Management Consulting
AIMS
- To develop a critical understanding of the principles of good consulting practice.
- To provide participants with an understanding of the higher level skills required for the management consulting professional environment.
- To act as an integrating vehicle for student application of MBA learning into the workplace.
LEARNING TEACHING & ASSESSMENT
Student learning is through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and group work, as well as guided private study. Lectures and seminars will provide students with the technical knowledge required to develop their understanding of the consultancy process and client-consulting relationships. Tutorials and group work will afford students opportunities to practise skills of analysis and evaluation with respect to consulting interventions based on real world examples. Tutorials will further aid reflection, critical evaluation of client context and critical skills for research, analysis and effective project delivery.
As part of directed studies, students will be guided to appropriate primary and secondary sources to further enhance knowledge of the consulting process. This will include research on specific issues as assigned in class and feedback on knowledge and understanding demonstrated will be gained through presentations in class. In-class presentations will provide formative peer and tutor feedback against module learning outcomes for group learning situations. Summative assessment includes an individual written assignment in which students will further demonstrate formal knowledge gained, focused against learning outcomes 1 and 2. A group assignment will take the form of an analysis of a client scenario and presentation of an appropriate consulting response and suggested intervention. In doing so it formally addresses learning outcomes 2 and 3.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Knowledge & Understanding:
On successful completion of this module you will be able to...
a. Define and summarise the principal academic theories and dominant professional
practices of management consulting and management consultants
b. Produce a comprehensive list of the concepts, structure and roles of the
management consultants within the contemporary organisation
2. Subject-Specific Skills:
On successful completion of this module you will be able to...
a. evaluate the practical application of management consulting in various business
settings
b. develop skills in the use of techniques associated with successful consulting
interventions
c. assess and critically evaluate the effectiveness of different consulting
interventions
d. clearly present consultancy solutions, orally, in a tailor-made scenario.
3. Personal Transferable Skills:
On successful completion of this module you will be able to...
a. apply structured knowledge, and research and analysis skills for effective
project delivery
b. be able to research and define a business situation and apply the knowledge,
methodologies and skills required in order to satisfy client needs for a sustainable,
ethical solution to be implemented
c. enhance skills of analysis, problem-solving, creative thinking and communication
d. analyse business problems and scenarios.
OUTLINE SYLLABUS:
Management Consultancy - An Introduction;
The Principles Of Selling;
The Start Of The Assignment;
The Skills Of The Consultant - Research;
The Skills Of The Consultant - Analysis;
Exploring And Refining;
Choosing And Planning;
Implementation;
Clients;
An Alternative Perspective - The Dark Side.
This module is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and those students who successfully complete are eligible to join the Institute and complete a further piece of work regarding professional development in order to earn a Diploma in Management Consulting. Specific information for students regarding this is provided when the elective begins. The link to the Institute information is: http://www.iconsulting.org.uk/training_and_qualifications/qualification_and_training_course_information/diploma_in_management_consulting
MODULE COORDINATOR
Olga Matthias
Olga gained her first degree from the University of Manchester Institute of
Science and Technology, and from there took a placement on the graduate training
scheme at Lloyds TSB Bank. After completing that scheme she moved into management
consultancy, where she worked for a number of companies including Cap Gemini
and PA Consulting Group. In 1993 she gained her CMC qualification. Her consulting
work was in the area of business operations and performance, where she specialised
in customer service delivery, performance improvement through enhancing people
skills, process and IT. She led large business-transformation programmes for
blue-chip companies in the UK and in New Zealand, most recently concentrating
on aligning business and systems operations to deliver enhanced performance.
Olga is a Business Researcher, currently researching effectiveness and service quality within the Healthcare sector, the impact of culture on operations performance within projects, and co-dependency between relationship and service quality in management consultancy. Olga also lectures in Operations Management, Performance Management, Management Consultancy and Project Management to MBA students at the Bradford University School of Management. She has lectured to MBA students in Cardiff, York and Warsaw.