StrategicPlan2017

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OrganizationalOverview

NCGEngagements

ConsultantTrainingProgram

NCGOutreach

NCGWeek

MissionNittany ConsultingGroupstrives

to bringconsultingtoPennState

byprovidingstudentstheopportunitytogainavaluable

educationandunparalleled

experienceswhileexploringwhata

careerinconsultingmaymeanto

them.ThroughNCG,studentshaveaccesstoacompetitiveeducational

environmentbuiltonthe

foundationsofproblemsolvingand

criticalthinking.Wehopetoinspirethenextgenerationofsuccessful

consultantsbyallowingstudentsto

applytheireducationtounique

businessscenariosthroughmock

businesscasesandpro-bonoconsultingengagements.

TheOrganization

Our StoryNittany Consulting Group (NCG) was founded in April 2013 byChris Marthers and Noor Nahavandi, both students inthe Smeal College of Business at ThePennsylvania State University.Inspired after corresponding with professionals in the consultingindustry and competing in various case competitions, Chris andNoor began assembling a team of energetic, driven, andknowledgeable students tohelp make theorganizationa reality.

The NCG ConsultantTransitioning into the consulting field either takes years of industryexperience or the demonstrated capacity to thrive in an industry.Thebottom line is that it isn't easy to jump into a consulting careerright out of college. To help students transition from backpack tobriefcase, Nittany Consulting Group has built a core valueproposition that defines the organizational structure. NCGallows students to gain real-world experience working on NCGEngagements, build a practical consulting education through theConsultant Training Program (CTP), and explore consulting careersthrough signatureevents held by NCGOutreach.

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NCGEngagementsNCG Engagements are the core of Nittany Consulting Group. Each pro-bono projectprovides NCG Consultants an opportunity to apply academic concepts from theclassroom and our Consultant Training Program to each unique client situation.Additionally, it gives students a chance to lend a helping hand in the improvement ofthe local StateCollegeand CentreCounty community.

After graduating from CTP and applying for Nittany Consulting Group, students arethen placed on an NCG Engagement if they can successfully complete a round ofbehavioral and case interviews. CTP prepares NCG Consultants with the ability toappropriately approach and frame client issues while providing structured,implementable solutions.

NCG Engagements fall within two coreofferings:1. Client Projects2. Thought Leadership

Client ProjectsThrough networking and referrals, NCG is able to build long-term relationshipswith bothsmall business and student organization clients. These engagements allow NCGConsultants to obtain real-world experience to sharpen the skills necessary for asuccessful consulting career. The consulting mindset, hard skills like data analysis, andsoft skills such as relationship management are all strengthened through these directclient experiences.

Thought LeadershipNCG pushes to enrich our consultants with not only relevant experience but alsovaluable knowledge. Whether through industry reports or process frameworks, ourconsultants research and build intellectual property to add additional value to our clientsand our organization. While continuing to develop teamwork and presentation skills,thought leadership allows students to enhance the research and writing abilitiesnecessary for success in the consulting industry.

ClientProjects–WhatWeDo

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HowWe HelpOur ClientsHere at NCG, we help our clients explore new opportunities, executecurrent processes, and enhance core competencies.

Explore NewOpportunitiesWhether our client is an established business or student organization,NCG Consultants tackle ambiguous and challenging questions a clientmay face when beginning a new venture. Examples of these questionsinclude:What is themarket sizeof this new industry?What riskswill beencountered when exploring this new market? With the uncannysimilarities between consulting and pursuing innovative businessventures, our members have explored the area of entrepreneurshipand areequipped to help companies break intoentirely newmarkets.

Execute Current ProcessesAt times, our clients may not have started out on the right foot andneed help re-establishing themselves. With backgrounds ranging fromfinanceand accounting to philosophy and industrial engineering, NCG’sdiversity helps our teams break down the underlying issues intomanageableparts then builduniqueand innovative solutions.

Enhance Core CompetenciesTo keep up with current trends, our clients must always be forward-thinking. However, theymay beconfused as to how to advance. With acreative environment like Penn State, NCG Consultants are able toleverage original solutions to improve established business functionsand driveprogress.

ExploreWhatdowe

wanttoachieve?

ExecuteHowarewegoingtoachieveit?

EnhanceWhatcanwedobetter?

ImplementationPlanning

ChangeManagement

Repositioning&Acceleration

PerformanceAnalysis

ProcessOptimization

CustomerAcquisition

GrowthInitiatives

FeasibilityAnalysis

MarketEntryEvaluation

Nearly40%ofourCTPclasswasacceptedintoNCGthissemester

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OurmembershaveacceptedconsultingoffersfromAccenture,Cognizant,Deloitte,EY,GrantThornton,KPMG,PwC

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CollegeofEngineering,CollegeofHealthandHumanDevelopment,CollegeofIST, CollegeofLiberalArts,Smeal CollegeofBusiness

5 Colleges

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TheConsultant Training Program (CTP) is a 10-week, comprehensive training program aimed ateducating students on the core consulting skills taught by experienced students, professors,and professionals. NCG trains its students on threedifferent areas: theMindset, Hard Skills, andSoft Skills. These competencies are augmented with three different business cases of variouslengths, allowing students to practice concepts from class while building teamwork skills, aswell. If students graduate from CTP, they are eligible to join Nittany Consulting Group afterpassing a set of behavioral and case interviews. CTP sessions are normally held eachWednesday from 6:00-8:00PM.

