Following is the description of a typical project along with some specific examples and a list of previous Alliance Partners.
Phase One:
Exercise: External (Competitive) Analysis (comparison of alliance company to a specific competitor in industry)
Early October - Mid December (approximately 10 weeks): Through a two-part exercise, the team of students conducts an "external" analysis on behalf of the company, focusing on industry, competition, and financial factors. To gain a better understanding of the alliance company and its strategic plans and expectations, the students first study and evaluate the company's positioning in the industry, its financial data, and all other relevant company-related materials. The alliance company chooses one competitor that the students use as a benchmark for the analysis. Upon completion of this "company study," the team conducts a competitive analysis and opportunity assessment. A SWOT approach is utilized, where the strengths (S) and weaknesses (W) of the company are evaluated in relation to the opportunities (O) and threats (T) in the marketplace.
Deliverables: A formal presentation and written report is presented to company representatives and the faculty panel.
Phase Two:
Major Project: Internal Consulting Project (Analysis of alliance company's internal system)
Early January - Mid May (approximately 4 months): Once a company has assessed its opportunities and determined its strategic intent, it then must design its systems (such as product development processes, production processes, organizational structure, performance review and control processes, information technologies, etc.) in a way that are consistent not only with each other, but also with the firm's overall business strategy (i.e. achieve "Strategic Fit"). In this project, the team examines a specific business process, chosen by the alliance company, to determine its ability to support the company's strategic objectives. Students will analyze the single system from an operations perspective - how it works, how effective it is, and how it affects customer value. They then investigate alternative designs (or redesigns) of the system, and make a recommendation.
Deliverables: A formal presentation and written report is given to company representatives and faculty advisor.
Note: This practical consulting project can originate from any departmental area, although preference is for processes or problems involving more than one functional area. Examples of possible processes might be the interface between design engineering and marketing or manufacturing in the development and introduction of new products, the use of information technology for any unit within the organization, or the relevance and timeliness of accounting information for decision makers. The team's report will explore ways to improve effectiveness by removing barriers to cross-functional integration.
Sample Projects by Industry:
Industry: Consumer Products
Company Type: Franchise
The team identified customer service as a crucial factor to the success of the company and focused their study of service quality specifically on speed of service and order accuracy. The team studied balking rates during peak and non-peak hours for the three points of sale systems: drive-bys, pull-ins, and walk-ins. Study of order accuracy was conducted by direct observation, franchisee and customer interviews, Statistical Process Control was utilized in the analysis and presentation of this data. Additionally, combo menu offerings were examined and the reason for inconsistencies in these offerings was determined. Customer perception to these differences was also ascertained. In addition, the team performed a waste measurement and product usage study.
Industry: Financial Services
Company Type: Investments
The goal of this project was to assist the company in providing useful information about Japanese consumer behavior regarding the purchase and ownership of financial services products. The team identified research issues to formulate the problem, after which they collected data to design the research method. A data collection form was designed and, after determining population size and sample size, sample data was collected and analyzed. The data analysis process included editing and coding, descriptive statistics, factor analysis, reliability estimates and statistical hypothesis testing.
Industry: Telecommunications
Company Type: Business to Business Services
The company identified that some of its customers were not fully utilizing their systems and hence the company commissioned the team to research and develop a business plan to enhance the viability and usefulness of video conferencing for these customers. The team developed an understanding of the reasons and motivations behind businesses that purchase the systems, which included existing as well as potential customers. Practices of non-users on collaborative projects and data sharing were researched and the team created a business plan that addressed the specific needs of non-users. Finally, the financial impact of targeting specific non-users needs was assessed. These objectives were achieved through conducting interviews with current and potential clients and employees, searches through industry and company sources and on the Internet.
Babson Consulting Alliance Program Companies List
The following companies are some of which that have participated in the Babson Consulting Alliance Program (formerly known as the Business Mentor Program) at Babson College:
ABB Energy Capital, LLC
Allied Domecq Retailing USA (ADRUSA)
Astrum Software
Boston History Collaborative
Boston Scientific Corporation
EMC Corporation
Energy Capital Partners
Engage Business Media -- a division of Engage Inc.
Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Company (FIRSCO) Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments (Fidelity Customer Marketing & Development)
Fidelity Investments Institutional Brokerage Group (FIIBG)
Fidelity Investments Tax-Exempt Services Company (FITSCO)
Fidelity Ventures - MetroRED Telecom Group
Flycast Communications Corporation
Forrester Research, Inc.
Gateway.com
Genuity
iBasis Inc.
InfoLibria, Inc.
International Data Corporation
Key Global Finance Limited
Lotus Development Corporation
Lycos, Inc.
Massachusetts BioTechnology Council
match21 Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
MuseumShop.com, Inc.
Network Plus, Inc.
OpenAir.com - a Fidelity Ventures company
Reebok International Ltd., North American Region
SAP
startup.com inc.
The Boston Globe
The Timberland Co.
Tower Group
Venture Investment Management Company LLC (VIMAC) Wear Guard
Wild Wind Creations
XEROX Corporation
Zeme, Inc d/b/a Dunkin' Donuts
