GCS Consulting: Should Corporate or Personal Interests Come First

  • Reference: IVEY-9B15M042-E

  • Year: 2014

  • Number of pages: 8

  • Geographic Setting: India

  • Publication Date: Jul 3, 2015

  • Fecha de edición: Jul 3, 2015

  • Source: Ivey Business School (Canada)

  • Type of Document: Case

  • Industry Setting: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services;

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Description

In recent years, the critical function of expanding GCS Consulting’s information technology consulting business had lost priority as the managing director of the firm was increasingly preoccupied with World Bank engagements as an IT consultant. He was aware of the immense potential in new areas of consulting and changing business models. However, he was also conscious of the investment of time, effort and finances that would be required on his part to strengthen GCS’s marketing activities and build up a team of professionals well versed in newly emerging consulting areas such as social media, mobile, analytics and cloud computing. Should he promote GCS or move ahead as an individual IT consultant?

Learning Objective

This case is designed for use in MBA-level courses related to business and IT consulting, IT strategy and entrepreneurship. The case provides an overview of the evolution in the business models and value propositions of consulting firms in the business and IT consulting space. It also highlights how prestigious organizations such as the World Bank avail themselves of the services of individual IT consultants for national-level projects. The key teaching objective is to apprise students of the entrepreneurial challenges of establishing and running a consulting firm. These may include the challenges of raising capital, developing a sales and marketing team, hiring a good blend of professional resources, scaling up the business, and keeping abreast of new technological developments.

Keywords

Business consulting IT services IT strategy multilateral agencies