Management Consulting

The worsening economy in Maryland was confirmed in a third-quarter report by Grant Thornton, a national accounting and management-consulting firm with a local office.The Grant Thornton Index, consisting of seven equally weighted economic indicators, declined 0.23 for Baltimore in the July-September period, hitting 109.1. For Washington, the index dropped 0.90 to 109.9. This is the third quarterly decline for Baltimore since the end of 1989, when the index was at 110.2.The index includes factory hours, nonfarm employment, construction permits, retail sales, business starts, business failures and money supply.

Despite the increasing importance of global markets and foreign competition, 48 percent of all mid-size U.S. manufacturers say that their primary corporate strategy is to grow domestically rather than internationally, according to a national study by Grant Thornton, a major accounting and management consulting firm with offices in Baltimore.Only 42 percent of manufacturers with annual sales between $10 million and $500 million say they intend to grow both here and abroad, while 7 percent say they will focus primarily on markets outside the United States.

Stock booster:In a survey of 800 companies, Mercer Management Consulting found that companies that made money by expanding business operations between 1991 and 1996 saw their market value rise by 21 percent, compared with a 12 percent growth rate by companies that downsized to profitability. "Cost-cutting is still being pursued -- and may be required from time to time -- but the stock market appears to be giving fewer rewards to companies that still think they can shrink to greatness," says Mercer's Eric Almquist.

Location, location, location: The size of your paycheck is not only determined by what you do but where you do it, finds William M. Mercer, a management consulting concern. In a survey, Mercer found that a job paying an average of $50,000 nationwide is likely to pay nearly $60,000 in San Jose, Calif., but only $41,400 in Brownsville, Texas. In Charlotte, N.C., that same job would likely pay $50,005, just at the national average.Eat right: A business lunch is more likely to succeed if you avoid common mistakes, says Suzanne Williamson, author of Entertaining for Dummies.

Early birds: Teen-agers, perceived by many adults as spendthrifts rather than savers, understand the need to put their money away for the future, according to a survey conducted for Merrill Lynch. The survey, which questioned 512 teens ages 12 to 17, found that 60 percent save half the money they are given or that they earn, while 28 percent save most of it and 12 percent spend it immediately.Cost of eating: Business travelers' eating expenses vary widely according to where they go. Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm, found the average cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner for a business traveler in New York is the highest, at $78. Washington was in second place at $62.75 and San Francisco was third with $56.65.

Happy talk: According to Deloitte & Touche, most high-level executives surveyed by the management consulting firm recently believe there's a link between how well they treat their employees and how well their companies do. Eighty-four percent of the respondents saw a link between worker treatment and profitability, and 67 percent said their companies are making more of an effort than they were five years ago at balancing the needs of employees with those...

PUBLIC SERVICE* Judith Bartholomew was named coordinator of activities and volunteers at the Concord Apartments in Baltimore, a program administered by Jewish Family Services.NEW ACCOUNTS* Delta Graphics, a Timonium-based design and communications firm, won a contract to develop conference support materials for the Marian International Conference of the Catholic Mother Diocese, which will be held in Baltimore Sept. 11-15.* The Identity Group Inc., a Hagerstown-based graphic design and production firm, is providing print graphics for Alan L. Keyes' U.S. Senate campaign.

Executive worries: The employment market for managers remains strong, so many executives don't have to worry about getting new work as much as they did a few years ago. But they do worry about keeping their jobs, finds Exec-U-Net, a firm that gathers information on job openings for executives. Exec-U-Net surveyed executives and found that more than 71 percent believe their companies or industries will be threatened by mergers, downsizings or restructurings during the next 12 months.Fill 'er up: A survey of 50 spots around the world found the price of gasoline to be highest in Hong Kong, at $5.01 a gallon.

Stroman chosen to receive Martin Luther King awardLisa Stroman, chief executive officer of Strobe Business Solutions of Millersville, has been selected by the Martin Luther King Dinner Committee to receive the Martin Luther King Drum Major Award next month. The award is given for exemplifying the ideals of the civil rights leader through one's community and civic contributions. Strobe Business Solutions is a technology and management consulting and training firm.Sheriff hears complaints about solicitationsThe Anne Arundel County sheriff's office has received complaints recently about telephone solicitors asking for donations to help buy bulletproof vests for deputies.

University of Phoenix at Columbia appoints Myers to faculty Betty Myers has been appointed as an adjunct faculty member at the Columbia campus of the University of Phoenix.She will teach a management class focused on organization behavior. Myers, president of Columbia-based Kaleidosystems Inc., has taught at the Johns Hopkins University. Kaleidosystems Inc. is a business and management consulting company that provides strategies for leadership, personal development, team effectiveness and business-process redesign.