviewer is really trying to get a sense of who you are and how well you communicate -- essentially, whether you'd be a good fit as a consultant.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The best strategy: take every opportunity to promote yourself, and <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">always follow-up any generalizations about your personality or experiences with specific examples.</strong></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"There are really only 20-30 questions that you'll get asked 80% of the time. Have your 2-3 bullet points for each answer NAILED, and improve off of them," advises Gao. Also "[practice] spontaneous improvisation... make sure you have the skills to come up with something decent right on the spot."</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Gao lists some common fit interview questions on his site; a few examples:</p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; line-height: 1.5em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Have you dealt with a difficult boss? If so, explain how you managed the situation. If not, explain how you’d deal with a hypothetically difficult boss.</strong></li></ul><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; line-height: 1.5em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Describe a scenario where you lead a team in the face of a major obstacle.</strong></li></ul><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; line-height: 1.5em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">What company do you think is having a tough time right now, and what would you recommend they do to improve their current situation?</strong></li></ul></div><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1094px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">Remember: personality and attitude are as important as your answers</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1094px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc76bd77f8b9a5268e30b00-400-300/remember-personality-and-attitude-are-as-important-as-your-answers.jpg" alt="Remember: personality and attitude are as important as your answers" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/derekgavey/4223727599/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">derekGavey</a> via Flickr</p></div>Your answers to these questions are important. But Gao assures us a critical part of getting that consulting job is whether or not your interviewer thinks you're a good match personality-wise.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"<strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">The consulting interview is all about the energy and the vibe that you give off</strong>," he says.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Some important traits that interviewers look for:</p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; line-height: 1.5em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Excellent people skills</strong>: Communication is an enormous part of consulting.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Natural curiosity</strong>: You'll constantly be learning about new industries.</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Attention to detail</strong>, "or the ability to fake it well," says Gao.</li></ul><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Ultimately, the interviewer is thinking, "Do I want this person communicating and interacting with our big clients?"</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Also: "Would I be happy to spend 10 hours in a room with this person?"</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">So don't try too hard during your interview -- <strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">be on point, but be yourself</strong>.</p></div><br /><br /><span>Read more: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-consulting-interview-2010-4#remember-personality-and-attitude-are-as-important-as-your-answers-13#ixzz0lbcerL3Q" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-consulting-interview-2010-4#remember-personality-and-attitude-are-as-important-as-your-answers-13#ixzz0lbcerL3Q</a></span><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 787px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">The follow-up questions</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 787px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4b9e91dc7f8b9a0017ff0600-400-300/the-follow-up-questions.jpg" alt="The follow-up questions" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: AP</p></div>Shrugging your shoulders when your interviewer asks if you have any questions is not an option.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">If you can't come up with any good follow-up questions, Gao <a href="http://managementconsulted.com/consulting-interviews/management-consulting-interview-guide/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">lists some great sample questions</a> on his blog. A selection:</p><ul style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; position: relative; line-height: 1.5em; "><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">What’s been the most difficult client issue that you’ve faced?</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">If I got this job, what advice could you give me to help me get off to a fast start?</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">What would you say are the most common mistakes that new hires make?</li><li style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; background-image: url(http://static.businessinsider.com/assets/images/dot-black.gif); background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; background-position: 0px 0.25em !important; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Which project has been the most (challenging/exciting/engaging) for you?</li></ul></div><br /><br /><div class="container" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1270px; "><h2 class="slide-title" style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; ">What matters most?</h2></div><div class="container slide-content" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; width: 1270px; "><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><div class="image-container slide-image" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><img src="http://static.businessinsider.com/image/4bc76d747f8b9a6a69520400-400-300/what-matters-most.jpg" alt="What matters most?" border="0" class="slide-image" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; cursor: pointer; " /><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Image: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkumm/2709555496/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(29, 99, 125); ">mrkumm</a> via Flickr</p></div>The most important things to focus on: "<strong style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; ">Case, ability to synthesize and communicate succinctly, and ability to connect with the interviewer</strong>," Gao sums up.<p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "></p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">The keys to preparing are practicing as much as possible, and getting comfortable enough to be yourself.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">"Each firm has a different 'formula', but it comes down to basically 2 things: are you able to think quickly and thoroughly about business-like problems, and are you able to communicate them convincingly and succinctly?"