The Final Weeks

Google Tests Time Wasters
Heathrow Airport, London, England
This photo doesn’t really have anything at all to do with this post. It’s just a cool photo. It is also an interesting marketing research tool currently being used by Google. You can read about it here. Credit for this photo goes to Google (and their blog).

I know it’s been over a week since I’ve made an entry. This is largely due to my workload. There are only four short weeks left until we graduate. Only four weeks. I have so much to do! I have, however, been involved in some interesting research. I would like to share some of it with you in my next entry. Classic theory, but interesting. One of the things I have been looking for is information on ways to evaluate and measure tasks involved in knowledge-based firms. Once interesting mathematical evaluation is as follows:
Profit per Professional = (Profit/Revenue) X [Revenue/(Number of Employees + Freelancers)] X [(Number of Employees + Freelancers)/Number of Professionals]

This is the Formula for Computing Leverage Effect. (Sveiby 1997)

Has anyone used this?
Thoughts?

Strategy for Strategy

Consulting consultants.  Strategy for strategy.  An extra layer for complexity for my project.  Certainly, I have increadible resources at my fingertips.  Guidance and windom at my disposal (I hope).  In a lecture today we learned of the sociological thoughts on networks and networking, in contrast to the economic perspective we are comonly exposed to.  Of course there was mention of Chesbrough’s theory on “open innovation” and how networks function in that context, however the sociological appoach was far more squishy and fluid.  The lecturer likened a network to a snapshot of a film.  In other words, it is everchanging.  Everytime a new connection is made via an existing connection, the power position changes as does the network’s structure as a whole.  (This, by the way, is all in realation to the startup phase of small high-tech firms.) It was interesting to hear a philosopher’s point of view on the subject and it is completely relevant to my consulting project.  I immediately got her card, put her in my network and hope to find an opportunity to seek her counsel.

The Company

Today was the first time I met with the company that I will be working with for my internship. One of the prerequisits for this program I’m in is that the company was to be a small startup, which makes sense, since my studies here are meant to be entrepreneurial based. I am so thrilled to be with the company I was matched with. And what a match indeed. It is a consulting firm looking to explore the potential for global expansion. A primary field of expertise for them is in a field in which I have a lot of experience. This makes it even more interesting for me-and them. This means that while I have never consulted for a consulting firm before (ok, I’ve never consulted before), I can still bring insite and understanding to my project that would not be possible had I not had experience in the industry they are consulting in! Wow-this all sounds terribly confusing and cryptic and I wish I could tell you more about them but I do not yet have “clearance to blog” from them. If I gain clearance-I will dish the details-as much as the clearance allows of course. Until then-the main thing is that CBS has done an amazing job of placing me with an engaging company that utilizes all my previous experience and challenges me to produce work at such a high level that I feel excited to be here-doing this-ever day.
No
Joke