Strategy & Consulting Summer School

60 contact hours spread over two weeks covering lectures, in-class exercises, workshops, project work, social activities and relevant visits.  Classes will be delivered on weekdays.

Students will be allocated to small groups for in-class exercise work which will be delivered through team-based learning with supervision. The final project will be presented in teams to a panel of experts on the last day of the programme. A prize will be awarded to the team with the best project.

The entire programme will be taught in English.

On completion of this summer school, students will be able to:

• Understand key aspects of the management consultancy profession,
• Apply analytical techniques including synthesis and data presentation,
• Address ethical dilemmas relating to consulting firms and their clients,
• Think critically and creatively about client problems and shape potential solutions,
• Develop insights and present client recommendations in a professional way,
• Experience team-based learning and communication and through a group project.

In addition, students will have an opportunity to make new friends, get to know student ambassadors from Imperial College London through social activities and discuss opportunities for future study. They will experience what it is like to study in a world class university.

Students will work in small teams on strategy cases in the first week. In the second week, a scenario-based group project will be presented by an external guest who will act as the client for the student participants. Student groups will be expected to develop and present a solution for the client that:

• addresses the challenge that was presented by the client,
• provides creative ideas on how the client’s needs could be achieved,
• follows good research and data analysis practice,
• shares data insights using graphical chart representation,
• presents a structured storyline and clear messages,
• delivers a compelling recommendation to the client.

Supervised by Imperial academics and external consultants throughout the programme, students will present the project findings to a panel of experts on the last day of the course.

Introduction to Management Consulting and Strategy

The first session will provide an overview of the management consulting industry and explore strategy as an academic and professional discipline. The session will provide an overview of the full project lifecycle experienced by strategy consultants. Students will work in teams to explore client needs through a facilitated exercise.  

Cases in Corporate and Competitive Strategy

This session will introduce case studies on core strategy concepts. Students will play the role of consultants in qualitative M&A scenarios: pre-deal assessment and post-merger integration. Feedback will be provided during in-class discussion. Students will also be taught how to approach market sizing case studies using quantitative techniques.

Managing the Firm & New Technologies 

One of the key aspects of professional services firms is the effective and efficient management of the firm. Students will be exposed to the inner workings of professional services firms, providing insights into how decisions are made by senior leaders. Typical examples include how firms are organised, how they bid for new work, how they staff projects, how they maximise margins and how they plan and invest for the future. The implications of new technologies on the consulting profession and how they can add value to clients will also be a key focus of this session.

Structured Approaches to Problem Solving        

Students will tackle hypothetical client scenarios using structured approaches to issue diagnoses and idea ideas tree generation. The use of rigorous research and data analysis to test and prioritise hypotheses will be taught using proven methods used by consulting firms. There will be opportunities to role-play ethical dilemmas commonly experienced by consultants as they seek to serve client needs.

Early Career Expectations in Consulting

The formative years in graduate consulting roles are characterised by the need to master steep learning curves and to contribute to team success in demanding client environments. Students will learn about the core skill expectations of graduate positions in consulting and receive guidance on how to navigate common early career hurdles.

Introduction of the Client Challenge

Week Two will kick off with a morning introduction of the topic for the final presentation. One or more external guests from industry will take on the role of C-Level clients and set the scene for a complex business challenge. Students will work in teams to start to solve the client challenge through the day. Teams will be presented with feedback from a review session in the afternoon to help guide their efforts.

Client Management Skills

Students will explore a variety of techniques used by strategy consultants to help their clients navigate organisational change. The session will step students through different ways to cope with demanding clients, embracing the different personal styles and preferences of client stakeholders. Students will discuss the various tools that consultants use to manage stakeholder concerns and expectations as they seek buy-in to transformational change.

Data Analysis and Insight Visualisation

This session will teach practical approaches to manipulating, analysing, and presenting data in a visually compelling way. Experts in presentation design will share the ways that experienced consultants use text, charts, and conceptual imagery to provide clarity to clients. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate on data analysis and chart-creation tasks, following the methods used by consulting teams. 

Professional Presentation Skills

The final aspect of the programme will focus on the skills used by consultants to share recommendations and to manage Q&A effectively. Students will practice pitching to clients and will be allocated supervised working time to enable them to build their newly acquired skills into their work ahead of the final panel.

James Eteen, Senior Teaching Fellow in Strategy, and Academic Director of the MSc in Management Programme.

Mr Eteen was Partner and Co-Leader of the EY Strategy Practice in London until 2014. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Consultants and was the Sunday Times/MCA Strategy Consultant of the Year 2007.

The programme will be taught by teaching faculty from the Business School of Imperial College London and by external guest lecturers with consulting experience.

The Business School is an exceptional institution at the leading edge of business education and research. We collaborate across Imperial as a world-class science and technology university, and across extended networks to address the critical societal challenges of today and tomorrow.

The school is known for its entrepreneurial culture, which merges business disciplines with a science-based curriculum. According to the 2023 QS MBA Rankings, Imperial's MBA programme ranked 3^rd in the world for entrepreneurship. In the latest Research Excellence Framework, the business school ranked 2^nd in the UK for business and management.

Students will receive a Imperial College London certificate of attendance on successful completion of this programme and a prize will be awarded to the best project team.

Each student will also receive a document for their project marks.

I especially loved the teaching style and the way the professors were able to engage the audience. Every day was exciting, and the topics discussed were very interesting and relevant.

Literally perfect! I gained endless and helpful support from all Imperial College support/summer school team members

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with such excellent insights from the consulting world!

Everything was very easy to follow and there was a good combination of practical skills and theory. It was very realistic having real consultants attending to give insights.

My time at Imperial was one of the best in my life!

The stories of people that are currently working in consultancy were valuable, especially the way to think about solving a problem was great.