ECON 15
Management Consulting: A Primer for Williams Students Winter 2020

This is not the current course catalog

This course provides a broad overview of the management consulting industry from the perspective of an experienced practitioner. The objectives of the class are to provide a real world view as to what consultants do and to help prepare students who are considering joining a management consulting firm post-Williams. The class will begin with a broad discussion of the differences in the types of business consulting and how management consulting firms are utilized by corporations and private equity firms. The next section will review how management consultants structure frameworks to address strategic issues facing their clients. Students will be provided instruction on (and practice with) the tools utilized by strategy consultants to evaluate business units, analyze markets, evaluate competitive environments, and synthesize customer information in order to develop insights for strategic recommendations. Additionally, one class session will be devoted to tips for getting a job in management consulting including how to ace case interviews. The final small group project will be the development and delivery of a consulting presentation for a business with a strategic need. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Peter McKelvey ’86 was with L.E.K. Consulting for 29 years including leading the Boston office and Private Equity practice and serving 6 years as President of the Americas Region. He has extensive experience in corporate and business unit strategy development and mergers and acquisitions advisory services. In addition to a BA in economics from Williams, Peter holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.