MindsetThe core offering of CTP is teaching the Situation, Complication, and Key Question (SCQ)Framework. By developing fundamental problem solving and critical thinking skills through thisapplication, CTP Candidates are better prepared to tackle ambiguous and challenging businessscenarios like those faced by NCG Consultants.

Hard SkillsTechnical skills such as data analysis and financial modeling are in high demand. We challengeour students to apply their major-specific knowledge for the manipulation of data using Exceland other business systems and applications.

Soft SkillsCTP candidates are given many opportunities to practice client interaction and relationshipmanagement. Throughout the program, each team engages a mock client to offer a localtutoring company recommendations regarding organizational restructuring, product offerings,cost optimization,and changemanagement.

TeamworkCTP Candidates are assigned to a team of diverse individuals for the extent of the program.Mentors facilitate anonymous peer reviews for each group, assessing teammates on variousperformancemetrics including adaptability, creativity, communication, and more.

ConsultantTrainingProgram

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TheCurriculum 9

NCGOutreachNCGOutreach was created in order to establish a consulting community at Penn State. Itserves as a platform for students to share their consulting experiences, ask questions,and discover what a future career in consulting holds. NCG Outreach’s Signature Eventsare meant to expose students to a wide variety of professional developmentopportunities and serve as a medium for students to interact with consulting andadvisory professionals. We encourage and invite firms to come in and interact with ourinquisitive and passionate students. Professionals are welcome to discuss their practiceand its specialties or hold sessions on topics from recent trends to the future ofconsulting. Weareextremely flexible and excited to work with representatives to build amutually beneficial experience that adds value to boththe students and the firm.

NCG Outreach Events are open to anyone at Penn State interested in learning moreabout consulting or becoming involved in NCG. They usually last about two hours inlength and focus on networking and professional development tied directly to consultingand advisory. Firms are encouraged to educate students on their structure and presentupcoming opportunities in this setting. NCG Outreach feeds directly into the ConsultantTraining Program. We emphasize several diversity initiatives, welcoming students ofdifferent genders and cultural backgrounds alongwith variousmajors and years, aswell.

Member BreakdownbyGender

Member BreakdownbyYear

Member BreakdownbyMajor

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One way NCG engages the entire consulting community at Penn State is through NCGWeek. This signatureevent is held every semester and provides studentswith aweek ofconsulting-related activities ranging from professional development to networking.Students are also given a chance to compete in one of Penn State's largest casecompetitions. In Spring 2016, over 130 students RSVP’d for the week and 12 teamsapplied to compete in theNCGWeek CaseCompetition. Thegoal for theweek is to:

NCGWeek

Explore Educate Experience

§ Help students explorepotential career opportunitieswithin consulting and advisory§ Educate students on how toapproacha business case through theuseof critical thinking§ Offer teams the opportunity to apply their education by experiencing how consultants

break down a business problem through theNCGWeek CaseCompetition

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NCGWeekFall2016:Monday,September5–Thursday,September8

NCGWeekSpring2017:Friday,January20–Friday,January27

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NCGWeekwill beheld each semester during the2016-2017 academic year. In doing so, NCG hopesto provide additional value to both the students and our partner firms by differentiating betweentheevents offered during each week. Since the fall semester is theheart of both internship and full-time recruiting, NCG Week Fall 2016 will focus primarily on firm-based information sessions. Theweek will begin on Monday, September 5, and conclude on Thursday, September 8, providing theopportunity for fourdifferent companies to engage students interested in consulting at PennState.

Alternatively, NCG Week Spring 2017 willfocus more on the development of studentsand showcase the talent we have across theuniversity. NCG plans to accomplish thisthrough the NCG Week Case Competitionbeginning on Friday, January 20. This is whenthe case will be released, giving teams fivedays to prepare their presentation andsolution before the Preliminary Round onWednesday, January 25. In the meantime, awork session for teams competing in the NCGWeek Case Competition will be held onMonday, January 23, in order to get to knowNCG members and answer any questionsregarding the case. On Tuesday, January 24,Nittany Consulting Group will have an NCGAlumni Panel where students can learn aboutthe transition from backpack to briefcase. AllNCG alumni from partner firms will be invitedto attend. Thesepanelists are also welcome tostick around to judge thePreliminary Round ofthe case competition onWednesday.

Three teams will advance from the Preliminary Round to the Final Round on Friday, January 27,where they will have theopportunity to compete for a cash prizeof $1,000. Teams advancing to theFinal Round will be able to take feedback they receive from the judges on Wednesday in order toimprove their presentation and solution for Friday. On Thursday, January 26, NCG will host anExecutive Insights Consulting Panel. This will provide the many ambitious students of Penn Statewith a chance to ask experienced professionals any questions theymay have regarding the successesand challenges experienced over the course of their careers. Firm representatives that attend theExecutive Insights Consulting Panel on Thursday will be invited to join us to judge theFinal Round oftheNCGWeek Case Competition onFriday.

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NittanyConsultingGroup

NittanyConsultingGroup

pmc5269@psu.eduParkerCahn,ExecutiveDirector

www.ncgpsu.com

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