The theoretical part describes the field of personnel policy, focusing on the issue of finding employees. The Master´s thesis is focused on the work headhunting companies in comparison with the work of employment agencies. The aim of my work is verify possibility to determine the situations in which it is more efficient to use the method of direct systematic search and when the classical method of recruitment. In my work I analyze not only the management of human resources but also the functioning of the personnel departments of companies with reference to personal marketing. The Master´s thesis is also supplemented with practical knowledge and the final section describe the outcome of the survey

The master thesis outlines information about marketing practices for small businesses providing computer consultancy services in Canada. The theoretical section defines basic marketing terms related to the topic and sets the basis for the practical applications. The practical section contains situational analysis and a marketing strategy proposal including mission statement, target groups and formulation of marketing goals.

This Master's work is focused on financial consultancy. The work is split into two parts, theory and practice. In the theoretical part the concepts of financial market, entity on the financial market, financial consultancy, mediation activity, insurance, code of ethics and the ten consumer points are defined. The practical part of the thesis is based on research conducted using a questionnaire survey. In the practical part research questions and hypotheses are first formulated. The paper further describes the research methodology and research results evaluated on the basis of respondents' answers. The aim of the research is to confirm or refute the hypotheses. The conclusion summarizes the results of the research.

Research Questions: How do consulting companies work to strengthen the brand's structure?What impact does brand equity and its components have on consulting firms? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to contribute with new knowledge as well as increase the understanding of brand equity and how its components contribute to strengthening the consultancy's brand. The study also aims to explore how companies create competitive advantages in a constantly evolving market.                                                                                                                              Method: Qualitative method with four semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The result of this study show that the consulting companies are activelyworking with three aspects within the company in order to strengthen the brand and its structure. All aspects are about the company being innovative, working on and completing internal factors that develop the corporate culture and its values for them to be reflected externally as well as how the companies meet the customers’ needs in terms of results and performance. The result also show that the researched consulting companies work around strengthening the brand structure by taking into account of aspects that also are found in Keller’s Customer Based Brand Equity Model (CBBE Model). / Frågeställning: Hur arbetar konsultföretag med att stärka varumärkets uppbyggnad?Vilken inverkan har brand equity och dess komponenter på konsultföretag? Syfte: Syftet med denna undersökning är att med ny kunskap bidra samt öka förståelsen om brand equity och hur dess komponenter bidrar till att stärka konsultföretagens varumärke. Studien ämnar även till att undersöka hur företagen kan skapa konkurrensfördelar i en ständigt utvecklande marknad. Metod: Studien är av kvalitativ metod där fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer utförts i syfte att besvara forskningsfrågan, som vidare analyserades genom tematisk metod. Slutsats: Resultaten av denna studie visar att konsultföretagen aktivt arbetar kring tre aspekter i syfte till att stärka varumärket och dess uppbyggnad. Samtliga handlar om att företaget ska vara innovativt, att bearbeta och komplettera interna faktorer som utvecklar företagskulturen och dess värderingar för dessa att speglas externt och om hur företagen uppfyller kundernas behov i form av resultat och prestationer. Resultaten visar även på att de undersökta konsultföretagen arbetar kring att stärka varumärkesuppbyggnaden genom att de tar hänsyn till aspekter som också återfinns i Keller´s Customer Based Brand Equity Model.

Time is in control of our everyday life and work life. Time is a valuable resource of which everyone possesses the same amount. In work life, time is important; it rules the workday and the tasks that are being performed. Time is even more significant within the consultancy industry, where worked time and competence is what is being delivered to the customers. Since time is of great importance for consulting firms, time management systems and time reporting become a crucial part of a consultant’s day. IT consulting firms spend lots of time and money on business systems, despite this the area of how time management and performance management are connected is relatively unexplored. This report aims to contribute to an enhanced understanding regarding why consultancy firms work with time management, and how data from time management systems could be used. The study will also investigate how the employees could be motivated to use the time management system in the extent that the managers wish, as well as important requirements on data from the time management system. These questions can together give answer to how time management can be aligned with performance management within an IT consultancy firm. The report is based on 14 interviews performed at five different IT consulting firms in the Stockholm area, a participant observation conducted at one of the participating companies, as well as a literature review. The study was performed during the spring of 2013. The study found that the main reason for IT consultant firms to report time is to gain decision support for invoices and salary payments. Being able to see overtime and flextime is something that is appreciated by the employees. Other identified areas of usage are forecasts and estimates, evaluations and follow-ups, utilization rate calculations, and employee care. Regular follow-ups, preferable weekly, are necessary for motivating the employees to work with time management. It is also important that the time management system is easy to use in order for it to generate relevant decision support. The study shows that to implement a successful time management strategy, the following aspects should be considered: (i) to not measure too much, (ii) to have clear communication and weekly deadlines, (iii) to make it simple, (iv) to create awareness among the employees, and (v) to have a time management system that mutually benefits the managers and the employees.

