Beijing EAPs Consulting Inc. (BEC) is a rapidly growing consulting company whose number of employees has increased from six to 16 in just one year. BEC has adopted a new project management system, using project managers to coordinate several employees from various departments. Due to the heavy workload, most employees must work on multiple projects. Collaboration between projects and department managers is not very smooth. The chief executive .....more

Michael Aniballi is facing a major career transition as he completes his executive MBA degree. He attempts to evaluate three very different job offers by engaging in a thorough self-assessment.

In this supplement to Michael Aniballi (A), product 9B04C035, Michael Aniballi describes how a thorough self-assessment helped him make a difficult career decision.

A top student in an MBA program had been pursued by the top-tier consulting firms that were recruiting at his school. Impressed by the prestige of the industry, he decided to choose a career in management consulting. After less than a year in the profession, the recent graduate is disillusioned. He is offered a marketing position that pays much less, but may be a better fit for him in a number of ways. He considers whether he should leave his lucrative .....more

A top student in an MBA program had been pursued by the top-tier consulting firms that were recruiting at his school. Impressed by the prestige of the industry, he decided to choose a career in management consulting. After less than a year in the consulting profession, the recent graduate accepts a marketing position that pays much less. The former consultant reflects on his own career decision-making and the process of reducing risk when making a .....more

An ambitious analyst in the graduate training program at an investment bank accepts a permanent job as an associate on the company's private equity team. When a new director is hired for the team, the associate senses an uncomfortable resistance in their working relationship. After the director is on the job for only a month, the associate receives a mediocre performance appraisal, followed by a disappointingly small pre-Christmas bonus. When .....more

An ambitious analyst in the graduate training program at an investment bank accepts a permanent job as an associate on the company's private equity team. Despite what he feels is a strong performance, he receives a mediocre performance appraisal and a small pre-Christmas bonus. When he meets with the deputy head to discuss the situation, he is asked to move to another team. The associate realizes he needs to assess his career options. He determines .....more

A former consultant explains the reasons for his decision to leave a successful position in a prominent consulting company. As a result of stress on his family and personal life, and a growing dissatisfaction with certain aspects of his job (see James Reed, case number 9A95C025), he describes how he came to a decision to make a significant career transition. The role of self-assessment and the analysis of fit with potential opportunities is described .....more

An extremely successful consultant is having difficulty balancing his career and family needs. He is mid-career in a demanding job requiring increasing amounts of time and commitment. The pressures to produce from his boss and clients are becoming more difficult to manage and his family life is suffering.