Book Description

With offices in places like Helsinki, Sao Paulo, and Warsaw, and about 70 percent of total revenues (which were $1.05 billion in 2001) coming from overseas, The Boston Consulting Group defies its provincial name. The firm is comfortably settled within the top tier of management consulting firms, and its widely recognized strategy work and international status make it competitive with the likes of McKinsey, Booz Allen, and Bain. With 2,700 consultants (compared to more than 8,000 for McKinsey) and a reputation for generating innovative ideas, BCG manages to stand out despite its small size. What is it that differentiates BCG from its other high-brow competitors? WetFeet has searched high and low for the answer to this question and many more in our exclusive BCG Insider. If you're planning to interview with BCG, this report is for you!

You'll explore:

• What is the history of BCG?
  
• What are some of the frameworks developed by BCG and used by companies and MBA students the world over?
  
• What are the new and exciting developments at BCG?
  
• What are the key responsibilities for MBAs and undergrads at BCG?
  
• What is a day in the life of a BCG associate like? Or that of a consultant?
  
• What is BCG's attitude toward non-MBA hires?
  
• How should you prepare for your BCG interview?

Reviews (2)

worth the read
If you're interested in BCG, then i'd say this is a must-read. This guide really gets into the nitty gritty of what's going on at BCG, how they got to where they are, and where they're going in the future. I got a good feel for what it's like to work there. The liberal use of quotes and insider data made it feel like Wetfeet had really done its homework--which is great for me and lets me focus on learning the stuff rather than having to scramble and search to find all of this valuable info. i'll be sure to use it when i go after a job there. i've also had a look through your other company guides--Booz, Bain and McKinsey--and am glad to say that I got a lot out of all of them. this is definitely not marketing/PR .... i appreciate the strong point of view injected in these guides. and the fine balance struck between the good and bad in every company.

Current Information
This updated guide was a big improvement on the previous version. The information was current, accurate and really helpful in my decision to apply to the company. I especially like the "day in the life" section and the interview preparation tips. A worthwhile investment. ... Read more

Book Description

Experts, despite their importance and value, can be double-edged swords. They can make valuable contributions from their deep base of knowledge, but those contributions may also contain their own biases and pet theories. Therefore, selecting experts, eliciting their opinions, and aggregating their opinions must be performed and handled carefully, with full recognition of the uncertainties inherent in those opinions.Elicitation of Expert Opinions for Uncertainty and Risks illuminates those uncertainties and builds a foundation of philosophy, background, methods, and guidelines that helps its readers effectively execute the elicitation process. Based on the first-hand experiences of the author, the book is filled with illustrations, examples, case studies, and applications that demonstrate not only the methods and successes of expert opinion elicitation, but also its pitfalls and failures.Studies show that in the future, analysts, engineers, and scientists will need to solve ever more complex problems and reach decisions with limited resources. This will lead to an increased reliance on the proper treatment of uncertainty and on the use of expert opinions. Elicitation of Expert Opinions for Uncertainty and Risks will help prepare you to better understand knowledge and ignorance, to successfully elicit expert opinions, to select appropriate expressions of those opinions, and to use various methods to model and aggregate opinions. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Subjectivity Can Be As Useful As Objectivity
The book provides a wide view of the topic, as useful background information and context for the subject, before focusing on the details needed by the reader for a variety of practical applications. Expert opinion is used by decision-makers, for example, in performing technology assessment to determine the direction of investment in costly research and development. Properly elicited, analyzed, and interpreted, expert opinion - subjectivity - can be as useful as objective data in decision-making for engineers and managers.