</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Remember, don't over-stress about answering every question perfectly. Overall, your personality, analytical abilities, and communication skills are going to be the major deciding factors.</p><p style="margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">Good luck!</p></div><span><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; "><span>Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/</span></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-32651514994792334302010-04-19T19:53:00.001-07:002010-04-19T19:53:57.500-07:00Wipro's solution wins Global Product Excellence 2010 Award<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: medium; "><br /><table id="netspidersosh" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="1003" class="maintable" style="width: 1003px; "><tbody><tr><td height="10" align="left" valign="top" colspan="3"></td></tr><tr><td align="left" valign="top" width="440" style="padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; "><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" align="left" colspan="4"><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); border-right-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); border-left-color: rgb(255, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; height: 16px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="headingnext" style="font-size: 12px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-weight: normal; ">19 Apr 2010, 1951 hrs IST,<artag>PTI</artag></span><span style="height: 15px; vertical-align: text-bottom; "></span></div><div id="ad36344" name="ad36344" align="center"></div></td></tr><tr><td width="100%" valign="top" align="left" style="padding-bottom: 10px; "><div class="KonaBody"><div id="storydiv"><br /><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 12px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify; ">BANGALORE: Wipro<a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/infotech/software/Wipros-solution-wins-Global-Product-Excellence-2010-Award/articleshow/5832625.cms#" class="kLink" target="undefined" id="KonaLink0" style="color: blue !important; text-decoration: underline !important; font-size: 12px; border-bottom-style: none !important; cursor: pointer; font-family: verdana; border-top-width: 0px !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-bottom-width: 0px !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-top-color: transparent !important; border-right-color: transparent !important; border-bottom-color: transparent !important; border-left-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; background-attachment: initial !important; background-origin: initial !important; background-clip: initial !important; background-color: transparent !important; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; text-transform: none !important; display: inline !important; font-variant: normal; top: 0px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; left: 0px; position: static; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; "><span style="color: blue !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; position: static; color:blue;"><span class="kLink" style="border-top-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-color: initial !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-color: initial !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-color: initial !important; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: initial; padding-top: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-bottom: 1px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; color: blue !important; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; width: auto !important; float: none !important; display: inline !important; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; position: static; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Technologies</span></span></a>, global IT services business of Wipro Limited, on Monday announced that its Identity Access Management (IDAM) Solution, IDAM-in-a-Rack has won the Global Product Excellence Award 2010 in 'Identity Management Solution' Category recently in San Francisco.<br /><br />The award, instituted by Info Security Products Guide, the world's leading publication on security-related products and technologies, recognises security and IT vendors with advanced, ground-breaking products and solutions that help set the bar higher in all areas of technologies, a company statement said.<br /><br />'IDAM-in-a-Rack' has been built by Wipro Enterprise Security Solutions (ESS) team gleaned from Wipro's experience in successful IDAM implementations for various global customers over the years. The solution's architecture, market leadership, profitability and revenue growth were strong positives for the award.<br /><br />"As cyber security threats continue to affect businesses worldwide, the protection of networks remains a critical requirement for any organization," says Sana Madan, Executive Editor of Info Security Products Guide.</div><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 12px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 12px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify; "><br /></div><div class="Normal" style="font-size: 12px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; text-align: justify; ">Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com</div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-41050569526411638802010-04-19T19:50:00.001-07:002010-04-19T19:50:58.537-07:00Accenture Wins Electrolux Deal<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; "><h2 style="font: normal normal bold 20px/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(14, 15, 63); text-decoration: none; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px; ">After entering into a technical collaboration with Korean conglomerate Hanwha S&C, technology and management consulting company <strong>Accenture Plc</strong> <span class="symbol">(<a href="http://www.dailymarkets.com/symbol/ACN/" style="color: rgb(30, 65, 206); text-decoration: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">ACN</a>: 42.83 <span style="color:#FF0000;">-0.32 -0.74%</span>)</span> recently entered into a global multi-year outsourcing agreement with Electrolux IT Solutions AB.</span></h2><p>The tech giant will be shouldering the responsibility of developing and managing a designated portion of Electrolux’s enterprise applications, which consist of JD Edwards, Congos and Lotus Notes. The whole service will be delivered through a global delivery model, and the company expects this to catalyze the information technology restructuring process, resulting in a reduction of cost and enhancing efficiency.</p><p>This is the continuation of a series of contract wins that the company has witnessed in recent times. A few days back, Accenture won a five-year application outsourcing contract from Nordea, a leading banking and financial services group. The company did not disclose the monetary value of the contract, which is expected to generate recurring revenue for the company for the next several years.</p><p>This apart, in March, Accenture was awarded a $200 million contract by<strong>Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.