Pros
Client's are entangled in long-term delivery contracts. Client-facing associates appear to very dedicated to the struggle to make client's happy. Client-facing associates have high pain tolerance for dealing with problems with corporate execution. Clients faced with their own economical pressures are asking very interesting questions and expecting more from Nielsen. Associates have the opportunity to get involved in interesting aspects using a tri-lingual approach (scanning, panel and spectra data).
Cons
Basic scanning and panel analysis is being off-shored in support of cost reduction and reduction in force. Uncertainty about the company's ability to execute on tri-lingual and advanced analytics strategy with outdated and broken data delivery systems, "not-my-problem" departmental attitudes which inhibit cooperation, and complex processes for very simple tasks that have significantly reduced associates' ability in functioning creatively and delivering projects in a timely manner. Problems in delivery of data because of mistakes made by off-shore employees have created situations where finger-pointing between departments is common; but, client-facing associates are often not allowed to mention off-shore situation to the client. Time is wasted figuring out why their are repeated problems with delivery. Forced GE-style ranking of employees is moving Nielsen to more of a "dog eat dog" environment. Performance-based ratings often boil down to personality contests and there is little actionable feedback or rating justification.