 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
New kid on the block Self-described as a "for-profit corporate think tank," the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) is a spin-off from Washington, DC consultancy The Advisory Board. CEB began as an outgrowth of The Advisory Board's health care group, eventually becoming a separate corporate practice. In 1998 the group established itself as an independent entity under its present moniker. Your study buddy At its heart, the Corporate Executive Board is a research gathering service. Unlike a traditional consulting firm, CEB studies broad questions affecting entire industries rather than smaller client-specific issues. Also unique is its practice of including client-members as subjects of analysis, and then sharing the results with all companies involved. In its relatively brief history, the company has compiled a massive base of information on the "best practices" of corporations, as well as other related business strategy (it also offers executive education and training services). On a subscription basis, CEB's more than 1,300 clients gain access to the 30 studies and 12,000 research briefs the company publishes each year. The result of over 40,000 interviews with businesspeople around the world, these cover a variety of business areas, including legal, sales, information technology, and insurance. One caveat, however: according to The Washington Post, each study sells for $27,000. (The company argues that the cost is low when compared to best practice studies conducted by consulting firms.) CEB clients presumably have little trouble with the price tag though - they include names like Citigroup, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft. Cha-ching! In spite of its youth, the Corporate Executive Board has already seen its efforts pay off. The company is growing at a 40 percent clip annually, a rate it expects to maintain through the introduction of a number of new research initiatives. CEB's growth has been so rapid, in fact, that in February 1999 it was able to complete a public stock offering. The 8.2 million shares offered raised $155 million.
There is good news and bad news on the Corporate Executive Board recruiting front. The good news is that the company is expanding its employee base, which is now in excess of 400 people. The bad news, however, is that CEB reports having 300 applicants for every available job. Current employees are culled from top undergraduate programs and business schools, as well as a variety of real-world professions. Candidates must undergo between two and four rounds of interviews, including an initial meeting with a recruiter. Usually some of these involve case questions. New hires enter one of six groups: Custom Research, Executive Inquiry, Syndicated Research, Member Services, Educational Services, and Administrative Groups. Information systems positions are also available. CEB professes to be flexible about allowing employees to move between functions to achieve a "cross-pollination of intellect across the firm." While undergraduates tend to leave after a year or two of service (often to pursue graduate school), the attrition rate at the mid and upper levels is under 10 percent.
Best practices publishing;Executive education;Executive inquiry;Proprietary databases More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