A Review from Sandia National Laboratories
Professor Ayyub's book contributes to the literature on expert opinion in several unique ways. First, it is built on the philosophical and epistemological foundations of recognizing and categorizing what is not known. Some may consider this a foundation built on sand. I consider it a foundation based on understanding the weaknesses in knowledge before we build. Only from this perspective can we critically evaluate what we think we know. Second, with the recognition of the wide variety of types of ignorance, one can seek to find the most appropriate mathematical representation for the ignorance. This approach is contrary to the tradition in expert elicitation of seeing all ignorance as representable by traditional probability theory. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An extraordinarily handy warm-up and focus guide
58 1/2 Ways To Improvise In Training is an anthology of games and activities especially designed to create an environment of active improvisation, experimentation, imagination, and energy. Physical and verbal activities alike serve as icebreakers and means to shake people out of their morning doldrums, whether for a team meeting or workshop training session. Each activity is presented with a recommended number of participants, estimated time, and a star rating indicating how focuses that activity is on bringing out a high energy level, individual strengths, team coordination, or visual, verbal, and physical skills. Instructions for the trainer to say aloud to the participants, sidecoach recommendations, debriefing questions to ask of the participants after the activity, and suggested variations or developments for each activity make 58 1/2 Ways To Improvise In Training easy to understand and apply to immediate practical use. An extraordinarily handy warm-up and focus guide for bringing the best out of groups of people. ... Read more

Book Description

You asked for it, and WetFeet has delivered!

Killer Consulting Resumes: The WetFeet Insider Guide is perhaps the most comprehensive resume guide available anywhere to help you land an interview with a management consulting firm. We'll teach you everything you need to know about how to write your resume and cover letter, who you should be thinking about approaching, and how to impress your recruiters. In short, this report works in partnership with our extensive Industry Insider and Company Insider research series on management consulting to help you land those competitive interviews and ace them when you do. In this highly innovative report, you'll learn:

• How resumes are used in the consulting recruiting process
  
• How cover letters are used in the consulting recruiting process
  
• Insider tips on resume content, section by section
  
• Insider tips on resume format
  
• What consulting recruiters look for when reviewing a resume
  
• Common types of resume reviewers: general scanner, spike seeker, and idealist
  
• How to improve the quality and marketability of your resume
  
• Buzzword bozos, or the quickest line between your resume and the trash can
  
• Real life resume and cover letter reviews
  

Reviews (6)

It Worked For Me
Anyone who still can't get an interview after using the methods in this guide should probably reexamine their skill set or go get another internship. I sent out a lot of resumes but got some responses from a few of the key firms.

best foot forward
Everyone's got an opinion on how best to organize your resume, but I figured I'd get some professional advice on the subject. WetFeet's guide on how to construct a killer consulting resume was a godsend. By reading through this in-depth guide, which had a bunch of "bad" and "good" examples of resumes to look at, I felt more confident in making tweaks and improvements to my resume. It confirmed that some of the things i'd already done were right; and it also showed me the areas I really need to beef up as well as clean up. Anyway, the proof is in the pudding--I've snagged a few interviews at consulting companies. Now for the interviews! I'll be looking at your articles on the website for guidance there!

Right On Target
Very helpful - I would recommend this to anyone thinking about applying to a management consulting firm!

The title is true to form
Killer Consulting Resumes....I used the methods in this book to pursue the big management consulting firms. Most recruiters gave me hints on how to change the resume to bring out my skill set which eventually resulted in me abandoning this book altogether.

Good for most interviewees
But bad for Vault.com employees, if the review below is indication. I found it useful. Not as essential as Ace Your Case, but good for those who don't feel 100% confident approacing the top consulting firms. ... Read more

Book Description

Highly acclaimed, THE TOP CONSULTANT is a complete guide for all consultants looking to provide a first class service to their clients, and who wish to become expert practitioners.In the third eidtion of this detailed work, Calvert Markham provides complete skills package, showing consultants how to develop their consultancy performance through a variety of areas.The book explores:

marketing and project strategy

selling skills

dealing with commercial aspects

management of the client relationship

creative problem solving

strategy in a consultancy practice.Packed with practical advice for improving and honing consultancy skills, THE TOP CONSULTANT is the essential guide for all consultants wishing to upgrade their skills and be on the leading edge of their profession. ... Read more

Book Description

Outsourcing Security provides a complete management guide for contracting support services, particularly those associated with protective organizations. It helps security and facility managers through the quagmire of conceptual planning, proposal evaluation and contract negotiation, and helps them to realize cost savings, improve productivity, and elevate the quality level of the contracted service.



