Case Study a-2: A.T. Kearney

The first year of the acquisition of A.T. Kearney by Electronic Data Systems (EDS) was complete and the company now had to decide which direction or strategy it needed to take in order to maximize its potential it created by this acquisition. A.T. Kearney, one of the world’s dominant management consulting firms was now faced with how to take advantage of the new partnership it shared with EDS who is a leader in the global information systems industry. A.T. Kearney’s objectives as a company were, “To develop realistic solutions, help clients implement recommendations that generated tangible results and improved competitive advantage.”(Spiro, P. 527) Electronic Data Systems objectives as a company were, “shaping how information is created distributed, shared, enjoyed, and applied for the benefit of businesses, governments, and individuals around the world.” (Spiro, P. 530) With the merging of these two companies, Brian Harrison, President of A.T. Kearney, Canada will face issues about the strategic direction the new company should head in, the approaches associated with each new opportunity, and internal and external sales management implications. Coming out of the first year of merger, the “new company” has now been faced with a new objective. This entailed pursuing new opportunities in order to grow their business. They need to gain more of the market share by offering new products and enhancing their current ones. By utilizing and sharing their existing resources and market strengths, the will be able to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In order to do so, they must first understand each of their customer interests and market shares. Each company already has their own products and services that are well established. EDS market share strengths are healthcare, insurance, communications, electronics, aerospace and defense industries, while A.T. Kearney’s are manufacturing, consumer products, transportation and chemical pharmaceuticals with

Bibliography: Spiro, R., Rich, G., & Stanton, W. (2008). Management of a Sales Force. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.