If you have never worked for a consultancy, please quit now!
This questionnaire on the way UK consultants travel for business is part of a piece of coursework for the Imperial College MBA. It takes an average of 12 minutes or so.
Please answer the questions for your current role, or if you're no longer in a consultancy, please answer as it would have been in your last role.
Thanks!
About Your Firm
Please enter your email address if it's not yet April 25, 2008 and you would like to be entered into the draw for a £10 Amazon voucher (whoo!)
What's the name of the consultancy you work for? (This is optional but it would be useful for me to know)
Roughly, what's the annual revenue of your firm in millions of UK pounds?
Does your firm allow you to install software, plugins etc. on your PCs or laptops - for example, iTunes, or software to sync with a PDA or mobile phone?
What calendar/diary system does you firm provide for you or encourage you to use?
Where do you actually keep your appointments?
Approximately how many fee-earning consultants are there in your firm?
In your organisation, roughly how many partners, relationship managers or salespeople are there who wouldn't be counted as fee earning consultants?
Please help me to understand the value of your time. If 8 hours' work were done on a client project, roughly how much would your firm normally charge a client if the person doing the work were:
£300
£500
£700
£900
£1100
£1300
£1500
£1700
£1900
£2100+
You personally
A typical consultant
A partner or other relationship manager
Your travel
Now I need to find out a few basic facts about the way you travel.
What proportion of your business trips are paid for by clients rather than your firm?
You have a business trip to a new location abroad. You will be staying one night. How long would you and your assistant normally spend researching the details of your travel (selecting the best airport, flights, car rental, hotels etc.)?
No time at all
15 mins
40 mins
1 hour
2 hours
3 hours or more
You personally
Your secretary or other assistant
How often do you run into problems or inconveniences when travelling that could have been avoided by more careful planning before you travelled?
On what proportion of your trips are you following the exact same itinerary as a previous trip? (Same approximate time of day, same sequence of meeting locations etc.)
In your firm, how many times a year do you and your colleagues travel abroad?
0-2
3-5
6-9
10-14
15-25
26-52
53+
You personally
Average consultant
Partner, salesperson or other relationship manager
On a typical business trip, how many nights would you or your colleagues stay away ?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7-14
15-31
31-90
91+
You personally
Average consultant
Partner, salesperson or other relationship manager
Personally, roughly what proportion of your business trips abroad are in the following regions? Please enter the percentages.
Europe
North America
Asia
Other
0
Which of the following do you often book through a travel agent, and how do you pay for it?
Don't book through an agent
Book but pay on arrival/pickup
Book and pay through agent
Flights
Hotels
Train tickets
Car rental
Chauffeur/Taxi
If you do use a travel agent, what do you think the average bill is from the travel agent (in UK pounds) for a typical single trip abroad for you?
Car Rental: when you travel,
10%
30%
50%
70%
90%
What proportion of the time do you rent a car when you arrive?
Choices
Nearly there! Just a few questions now about some hypothetical trips, first to the US, then to Europe.
You are planning 3 business meetings in the American Midwest. Some of the travel agents you work with do a better job than others. In the list below you will see some prices for the whole trip, and how long you'll have to spend planning (selecting the best airport, flights, car rental, hotels etc.). On some versions of the trip, there will be more wasted time where you'll be unproductive.
Which would you choose in practice? Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
£1190: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1510: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1190: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1510: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
For the same trip, the prices have now changed.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
£1430: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1270: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1430: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1270: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
For the same trip, the prices have now changed.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
£1310: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1390: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1310: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1390: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
Last one for the US trip!
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
£1370: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1330: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
£1370: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
£1330: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
Last page! I know this seems a bit repetitive, but I need to ask the questions this way with this research method.
Now you're planning a series of business meetings involving 3 flights around continental Europe.
In the list below you can see the price for the 3 flights, and how long you'll have to spend researching the trip today. Again, there will sometimes be more wasted time where you'll be unproductive.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
3 x £175 = £525: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £205 = £615: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £175 = £525: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £205 = £615: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
For the same trip, the prices have now changed.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
3 x £220 = £660: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £160 = £480: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £220 = £660: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £160 = £480: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
For the same trip, the prices have now changed.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
3 x £130 = £390: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £250 = £750: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £130 = £390: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £250 = £750: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
For the same trip, the prices have now changed.
Please rank the following four propositions, putting the best in position 1.
3 x £310 = £930: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £70 = £210: 15 minutes of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £310 = £930: 2 hours of upfront planning; 2 hours of unproductive time every day
3 x £70 = £210: 2 hours of upfront planning; 4 hours of unproductive time every day
Survey software
Leading survey software to help you turn data into decisions.
Research Edition
Intelligent market research surveys that uncover actionable insights.
Customer Experience
Experiences change the world. Deliver the best with our CX management software.
Workforce
Powerful insights to help you create the best employee experience.