</strong> <span class="symbol">(<a href="http://www.dailymarkets.com/symbol/HOT/" style="color: rgb(30, 65, 206); text-decoration: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">HOT</a>: 47.79 <span style="color:#FF0000;">-0.50 -1.04%</span>)</span>. Under the contract, which will span over a number of years, Accenture will provide a range of IT services, including application outsourcing and infrastructure outsourcing. We expect the revival in business activity to help the company improve numbers in the upcoming quarters.</p><p>This idea is reinforced by the optimistic IT spending forecast made by <strong>Gartner Inc.</strong> <span class="symbol">(<a href="http://www.dailymarkets.com/symbol/IT/" style="color: rgb(30, 65, 206); text-decoration: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; ">IT</a>: 23.11 <span style="color:#FF0000;">-0.09 -0.39%</span>)</span>. The technology research firm recently revealed it’s IT spending forecast for 2010. Gartner is bullish on the revival in sentiment across the globe and expects spending on technology products and services to reach $3.4 trillion, registering a growth rate of 5.3% compared to the year-ago quarter.</p><p>After the year-long recession, most of the tech companies are witnessing a revival in business volumes and investor sentiment, and Accenture is no exception. So 2010 is expected to be a sunrise year for this sector, but it will definitely take some time for performance to reach 2008 levels.</p><p><br /></p><p>Source: Daily Markets</p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166123979616339704.post-20379205586861307622010-04-19T19:48:00.000-07:002010-04-19T19:49:16.284-07:00Accenture Named Top Outsourcing Provider by International Association of Outsourcing Professionals<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><h1 class="epi-fontLg bwtextaligncenter" style="font: normal normal bold medium/normal Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: medium; text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; "><i>IAOP’s Global Outsourcing 100® List ranks Accenture No. 1 for third consecutive year</i></span></h1><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">NEW YORK--(<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); ">BUSINESS WIRE</a>)--Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been ranked No. 1 on the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ (IAOP®) <i>Global Outsourcing 100</i>list, marking the third consecutive year that Accenture has topped this ranking of the world’s best <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.accenture.com%2Fglobal%2Foutsourcing%2Fdefault.htm&esheet=6253540&lan=en_US&anchor=outsourcing+providers&index=1&md5=5eb17317257121f0475468a42b017c34" shape="rect" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); ">outsourcing providers</a>.</p><blockquote style="border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); min-height: 1px; padding-top: 0.25em; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.25em; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 10px; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; float: right; width: 262px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); background-position: 50% 6px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 101, 156); padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; ">“Identifying and recognizing the industry's best is what IAOP's Global Outsourcing 100 is all about and for Accenture to lead this list for three years running is an exceptional accomplishment.”</p></blockquote><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">The <i>Global Outsourcing 100</i> is designed to help companies compare and select service providers using an objective methodology. Providers are ranked on quality following a rigorously judged application process that examines 18 criteria. The final rankings are based on a weighted average of the judges’ scores on demonstrated competencies, size, growth, management capabilities and customer references.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">"As the adoption of outsourcing accelerates around the globe, expanding the capabilities and commitment to excellence of outsourcing service providers is key," says Michael Corbett, Chairman, IAOP. "Identifying and recognizing the industry's best is what IAOP's Global Outsourcing 100 is all about and for Accenture to lead this list for three years running is an exceptional accomplishment."</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">Mike Salvino, Accenture’s group chief executive–<a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.accenture.com%2Fglobal%2Foutsourcing%2Fbusiness_process_outsourcing%2Fdefault.htm&esheet=6253540&lan=en_US&anchor=Business+Process+Outsourcing&index=2&md5=3f0cd1477b77fb709199361310190621" shape="rect" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); ">Business Process Outsourcing</a>, said, “For the third consecutive year, Accenture is honored to be recognized by the IAOP as the best outsourcing provider in the world. This ranking is a testament to the expertise and professionalism of the thousands of Accenture people around the world who are dedicated to delivering a broad range of outsourcing services to our clients – and to our clients who are realizing business improvement and true business value through outsourcing.”</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">Accenture provides application, infrastructure and business processing outsourcing services to more than 650 private- and public-sector clients across more than 30 industries.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; "><b>About Accenture</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; ">Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 181,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.58 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2009. Its home page is <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.accenture.com&esheet=6253540&lan=en_US&anchor=www.accenture.com&index=3&md5=137f9984b20f4c4c88fd0edb71cbb824" shape="rect" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); "><span class="bwunderlinestyle" style="text-decoration: underline; ">www.accenture.com</span></a>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; "><b>About IAOP</b></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.4em; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 13px; "><a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.outsourcingprofessional.org%2F&esheet=6253540&lan=en_US&anchor=The+International+Association+of+Outsourcing+Professionals&index=4&md5=6192f5d62392575d79518277afaa5da1" shape="rect" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); ">The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals</a> (IAOP) is the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. With more than 100,000 customer, advisor and provider members worldwide, IAOP helps companies increase their outsourcing success rate, improve their outsourcing ROI, and expand the opportunities for outsourcing across their businesses. To learn more, visit <a target="_blank" href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iaop.org&esheet=6253540&lan=en_US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iaop.org&index=5&md5=d79682d341933aeb1cbebc620754506c" shape="rect" style="color: rgb(0, 85, 130); ">http://www.iaop.org</a>.</p></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">http://www.alexiskim.com</div>Alexis Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15615044635440136355noreply@blogger.com0