Idag förväntas IT-konsulter kunna utföra en större variation av arbetsuppgifter och besitta kunskap inom fler tekniska områden än någonsin tidigare. Då komplexiteten inom IT industrin tydligt trappats upp, en komplexitet som konsulterna förväntas kunna hantera bra, har det blivit allt viktigare för varje konsult att arbeta effektivt och därmed bidra till IT-konsultföretagens totala effektivitet. Denna studie undersöker därför hur den interna effektiviteten inom IT-konsultföretag skulle kunna ökas och hur företagens ledare bör agera för att öka effektiviteten kortsiktigt som långsiktigt. Vår studie bygger på en fallstudie baserad på 17 intervjuer och två workshops genomförda på ett svenskt IT-konsultföretag lokaliserat i Stockholm, samt på tre externa intervjuer och en kontinuerlig och iterativ litteraturstudie. Den interna effektiviteten inom IT-konsultföretag skulle kunna ökas genom förbättring av de individuella aktiviteterna anslutna till deras organisationsrutiner. De individuella aktiviteterna som indikerar störst potential för ökad intern effektivitet är de lågt prioriterade aktiviteterna; individuella aktiviteter som konsulterna tenderar att prioritera lägre, vilket ofta resulterar i att aktiviteterna förskjuts. Dessa aktiviteter är genomförda mer ineffektivt än andra individuella aktiviteter är på grund av fyra gemensamma rotorsaker: (1) bristande strukturkapital, (2) bristfälligt stöd av organisationskulturen, (3) otillräckliga kommunikationspolicys, and (4) brist på incitament. Denna studie tillhandhåller därtill konkreta åtgärder för hur detta kan hanteras kortsiktigt som långsiktigt av gruppledarna respektive ledningsgruppen i IT-konsultföretag. / Today’s IT consultants are expected to carry out an increasing variety of tasks and possess knowledge within more technology areas than previously. As the complexity within the IT industry evidently is stepping up and the consultants are expected to manage this complexity well, it becomes more crucial than ever for each consultant to work efficiently and contribute to the IT consultancy firms’ overall efficiency. This research therefore investigates how the internal efficiency within IT consultancy firms could be increased as how the firms’ leaders should act in order to enhance the efficiency in the short and long run. Our research is based on a case study of 17 interviews and two workshops performed at a Swedish IT consultancy firm located in Stockholm, as well as three external interviews and a coherent and iterative literature review. The internal efficiency within IT consultancy firms could be increased by improving their individual activities attached to their organisational routines. The individual activities indicating the greatest potential to increase the internal efficiency are the low-prioritised activities - individual activities that consultants tend to prioritise lower, which often results in postponement of the activities. Why these activities are performed more inefficiently than other individual activities are due to four common root causes: (1) insufficient structural capital, (2) insufficient cultural support, (3) poor communication policies, and (4) lack of incentives. Concrete actions for how this could be operated in the short as well as the long run, are provided by this research. Its managerial implications are therefore directed towards the team managers as well as top management within IT consultancy firms.

Professionals take centre stage in the delivery of professional services and the role of account management has received little research attention. This thesis concerns the value of account management in professional service relationships in the audit, tax and management consultancy industry, contextualising the nature and value of account management through client and professional perspectives. It addresses the challenges of embedding the account management role in the firm as a role of the professional or a separate function. The aim of this thesis is to conceptualise a value framework for account management. Based on the principles of grounded theory, the method comprises 29 interviews with professionals, account managers and clients. Embracing an emergent, iterative process, the lenses used to reflect on these interviews include service dominant logic, relationships, the nature of professions and professionals along with client value and notions of organisational change. The emergent perceived value framework comprises five themes. Apart from the theme ¿perceived value of account management¿, the other themes can be conceptualised at three levels: ¿ external environment; ¿ firm¿s organisation and the professional-client relationships; ¿ and account management. Furthermore, the results indicate that professional service firms have difficulty in structuring and formalising account management implying a considerable organisational culture change management agenda. The role for account management varies between an integrated account management role performed by the professional in strategic services and by full-time dedicated account managers in more commoditised services and competitive environments. Well-embedded account management provides competitive advantage and differentiates the professional service firm.

