Organizational Consulting Center Business Plan Presented By: Eric Bunyan, Nikki Prestidge, Danny Seto Shayna Slebioda, & Pegah Soleimani

Business Description The Organizational Consulting Center (OCC) is a business unit within Alliant International University Part of the educational process for graduate students at Alliant and is intended to generate sufficient revenue to cover its internal operating costs Services are offered on a sliding fee scale and client selections are done in a manner that the firm does not compete directly with commercial consultants

Key Initiatives & Objectives Build strategic alliances with local consulting firms Formulate a student-let Administrative position Create student internship positions through the strategic alliances –Form student teams through student interns Create a student-led Financial Administrative internship position Generate client contracts Accept 30% of non-paid projects and 70% of paid projects

Ownership & Management The Organizational Consulting Center is part of Alliant International University which is a 501(C) 3 not- for-profit corporation.

Products and Services Group, team and/or individual level Relationship management Core competencies Program evaluation Performance evaluation Strategic planning Training Coaching Teambuilding Selection Group facilitation Assessments

Industry Overview Key Market Segments –private sector organizations and government departments Industry Participants –Consulting firms ranging from one to thousands of consultants Industry Outlook –Hard economic times make the utilization of consulting firms a necessity

Marketing Opportunities Website Strategic alliances Incoming students

Competitive Advantage Main competitive advantage = flexibility What allows the OCC to be so flexible? –1) Common operating costs shared with University –2) Graduate students willing work at low rates – 3) As part of a larger educational process, OCC’s existence is not justified by profitability alone

Competitive Advantage (Cont.) The ability to offer a wide variety of services within the field of Organizational Development –Unlike competitors, the OCC does not specialize in just one or two areas of the field Staying up to date with education and current trends through students –(Critical in any field of study)

Marketing Strategy Top priority: marketing to consulting firms Initial stages of marketing done through: student interns, companies familiar with the OCC, and networking with other consultants/firms Marketing Strategy & Competition: –1) Educational experience of students and Advisory Board’s consulting experience –2) Ability to offer many services across a variety of industries –3) Low cost leadership approach 30% of projects at a rate of $0/hour 70% of projects at a rate under market value

Marketing Strategy (Cont.) Pricing: Determined by Project –Clients service requests/needs –Clients budget limits –Level of learning opportunity for consultants –Availability and pricing limits set by the consultants

Marketing Strategy (Cont.) Primary Target Markets: –1) Large organizations who wish to outsource specific services offered by the OCC –2) Organizations that do not and will not have a budget to hire commercial consultants –3) Small private sector firms

Marketing Strategy (Cont.) Sales Strategy: –1) Consulting partnership –2) Local networking –3) Referrals –4) Website/Internet *Most significant way OCC will generate business is through partner relationships with consulting firms

Financial Plan 25% of project value given to Alliant to cover operating costs Since 30% of projects are provided at no charge, it will take some time to build a profit for the school Requiring payment for 70% of projects helps the OCC move toward goal of standardizing salaries for both interns and advisors The OCC as a selling point for students