MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY Course Booklet Semester 2a 2011/2012

MBA Option Course

Contents

Page Number

Course Details .................................................................................................... 3 Course Description and Objectives .................................................................... 3 Learning Outcomes ............................................................................................ 4 Planned Student Learning Experiences ............................................................. 4 Teaching Approach............................................................................................. 5 Assessment ........................................................................................................ 5 Feedback ............................................................................................................ 6 Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work: ............................... 7 Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination ........ 7 Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students........................................................ 8 Plagiarism Statement.......................................................................................... 8 Appeals............................................................................................................... 8 Consultation........................................................................................................ 8 Course Monitoring Surveys ................................................................................ 9 Required Text(s) ................................................................................................. 9 Course Website .................................................................................................. 9 Advised Preparatory Work.................................................................................. 9 Course Lecturer .................................................................................................. 9 Study Programme............................................................................................. 10 Course Outline.................................................................................................. 10 Lecture Outlines and Readings ........................................................................ 11 Exam Papers .................................................................................................... 11 Appendix 1: Further Reading............................................................................ 11

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Course Details
Course Code: Title: College: School: Course Organiser: Contact Hours: Semester: Lectures: Tutorials: BUST11026 Management Consultancy Humanities and Social Science The University of Edinburgh Business School Jeremy Webster 2a

This is a 10-credit course. As per the Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF), this means that it should entail 100 hours of student effort: Contact hours 6 x 3 hour lectures, one 1 -hour 20 seminar and 1 group presentation 5 x 4 hours in advance of lectures Included in lecture time 30 hours research and group discussion 30 hours work on individual essay Total 20

Preparatory reading Tutorial work Assignments

30 30 108 student effort hours

Course Description and Objectives

Introduction Despite the global downturn, Management Consultancy is a strong sector of economic activity, with high value activities and increasing importance and influence in both public and private sectors. It is an aspirational career destination for many MBA students and provides an alternative career focus for students who are seeking to develop a portfolio career. Even those who are not attracted to Management Consultancy are still likely to encounter consultants during their careers, and will need to be able to manage this expensive resource effectively to derive maximum value for money. Consultancy as a process has also evolved into a field of academic study - although serious studies of the industry are less readily available, in what remains a highly secretive industry. Course Objectives The course has two principal objectives: firstly, to familiarise students with the MC industry in general, the various players and trends, and, through the use of case studies, to illustrate the sorts of work a consultant can expect to encounter. The second objective is to allow students to learn some of the key skills and techniques required of an effective consultant, including risk management, client management, influencing and effective communication. The course will also equip the business user with enough knowledge to be able to make optimum use of consulting resources. Subject to availability, the course will also allow time for students to meet with a representative selection of consultants, to discuss the selection of an appropriate firm, the tailoring of CVs, and typical interview approaches. Participants in the course will be entitled (subject to the submission of a short external

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assignment and payment of a fee) to be awarded the Certificate in Management Consulting Essentials awarded by the UK Chartered Management Institute. This is an optional qualification which may be of interest to students, but participation is not mandatory. Details of this qualification will be provided on the course. The course takes place over two consecutive weekends, 20-22 January 2012 and 18 February 2012. Participants will be expected to carry out pre-course reading and a collective assignment will be set for completion between the two weekends. The course involves team working and role play using a fictitious case study, as well as traditional learning methods.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding: understand the structure of the management consulting industry and recent trends affecting it be aware of the professional standards and codes of ethics in the industry understand the different roles played by consultants understand the structure of a typical consultancy assignment Cognitive Skills: be able to discuss and evaluate different types of consultancy be able to build relationships and communicate as a consultant be able to analyse and present information effectively Subject Specific Skills: be able to reach a view on the industry either in general, as a career destination, or as a user

Planned Student Learning Experiences

Introduction - The structure and history of the Management Consulting sector Models of the Client/Consultant Relationship: Spectrum of roles of consultants Intervention Cycles Tools and Techniques The nature of Knowledge Work and the value of Consultancy Intellectual capital in the consultancy process Ethics & professional standards in Consulting Management of consultancy resources, including risk management Dealing with ambiguity Procurement of consultancy Managing client relationships Influencing & organisational politics Handling conflict Reporting & communications Case study illustrations & visiting speakers from the Management Consultancy profession Group work and role plays Consulting as a career destination

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Teaching Approach
This course is mainly composed of small group working on assigned tasks and a fictitious case study, interspersed with short whole-class lectures and discussions. Students are encouraged to work collaboratively and to use their initiative to identify relevant sources of information for short assigned tasks, which will be given throughout the course. Although a recommended text with on-line materials is used in the course, students will be expected to identify and seek out other relevant information. The course provides the opportunity for students to develop a number of cognitive skills relevant to Management Consultancy, through role plays, team working and peer observation. Students will need to familiarise themselves with the recommended texts to maximise the benefit of class discussions and group tasks. Some material will be provided as hand-outs.

