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Find out about recent 4-consulting projects and
read comment by our Directors on current management issues.
4-consulting News
January 2010 -
One of our consultants has been appointed by Glasgow Metropolitan College to facilitate a scenario planning session involving the Board and Senior Management Team
December 2009 -
The Scottish Social Services Councilhas appointed us to provide research
services into the demand for criminal justice social work in Scotland by undertaking
desk-based research/literature search and data analysis of the existing workforce.
October 2009 -
Elmwood College in Fife has invited our Head of Public Sector consulting
to facilitate a series of strategic planning workshops.
September 2009 -
Working on behalf of Highlands and Islands Enterprise,
we have been commissioned to carry out an ICT performance
review of one of its client organisations, viz. Maclean Electrical.
This company is one of the UK's largest electrical wholesale
companies and has a substantial presence in local
authority, energy, engineering and inventory management markets
throughout the world. extensive
August 2009 -
We continue to expand our team of associate consultants and welcome
Stephen McCafferty
to our consultancy. Stephen was, until recently, the Director for HR Development at Standard
Life and he brings a wealth of experience of main board management and strategic planning.
July 2009 - The
Creative Scotland
transition team has renewed its link with 4-consulting by asking us to provide advice and mentoring in the detailed planning for
the set-up of a merged ICT infrastructure as the
Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen merge to form
Creative Scotland
May 2009 - 4-consulting
has recently completed a major piece of work for the Scottish Funding Council
on
Comparisons of Human Resource Management (HRM). Within this, we examined leading edge
HRM practice in the UK and beyond. We presented four case studies to illustrate
practice. Our report can be downloaded at:
http://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/SFC_HR_Report.pdf
May 2009 - DC Thomson & Company Limited
and their auditors commission an independent review of the
implementation of a new, major ERP system.
April 2009 - Following
on from the successful roll-out of a spreadsheet risk
management policy at Bank of Scotland we have been commissioned to
deliver a training programme for Sainsbury's Bank
in spreadsheet management and to advise on the development
of their new policy and procedures.
March 2008 -
We've added to our growing pool of specialist associate
consultants by welcoming
Annette Hogg
and Anne
Harrow. They are both HR management specialists
and bring a wealth of experience to our HR out-source
service. This new service provides a full range of HR
management services to small and mid-range SMEs without the
full cost of operating an in-house HR function.
January 2009 - 4-consulting
celebrates the start of the year with a commission from the
Scottish Legal Aid Board in a review of its Debt Recovery
business processes and related computer systems. The
outcome of the review is a recommendation on the Board's
options for the future of the strategically important IT
systems
October 2008
- The Creative Scotland Transition
Project team invite us to advise on the early plans for
establishing the ICT infrastructure based on the facilities
currently used by Scottish Arts Council and
Scottish Screen.
The project involves reviewing technical migration plans and
cost estimates and "challenging" the thinking to date.
August 2008 - We are commissioned to provide
consultancy support to the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council for
a project on comparison of Human Resource Management practice in the college and
university sectors with other sectors. The outputs are to be a descriptive comparison
of HR approaches, a literature review and case studies to give FE and HE stakeholders
an improved understanding of how the HR context and approaches in the university and
college sectors compare with those in other sectors.
June 2008 -
In preparation for relocating its main ICT computing centre,
Marathon Oil (UK) has commissioned us to carry out an ICT
risk audit on the proposed new building and the relocation
plans. The aim of the audit is to ensure that the new
centre complies with ICT best practice and to try to
eliminate or minimise all possible risks to the company's
ICT services.
May 2008 - 4-consulting is pleased to announce that Fiona
Ballantyne has been appointed a Director of the Office of
Scottish Charities Regulation ("OSCR")
April 2008 - Following
on from HBOS Bank of Scotland's
successful roll-out of the 4-consulting spreadsheet best
practice and risk management policy, HBOS
Halifax Bank a spreadsheet best practice training programme
for its Head Office group finance teams.
February 2008 -
The University of St Andrews publishes its
new ICT Strategy developed by 4-consulting. The
strategy is designed to support the University's growth,
research and teaching activities for the next five years.
November 2007 -
4-consulting has been awarded the contract to carry out the
evaluation of the Edinburgh Criminal Justice Project with a
view to advising on the suitability of the system for
expansion into the remainder of the Edinburgh jurisdiction.
September 2007
- Following the successful publication of an ICT Strategic
Options review for The University of St Andrews,
we are commissioned to develop the University's new ICT Strategic Plan
for the next five years.
September 2007
- The Scottish Ambulance Service commissions us to facilitate a stakeholder
workshop to carry out a benefits scoring of options generated from the Review of Emergency
Medical Dispatch Centres.
August 2007
- The University of St Andrews appoints us to lead a project
to identify and assess the ICT strategic options for future
investments in information and communications technology.
The outcomes of the analyses will inform the university's
long-term corporate planning team.
May 2007 - The
Scottish Executive publishes our research reviewing the available literature
to determine what the concept of Employee Engagement means for the Public
Sector and the models that might be relevant to public sector organisations wishing to understand and improve
employee engagement. The report (ISBN - 07559 66141) can be read
at, or downloaded from, the Scottish Executive's website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/05/09111348/0.
May 2007 - Acting as
specialist consultants to internal auditors, Henderson Loggie, we are engaged
to undertake a Value for Money review of St Andrews'
University ICT services.
