MBA对于进咨询公司起多大的作用？

As an entry-level associate, you'll probably spend 70% of the time problem solving and 30% of the time managing the relationship with the client contact you work day to day.

In terms of the studies, I'd say 50% of them are really difficult questions that client cannot solve on their own.  On these issues, consultants bring in a fresh perspective, structure approach and rigorous analytics.  You push your own knowledge building on such issues while solving the problem for the client.  

Another 50% of time I see issues that clients could probably solve on their own, but elected to source consulting firms for reasons like need an objective, third party view, avoid the internal politics, or simply laziness.  Not everyone in corporate America could work till midnight like consultants do.

Talking about the day to day work, well, you interview clients, industry experts, analyze data (a lot!) in Excel or Access, and produce powerpoint pages.

我不相信GM之类的大公司的管理人员是傻子，这类公司需要咨询公司是有各种目的的，比如裁员、杀高管。很多东西都有答案在那了，只是要请个外来的和尚，这些钱是出得起的。

小公司可能的确需要一些改进的建议吧，不是行业内的人，这里NN很多，希望能纠正我的一些错误思想。

As an entry-level associate, you'll probably spend 70% of the time problem solving and 30% of the time managing the relationship with the client contact you work day to day.

In terms of the studies, I'd say 50% of them are really difficult questions that client cannot solve on their own.  On these issues, consultants bring in a fresh perspective, structure approach and rigorous analytics.  You push your own knowledge building on such issues while solving the problem for the client.  

Another 50% of time I see issues that clients could probably solve on their own, but elected to source consulting firms for reasons like need an objective, third party view, avoid the internal politics, or simply laziness.  Not everyone in corporate America could work till midnight like consultants do.

Talking about the day to day work, well, you interview clients, industry experts, analyze data (a lot!) in Excel or Access, and produce powerpoint pages.