The Foster MBA Strategic Consulting Program connects teams of MBA students with businesses to deliver creative solutions to critical business challenges.
About the projects
We offer two project options: Field Study and Applied Strategy. Both can be structured to address almost any strategic business issue. We will help you determine which option would be the best fit for your needs based on the timing and nature of your project.
Teams of 5-6 full time MBA students work on the project one quarter while learning how strategies are created and executed. We conduct approximately twenty Applied Strategy projects per year. 2019 projects will run from January 15-March 15. Sponsoring companies meet with their MBA team weekly in-person or virtually.
Application Deadline: October 25
Field Study projects are an excellent choice if you’re looking for a more focused, in-depth analysis. We provide you with 3-5 students who have completed their core MBA classes. Projects are completed during Autumn (October-December) or Spring (April-June) quarters.
Application Deadlines: February 15
Why work with Foster MBAs?
Our MBA Strategic Consulting Program has conducted projects for hundreds of companies involving more than one thousand MBA students. Through this program the sponsoring companies gain valuable insights on strategy, marketing, supply chain, finance, and organizational management. Students use their prior experience and new MBA skills to acquire career-building experience, bringing an outside perspective and immediate value to your organization.
More information about the projects
| Adobe Alaska Airlines Alliance of Angels Apptio Avvo Amazon Boeing Boys & Girls Club CDK Digital Marketing Code Fellows Concur Costco Dell EMC Disney Dolby Dry Soda Co. Eddie Bauer Egencia, an Expedia Company Evolent Health Expeditors International F5 Networks Foss Maritime Getty Images GM Nameplate Groundspeak Group Health Cooperative Holland America Line Intel Isernio’s Sausage K2 Corporation Landesa La Panzanella |
Marchex Medamonitor/LEVL Microsoft National Park Service Nike Outdoor Research PACCAR Philips Planetary Power Providence Health & Services Puget Sound Energy REI Saltchuk Seattle Children’s Hospital Seattle Opera SightLife Skanska Starbucks Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Talking Rain T-Mobile Vulcan Volt Athletics Wells Fargo Bank West Monroe Partners Weyerhaeuser Wunderman Xbox YMCA |
Marketing
- Customer lifetime value (CLV) analysis and recommendations to increase CLV.
- Develop market strategy including design, packaging, and distribution channels for new product.
- Communications and marketing plan for software training and referral program.
- Customer journey-mapping and recommendations for improving customer experience.
- Define target customer segments and determine market size for a new product or service offering.
- Analyze potential channel conflicts for new product or service.
- Competitor marketing analysis and messaging recommendations.
- Develop a strategy to launch and open a national franchise store in the Seattle area.
- Market research and positioning for a product or service.
Finance/Business Planning
- Benchmarking of industry payment terms and recommendations for optimal policy and practice.
- Develop a financial model for optimization of asset lifetime value.
- Conduct a landscape assessment and provide recommendations for how to increase profitability.
- Develop a strategic growth plan for an organization to expand presence internationally.
- Design a financial model to optimize cash flow management.
- Identify carbon offset programs and develop a strategy to stabilize emissions with carbon-neutral growth.
Operations & Supply Chain
- Develop ways to reduce expenses and improve accountability when using express delivery services.
- Assess production processes and develop operations improvement plan.
- Create a strategy to increase vendor options for the company.
- Conduct an in-depth operations process analysis.
HR/Organization
- Develop recommendations for improving employee satisfaction and long-term retention of part-time employees.
- Analyze current state and best practices to provide recommendations on improvements in service delivery.
- Create a career progression guide and training plan for employees.
- Develop metrics for a team performance dashboard and a toolkit for improving team performance.
Watch the video above for more information on developing an MBA consulting project.
Watch the video above for more information on managing an MBA student consulting team.
MBA Strategic Consulting Program
Global Consulting Projects
In addition to the applied strategy and field study projects listed above, we also offer consulting for companies looking to expand and/or enhance operations outside of the U.S. Please visit the Global Consulting Projects page for more information.