Forbes: World’s Best Management Consulting Firms

From Forbes: “For businesses around the world, “2024 has been marked by some unpredictability, a lot of opportunity, and a lot of challenges,” says Tamzen Isacsson, CEO of the Management Consultancies Association, a trade organization in the UK. “And that’s probably a natural reflection of the times that we live in.” The litany of economic disruptions, according to Isacsson, includes the climate-change crisis, economies still recovering from the pandemic, global conflicts, cyber security threats, increased supply chain demands, and a new wave of AI innovation. And because many companies don’t always employ specialists on staff with the precise expertise needed to address each challenge, “the consulting industry has stepped up to support and provide those services.” The metrics bear this out. Businesses have been turning to management consultants for help increasingly over the last several years, with the global consulting industry’s market size—valued at $343.47 billion in 2022—expected to grow at a 7.56% compounded annual rate to reach $494.57 billion by 2027, according to research platform GlobalData Intelligence Center.

Still, finding the ideal consultant or team to manage a specific need is not an easy task. To aid in that effort, Forbes has ranked the World’s Best Management Consulting Firms 2024. Created in partnership with market research firm Statista, the list is based on three national surveys of consultants (partners and managers at consulting firms) and clients (executives) in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany; as well as a global survey of 8,500 consultants and clients in 29 countries across all continents. Survey respondents were asked which consulting firms they would recommend; firms were eligible if they had active offices in at least three of the following regions: Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America.

The firms were recommended within 13 industries (such as technology, financial services and healthcare) and 14 functional areas (such as M&A, marketing and sustainability); those with the most recommendations were included in our list and awarded a star rating. Firms in the top 10% (very frequently recommended) received 5 stars, firms between the top 10% and 40% (frequently recommended) received 4 stars, and all others with a sufficient number of recommendations received 3 stars.”

Five Star Consulting Firms in Strategy Consulting:

Accenture
Bain & Company
Boston Consulting Group
Deloitte
Ernst & Young
KPMG
McKinsey & Company

Five Star Consulting Firms in Organization Management:

Accenture
Boston Consulting Group
Deloitte
McKinsey & Company
PwC

To continue reading the article and access industry and functional area ratings, click here.

To access the methodology, click here.

DON’T MISS: TOP 50 CONSULTING FIRMS TO WORK FOR IN 2024

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Five Best MBA Student Loans of August 2024

From CNBC: “Earning an MBA can be expensive, so many turn to graduate school loans to help foot the bill.

Federal student loans for graduate students are a good starting point. With Direct Unsubsidized Loans, you can borrow up to $20,500 each academic year, and Direct PLUS Loans let you borrow up to the full cost of attendance. But if you need more funding to fill the gap after federal loans, or if you have good credit and can score a lower interest rate by going private, a lender offering MBA student loans can be a strong second option.

To find the best MBA student loans, we compared lenders’ interest rates, whether they offer both fixed and variable rates, any rate discounts with autopay, as well as lenders’ credit requirements and eligibility, repayment terms and fees.”

Best From an Online Lender: College Ave

Best From a Brick-and-Mortar Bank: Citizens Bank

Best For Applying with a Co-Signer: Sallie Mae

Best for Applying without a Co-Signer: Ascent

Best for Refinancing: SoFi

To learn the terms behind these loans and access the methodology behind the ranking, click here.

DON’T MISS: DEBT BURDEN AT THE TOP 50 U.S. B-SCHOOLS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU EXPECT TO OWE FOR YOUR MBA?

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Best Cities To Start A Business In 2024

From USA Today: “Starting a successful business is a challenge in any sense, regardless of where you are. According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, just over one-fifth of businesses don’t survive to the end of their second year, an average going back to at least 1994.

However, certain locations offer advantages over others, with factors like the prevalence of self-employment and employment in startups, LLCs, and other small businesses serving as useful indicators of where in the country it might be best to make entrepreneurial headway.

Our team examined key metrics of 46 of the most popular cities in the United States, from Miami to Washington and plenty in between, to find which cities are the best to start a business in.

Here are some of the standout statistics and key takeaways from our analysis of the best cities to start a business:

* Austin, Texas, is the best city in the U.S. to start a business: It ranks in the top 10 for five out of the eight factors we assessed using data from reputable sources. This includes the percentage of employment in startups (5.03%) and GDP growth (14.3%).

* New York City is ranked 42nd out of the 46 cities we surveyed: It falls outside the top 20 in each category we examined. While more businesses were established in the city than anywhere else, an even greater number of enterprises failed, giving it the worst turnover rate of all the cities on our list.

* Los Angeles, California, ranked the best for entrepreneurs: This is based on the percentage of total employment (15.63%). However, it has the third-lowest net business openings.”

To view the ranking and access detailed data on entry and exit rates, job creation, startup employment, and GDP growth in nearly 50 U.S. metros, click here.

DON’T MISS: DON’T MISS: RANKING: THE WORLD’S BEST MBA PROGRAMS FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN 2024