May 2007 - Appointed by
the Department of Culture, Media & Sport, and
working with DTZ Research & Consulting, we have
been appointed to carry out a review of the culture sector's
Leadership Development programme.
April 2007 -
The Drambuie Liqueur Company claims that its
customised Excel spreadsheet training programme has been of
significant benefit. The company's finance director
says "I'm glad that we undertook this exercise - everyone
that attended has benefited enormously"
March 2007 - New Futures
Sutherland Funding Success – We assisted this
organisation, which aims to improve the employability of
participants across Sutherland who are not already in
employment or on a training programme, to prepare its
Business Plan. We are delighted to hear that, after a
protracted process of applications, the NFS Management Group
has been awarded funding for the next five years from the
BLF Communities Fund. This, with additional continued
support from HIE Caithness & Sutherland, will ensure
continuance of the NFS project and provides the longest
period of assured funding the organisation has ever enjoyed.
We are delighted to hear this news and to receive the
comment from the Sutherland Partnership’s Manager that,
“your business plan, I am sure, was a major contribution to
that.”
March 2007 - Drambuie Limited
has engaged us to develop and deliver a customised programme of
training in spreadsheet modelling. for its entire management
team. The programme is designed as part of an up-skilling
of people's technical capabilities.
February 2007 - The Scottish
Executive appoints 4-consulting, supported by
DTZ Research & Consulting, to outline the importance and ways of measuring
and improving employee engagement in public sector
organisations and the Scottish Executive. The team is also
tasked with identifying ways of integrating the principle of
employee engagement into corporate policy and practice.
October 2006 - HBOS plc
commissions us to develop a "best practice" manual and user
training for the development of critical spreadsheets as
part the bank's approach to its risk management.
August 2006 - With
4-consulting as the lead organisation in partnership with
Henderson & Loggie and other specialist consultants, we are
appointed by Heriot Watt University and Borders
College to develop a Shared Services business model.
July 2006 -
Strathclyde
Police Violence Reduction Unit – We and our partner,
Business Excellence (International) Limited, are appointed
to implement
ValueMapping®
as a business planning and performance management tool
within this Police unit established in 2005 to work on long
term solutions for reducing violent crime in Scotland.
May 2006 - We develop a risk
assessment for CE Electric and Yorkshire
Electricity of the security issues arising from
connecting wireless peripherals to computer networks.
The assignment also involved updating the employee manual
and advising the computer desktop designers on technical
changes to the standard configuration of the wide area
network.
April 2006 - Having helped this
national charity to develop a new ICT strategy,
Victim Support
Scotland commissions our consultants to project manage the rollout of
two key IT projects and mentor the management team on other
aspects of managing computer projects.
January 2006 - Glasgow Taxis
Ltd has appointed our IT consultants to assist in the
technical evaluation of tenders for the supply of new taxi
despatch systems
December 2005 - the independent
record label, Beggars Banquet, appoints our ICT
consultancy team to find a replacement suite of financial
information systems. Key issues include the need to
support a rapidly growing international business and the ability
to capture artists royalties due on downloaded tracks from web
sites
November 2005 - Our
technology director is invited by Duraweld Ltd, one
of the UK's largest manufacturer of plastic stationery and
packaging products, to undertake a strategic review of its
ICT facilities
November 2005 - working with a
specialist ICT security subcontractor, our consultants win a
project from Yorkshire Electricity to devise
configuration standards and document the rules in the employee
handbook for connecting Non-cabled peripheral devices to wide
area networks
October 2006 - one of our
directors has been appointed as a specialist computer auditor
and ICT risk adviser to the internal audit function of the
Scottish Parliament Corporate Body
July 2005 - Early this month, we
were appointed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to
carry out an interim evaluation of its
Lochaber
Leadership Initiative. The evaluation will examine the
extent to which the Initiative has improved the quality and
effectiveness of management within the participating businesses
June 2005 - Following our
successful appointment to the consultants' framework contract
with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, we have been commissioned
to develop the Business Plan for the next tranche of funding for
the Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise's New Futures
funding programme
May 2005 - Our consultants
complete a review of the Contracts Division of Inverclyde
Council and are retained to implement a quality improvement
programme
May 2005 - We recently completed a feasibility study for
Highlands & Islands Enterprise into the potential for
setting up a new yacht marina and boat repair yard on the west
coast of Scotland
April 2005 - 4-consulting has
successfully developed and delivered a custom-designed training
package in Investment Appraisal for the West of Scotland Loan
Fund with very positive learning outcomes from delegates
January 2005 - 4-consulting,
as part of the ICAEM,
4-consulting, Allison Consulting consortium, has been
appointed by Scottish Enterprise to assist a major glass
products manufacturer to help it develop a new global business
strategy
January 2005 - Building on a
previous training programme developed for them by
4-consulting, the West of Scotland Loan Fund, owned
and operated by a consortium of local authorities, has
commissioned 4-consulting
to develop and deliver a new training programme in investment
appraisal for their economic development officers
January 2005 - Inverclyde
Council has appointed 4-consulting to carry out a review
of its Building Services division and to consider options
for the future
January 2005 - Highlands &
Islands Enterprise has appointed 4-consulting to carry
out a feasibility study into the creation of a new marina
facility in Scotland.
December 2004 - A trio of new
wins for 4-consulting include contracts for the
Northern Ireland Department of Finance and Personnel,
the
Higher Education Funding Council for England and a
further project for clients Victim Support Scotland.
More details in our current e-zine
4-consulting E-zine
Click here for the
latest 4-consulting e-zine
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