Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study project was to research different consulting courses with the primary goal to identify a general framework to be used for a consultancy course. This framework will also serve to expand and support the current consultancy course used by the University. The initial goal was to get an understanding of the different skills required of a successful consultant. Secondly, to identify a general framework the consultant can use to understand a business problem, to solve it and to implement the solution successfully. Ultimately this study project was to expand upon these skills and framework to increase the consultant's cumulative knowledge. Resistance and change were focused upon with the goal of giving the consultant a set of skills to lead successfully. The skill of negotiation, identified by several sources as an integral part of consultancy, was also discussed in detail. The framework that has been identified is comprised of information gathering, problem identification and solution, feedback to the client, scope, priorities and estimates and lastly, implementation and engagement. Several sources have been identified to support the consultant in finding further information to ensure successful consultation endeavors. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studieprojek was om verskillende konsultasie kursusse te ondersoek met die primêre doel om 'n raamwerk te identifiseer wat gebruik kan word vir 'n konsultasie kursus. Dit sal dan ook dien as uitbreiding en aanvulling tot die huidige konsultasie kursus wat deur die Universiteit aangebied word. Spesifieke doelwitte was om eerstens die vaardighede wat suksesvolle konsultasie vereis, te verstaan. Tweedens was dit om 'n algemene raamwerk te identifiseer wat die konsultant kan toepas om 'n besigheidsprobeem te verstaan, op te los en om die oplossing suksesvol te implementeer. Die verdere doel van hierdie studieprojek was om dan verder uit te brei op daardie vaardighede en raamwerk om die konsultant te ondersteun gedurende projekte. Daar is klem gelê op die proses van verandering en weerstand met die doel om die konsultant te help om dit suksesvol te lei. Die vaardighede van onderhandeling, wat deur verskeie bronne as 'n integrale deel van konsultasie geïdentifiseer is, is ook bespreek. Die raamwerk wat geïdentifiseer is, is om inligting in te samel, probleme te identifiseer en op te los, terugvoer aan die kliënt, omvang, prioriteite en benaderings en laastens implementasie. Verskeie bronne vir selfstudie is ook geïdentifiseer om die konsultant te ondersteun om verdere kennis op doen om konsultasie projekte suksesvol te voltooi.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Management consulting refers to the area of intervention, which is assistance to entrepreneurs, managers and other decision-makers in business management and the public sector. The study will cover the area of management consulting and the primary focus of this study is companies presently doing business as Management Consulting firms with a global presence. The study excludes software vendors and management consulting firms that specialise only in implementing computer software systems like Oracle, SAP, etcetera. There are a great number of firms offering management consulting among other services like auditing for example. Prominent among these are the major accounting firms namely Ernst and Young, Deloitte Consulting, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Arthur Andersen. They form part of this study. Marketing has become a more critical need than ever and it has become an important and influential factor in building and maintaining a profitable enterprise. The marketing of a product and or service is very important and the question can be posed whether management consulting firms have clear marketing strategies and tactics, or whether they stumbled onto their success in attracting clients per chance. The purpose of this study is to identify existing marketing strategies and tactics being used by management consulting firms. The objective is to determine the nature of the compilation of a structured framework for an effective standardised marketing strategy plan. The problem statement is the following: "How can marketing strategies and tactics for management consulting firms be used as an effective marketing tool to attract business for the consulting firm?" The greatest problem concerning this study is the fact that minimal research and literature has been directly compiled on thé topic. It was therefore a study on opinions, viewpoints, books in general on the topic of marketing as well as the daily media was researched to determine and evaluate possible existing marketing strategies and tactics. Since the field of marketing strategies and tactics for management consulting services and firms is relatively new, the exploratory research approach was used. Chapter 1 deals with the purpose, objective, problem statement and research methodology. Chapter 2 involves a literature study to define the term and scope of management consulting, and an overview of the management consulting process is given. Chapters 3 identifies and evaluates the existing marketing strategies and tactics of management consulting firms. Chapter 4 explores differentiation based on service and skills as well as industry specialisation. The