Most of my work (through ReCourses) is with independent, small- to mid-sized firms in the marketing space. But I get asked to consult with in-house departments, such as Verizon, Hallmark, PriceWaterHouse, Whole Foods, Hartford Life, Toyota, Compassion Intl, etc. Probably 40 in all over the years.
In some cases, I've been asked to "audit" the output of the in-house department to justify its existence on financial grounds. In other words, some C-level executive is questioning whether or not they should even have an in-house department.
Here's something I think you'll find interesting: in every case that I've done such an exercise, having an in-house department has proven to be more expensive than using outside firms.
