The goal of the group is to take on the role of AB Consulting, and then create and present a proposal to recommend a course of action for Home and Hearth Security Insurance Company.

For this group project, you're encouraged to be creative with your proposals. Clearly there's a limited amount of information to work with in the case study, and so you will need to make assumptions throughout. This is fine and in fact encouraged.

Also, remember to work on this project from the perspective of the AB Consulting Group. Your audience then is Home and Hearth Security Insurance Company. We've stressed the importance of knowing your audience throughout the course, so make sure you take this into account.

CASE STUDY:

Alpha Beta Consulting (A/B/C) solves customer service problems related to hardware, software, and Web-based applications. The consulting company helps clients assess their computing needs, provides training, installs required peripherals to expand computer capabilities, and builds e-commerce applications, such as Web sites and corporate blogs. Their client base includes international companies and academic institutions. A/B/C works extensively with FIRE industries (Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate).

A new client, Home and Hearth Security Insurance Company, has asked A/B/C to build its e-commerce opportunities. Home and Hearth's current Web site is outdated. Since the Web site was created, Home and Hearth has added new services, including insurance coverage for electronic commerce, employment-related practices liability, financial institutions, management protection, and medical professional liability. In addition, Home and Hearth has expanded globally. It now has a presence in Asia (Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore), the Middle East (the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Israel), and South Africa. Home and Hearth's new services and new service locations are not evident on the current Web site.

An additional challenge for Home and Hearth is client contact. Currently, Home and Hearth depends on a hard-copy newsletter. However, corporate communications at Home and Hearth believes that a corporate blog would be a more effective means of connecting with its client base. A/B/C can meet Home and Hearth's needs by building a new Web site and by creating a corporate blog.

You should assume the roles of a consultant team to solve the problem facing the organization.