Outsourcing Security provides a complete management guide for contracting support services, particularly those associated with protective organizations. It helps security and facility managers through the quagmire of conceptual planning, proposal evaluation and contract negotiation, and helps them to realize cost savings, improve productivity, and elevate the quality level of the contracted service. This book:
-Defines successful methods to improve business efficiency and effectiveness through outsourcing,
-Helps managers achieve cost savings and enhance quality contract performance
-Emphasizes team concepts when evaluating outsourcing services

Defines successful methods to improve business efficiency and effectiveness through outsourcing,
Helps managers achieve cost savings and enhance quality contract performance
Emphasizes team concepts when evaluating outsourcing services ... Read more

Book Description

What do you get when you bring a Fortune 500 CEO and a forward thinking Pastor together? Leadership Unbound.

Leadership Unbound explains in clear, simple to understand terms the ways in which a dynamic, forward thinking pastor created a successful new church community in the middle of the desert by applying business principles and how anyone can apply these lessons to their own success plan. ... Read more

Amazon.com

For a variety of well-documented reasons, the overall market for business consultants--and the fierce competition among them to garner clients--continues to grow at an astounding rate. Robert Bly's The Six-Figure Consultant provides a series of clear guidelines for anyone hoping to grab a piece of this $30 billion annual industry. Whether your aim is to carve out a lucrative niche as a long-range strategy counselor, short-term implementation specialist, training-and-development guru, information provider, or temporary advisor, Bly presents solid advice on getting started, becoming an acknowledged expert on specific disciplines and industries, selling yourself, managing time and contacts, and boosting income with ancillary products and services. He concludes with a lengthy list of relevant books, magazines, software products, Web sites, vendors, organizations, and conferences, as well as various documents for everything from outlining a monthly retainer arrangement to advising clients when you're on vacation. --Howard Rothman ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good book for start-up consultant
Mr. Bly has been in this business for a long time. He gives his own address, phone number, home page, ... which is unusual. His personal approach may just work in this economy.
What the book does not tell you, is how you can get consulting assignment in the first place. Being all things to all people will not work.

Very helpful
This book is one of the better ones out there. It really does take you step by step through all the different business development considerations inherent in a consulting business, and offers some excellent advice for getting yourself started. The appendix offers some useful forms and examples as well. This book is probably more for the beginner than the established consultant, but as a beginner, I learned quite a bit.

AWESOME Guide to Jump Start Your Consulting Business
Mr. Bly a well known consultant gives an outline guide for one to become a successful consultant. This book also details what is expected and needed for you to achieve the coveted 100,000 a year status. Though, it does not have a cohesive flow throughout its chapters this book can take you from point A to point B in no time.

I really liked this book
If you can get beyond the cover and perhaps the title, what you will find is an up to date book full of excellent examples and infomation. Not only does it offer the usual do's and don'ts, it offers well researched results and invites the reader to challenge their own thinking and go beyond what they think they can do. I don't think you will be disappointed. Excellent for someone starting out and someone who needs what Bly calls a, "jump start." ... Read more

Book Description

The managerial challenges of the 21st century center on how organizations create, share, and exploit knowledge. This book presents the latest thinking in knowledge mapping and management and provides managers and consultants with a deeper understanding of the organizational, human, and technological issues involved. The incorporation of the latest research in this discipline makes this a valuable reference tool for individuals and organizations striving to implement knowledge management technologies. ... Read more

Book Description

Many business people need critical information but don't know where to find it. Sure, it's readily available on the Internet, but most businesspeople don't have the time or staff to wade through a million Web pages searching for hard-to-find information.

That's where the information consultant comes in. If you're a whiz at tracking down information online or in libraries, database or government archives, why not use your skills to start your own information consultant business?

This step-by-step guide shows you how to become an information consultant and make big money helping corporations, institutions and even other small businesses answer questions about industry trends, developments, mergers, markets and other topics. This book provides all the tools you need to start, run and grow your own profitable business, including:

• Tips on identifying markets, establishing pricing and promoting your business
• Cost-cutting ideas, common mistakes to avoid and lists of helpful resources
• Useful sample forms, checklists and work sheets to guide you through every aspect of the startup process
• Secrets for quickly finding valuable Web sites that most people don't know about
• Tricks for distinguishing reliable information resources from bogus ones

Looking to profit from your ace fact-finding skills? This book, part of Entrepreneur magazine's highly regarded Startup Series, is your key to success!