question that needs to be answered is whether management consulting firms should be specialists or generalists. Chapter 5 addresses pricing. The different approaches to costing and fee setting are discussed. The study is completed in chapter 6 with conclusions and recommendations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Bestuurs konsultasie verwys na die area van intervensie waar hulp aan entrepreneurs, bestuurders en ander besluitnemers in die private en publieke sektor verleen word. Hiedie studie dek die area van bestuurs konsultasie en die primêre fokus van die studie is firmas wat tans konsultasie firmas bedryf met 'n internasionale teenwoordigheid. Hierdie navorsings verslag fokus op die bemarkings taktiek en strategieë van bestuurs konsultasie firmas. Die studie sluit sagteware firmas en bestuurs konsultasie firmas uit wat uitsluitlik spesialiseer in die implementering en instandhouding van rekenaar sagteware. Voorbeelde van sulke firmas is Oracle en SAP. Daar is 'n groot aantal firmas wat bestuurs konsultasie saam met ander dienste soos byvoorbeeld ouditering aanbied. Prominent onder hierdie groep is Ernst and Young, Deloitte Consulting, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Arthur Andersen. Hulle vorm deel van hierdie studie. Bemarking van die diens word al hoe meer belangriker as ooit en dit is 'n kritiese faktor om 'n winsgewende firma te bedryf. Die bemarking van 'n produk of diens is baie belangrik en die vraag kan gevra word of bestuurs konsultasie firmas uitgewerkte bemarking strategieë en taktiek het om kliënte te werf, en of hulle per toeval daarin slaag om besigheid te kry. Die doel van hierdie studie is om bestaande bemarkingstrategieë en-taktiek wat deur bestuurskonsultasie firmas gebruik word, te evalueer. Die doelwit is om die aard van die gestruktureerde raamwerk vir 'n effektiewe gestandardiseerde bemarkingsplan te bepaal. Die probleem stelling is as volg: "Hoe kan bemarkings taktiek en strategieë vir bestuurskonsultasie firmas gebruik word as 'n effektiewe bemarkingsmiddel ten einde besigheid vir die konsultasie firma te lok?" 'n Groot probleem is dat minimale navorsing en literatuur aangaande die onderwerp opgestel is. Dit gaan dus 'n studie wees van opinies, standpunte, asook boeke in die algemeen oor die onderwerp bemarking. Die daaglikse media gaan ook nagevors word om die moontlikheid van bemarkingstartegiëe en taktiek te bepaal. Aangesien die veld van bemarkingtaktiek en -strategiëe vir bestuurskonsultasie firmas redelik nuut is, gaan die eksploratiewe navorsings metode gebruik word. Hoofstuk 1 behandel die doel, doelwit, probleemstelling en navorsingsmetodologie. Hoofstuk 2 dek 'n literatuurstudie aangaande die aard en omvang van bestuurs konsultasie, asook 'n oorsig van die bestuurs konsultasie proses. Hoofstuk 3 identifiseer en evalueer die bestaande bemarkingstrategiëe en taktiek van bestuurs konsultasie firmas. Hoofstuk 4 ondersoek differensiasie gebaseer op diens en bevoegdhede sowel as industrie spesialisasie. Die vraag wat beantwoord moet word is of bestuurs konsultasie firmas slegs in een veld moet spesialiseer en of hulle 'n meerdoellige fokus moet hê. Hoofstuk 5 spreek prys aan. Die verskillende benaderings tot prys en koste word bespreek. Die studie word afgesluit in hoofstuk 6 met 'n samevatting en aanbevelings.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This assignment attempts to create a framework on the model of the business plan which consultants can use when consulting small and micro enterprises. Business consultation has been put in perspective and the most important characteristics of it have been highlighted. The most important skills that a consultant need have been mentioned and the importance of interpersonal relationships in the consultant client relationship has been pointed out. The consultation process has been investigated and after that the different phases in the consultation process has been highlighted. The conclusion has been reached that the arising of conflict between the consultant and the owner/manager when consulting small and micro enterprises, is one of the biggest dangers. A detailed framework in the form of a business plan has been suggested which can be used to help small and micro enterprises to identify problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die werkstuk poog om aan die hand van die sakeplan 'n raamwerk daar te stel wat konsultante kan gebruik wanneer konsultasie by klein- en mikro-ondernemings gedoen word. Bestuurskonsultasie is in perspektief gestel en belangrike kenmerke daarvan is uitgelig. Die belangrikste vaardighede waaroor 'n konsultant moet beskik is aangehaal en die belangrikheid van interpersoonlike verhoudings in die konsultant en kliëntverhouding is uitgewys. Die konsultasieproses is ondersoek en daarna is die verskillende fases in die konsultasieproses toegelig. Die gevolgtrekking word gemaak dat die ontstaan van konflik tussen die konsultant en die eienaar/bestuurder tydens konsultasie by klein- en mikro-ondernemings, een van die grootste gevare is. 'n Omvattende raamwerk in die vorm van 'n sakeplan is voorgestel wat die konsultant kan gebruik om die klein- en mikro-onderneming te help om probleme te identifiseer.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Bibliography: leaves 206-207. / by Dean Leonard Wilde II and Frank Charles Graves. / M.S.