The purpose of this DBA is to develop a Customisation Blueprint so that consultancies can provide a more tailored, responsive service to clients. This study seeks to find out what matters to clients when purchasing consultancy, how clients substantiate this and how it affects their decision-making. This study also seeks to establish if the factors influencing buyer’s evaluation of the consultant can be favourably influenced by the consultants. By fulfilling client requirements more precisely and effectively, consultants are able to better serve their clients. In this way they are also able to enhance both ongoing relationship and reputation. The history of consultancy is examined to establish the unfurling and growth of the industry and to understand the forces which have shaped its evolution. Relational and Operations literature is examined to establish what previous research is able to contribute to this quest for understanding what consultants need to do to better serve their clients. Financial Services and Utilities are the two largest private-sector buyers of consultancy. Managers involved in the purchase of consulting services from a selection of these companies were interviewed to capture how consultants are engaged and what selection criteria are the most important. A combination of guidance from the literature and an understanding of what matters to clients is used to develop a systematic approach for consultants to more clearly identify and articulate client needs and thereby serve them better. The outcome is the development of a Customisation Blueprint, a framework to personalise responsiveness and thus enhance customer satisfaction.

This study investigates the reasons behind the departure of female partners from the Big Fouraccounting firms' consulting services and explores how these women overcame obstacles toreach partner level. By examining the factors influencing their career progression and theirdecisions to leave, we sought to contribute to a deeper understanding of gender dynamicswithin the Big Four accounting firms’ consulting services. Using a qualitative approach, the study used in-depth semi-structured interviews with formerfemale partners from the Big Four firms in Western Europe. The research used an inductivemethodology, allowing participants' narratives to shape the exploration of factors influencingtheir career decisions and experiences within these organizations. The findings reveal thatfemale partners often leave due to a sense of being trapped within rigid organizationalstructures, which limit their roles and growth opportunities. Despite high salaries, womenprioritize career autonomy and meaningful challenges, which are scarce at partner levels.Effective mentorship and supportive leadership were crucial for overcoming career obstacles.However, the absence of such support often led to dissatisfaction and departure. The studyhighlights the importance of structural reforms to create more flexible career paths and the needfor dedicated mentorship programs to support women's career advancement. We suggest themetaphor of a "Closed-Loop" to illustrate the systemic barriers and hierarchical culture thatconstrain women at partner level. Addressing these issues requires a comprehensive approachto promote gender equity within the Big Four accounting firms’ consulting services.

This research explores which entrepreneurial competencies are important for independent consultants to succeed in their projects. The topic is important because independent consultants' businesses are facing a high failure rate. Understanding which entrepreneurial competencies contribute to independent consultants' projects success can therefore increase their clients' satisfaction and impact the sustainability of their businesses. Although entrepreneurial competencies have been linked to the survival and success of new businesses, current research has not sufficiently examined which entrepreneurial competencies influence independent consultants’ project success. To our knowledge, there is a scarcity of qualitative research in this area. This gap limits our understanding of which entrepreneurial competencies are required for independent consultants to achieve success in their projects. Further exploration, particularly through qualitative methods, is needed to bridge this gap and provide deeper insights to the topic. To fulfill this, we formulated thefollowing research question: Which entrepreneurial competencies do independent consultants need to execute their projects successfully? We believe the more nuanced knowledge about this topic can help enhance project success and long-term business sustainability for independent consultants. In this research we hold a subjectivist and interpretivist perspective, and utilize an inductive and exploratory approach to explore the subject. The European Commissions’ framework “Entrepreneurship Competence Framework” (EntreComp) is used as a base to help us frame the interview guide and analysis. EntreComp helps us identify and understand entrepreneurial competencies. Taking the initiative, working with others, learning through experience, self-awareness & self-efficacy, mobilizing others, and creativity were found to be the key entrepreneurial competencies for independent consultants to succeed in their projects. Our findings also highlight the interconnectedness of these, along with other entrepreneurial competencies. This emphasized the importance for independent consultants to consider the entrepreneurial competencies interrelated relationships to achieve success in their project. Our research found that the entrepreneurial competencies vision and valuing ideas could be interpreted as having little to no importance for independent consultants and their project success. We also identified communication as an additional entrepreneurial competency of importance, previously not mentioned, and suggest its possible inclusion. Our research contributes to the field as it provides practical guidance for independent consultants in enhancing their project success, and may mitigate the risk of their business failure. The research can also foster discussion among academics, policymakers, and business support organizations about the support mechanisms needed to enhance the survival of new ventures. Lastly, it advocates for the development and integration of entrepreneurship education and training programs aimed at equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with essential entrepreneurial competencies to effectively navigate the competitive business environment.