Reviews (1)

Excellent book on managing a crisis for any size business
A must have book for any company that deals with situations that may harm the business.The author gives practical advice on how best to handle situations that may cause long-term problems for your company.In my experiences every business has occurrences where this book would be helpful. ... Read more

Book Description

The author interviewed nearly a dozen of the most successful consultants in the country to provide indispensable advice on fee-setting, contracts, proposal writing and client communication. Features authentic case histories from 10 diverse industries--financial, accounting, data processing, law, marketing, money management, engineering, direct mail, advertising and management consulting--to give readers a practical, how-to look at consulting. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Does not cover all that it could.
Example contracts are limited in scope. They are for accountants doing audits and engineers doing design and as a result are difficult to generalize on. Does not cover international contract and fee problems. Sections on generating exposure and finding a niche are well written but off of the topic. ... Read more

Book Description

850,000 lawyers file more than 18 million lawsuits each year, and each case needs at least two expert witnesses. As the need for consultants grows, pursuing a career as an expert witness has become an exciting new opportunity for any professional. The Expert Witness Handbook shows how to break into the business, where to find work, and how to negotiate with attorneys, judges, and juries. Completely revised to reflect new laws, this edition is fully indexed and includes a glossary of legal terms and an appendix.Besides detailing the inner workings of the court system, Poynter also coaches readers on appearing at a deposition, answering tough questions, and using evidence in a complex legal case. Packed with resources-including sample forms and letters, as well as lists of books, periodicals, professional organizations, telephone numbers, email addresses, and websites-this book is an invaluable asset for anyone interested in litigation consulting. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Solid advice for the beginning expert.
Becoming a specialist in one's field is a typical goal when questioning one of his/her aspirations. In many cases, you'll receive the answer, "...to become the best." (Love those willing to lay it all out!) If one's goal is to be a specialist, one must adhere to a few simple principals, principals composing vigilant and unending education. This individual will be current, well read, and extremely competent (in significantly most cases) in their chosen field. Many would call this individual an "expert" in his/her particular field. An accurate characterization indeed yet still green where the legal community is concerned. Capitalizing on this expertise is the mantra of Dan Poynter's, THE EXPERT WITNESS HANDBOOK.

Many "experts" have no interest in utilizing their knowledge in a legal setting. Frankly, at times, I don't blame them. However, being an expert in a particular field has its limitations relative to continuing challenges. Thus, many experts seek new, invigorating challenges. Those who have chosen to become testifying expert witnesses have most likely found the invigoration sought for displaying your knowledge in a courtroom is one of the greatest tests of that knowledgebase and your ability to articulate it. A daunting combination to be sure yet incredibly satisfying. I've been providing expert consulting and expert testimony services for close to ten years now. To say it is still a challenge and one that moves my adrenals into high gear is an understatement. However, it is one of the great highs relative to intellectual discourse and can be extremely financially rewarding.

THE EXPERT WITNESS HANDBOOK is the bridge between being an expert in one's field and displaying that expertise in a court of law. Dan Poynter has provided those interested in taking this bold step with a basic set of guidelines and recommendations relative to turning one's knowledge into a new (part-time or, in some cases, full-time) career path. In the first chapter, "What is an Expert Witness?" Mr. Poynter identifies what an expert witness does and why. However, this chapter's high point is the answers to his question, Why would anyone want to be an expert witness? Mr. Poynter goes on to answer these in fine detail; I'll just provide the base answer. In order: 1) To capitalize on your years of education and experience; 2) To get into the action (See! This is what expert thrive on.); 3) To put something back into the system; 4) To be hired to study (nirvana for life students); and 5) To make money.

From the first chapter forward, Mr. Poynter lays out a relatively clean chronology of the steps necessary for a "specialist" to become an "expert." Although every chapter will be important and vital to the neophyte expert, there are several chapters I would like to highlight as being germane and crucial to the seasoned expert as well. Chapter 7, "Maintaining Competence," is an almost laconic albeit important chapter advising the expert to continue to learn. For those who are eternal students, this will not be an issue. However, as a friendly warning, if one jumps into the expert arena and feels as though "I've made it," disaster looms for laws relative to experts change constantly as do the standards and landscape of one's field of expertise. Take this chapter to heart.

