December 1st, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Karen Eber Davis 941-924-4860

The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) has canvassed its international and domestic members for trends in the coming year. Here are the top vote getters:

Non-Profit Competition: Despite recent increases in giving by individual donors, nonprofits will continue to feel the pinch in 2005. Not only will they continue to encounter limited state budgets and the federal deficit, they face steady competition from their one million counterparts. To respond, nonprofits will need to focus on building loyalty to their mission as they develop new ways to create income. For inspiration, they can look to the Lance Armstrong Foundation which, to support cancer survivors, sold 20 million yellow Live Strong armbands at $1 each. (Source: Karen Eber Davis, Karen Eber Davis Consulting, Sarasota, FL)

Impact of Poor Education: Businesses will continue to be plagued by the one-two punch of poor skills and poor education in the unskilled and semi-skilled workforce. A 2001 study conducted by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found U.S. high school graduation rates lower than 30 other industrialized countries (Source: SHRM 2004-2005 Workplace Forecast: A Strategic Outlook). The backlash for companies may come in the form of lowering basic educational job requirements. To respond to this growing concern, organizations will need to step in where public education has failed and offer basic literacy as part of the regular training and education platform. (Source: Linda Ford, SPHR, The Ford Group, Rome, NY)

Ethics Triumphant: The business trends for the foreseeable future are principles and pragmatism. The net of questionable corporate ethics cast by the well-known Enron, WorldCom, and Andersen disasters has now spread to Royal Dutch/Shell and the ever-trusted Merck. If you can’t trust auditors, fuel suppliers, and drug-makers, whom can you trust? Employees are now more empowered than ever to challenge their bosses about questionable decision-making, because the continued existence of their companies is at stake. In addition to an enormous focus on integrity, companies are becoming more pragmatic. They are open to outside advice, but it must be focused on generating better business results in a practical manner (Source: Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co., Inc., St. Louis).

Higher Education Organizational Overhaul: Higher education is battling the reality of the recent globalization of online education, which translates into the lack of regional boundaries and market crowding. Due to the lack of a solid business model that is market sensitive, higher education is closing its doors at record rates, even when business should be at its best. Two major factors will change the face of growth in the higher education industry: geography due to migration, and ethnicity (there will be 73% more Hispanics graduating in 2014 over 2002). The key to success will be the ability to be agile. Another significant factor of change in higher education will be that of the returning adult learner. The Department of Education estimates a 9% growth rate for this demographic between 2000 and 2010; however, many believe the DOE to be significantly underestimating the impact of the baby-boomer generation and life-long learning (Source: Nathan Greeno, The Drawing Board, Centreville, VA).

SAC CEO Alan Weiss, Ph.D. adds, “There is a strong indication of increased business “insourcing,” which will more than compensate for jobs lost through outsourcing, and that a banner year is expected for those providing professional services, because decades of downsizing have eliminated most residual corporate talent in these areas.

SAC is an international association of consulting professionals who subscribe to an industry code of ethics and have provided evidence of significant consulting results among their clients.