CCL (Computer Consultants) Limited

Blackwell has been publishing in the UK for over 80 years.  The Head Office is based in Oxford with offices in the UK, USA, France, Australia and Denmark that specialise in editing and producing journals.  The Company publishes 650 journals and more than 300 new books per year with a backlist of approximately 8,000 titles.  Over 1000 staff are employed worldwide with approximately 600 being based in Oxford.

Blackwell Publishing specialises in medicine, nursing and allied health, life sciences, earth sciences, construction and engineering, and agriculture and fisheries.  Publications include primary research journals, textbooks for undergraduates and reference and handbooks for professionals.

In 2002, Blackwell's Technology department was facing several challenges.  The recent merger of Blackwell Publishers and Blackwell Science had left the resultant, combined IT department in need of greater integration.  The business was keen to encourage a highly focused team approach; so Mike Fenton, Technology Director, took the decision to utilise CCL's management consultancy services to help him plan and facilitate a team building ‘Away Day'.

The day's activities were carefully researched and focused on improving co-operation, empathy and communication between the four sections of the IT Department.

"CCL's guidance and support coupled with their innovative and creative ideas meant that the day, and the resultant Action Programme, proved a milestone in the development of a ‘One-Team' approach."

Over the past 12 months CCL has worked on a number of projects (some still progressing) with Blackwell Publishing.  These projects have included Post Implementation Audit, Disaster Recovery Planning, the development of a Risk Management methodology and the creation of a detailed Project Plan for a large scale business relocation.  A close working relationship means that CCL is able to continue to contribute towards Blackwell's ambitious IT development strategy.

Mike Fenton, Technology Director

Blackwell Publishing