Probably the most important chapter and one ALL experts can refer to in the future is Chapter 11, "The Trial," although Chapter 10, "The Deposition" runs a very close second. In "The Trial," Mr. Poynter takes 50 pages of this 231-page book to describe the process and provide poignant Q&A between an expert and attorney on direct examination and the dreaded cross-examination. Mr. Poynter provides an excellent description of the process, the requisite preparation, and the actual flow of one's testimony. Before and after each Q&A, he espouses his opinion and advice to the reader, advice to be well heeded in most instances.

Overall, this is an excellent treatise on entering the expert witness arena. One area, in my opinion, Mr. Poynter did not cover in sufficient detail was the need for the aspiring expert to understand various points of case law relative to each expert specifically, the Daubert decision and its progeny. Although the intent of Mr. Poynter's book most likely was describe in sufficient detail the steps one must take to become a competent expert, the Daubert decision (and its progeny) are tantamount to any expert's acceptance in a court of law. Regardless, Mr. Poynter has written a very solid book and one I would recommend highly.

Good, but repetitious and needs a good editor
The Expert Witness Handbook covers a lot of ground, from selecting the expert and impeaching opposing experts, to being deposed and giving trial testimony. The author is evidently well versed and very experienced in being an expert, and his opinions and anecdotes are laced through the book. This is both the strength and weakness of the book - the author's expertise in parachute accidents shows, but it also limits the overall usefulness. The repetition and poor grammar are more annoying. Because this book was published by the author, the lack of editing may be somewhat anticipated. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it useful, but a good editor could have tightened it up a lot.

Very Informative Book
I found this book to be informative and easy to read. It covered all aspects of an expert witness practice from how to get started to securing work to billing and collecting for your services. I will use it as an resource tool for many years to come. ... Read more

Book Description

Salacuse presents a seven-point, comprehensive system to guide all professionals, from lawyers and consulting engineers to management consultants and financial planners, in the process of wisely and effectively advising their clients. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

I Advise You To Buy It!
A remarkable book. It has made me a better advisor and I have bought copies for several people we engage as consultants. I wish they could have read it years ago. It is packed with wise advice on how to give better advice and to make your advice more likely to be accepted. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

For Independant Consultants
This is a unique book, unique in the sense that it does not tell you how to work for McKinsey, PwC , Andsersen, Bain or BCG. Rather , it is focussed on the professional who has worked for 5-10 years in organizations, built up an expertise and would like to leverage that as an independant consultant, or would like to open up a small consulting firm.

Lucidly written, and brutally frank, this book covers every conceivable thing such a consultant might need to think over or act ! Sample this "Should you have a fax machine or e-mail address or both"..."how can you approach prospective clients?" to "how to write proposals" to "how much should you charge?"...this book covers them all...

So if you want to convert your expertise in a consulting career , and would like down to the earth, jargon-shorn advice, this book is meant for you !

Go ahead , pick it up ! ... Read more

Book Description

Everyday first-line managers and supervisors struggle with deficiencies and inequities in their organization, their leadership, and their people. Performance-Based Management recognizes that deficiencies exist and focuses on those things that first-line managers and supervisors can do to be more effective. It helps managers not only understand what people require to be effective in the workplace, it provides them with tools to assess organizational factors, identify barriers to performance, and convene and direct the appropriate resources to improve workplace performance.
Written by Judith Hale— author of the best-selling Performance Consultant's Fieldbook— Performance-Based Management comprehensively addresses the role of

• Performance and Management
• Information, Communication, and Performance Support Systems
• Measures and Feedback
• Rewards and Consequences
• Performance Support Tools and Resources
• Internal and External Consultants
• Power and Politics
• Message and Image Management

Reviews (1)

Practical tips to be a performance-based manager
Judith Hale has created a handbook that every manager concerned with improving performance should have in their bookcase. Real-life examples, practical checklists and additional references are provided in each chapter. The straight forward approach of Direct, Expect, Equip and Steer provides a easy to implement methodolgy for a manager to begin to improve results immediately. ... Read more