define a management consultant's job

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coleen

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Hi this is for a thesis and I would like to ask if there are any management consultants out there who can tell me what is the most common reason that a company will be looking for their expertise? also what exactly they might do for a company? How would they work with internal staff? Would they be training the staff or would they be working on a specfic project? This should relate to small to medium companies. I am trying to research the extent and use of consultants in Irish SME firms ,any help appreicated
 
Re: define a management consultants job

A definition of a management consultants job is that they take your watch to tell you the time!!
 
Re: define a management consultants job

I am looking for something a little bit different that I can put in my thesis but I have heard that one already so maybe a management consultant might give their definition
 
Re: define a management consultants job

Management consultant and the hiring company....before the project the management consultant has the experience and the hiring company has the money..after the project it's the consultant who has the money and the co has the experience!
 
Re: define a management consultants job

Worked as a mgmt consultant many moons ago. Felt at the time this book gave a reasonably accurate, if slightly jaundiced view of what it's all about.
 
Re: define a management consultants job

There was an interesting discussion about this on AAM a few years ago - linked here

However, if it's for a thesis you will need more specific info and you might need to take some sort of position in your thesis.

If your thesis is titled "The use of traditional management consultants in Irish SME firms" I would say it's a short thesis saying "...feck all because consultants are too expensive"

However, if you have a thesis saying "How Irish SME's can use management consultants effectively and efficiently" and debate different pricing and deliverables approaches, then you may be onto something

Just a thought!
 
Re: define a management consultants job

efm
thanks for that link it has some useful info
also what I am trying to research is the effective use of consultants and I am also trying to find out how a firm normally employs a consultant. would it be word of mouth ? and what criteria would a firm use to hire a consultant? and how effective and efficient did firms feel the consultant was ?
So all serious replies welcome I want to get to the end of this thesis
Thanks again
 
Seriously if you are doing such a thesis I would recommend that you talk to the people in your local County Enterprise Board, Plato Office or the SFA.
 
I have interviewed a number of small firms who would have employed such consultants but I am trying to get a wider view and possible the veiw of a consultant or two.
 
coleen said:
I have interviewed a number of small firms who would have employed such consultants but I am trying to get a wider view and possible the veiw of a consultant or two.
Click to expand...

OK - have you defined what a management consultant is for the basis of your thesis? ie what definition have you put on "management consultant"?

Would you include IT consultants? somebody helping implement an ERP system? somebody reviewing business processes or what ?
 
I have defined management consultancy as '
‘consulting is the planned intervention in a company with the aim of identifying the problems that may exist in its organization and implementing those measures considered suitable and fitting in order to resolve them’.
Also I have taken this list of what is included in the term management consultants from the Institute of Management Consultants (UK):
  • Corporate Policy and Corporate Development.
  • Financial Management.
  • Administration.
  • Marketing and Selling.
  • Production.
  • Distribution and transport.
  • Information technology.
  • Economic planning.
  • Human Resource Planning.
  • Management science.
  • Technology management.
So i think this would include all of those people i.e. IT consultants, implementing ERP...etc.
 
Not sure if many mgt consultants spend their time with SMEs. They usually can't afford their rates. It might be worth checking with ISME (or the SFA as mentioned above) to see if mgt consultants are used in Irish small/medium-sized firms on a regular basis... but I stand to be corrected on this one !!
 
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