Main RMI Number
408-554-4960
SCU - St. Joseph's Hall
Room # 108
|
|
Retail Management Institute Newsletter - Fall '07
Internships with .........
Accenture Puts the Right “Accent” on Planning and Allocations
by Hilary Robertson ’08
Hilary Robertson ’08 interned at Accenture in San Francisco.
|
|
I joined the Retail Management Institute my freshman year specifically for the opportunity to intern with a retail company. My aspiration had always been to work in a buying or merchandising office, crunching numbers, forecasting trends, and influencing what consumers wear each season. As I began the internship search last January at the RMI Career Fair, I felt ready to finally meet the retailers and hopefully earn a coveted internship in a merchandising office.
Walking through the career fair, one immediately caught my attention—a consulting firm table amongst the retailers. This company was Accenture.
I knew very little about Accenture or the consulting industry, but I was both intrigued and impressed by their internship program. Accenture offers its clients effective solutions and strategies to improve their bottom line, maximize the effectiveness of their business processes, and ultimately experience positive change. By the time the interview process was over, my dream of working in retailing had been completely altered. I realized that through an internship with Accenture, I could work in the retail industry in an entirely different way.
During my internship I was assigned to an ongoing project at Ross Stores Inc. in its corporate offices in Pleasanton, Calif. Accenture was aiding in the implementation of a revised planning application system that would allow the Ross planning team to plan based on historical demand forecasts. My main role on this project was to assist in the test planning for the application and work with Ross planners to ensure that the new system functioned accurately. Working with the client allowed me to learn a great deal about both the planning process and the application system. It was really interesting to see how the new planning system would affect the planning and allocation of different products and regions.
I was also able to work on Accenture internal assignments, like planning learning sessions to increase employee knowledge and value, and organizing social activities for the project team. Accenture places a high emphasis on creating a community within its organization because consulting teams often work relatively independently. Through these projects I was able to learn more about Accenture and the consulting industry.
I learned more this summer than I ever thought possible. Working in retail as a consultant allowed me to experience the retail industry in a unique way and because I was not assigned to one department, I was able to learn about different divisions in the company as well, such as distribution and information technology. Every day I worked on entirely different assignments and was challenged in a new way. That’s what I loved about consulting—because the projects constantly change, your role changes as well. My internship with Accenture combined my interest in retail with my desire for a fast- paced, unpredictable industry, and I could not imagine anything more exciting.
|
|
Back to Newsletter - Fall '07
Retail Management Institute - Santa Clara University
rmi.scu.edu
|
|
RMI Newsletter
