Kennedy Corner
»U.S. Healthcare Reform and Integration
While each week in the U.S. different reports come out about key aspects of the US healthcare reform being adopted, implemented or delayed, fewer elements of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) impact are clear.
»Financial Services: Shooting from the Hip
It became rapidly clear as the economic crisis spun out of control in 2008 and 2009 that new regulations were coming, and those expectations were not disappointed. Governments around the world rose to the anger their constituents felt as jobs were lost and homes foreclosed on, and sweeping new regulations were enacted. Some were carefully thought out, but others more resembled what could best be described as “shooting from the hip.”
»Twinkies and Positive PR for Private Equity
If you are someone who began hoarding boxes of Twinkies last year, you may have felt a bit reactionary following the recent news on Hostess. With the Private Equity buyout of Hostess, this heartening symbol of U.S. culture is returning to store shelves. Even with expertise on their side, the two firms that agreed to the buyout certainly have their work cut out for them in revitalizing the brand to its glory days.
»The Water’s Nice; Jump In
The market for new market entry strategy consulting is about resources and incentives. It’s a not too hot, not too cold, but just right equation.
»The New War For Talent
When a meteorite blazed through the morning skies of central Russia in mid-February and exploded, the news media described it as a rare event. And it was. Fast forward one month and just about every government in the world is looking at the potential for a "rare event" to visit their borders, and wringing their hands over how to prepare for it.
»Here Comes Patient-Centric Health
U.S consumers are accustomed to choices. We often take for granted our ability to select products, price points and preferred channels. Why, then, do we as patients expect anything less from our healthcare providers?
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Travel Advisory
»FAA: ‘Staffing Challenges’ Causing Delays
In case you haven’t noticed, non-weather related delays at U.S. airports are on the rise. (And I know you’ve noticed that weather-related delays are definitely on the rise.)
»Hilton’s Building Boom
Coming off a whirlwind 2012, Hilton Worldwide is the fastest growing global hospitality company by number of rooms.
»Extended Stay America Serves Up Free Breakfasts With ‘Grab and Go’
Extended Stay America launched a new Grab and Go Breakfast program, which is available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at all of its more than 600 locations.
»Homewood Suites Survey: Comfort is King
A new survey of frequent business travelers found that they want more room to spread out, the ability to maintain a normal routine and opportunities to interact with business associates and fellow travelers.
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Book It!
»Author Q&A: PwC's Ted Shelton
PwC’s Ted Shelton’s book Business Models for the Social Mobile Cloud: Transform Your Business Using Social Media, Mobile Internet, and Cloud Computing, examines how the three technologies are coming together to transform businesses.
»Review: The Three Rules
Why do some companies achieve exceptional performance while so many others struggle to survive? That’s the question Deloitte’s Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed—along with an international team of dozens of researchers at Deloitte—set out to answer with their book The Three Rules.
»Review: The Athena Doctrine
While women don’t yet rule the world, plenty of people wish they did.
»Review: The Strategy Book
Max McKeown’s The Strategy Book focuses on how to create powerful strategies to deliver success.
»Excerpt: Finding Your Firm’s Growth Engine
The following is an excerpt from Leading Firms: How Great Professional Service Firms Succeed & How Your Firm Can Too by David C. Kuhlman. In the book, Kuhlman distills 25 years of
experience advising senior management at some of the world’s most prominent consulting firms. This excerpt from Chapter Six: “The Growth Engine” explores two of the key factors driving growth in the most successful firms.
»Excerpt: The Online Marketing Revolution
The following is an excerpt from Online Marketing for Professional Services, a thought-provoking and practical approach to online marketing by authors Aaron E. Taylor, Sylvia Montgomery, Sean T. McVey and Lee W. Frederiksen.
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»As we hit year's end, how would you characterize your firm's year?
»Data Watch: 2013 Best Firms to Work For Survey Averages (2010-2013)
This Week in the Profession
»IBM Study: Big Data Equals Big Money
More than 75 percent of the highest performing organizations cite growth or innovation as the chief value of big data and analytics, according to IBM.
»EY Acquires Greenwich Consulting
Ernst & Young has acquired Greenwich Consulting, a move that will expand EY’s service range worldwide notably in growth strategy, marketing, digital and data-analysis.
»TCS Revenue Up 17% to $3.34B
Tata Consultancy Services reported revenue rose 17 percent year on year to $3.34 billion for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2013.
»PwC to Acquire Booz & Company
PwC and Booz & Company announced they have signed a conditional merger agreement. The proposed transaction is conditional on approval by Booz & Company partners and receipt of required regulatory approvals.
»EY's Global Revenues Top $25B; Advisory Up 18% to $5.8B
EY today announced combined global revenues of US$25.8 billion for its financial year ended June 30, 2013, a 7.7 percent increase over the previous financial year in local-currency terms.
»Huron to Acquire Blue Stone for $30 Million
Huron Consulting Group announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Blue Stone International, LLC, a provider of Oracle professional services supporting enterprise performance management, information management and business intelligence solutions.
»IBM Rolls Out New Big Data and Analytics-based CFO Dashboard
IBM today announced an integrated enterprise risk management solution that helps financial services clients maximize profitability, ease compliance and boost risk-aware decision making, the firm says.
»PwC Names Miles Everson as U.S. Advisory Leader
Miles Everson succeeds former U.S. Advisory Leader Dana Mcilwain, who is now PwC US Services Leader.
»Reports: Accenture Interested in Acquiring Booz & Company
Accenture is in talks to acquire Booz & Company, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Neither of the firms would comment on the talks.
