21011 Managing Consulting

Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject examines how management consultants conduct business analysis of enterprises, including assessment of business strategies, processes and systems. It explores different approaches to business development encompassing launching new business ventures, acquisition, joint ventures and strategic alliances, mergers, electronic business design and development. It considers methods of consultancy project design and management, and different performance measures. Finally, the subject takes a critical look at the responsibilities and ethics of consultancy contract management including project costing, scheduling and reporting.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

Understand the values underlying different perspectives and approaches to management consulting, the analytical tools employed, and the outcomes desired
Critically analyse the market environment of a business enterprise, and business strategies, processes and systems in terms of the objectives of the enterprise, and other potential means to achieve these objectives
Demonstrate effective methods of creating, developing, extending and transforming business enterprises, and to understand the resource requirements of development projects
Assess and review business performance with a range of critical and relevant measures
Understand the skills required and responsibilities exercised in engaging in management consultancy contracts including project costing, scheduling and reporting
Understand the liability and ethical issues involved in consultancy work.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject will serve to integrate and develop the different aspects of management consulting as key skills of business analysis. It will consider different consulting perspectives and approaches to applying this range of knowledge to finding potential solutions to business problems through business analysis and development. The subject will inform students about appropriate performance measures in different business enterprises, and alert students to the responsibilities of professional and ethical consulting practices.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will adopt a practice-based approach to teaching and learning, concentrating on case analysis including real life cases presented by consultants from management consultancy firms. The emphasis will be upon student analysis and definition of the business problems and assessment of solutions including resource capability in completing projects.

Content

Consulting Perspectives and Approaches
Business Analysis
Business Development
Business Sustainability
Contract Management
Current Management Consultancy Practice.

Assessment

Literature Review (Individual)	30%
Assesses students understanding of different perspectives and approaches to management consulting, and the analytical tools employed, and the outcomes desired. Addresses objectives 1-4.
Applied Management Consulting Project (Group)	30%
Assesses students ability to critically analyse the market environment of a business enterprise, and business strategies, processes and systems in terms of the objectives of the enterprise, and other potential means to achieve these objectives and to appreciate effective methods of creating, developing, extending and transforming business enterprises, and to understand the resource requirements of development projects. Addresses objectives 3-6.
Informal examination (Individual)	40%
Assesses students ability to analyse and review business performance with a range of critical and relevant measures. Addresses objectives 3-6.

Recommended text(s)

Clarke, T. and Fincham, R. (2001) Critical Consulting: New Perspectives on the Management Advice Industry, Blackwell, Oxford.

Indicative references

Bowman, E.H. and Kogut, B.M., (1995) Redesigning the Firm, Oxford University Press, New York

Champy, J., (1995) Reengineering Management: The Mandate for New Leadership, HarperCollins, London

Deise, M.V., Nowikow, C., King, P. and Wright.A. (2000) Executives Guide to E-Business, From Tactics to Strategy, New York: John Wiley

Furnham, A. and Gunter, B., (1993) Corporate Assessment: Auditing a Company's Personality, Routledge, London

Hamel, G., (2000) Leading the Revolution, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts.

Kaplan, R. and Norton, D., (1996) The Balanced Scorecard, Harvard Business School Press, Massachusetts

Locke, R., (1996) The Collapse of the American Management Mystique, Oxford University Press

O'Shea, J. and Madigan, C., (1997) Dangerous Company: Consulting Powerhouses and the Businesses they Save and Ruin, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London

Shapiro, E., (1996) Fad Surfing in the Boardroom: Reclaiming the Courage to Manage in the Age of Instant Answers, Capstone, Oxford

Van der Heijden, K., (1996) Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.