| 15:51 06/08/2010 | assessment |
| The portfolio strategy was born three CEO's ago.I think the main reason it didn't work was that the top team couldn't be persuaded to handover cross portfolio opportunities.Then the temptation to cut costs kicked in.The Kurt Salmon and Ineum brands are quite different and I now see no go to market strategy.So now no ineum , no salzer , no viaduct , no parsons....what then? Proudfoot's performance is weak and clearly their product is not as versatile as they claim. They need a particular type of knowledge and that knowledge is voting with their feet.Unless they review the methodology and I don't think the current leadership know how to do that then they will continue to drift.They have shown no capacity to strengthen brand through consistently excellent delivery. By captain oh captain |
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| 16:02 02/08/2010 | Re: what will change |
| captain, agree on your assessment. interesting to see how much cost can be cut out to counterbalance the negative sales trend.. tells you something about cost focus of the companies prior joining MCG I wonder with the consolidation of Ineum and KSA into one, what is really the added benefit of the MCG Group? They have basically trimmed cost in their affiliate consultancies and managed to get more cash in from new investors. Now, like any investor they should sell them and move out..if they could just sell some fantasy of future growth .. I dont see any yet ;-) Also, prior the merger I could understand that it was a bit more about managing a "portfolio" of businesses.. With that being reduced to two entities I dont fully get the logic of that anymore..I also think by doing that MCG moves away from their previously communicated strategy and calimed benefit of us investors being able to buy a "risk-balanced portfolio of assets". just my 0.02 By exconsultant |
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| 12:02 02/08/2010 | what will change |
| With Proudfoot's sales at half of same time last year , it is hard to understand the company's statement that that it is countercyclical i.e. sells throughput in the good times and cost cutting in the bad times.It clearly has not done so. The leadership section on the website has shrank from about 12 to one.I wonder why this is ?Any thoughts ? By captain oh captain |
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| 19:14 20/04/2010 | sell |
| oh dear , on the down again. A new CEO. See his cv from the director announcement of 28 th October.He led several companies to delisting , dissolution and liquidation.Are they paying a scriptwriter ?I do hope they are paying him well. sell sell By captain oh captain |
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| 18:33 15/04/2010 | exactly and thanks |
| exactly and thanks for helping me shape this. Yes , not sure about talented but multi lingual.Therefore , the important thing is the methodology . The methodology has not been re visited for several years and that would be key.I guess given the jump in price there must be some good news.If anything that will mean some interesting front end activity.The problem is they then sell opportunities only to ruin reputation through delivery.It is consistently poor , unthought through , is not culturally sensitive and is usually under resourced and badly managed.They then like to bun fight the results through , further damaging experience of clients. By captain oh captain |
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| 7:53 15/04/2010 | Re: language school |
| :-) like your language ... so you mean they are having too many young multilingual talented but totally inexperienced people on board? If that gets the job done well, then fine... but I agree, thats not what I would pay big bucks for as a potential client. I want seasoned business experts from the industry to "consult & advise" me... By exconsultant |
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| 19:04 14/04/2010 | language school |
| I have first hand information that the languages per headcount has risen by 15 % but that their consulting capacity per head still nears zero. By captain oh captain |
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| 7:37 14/04/2010 | Re: beyond belief |
| hi captain, thx as always for your valued input any specific news/ info you have on their current situation that supports your POV, i.e. orderbooks etc all i can add to the equation is that one of the other two remaining consultancies in the portfolio has good orderbook and is hiring again.. By exconsultant |
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| 0:13 14/04/2010 | beyond belief |
| the annual report makes a whitewash of 5 years of abject mismanagent.This is a company that purports to deal with performance but clearly cannot be honest about its own performance. Track it over 5 years- there can be no excuse. Proudfoot's report says it is strong in good years , becuase companies need throughput improvement and also in decline because it cuts costs.Five years should be enough to test that.Having had years years of exhuberance and now years of recession they cannot get their act together in either environment .They have many unhappy former employees and many unhappy clients.They need to wake up or be taken out.Boiled frogs spring to mind.sell sell. By captain oh captain |
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| 13:10 08/03/2010 | Re: News - but not good |
| to me the below is the most interesting statement in the report.. Does this mean that they are moving away from their prior strategy of "combining specialist consultancies under one roof" ? I am very pleased to announce that the managements of Ineum Consulting and Kurt Salmon Associates are at an advanced stage of discussion to merge their businesses into one entity. By exconsultant |
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| 7:13 08/03/2010 | News - but not good |
| Dreadful results but, they could have been a lot worse. By Captain Hornblower |
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| 7:30 26/02/2010 | signs of life |
| just heard that one of the MCG subsidiaries in Europe is hiring people again as business has significantly picked up during the last months. good order book for the coming months.. By exconsultant |
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| 21:52 16/02/2010 | any ideas |
| all quiet on the western front.Any thoughts about the comment on Gartmore losing patience.Surely that would not be unreasonnable.negative trends for five years. No significant change, No one is taking responsibility. I am not a shareholder but would be furious to be one.How about its all gone quiet till the real results come out.They should make interesting reading.All my contacts are close to giving up hope on a hopeless integration of talented indiviidual companies and an old and incompetent management of their major profit making company .More of the same. By captain oh captain |
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| 13:09 26/01/2010 | activity |
| last days have shown significant share packages have changed hands. Something is going on for sure, my guess is that Gartmore has lost patience and is cutting its losses. Only party interested I can see would be the partners of the consultancies themselves? Or is now the right time for another big investor to come in?? By exconsultant |
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| 1:54 18/12/2009 | trend |
| Take a look at the share price over 5 years.it is no surprise but only the inevitable outcome of long and distinct period of mismanagement.NOTHING changes.It may be overpriced.take look at what those guys are earning for destroying value.And they give advice ?!!! By captain oh captain |
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