Consulting

Director: Soren Rucker
E-mail: srucker@nd.edu

Mission

To find innovative and effective solutions to challenges facing companies, markets, and communities around the world. The Consulting Division provides SIBC members of all academic backgrounds with unique consulting based projects where the student is able to work with prestigious consulting firms and other companies to work on some of the toughest challenges faced in a rapidly evolving business environment.

How to get Involved in the Consulting Division:

Great news... it's not too late to get involved in the consulting division this semester! Meetings will start next Tuesday 2/5 and will be held every Tuesday up until final presentations in April. With the exception of McKinsey & Company all of our projects are open to anyone interested in joining. If you would like to participate in any of our six great projects simply show up to DeBart 136 next Tuesday at the designated times and jump right in! If you are not sure which project you would like to participate in give a couple different projects a try; we won't make you commit right away, we promise. I hope to see you on Tuesdays this semester.

Spring 2013 Projects:

IBM
Healthscape
Deloitte Consulting
The Boston Consulting Group
McKinsey & Company
Bain & Company
PricewaterhouseCoopers

IBM

images

Meeting Time: 6:00 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Jonathon Ferguson (jfergus4@nd.edu) and Nick Rich (nrich@nd.edu)

Project Description: In working with a worldwide leader in technology, we will incorporate a unique focus into a case similar to those we work on in our other consulting cases. Over the semester, we will take an identified problem within a corporation and develop a solution incorporating technology. While there will an obvious technological aspect this project is open to anyone.

HealthScape Advisors

Meeting Time: 6:30 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Frank Somich (Fsomich@nd.edu) and Kristin Skowron (kskowron@nd.edu)

Project Description: HealthScape Advisors is a growing strategy consulting firm that focuses on the healthcare sector. Their expertise lies in health reform strategy and operations, government program advisory services, and corporate advisory services.

The HealthScape Advisors case this semester focuses on the future role consumers will play in the health insurance decision-making process. It is likely that the use of exchanges will shift the health plan buying decision directly to the consumer. Students will analyze the pros and cons of this shift to health care clients, determine how health care plans are adapting to accomodate this shift, and keys to winning in the consumer market. Finally, students will recommend potential next steps for insurance companies to successfully adapt to the more-direct to consumer approach.

Deloitte Consulting

Deloitte

Meeting Time: 8:00 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Katie Suarez (ksuarez@nd.edu) and Claire Lupo (clupo@nd.edu)

Project Description: The Deloitte project involves completing a case competition study of a company facing operational, financial, technological, and organizational challenges. Team members formulate comprehensive solutions to these problems and present them to Deloitte Consultants in the Chicago office. In the past, the team has examined companies such as UnderArmour, BP, and Nike.

Boston Consulting Group

BCG Logo

Meeting Time: 7:30 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Lisa Yang (lyang4@nd.edu) and Stephen Allison (sallison@nd.edu)

Project Description: The Boston Consulting Group is a prestigious consulting firm that services a broad array of clients. Accordingly, the BCG project has recently looked at companies such as Apple, Netflix, and Dunkin Donuts providing general strategy consulting as a real BCG consultant would. A wide variety of skills are utilized and developed, and team members will gain useful insights into businesses and a career in consulting.

This semester, the BCG project will look at Best Buy, a consumer electronics retailer. Best Buy has been experiencing increased competition, declining sales, and a faltering business model. The team will conduct a thorough investigation of these problems and develop a long-term framework for success as well as provide recommendations on how to save the brick-and-mortar store model.

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey Logo

Meeting Time: 7:00 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Steven Feczko (sfeczko@nd.edu) and Marc Ackermann (mackerm1@nd.edu)

Project Description:

McKinsey is the world’s premier consulting firm, providing its services to the management of top corporations all over the world. Its expertise stretches from financial to operations and strategy consulting, and more. Confronting the toughest challenges and developing the highest potential opportunities for their clients, McKinsey consultants are some of the most talented in the industry. The McKinsey project involves broad but deep consulting, last semester looking at a firm in the retail industry. Team members must be highly involved, but will find the project extremely rewarding.

This semester's project provides a wide variety of applicable job skills and allows for incredible experience and networking opportunities. The focus of this semester's project will be on Netflix; the engagement will primarily consist of analyzing and developing creative strategies to revitalize the ailing firm. pecifically, we will examine how and why Netflix so quickly went from an innovative industry leader to a company playing defense in a highly competitive environment. We will develop possible strategies for Netflix to maintain its relevance in industry

Being one of the most prestigious firms in the world, this semester there will be an application process involved before the project starts. Please email the Director of Consulting (Soren Rucker, srucker@nd.edu) for information. There are dedicated spots for all four classes (freshman, sophomore, junior, and seniors) so anyone interested should apply. The application is due on Saturday January 26th by 11:59 PM.

Bain & Company

Meeting Time: 8:30 PM on Tuesdays in DeBartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: Louie Fazio (lfazio@nd.edu) and Sean Doherty (sdohert1@nd.edu)

Project Description: Bain has extensive consulting experience across all industries and helps companies achieve excellence with their fresh, cross-industry perspectives. Known for their holistic perspective, Bain crosses boundaries with their clients to create value. Their consulting services focus on the clients' most critical issues and opportunities, ranging from strategy and operations to mergers and acquisitions across all industries all over the world.

This semester, the project will focus on a deep dive analysis of a specific company and how they can become more profitable, whether that be through acquisition, entering new markets, developing new products, or targeting new segments.

PricewaterhouseCoopers

pwc_logo

Meeting Time: 9:00 PM on Tuesdays in Debartolo Room 136

Project Leaders: April Adams (aadams6@nd.edu) and Kathryn Bush (kbush2@nd.edu)

Project Description: PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is a multinational professional services firm that focuses on audit and assurance, tax, and advisory services. In 2012, PwC provided consulting services for 422 of the Fortune 500 companies. PwC was ranked #6 Best Consulting Firms (prestige), #8 Consulting Top 50.

This semester, the project will focus on finding ways to reduce costs for the Notre Dame Student Activities Office Fund. Students will classify, categorize, and prioritize cost savings opportunities from the ND Student Activities Fund using actual data.

Student International Business Council