This study proposed a model to specify the influence of negative expectations of the manager in regard to working with a consultant, the level of cynicism of the manager, the client-consultant relationship and the level of management change skills on a manager's client satisfaction.

Knowledge Management has evolved over time into the domain of Information Technology (IT), where codification, storage and retrieval of explicit knowledge is believed to lead to a competitive advantage for an organisation. More recently, knowledge management literature has suggested that knowledge is socially constructed and inseparable from the communities of practice in which it is held. This dissertation examines the interpersonal process by which payload knowledge (a concept that emerged from the research data as comprising that specific distillation of knowledge, both tacit and explicit, required to resolve an applied problem in context) is exchanged in a consulting firm�s communities of practice. Through a qualitative case study design involving sixteen in-depth interviews with consultants from a medium sized consulting firm, the nature of the interpersonal knowledge exchange process was illuminated. In this study, two inter-related research questions were addressed: What is the interpersonal process by which knowledge is exchanged between consultants? And, Why do consultants prefer to participate in the interpersonal knowledge exchange process in preference to using stored explicit knowledge ? This detailed examination of consultants as knowledge workers, resulted in the proposal of a process based model of interpersonal knowledge exchange. Utilising the concept of payload knowledge, the interpersonal knowledge exchange process is shown to be predicable in terms of passing through eight identifiable stages, yet unpredictable in terms of knowing how each community interaction will lead to payload knowledge. Within this process, the sourcing, handover, distillation and implementation of payload knowledge are seen as an artistic endeavour, characterised by social community based exchanges that �hop� the consultants toward their specific contextual need. Key advantages of this interpersonal process are the decontextualisation and recontextualisation processes carried out at both the request negotiation stage and the knowledge handover stage. This process uses the community�s shared language, mental models, social etiquette and cultural norms to compress and funnel the meaning of the payload knowledge into a form that can be transferred meaningfully to a requesting consultant. Through participating in the interpersonal knowledge exchange process, consultants save time, and are provided with an opportunity to confirm their personal knowledge as up-to-date and relevant to the specific context. By using the interpersonal process, consultants conform with and confirm the community�s social etiquette, which dictates its preference for the identified exchange mechanism. The interpersonal process allows them to practice and learn the consulting community�s professional artistry and, in consequence, to enjoy the exchange experience, and to have fun. This dissertation contributes to making one aspect of the interpersonal knowledge exchange process explicit. The process, by its very nature however, appears to remain tacitly understood by those within the consulting community of practice. Through understanding the process and the reasons that consultants prefer to engage in interpersonal knowledge exchange processes, it is anticipated that managers will be better able to produce a knowledge-based sustainable competitive advantage for their firms.

Originally presented as the author's Thesis (doctoral--Halle/Wittenberg) under the title: Interaktionstheoretische Organisationssoziologie und soziologische Organisationsberatung : das Professionalisierungsdefizit der Organisationsberatung und die Professionalisierungschancen der Soziologie, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [417]-441).

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract and vita. Includes final project proposal. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-135, 69-77).

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. "April, 2005." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-135).

