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MN30474: Management consulting: theory and practice

Follow this link for further information on academic years Academic Year: 2013/4
Further information on owning departmentsOwning Department/School: School of Management
Further information on credits Credits: 6
Further information on unit levels Level: Honours (FHEQ level 6)
Further information on teaching periods Period: Semester 1
Further information on unit assessment Assessment: CW 40%, EX 60%
Further information on supplementary assessment Supplementary Assessment: Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Further information on requisites Requisites: Before taking this unit you must take MN10005 or take MN10071 or take MN20080 or take SP10043
Further information on descriptions 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.
Further information on programme availabilityProgramme availability:

MN30474 is Optional on the following programmes:

Department of Chemistry
  • USCH-AFB03 : BSc (hons) Chemistry with Management (Full-time) - Year 3
  • USCH-AKB04 : BSc (hons) Chemistry with Management with Industrial Training (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4
  • USCH-AAB04 : BSc (hons) Chemistry with Management with Study Year Abroad (Full-time with Study Year Abroad) - Year 4
  • USCH-AFM07 : MSci (hons) Chemistry with Management (Full-time) - Year 3
  • USCH-AKM07 : MSci (hons) Chemistry with Management with Industrial Training (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4
School of Management
  • UMMN-AFB02 : BSc (hons) Accounting and Finance (Full-time) - Year 3
  • UMMN-AKB02 : BSc (hons) Accounting and Finance (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4
  • UMMN-ANB01 : BSc (hons) Business Administration (Full-time with Thin Sandwich Placements) - Year 4
Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
  • UXXX-AYB05 : BSc (hons) International Management and Modern Languages (French) (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 4
  • UXXX-AYB04 : BSc (hons) International Management and Modern Languages (German) (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 4
  • UXXX-AYB06 : BSc (hons) International Management and Modern Languages (Spanish) (Full-time with Year Abroad) - Year 4
Department of Social & Policy Sciences
  • UHSP-AFB11 : BSc (hons) Sociology with Human Resource Management (Full-time) - Year 3
  • UHSP-AKB11 : BSc (hons) Sociology with Human Resource Management (Full-time with Thick Sandwich Placement) - Year 4

Notes:
* This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2013/4 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2014/15 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2013/14.
* Programmes and units are subject to change at any time, in accordance with normal University procedures.
* Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.