deloitte case study

deloitte case study

The Impact of Deloitte’s Case Study

1. Introduction

This case study reflects the strategic process in knowledge management, with Deloitte transcending the barriers of time and space in sharing knowledge across 90,000 professionals with DeloitteNet as the tool. Then, guided by the categories of knowledge strategy according to Bukowitz and Williams framework, we may observe how Deloitte manages to accomplish the strategy itself. Reflections would be given throughout the case study.

The Deloitte’s case study, the company comprises a 90,000 employee-owned operations in 134 countries. Deloitte has identified the importance of knowledge management to improve operations at both strategic and operational levels. They have completed a successful implementation known as DeloitteNet, which is a globally accessible intranet where employees can use it to access almost all of Deloitte’s information and then share what they have known or experienced.

2. Challenges Faced by Deloitte

Firstly, Deloitte is not an innocent organization and like any other organization, it too has faced the music for its share of challenges. Beyond the factual statements or pure organizational details, there are many inferences or situations that one could pick out from the case study, and this shall be considered subjective. One of its main challenges was that it was implementing a system that was already developed and being used internally at SAP. This posed a risk in the sense that SAP, over the years, tried to integrate their R/3 system. Taking a jump from their traditional sales using a multiple call approach to a single telephone call approach using an automated provisioning system. Deloitte, going back to a system which was much more manual, was now facing the challenge of trying to integrate its system to SAP’s latest system. Even the tiniest aspect of the older system was considered a challenge for a successful integration. Another thing to keep in mind was that the various tools for integration that Deloitte had developed over a period of working with Bell might now face redundancy with the newer systems. But the biggest challenge for Deloitte was to successfully implement its system in the e-Procurement marketplace at Bell. This was crucial because now Bell had various different suppliers and using Bell’s previous systems, those suppliers might feel resistant to the change and end up switching to another customer, which was not something Bell would want. This would also prevent Bell from attracting newer suppliers. All of this now hinges on the effectiveness of Deloitte’s implementation at Bell.

3. Deloitte’s Strategic Approach

The overarching aim was to create a strategic framework for its client companies to develop profitable and sustained relationships with their customers. The initiative was launched to provide a stronger line of sight for Deloitte’s clients between their investment decisions and the realization of their business goals.

Deloitte’s approach was to implement a brand-building program in the form of a series of orthogonal strategic and tactical initiatives, tailored to the nature and status of the market served by each of the company’s eight business units.

For years, a diversified media and entertainment company had expanded its business lines through acquisition, resulting in a lack of clarity about the company’s overall identity. To proceed toward the more aggressive segmentation of its consumer markets, the company had launched a major new business initiative. Taking advantage of the company’s strategic inflection point, this was an ideal time to initiate a branding initiative.

4. Results and Success Stories

In 1996, when the Philippine Long Distance Company (PLDT) received an unsolicited proposal from Warid: Telecom Malaysia-backed Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines, PLDT rejected the proposal because it believed that any conversion into equity from a sukuk needed the approval of at least 85% of the bondholders. PLDT’s management was concerned that further negotiations would be a waste of time and money. Deloitte analyzed the trust agreement, the trust receipt, and the Islamic bonds. Deloitte opined that assignment of the trustee’s rights and interests in the PLDT shares did not transfer beneficial ownership of the shares, and therefore did not constitute a change in ownership which would require an SEC tender offer. Deloitte’s opinion conformed to the legal advice received by PLDT from Kapunan, Garcia & Castillo Law Offices. Deloitte prepared a presentation paper for the SEC to explain these arrangements of the transactions and the ownership of the PLDT shares. Deloitte also discussed the global depository receipt (GDR) program. The GDRs were issued by Deutsche Bank and were structured such that the Malayan Banking Berhad was the ultimate purchaser of the PLDT shares and related voting rights. Deloitte was further engaged to provide a tax opinion for the GDRs. Deloitte’s discussions with the SEC and its tax opinion facilitated the registration of the GDR program with the SEC and relieved the program from adverse tax consequences. Through these endeavors, the PLDT management learned that the transactions could be implemented without any change to the control and management of PLDT, and without adverse tax and regulatory consequences. Subsequently, PLDT approved its participation in the transactions.

5. Conclusion and Lessons Learned

Lessons learned are a valuable element of the case study. It is important that all entrepreneurs and managers, taking the role as a leader, are able to identify with and learn from the mistakes of this case study. By reflecting upon our own actions or a situation, which has occurred, we can assess what went wrong and why, and ascertain how we can prevent it from happening again. Deloitte’s case study highlights the importance of this self-reflective learning with the comment that: “It will serve to illustrate both the practical and ethical issues faced by management when ‘taking on’ another organisation”. The case study illustrates the mistakes and effects of undertaking an acquisition when Deloitte did not correctly research organisational culture and how to effectively manage change in an organisation. This was Deloitte’s first mistake; they did not research nor prepare themselves for the acquisition and the change it would bring to PKM. Due to this, various assumptions and projections were made with the worst of the situation being that Deloitte would be able to change PKM’s system of operations and culture. The gross mistake here was to assume that PKM’s system was identical to the one they had experienced with other acquisitions. Due to the fact that there was no understanding of what the current system was, the best possible scenario at this time was not identified. This essentially led to a series of mistakes and case of ‘too little too late’. Throughout the case there is evidence of what happens when assumptions are made and not verified. This served as a lesson for me also, and similar mistakes can occur in our own daily lives.