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis uses narrative analysis to explore the ways by which consultants seek to improve their perceived trustworthiness in initial client-consultant interactions. It is argued that consultants rely on identity-based trust perceptions by the clients and that this basis for trust can be favourably presented, within certain constraints, through narrative positioning. This narrative positioning, in the service of identity construction, is called identity positioning in the thesis. The thesis is situated in the literature on management consulting aimed at micro-level high-contact client-consultant interactions. These kinds of interactions trade on trust and identity. The various bases for trust are described, namely identity, structural, and dispositional based trust. Amongst these three bases, identity trust is highlighted as the most dominant in the context of clientconsultant interactions, especially in initial interactions where the consultant is unknown to the participants. It is to be expected in initial interactions that there will be a lot of scope for identity construction. A framework is then developed to relate identity construction and trust, which can be used as the basis for narrative positioning analysis. The framework consists of two dimensions along which identities can be positioned: social obligations and relational positioning latitude. It is argued that dispositional trust relates to relational positioning latitude, whereas structural bases of trust relates to social obligations. Identity based trust therefore indicates where the consultant fits within the structural or dispositional bases of trust. It is then shown how context moderates which of the trust bases will be dominant, and how this might manifest in the narrative of the consultant. It provides three general contexts, each leading to the emergence of a particular dominant basis for trustworthiness perceptions by the clients. The particular case analysed in this thesis correlates to a specific contexts within the framework. This context is where the consultant is unknown. The last part of the thesis illustrates the use of the framework and context as it guides the analysis of a particular consultant’s personal narrative during an initial interaction with clients. The analysis is then repeated for the consultant's software product narrative. The structures of the two narratives are then compared to show how the consultant also attempted to extend the identity-based trust to his software product. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis maak gebruik van narratiewe analise om die maniere te verken waarop konsultante die persepsies van hul betroubaarheid probeer verbeter in die aanvang fase van kliënt-konsultant interaksies. Daar word aangevoer dat konsultante staatmaak op identiteit-gebaseerde vertroue persepsies deur die kliënte en dat dié basis van vertroue gunstig aangebied kan word, binne sekere beperkings, deur middel van narratiewe posisionering. Hierdie narratiewe plasing, wat in die diens van die konstruksie van identiteit is, word identiteit posisionering genoem in die tesis. Die tesis is geleë in die literatuur oor bestuurs konsultering met die oogmerk op mikrovlak hoëkontak kliënt-konsultant interaksies. Hierdie soort interaksies handel in vertroue en identiteit. Die verskillende basisse vir vertroue word beskryf, naamlik identiteit, strukturele, en disposisionele gebaseerde vertroue. Onder hierdie drie basisse, word identiteit gebaseerde vertroue as die mees dominante in die konteks van die kliënt-konsultant interaksies uitgelig, veral in die eerste interaksies waar die konsultant onbekend is aan die deelnemers. Dit is verwag, in die aanvangs fase van sulke interaksies, dat daar baie ruimte vir die konstruksie van identiteit is. 'n Raamwerk word dan ontwikkel om die konstruksie van identiteit en vertroue in verband te bring, wat dan kan gebruik word as die basis vir die analise van narratiewe posisionering. Die raamwerk bestaan uit twee dimensies waarlangs identiteite kan geplaas word: sosiale verpligtinge en relasionele posisionering omvang. Daar word aangevoer dat disposisionele vertroue betrekking het tot relasionele posisionering omvang, terwyl die strukturele basis van vertroue verband hou met sosiale verpligtinge. Identiteit gebaseerde vertroue dui dus waar die konsultant pas binne die strukturele of disposisionele basisse van die trust. Daar word dan getoon hoe konteks modereer welke van die vertroue basisse oorheersend sal wees, en hoe hierdie kan manifesteer in die narratief van die konsultant. Dit bied drie algemene kontekste, wat elk lei tot die opkoms van 'n bepaalde dominante basis vir betroubaarheid persepsies deur die kliënte. Die besondere geval geanaliseer in die tesis korreleer met 'n spesifieke kontekste binne die raamwerk. Hierdie konteks is waar die konsultant onbekend is aan die kliënte. Die laaste deel van die tesis illustreer die gebruik van die raamwerk en konteks waar dit die ontleding van 'n spesifieke konsultant se persoonlike narratief tydens 'n aanvanklike interaksie met kliënte lei. Die analise word dan vir die konsultant se sagteware produk narratief herhaal. Die strukture van die twee verhale word dan vergelyk om te wys hoe die konsultant ook probeer het om die identiteit-gebaseerde vertroue uit te brei na sy sagteware produk.