Brad Kitchens, president and CEO of ScottMadden, says being the tortoise has been the key to success. “We have not enjoyed some of the 1999-2000 30 to 40 percent growth that some firms enjoyed, but nor have we struggled with the subsequent 30 to 40 percent contraction that many of those same organization faced when Y2K and some of the ERP activity slowed down.
(July 17, 2008) - Mumbai, India - Tata Consultancy Services has released its second quarter results. The firm reported total revenues at $1.5 billion, up 20 percent, year over year.
(July 11, 2008) - New York, NY - Philip A. Berry, a widely recognized expert in human capital development in the workplace, has joined with the law firm Dreier LLP to launch a management consulting firm to assist companies in attracting, developing and retaining highly talented executives and employees. The New York-based firm will be known as Berry Block & Bernstein LLC, and employment attorneys and Dreier partners Richard H. Block and Andrew J. Bernstein will serve as the firm’s two other principals.
(July 9, 2008) - Chicago - Chicago-based financial and operations consultancy Huron Consulting Group Inc., has announced the acquisition of Stockamp & Associates, Inc., a Portland, Ore.-based management consulting firm specializing in helping high-performing hospitals and health systems optimize their financial and operational performance.
(July 7, 2008) - Brazil - Accenture has completed its acquisition of ATAN, a privately held provider of industrial IT and automation solutions based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This deal will expand Accenture’s automation and industrial information technology services capabilities as well as its global capabilities in management consulting, systems integration and technology consulting within the global metals and mining, energy and utilities industries. The combined service offering will be named Accenture Automation and Industrial Solutions. ATAN’s approximately 500 employees are joining the Accenture team.
Harold L. Sirkin, a senior partner at The Boston Consulting Group and global leader of the firm’s Operations practice, saw a tsunami coming. That tsunami of global companies that are ready to take on traditional corporate powerhouses is the result of what Sirkin calls “globality. ”There’s been a group of people working on this inside BCG. It’s probably our largest single research expenditure focusing on this phenomenon and what it all means,” says Sirkin, adding that a new practice called Global Advantage launched for just that purpose. He’s co-authored a book of the same name that with colleagues James W. Hemerling and Arindam K. Bhattacharya. However, he says many U.S. companies are in denial about the impact of this evolution. He recently discussed the book and its impetus with Consulting:
Bain & Company, says partner Hernan Saenz, has always been a welcoming place for those of Latino origin. But he’s working to take Bain’s Latino initiatives to the next level, spearheading the new version of Latinos@Bain, a once informal network that now is charged with formal recruiting and mentoring efforts. “The program’s mission is to make Bain & Company the best career for Latino business talent,” he says. And the program is certain to have staying power. “Is this passing fad? Look at the statistics—one-fourth of the children in the United States under the age of five is of Hispanic origin. The population is becoming more diverse every day. And it means that firms will need diverse workforces to understand their customers better.” Saenz recently spoke with Consulting about Latinos@Bain.
George Stalk, a renowned strategist and senior partner of The Boston Consulting Group, says too many leaders are suffering from information overload. “I can tell a client is in trouble when the senior executives don’t even have time to sit down and talk to me about the business,” Stalk says. “They don’t even have time to think.” Presumably, those same leaders don’t have time to read, either. That’s why Stalk set out to write a “readable strategy book.” Weighing in at a mere 116 pages, 5 Future Strategies You Need Right Now (Harvard Business Press) offers Stalk’s insights on what will be the real “game changers” in the coming years. The book, which is part of Harvard Business School’s “Memo to the CEO” series, delivers a quick read designed to help executives take a second look at their current business strategies. Stalk sat down with Joe Kornik, Consulting magazine’s editor-in-chief, to discuss the book.
Relevance Hitting Your Goals By Knowing What Matters David Apgar Jossey-Bass, $27.95, 205 pages
Where would the consulting industry be without logical solutions to problems? Thanks in part to David Apgar, the world may never know. Apgar is the managing director of the Corporate Executive Board’s finance practices. His new book, Relevance, demonstrates his proficiency in the field as it aims to help readers target which data are important. “The information revolution is drawing to a close as our expanding information resources bury decisions under ever higher piles of conflicting data,” reads Apgar’s introduction. The reason for this devolving? Relevance, he says, is being neglected. To further demonstrate his views on accelerating learning and making decisions, he offers real-world examples from business such as Toyota and Capital One. Their inclusion only serves to make the tome more, well, relevant.
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