No / Our need for certainty in an uncertain world is not new, but the narratives we choose have to resonate with the times we imagine. In the 21st century, management discourses focus on rapid technological and societal changes to highlight a radically open future that is fundamentally different from the past. Where once oracles used the exploits of Zeus, Apollo and Dionysus to dispense wisdom and provide direction in our collective struggle for survival, we now look elsewhere. With the rise of scientific management in the early 20th century, it has been to Management Consultants that the corporate world and public institutions have looked towards to provide the certainty they require. Not surprisingly with its rise, commentators and critics have sought to understand the nature of the industry and why it has become such a significant part of the business environment. Paradoxically, despite over twenty five years of writing, and many authoritative voices the nature of the industry remains rather vague (Harvey et al. 2016). To shed light on why this might be, this paper draws on Greek mythology, focussing on the god Hermes; the fleet footed traveller who like an ancient consultant was despatched from the heavens to bring messages and wisdom to mortals on Earth.

Management consultancy has received increasing academic interest due to its growing importance in the global economy. However, current research has been predominantly focused on consulting companies in Anglo-American and European countries. This thesis aims to provide a focused study of the practice of global management consultancies operating outside of the western context. China is commonly regarded as having distinctive market and industrial conditions that distinguish it from western developed countries. Based on empirical evidence from interviews and participant observation, this thesis examines the activities of global consulting companies at market, firm and client project levels in China, with a focus on the deployment of their global knowledge resources. The central question explored in the thesis is whether and to what extent the Chinese context has limited the diffusion of global management consultancies and the applicability of their western management knowledge. This thesis finds that in China global management consultancies have emphasized their international image and extensively replicated global models of management. While importing global knowledge assets has had mostly positive effects at market and firm level of practice, it has caused a mix of benefits and challenges during the actual consultation process due to insufficient and inappropriate adaptation.

No / The field of Management Consulting research has grown rapidly in recent years. Fuelled by the drivers of complexity and uncertainty, a growing number of organizations - both profit and third sector alike - are looking at Management Consulting to assist in their aims for development and change. Consultants and change agents have become a common feature in organizational change initiatives, with individual consultants and consulting firms now involved in both providing advice and in implementing ideas and solutions. Management Consulting needs to demonstrate value through the application of academic thinking to real life challenges faced by organisations. The book seeks to address these issues by offering applied theoretical insights from academics that both teach Managing Consultancy and are also practicing management consultants. Written by recognized experts in their field, the contributors combine original insights with authoritative analysis. Uniquely, this book identifies emerging themes with critical discourse and provides rich empirical case study evidence to show the reader how Management Consulting projects are implemented. The second part of the book features real-world consultancy projects, written up as cases conducted for organizations. The organizations themselves range from SMEs to multi-national organizations and the public sector. The case studies are international by context and composition, covering several continents.

No / The chapter explores the current landscape in the public sector, considering complications and constraints inherent in delivering service and performance improvement. Cost challenges are key factors for all departments, as are wider societal changes, and have led to changes to delivery models. UK government cuts have already been the biggest in the G7 group of major developed economies, and more are planned. Departmental structure, culture and behaviour as well as the scale of service delivery, present operational challenges not just internally but also to the consultants engaged to help. Consideration is also given to commercial constraints which govern the contracting process and how that in turn affects consultant:client interaction and outcomes. Taking into account the salient features which must be overcome, the chapter concludes by suggesting how the constraints and complications can be minimised or mitigated by adopting alternative approaches more attuned to operating within a public service environment.

Multinational companies in the global economy of today are competing based on strategic knowledge. The ability to send and receive knowledge within different subsidiaries has therefore become imperative for the international firm. There are several known barriers and facilitators to transferring knowledge across different borders. Social interaction is one variable that by some have been shown to positively impact the knowledge sharing within multinational companies. The challenges social interaction bridges are especially related to tacit knowledge, which is foremost shared through face-to-face interaction in social communities. In this study, we investigated this impact in a management consultancy operating in the knowledge intensive service sector. We further investigate the implications of communities in the shape of country clusters and its effects on social interaction and knowledge transfer within the firm. Our findings show that social interaction is only positively relevant in terms of sending knowledge, and not on receiving knowledge. Moreover, our study did not find any significant impact of social interaction on knowledge transfer within the country clusters.

No / The chapter interrogates the teaching and application of management consultancy as part of an MBA and examines its relevance in management education. Mature and experienced students, many with impressive CVs recording multiple career successes, demand that the core experience of their MBA programmes provide opportunities apply theoretical knowledge in real-life situations. The further opportunity to work with blue-chip clients on projects of strategic importance to the client offers further opportunities to test management thinking and consultancy practise in a robust and challenging manner. Students often have experience of working with consultants previously, but most have little experience of managing and delivering projects for clients within a consultancy framework. The pedagogical challenge is to teach students the true value proposition in consultancy beyond the transactional relationship inherent in answering a question set by the client. The basic process approach moves students from considering consultancy as a phenomenon that ‘happens’ to a client with a solution magically appearing upon project conclusion, to a position where students recognise consultants as a true ‘change agent’, unfreezing clients from previous positions and realising new capabilities (Lewin, 1951). There is an examination of ensuring the relevance of the management consultancy approach to students as part of their MBA journey as well as relevance to the client companies in engaging with the University. There is discussion on how teaching the right approach to management consultancy project management and research-orientated methodology retains the focus on the performance of the client organisation (Applebaum and Steed, 2005). There is consideration of how true impact on client companies is achieved by ensuring legacy forms part of expectation management (Kirk, 2000) with client companies keen to reengage with future MBA student teams. The chapter concludes with a reflection on future development of consultancy within management education, including syllabus co-design with consultancy clients.

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.

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: (i) external environment; (ii) firm's organisation and the professional-client relationships; (iii) 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.

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.