»PwC: Cybercrime Still a Big Threat
PwC and CSO magazine released the 2013 State of Cybercrime Survey
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CMAG.COM EXCLUSIVES
Features
»The People Data Imperative: A View From the Top
The most effective business decisions are based on having accurate, easily accessible People Data.
»Five Reasons to Visualize Your Data and Make it Interactive
You believe in thought leadership as a marketing platform for your firm. And you believe that a key part of thought leadership is doing research and sharing your findings. Think you can create a 10-page PDF of those findings, slap it up on your website and you’re done? Think again.
»Rise of the Angels—Why Are Angel Investors So Important for Start-Ups These Days?
Before the arrival of the computers and later the internet, most of the enterprises were either based on manufacturing, trading or providing physical services.
»The Critical Role That CFOs Play in Helping Enterprises Shape the Future
CFO means “Chief Financial Officer.” But, increasingly, I think it has an even bigger meaning. At some top performing finance organizations, the “F” from CFO is taking on the meaning of “Future.”
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Interviews
»One on One with Accenture’s Robert Wollan
Accenture recently conducted its ninth annual Global Consumer Pulse Survey. This year’s survey took a close look at the impact of customers switching providers, which leaves a potential $1.3 trillion in revenue on the table, essentially up for grabs to whichever company can woo them away.
»One on One with Capgemini’s Makarand Teje
Global IT consulting firm Capgemini recently completed its fifth-annual World Quality Report with partner HP. This year’s report found that quality assurance (QA) and application testing account for a staggering 25 percent of all IT spending, a big shift as more organizations undergo digital transformations and rely more heavily on applications.
»One on One with Huron Consulting Group’s Bob Rowe
Bob Rowe, the new lead of Huron Legal, says companies are taking a closer look at legal department spending these days, an area that until recently was mostly insulated from company-wide belt tightening measures. One particular area rife with cost-cutting opportunities is the document discovery process.
»One on One with Slalom’s Brad Jackson
Of the Fortune 500, about 70 companies have been on the list every year for 50 years. The average age of these firms is 115. These firms have been built to last. What's their secret? Brad Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Slalom Consulting, suggests that the common denominator of those 70 firms is that they’ve built a culture of innovation. How they’ve managed to do that is another question, entirely.
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Consultants on Consulting
»How to Win Bigger, Richer, Higher Margin Projects
You could easily drown in the sea of articles and books about making rain. Countless web sites and training firms are dedicated to upgrading consultants’ business development skills. This article isn’t about landing new clients and it’s not even about winning follow-on projects with your current clients.
»The Culture and Cost of Innovation
In the dozens of conversations I have with business leaders, I hear a common theme: “We’ve done the cost cutting and adjustments. We’ve done the necessary re-sizing, and we’ve done the hard work of recalibrating our cost structure to support our core business. We’re profitable, and we are holding loads of cash. Now what?”
»Shared Services: Moving Beyond Cost Control to Help Companies Meet Business Objectives
The concept of shared services—with back-office functions organized on an enterprise-wide basis to deliver higher quality and lower cost—has transformed how companies organize their administrative and support functions over the last 20 years.
»Utilization is Archaic and Misleading
It’s hard not to laugh when recalling the sixteen German violinists who sued for higher pay on the grounds that they played more notes than musicians who toot trumpets or blow oboes. Judging the value of a performance based on the number of notes played is obviously absurd.
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Focus: Client Industries
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Packaged Goods
»Case Study: KnowledgeAdvisors ‘Connects’ with General Mills on Social Learning Analysis
One of the leading cereal manufacturers in the U.S. and owner of numerous grocery brands, General Mills, soft launched a SharePoint site, which it branded “Connect” and designed to increase internal collaboration.
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Manufacturing
»Life in the Fast Lane
The transformation that the automotive industry—particularly in the U.S., but also globally—experienced in the past five years qualifies as “stunning,” “historic,” even “inspirational.” Yet, this unparalleled ride likely will seem ho-hum in comparison to the modification the industry is poised to undergo in the coming decade.
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Financial Services
»From Doom & Gloom… to Boom?
Financial services has its challenges, for sure. But all that change means plenty of dollars, and sector leaders remain optimistic about the opportunities ahead.
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Public Sector
»On the Money with Booz Allen’s Sanzone
As banks and other financial services firms struggle to reduce costs, achieve greater efficiency, manage compliance requirements, strengthen cyber security and increase revenues, the going is getting tougher and much more complicated. That’s why financial services veterans like Tom Sanzone, the Booz Allen Hamilton Executive Vice President who oversees his firm’s commercial financial services consulting practice, tend to discuss the industry’s challenges with great care and attention.
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Focus: Service Lines
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Financial Consulting
»C.E. Andrews: MorganFranklin’s New CEO
In May, C.E. Andrews was appointed CEO of MorganFranklin where he will lead all operations of MorganFranklin Consulting and will play a critical role in planning and executing the firm’s growth strategy and vision.
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HR
»Buck's General in the War for Talent
In order to compete for top talent in a global market, companies need a rich understanding of just how business is done in other parts of the world. Learning the nuances of different regulatory environments, as well as compensation and benefits packages offered by different countries, can make all the difference. Lindsay Scott, Leader of Buck Consultants’ Global Survey Team, says he aims to improve the process of collecting quality information while minimizing costs, and thinks the industry itself should follow suit.
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Featured Speakers:
Joseph Kornik
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief,
Consulting magazine
Brian Murphy
Chief of Staff, Point B
Brian Jacobsen
General Manager, Slalom Consulting
Tom Rodenhauser
Managing Director, Advisory Services, Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory
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Director, Product Marketing,
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