School of Management, Unit Catalogue 2010/11 |
MN30474: Management consulting: theory and practice |
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Honours |
| Period: | This unit is available in... |
| Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| CW 40%, EX 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN10071 or take MN20080 or take SP10043 |
| Description:
| Aims: The aim of this unit is to examine the theoretical and practical aspects of management consulting. Learning Outcomes: After completing this unit the student will be able to: * Understand the context and background of management consulting; * Apply key theories, concepts and frameworks to understand the sources of competitive advantage of management consulting firms; * Analyse the organisational forms, networks and professional associations of management consulting firms; * Understand the importance of and approaches to managing client and network relations; * Understand the practices in the consulting process; * Appreciate the key choices and dilemmas associated with careers, development and reward in management consulting. Skills: * Juxtaposition of theory and practice (taught) * Identification good practice (taught) * Case analysis (taught and facilitated) * Practical skill development (taught and facilitated). Content: Context and background * Origins, growth, definitions and importance of the management consulting sector; * Types of management consulting firms and sectors - jurisdictional control; * globalisation of consulting; * position of management consulting within the professions. Organisational form in terms of * ownership/governance (partnership/managed professional); * internal organisation (practice groups, project teams, matrix structures). Key sources of competitive advantage: * Resource-based view of the firm and management consulting; * forms of capital (human, social and organisational), * types of knowledge (explicit/tacit, creative/commodity; normative/syncretic/technical). The management consulting network * Stakeholders; * Professional Associations; * Working across boundaries, outsourcing and associate models. Client relations: * Variations in relations (types of interaction and client capture); * Role of the client; * Managing client relations. The practices and processes of consulting * Stages in the client engagement/business process (bidding/acquiring contracts/setting up project teams/doing the work/producing reports/debriefing); * Creative conflict in the pitching process; * Processes of consulting - working with the client, problems and issues of implementation; * Methods and techniques; * Key skills and competencies - ethical issues. Careers, development and reward in consulting * Internal movement - 'up or out' and other approaches; * Models of internal resource allocation; * Problems and obstacles in internal staff movement; * Changes in career and development models. * Partnership model and reward. |