| Computer Sciences Corporation |
2100 East Grand Avenue,
El Segundo,
CA
90245 |
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www.csc.com
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(310) 615-0311
Fax: (310) 322-9768
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The huge compuconsultancy
Computer Sciences Corporation provides management and information technology consulting, systems integration, and outsourcing services to governments and companies worldwide. It works in a variety of sectors, most notably aerospace, chemical, oil & gas, credit services, financial services, and health care. CSC also considers the U.S. government one of its primary business targets.
Prone to mergers
CSC makes frequent and impressive acquisitions; in 1997 it merged with American Practice Management (APM), one of the largest independent strategic consulting companies in North America. APM?s thorough knowledge of the health care industry was no doubt a factor in the acquisition, as CSC hopes to increase both its field expertise and its geographic presence through its mergers. The firm?s 1997 merger with DataCentralen, an important information solutions and technology provider in Denmark, marks an attempt to extend its dealings in Scandinavia. Above and beyond its merger, acquisition, and networking skills, CSC is also adept at creating original business tools - and at adding to the already large dictionary of consulting jargon. The firm recently developed a methodology known as 'CSC Fusion,' which is, in essence, a set of tools that can identify, prioritize, align, and merge business and IT strategies.
Pressure from the merger that wasn't
In March 1998, Computer Associates, the Long Island, NY-based computers services company, offered $9.2 billion to acquire CSC. CSC objected vehemently, stating that the offer was inadequate and that the combination would be detrimental to the company's fortunes. Shareholders believed CSC CEO Van Honeycutt's assertion that future growth in CSC would drive the stock price up above the $108 per share that Computer Associates had offered, and the deal was scotched.
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CSC actively seeks quality undergraduates and business school students. For recent hires interested in IT, the company offers several training programs. It also has special training programs for industry hires and MBA recruits. CSC travels to over 100 college campuses each year; its visiting/presentation schedule can be found on the firm's web site at careers.csc.com. Note that interested persons must register with CSC prior to submitting their resumes. Because of its large size, CSC is able to offer an assortment of tailored positions, including full-time, part-time, co-op, research, and associate-level opportunities. The CSC web site also contains information on positions that are available outside of the recruiting circuit. Because the positions are as nonstandard and varied as CSC's scope of technical and consulting services, individual employment requirements vary. The site lists specific contact addresses for each job and location.
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Strong pay, long weeks
Insiders report that the typical CSC consultant endures "grueling" travel schedules and "marathon" workdays. Employees are usually in their "home" office Monday and Friday and at the client's site Tuesday through Thursday. However, the firm compensates employees for this "exacting" schedule in other ways. Not only do employees benefit from a "robust" pay scale, consultants usually have the chance to select their own roles and projects. CSC must be doing something right; almost universally, insiders say that "everybody wants to stay" because of the "abundance of interesting projects and the leeway given with them."
Genuine flexibility
CSC is also said to be "genuinely flexible" in allowing employees to transfer to another of its 600 worldwide locations. The "creative" and "fun" culture keeps employee satisfaction high: the turnover rate is less than 15 percent - well below the industry average. Insiders also praise "the somewhat more relaxed promotion schedule." One insider remarks: "There is no up-or-out policy, which is cause for a lower stress [level]." The dress "varies between offices." While Chicago employees sport business casual all the time, the Cambridge office is "somewhere between business casual and business-business." Of course, the sartorial bottom line is ultimately drawn by the client. One insider stresses, "you wear whatever they wear - like in Simon Says."
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Human Resources
Information technology consulting;Management consulting;Computer facilities operation;Information systems
Andersen Consulting;Booz-Allen & Hamilton;Deloitte Consulting;Electronic Data Systems;IBM;Computer Associates
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