Assessment
Form of Assessment: Student assessment will be by two assignments, one collective and one individual, each worth 50%. The collective assignment will be carried out between the two weekend modules. Teams of 56 delegates will be asked to research a particular issue relevant to the case study and to produce a short written report and presentation to be delivered on the second weekend. The briefing for the collective assignment will be delivered during the first weekend. Marks will be awarded equally to all team participants, unless there are over-riding reasons to reward or penalise particular individuals. The individual assignment will be submitted two weeks after the course. It takes the form of an essay on Management Consultancy standards and ethics, with three equally-weighted questions: What is the importance and impact of standards set by professional bodies and trade associations in the Management Consultancy industry? Critically assess the professional standards and behaviour demonstrated by any major Management Consultancy. Management Consultancy is insufficiently regulated. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

N.B We do not give detailed reading for assignments because we consider it more appropriate that you search out materials, including those you have been given or recommended, and use your own approach to tackle a questions. The School will retain a copy of all coursework for Teaching Quality Assessment as part of the on-going quality assessment programme. It is important, therefore, that you make a second copy for your own purposes.

Assessment Criteria: For the collective assessments, the group should demonstrate: - a clear grasp of the issue

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clear recommendations for action high-calibre communication (written, presentation and non-verbal skills) effective teamwork professional attitude and behaviour

Everyone in each group is expected to contribute to the collective assignment.

For the essay, students should: - state the topic - employ a clear structure - use no more than 2500 words - reference appropriately - demonstrate familiarity with the material covered in the course - show clear engagement with the topic

Changes since 2009-10 This module was run for the first time in its current format in 2009-10. A number of improvements were incorporated in the 2010-11 module, based on feedback from students and observations by course lecturers. The 2011-12 module follows the same structure as that used in 2010-11, and includes up-todate references and data on the Consultancy Industry.

Dates of Assessment: The collective assignment will be assessed on Saturday 18th February 2012. Hard copies of the written report and presentation must be submitted by 12 noon on Friday 17th February 2012. The individual assignment must be submitted by 12 noon on Monday 5th March 2012. Individual essays should be word processed, stapled and page numbered without any binding or cover. They should be accompanied by a disk version labelled with your name and course, and by an assignment submission sheet. There are standard penalties of deducted marks for late submission. Late submissions are not accepted and will receive zero. See Course Handbook (under Teaching and Learning: coursework and group assignments) for details. In the event of circumstances preventing coursework being submitted on time students should contact their Programme Director.

Feedback
Assessment feedback will be provided on a feedback form in the appropriate format. Assessment marks and feedback from the group presentations will be made available within two weeks of the delivery of the presentations. Feedback and marks from the individual essays will be made available within one month of the submission date. Feedback Format Informal feedback will be provided immediately after each group presentation Formal feedback and marks from group presentations available Submission deadline for individual essay Formal feedback and marks from individual essay available

18 Feb 2012 2 Mar 2012 5 Mar 2012 5 Apr 2012

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Guidelines for Formatting and Handing in Assessed Work:

All completed assignments should be stapled and clearly labelled with the students examination number for individual assignments and each students matriculation numbers for group assignments. Names should NOT be written on the assignments themselves, so that they can be marked anonymously. Students are asked to attach an assignment submission sheet as a front cover. The students name should be written on this sheet along with the examination number if an individual assignment or each students matriculation number for a group assignment. A template for this can be found at www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz. When the assignments are received the assignment submission sheet will be removed before the assignments are sent to the relevant lecturer(s) for marking. Students must also submit each assignment electronically by TURNITIN which can be located on WebCT. For the group assignment, once the groups have been composed, a group member will be assigned as responsible for this. Please see instructions via the student portal. This is to enable checks to be carried out for plagiarism on a random basis, or if suspicions are raised. The University has a standardised penalty for late submission of coursework. The School will apply a uniform penalty of a reduction of 5 marks for each 24 hours beyond the coursework deadline (Saturday, Sunday and University Public Holiday not included) unless late submission has been requested in advance of the submission date and approved in writing by the course organiser. For example: - an essay with a mark of 65% which is less than 24 hours late will be given a final mark of 60% - an essay with a mark of 65% which is between 24-48 hours late will be given a final mark of 55% - an essay with a mark of 65% which is 48-72 hours late will be given a final mark of 50% and so on... The penalty will not be applied if good reasons can be given, such as documented illness. COURSEWORK DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE AND MUST BE STRICTLY ADHERED TO OTHERWISE THE STANDARDISED PENALTY WILL BE APPLIED WITHOUT EXCEPTION. Extensions to coursework deadlines will normally only be granted in cases of illness or other extenuating circumstances. An extension can only be granted by the course organiser; requests for an extension to the deadline must be agreed with the course organiser prior to the coursework deadline. If this proves impossible, students must attach a letter of explanation to the coursework, signed and dated. If you are given an extension, you must ensure that the Postgraduate Office (Room GF.15, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS) has written proof of this, e.g. in the form of an email from the course organiser.

Failure to Attempt or Complete Assessed Coursework or an Examination

Where a student fails to attempt or fails to complete assessed coursework or an examination, the course organiser will seek to establish from the student whether the failure is legitimate (i.e. supported by appropriate documentary evidence) or not. A failure to attempt assessed coursework or an examination without good reason will result in a zero mark being awarded for that element of assessment. In the case of a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the course organiser may decide to offer an extended submission deadline (without marks deduction for late submission). Where a student is able to produce evidence of legitimate reasons for failure to attempt or complete an examination, and where it has not been possible to offer an extended submission deadline for a legitimate failure to attempt or complete assessed coursework, the course organiser will refer the case to the Special Circumstances Committee.

Groupwork Issues
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Where group work is involved, should there be any problems with the group dynamic, these should be raised by two concurring members of the team with the course organiser before the Reading Week.

Exam Arrangements for Disabled Students

If required, specific reasonable adjustments will be made to enable disabled students to sit examinations, including any written, practice or oral examination, continuously assessed coursework or dissertation which counts towards the final assessment. For more information about the support disabled students can receive and the approval process for making reasonable adjustments visit http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/student-disability-service. Arrangements for degree examinations must be approved in advance by the Registry (650 2214), and the Disability Office (650 6828) for dyslexic students, and reported to the examiners. The Registry requires notification of specific examination arrangements for dyslexic students well in advance of examination weeks and specific deadlines apply (see http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/registry/other-info/dyslexia). For all other disabled students the Registry must see and accept a medical certificate or similar documentation relating to the student or be satisfied that an acceptable certificate will be produced. Such students should discuss their requirements with their Programme Director and/or the Student Disability Service at the earliest opportunity.

Plagiarism Statement
Plagiarism and cheating are offences against the University discipline. The full text of the Universitys regulation on plagiarism and cheating can be found on the Universitys website: http://www.docs.sasg.ed.ac.uk/AcademicServices/Discipline/StudentGuidanceUGPGT.pdf

Appeals
The process for students appealing against the assessment of grades is described in the Code of Practice for Taught Postgraduate Programmes.

Consultation
Students are encouraged to raise any concerns of a subject specific nature with the relevant course organiser. All but the simplest issues take time to resolve, and so please raise the issues as soon as you are aware of them. In the event that your course organiser cannot assist you, please contact your Programme Director.

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Course Monitoring Surveys

As the PGT programmes are constantly being streamlined to remain progressive and contemporary, it is essential that you provide feedback on the courses you undertake so that the academic and administrative staff can be aware of your needs and the needs of your peers; the only way we can do this is if you let us know our strengths and what can be improved to make your learning experience with us as relevant and fulfilling as possible. At the conclusion of every semester you will be asked to complete anonymous online course monitoring surveys. You will be notified when the surveys relevant to your programme become live. The results of these surveys will then be collated and distributed to the course lecturer(s) who will in turn provide feedback on the course. All information provided by students and course lecturer(s) will be taken into consideration by decision makers within the Business School and may alter the way that future courses are administered. We are providing you with an outlet to voice your opinions and it is very important for the current state and the future of the Business School and its students that you do so.

Required Text(s)
Management Consultancy, Joe OMahoney, Oxford University Press 2010 This text includes on-line material which will be used on the course

Course Website
Lecture materials will be made available online via WebCT, which is accessible from the quick links area on MyBiz http://www.business-school.ed.ac.uk/mybiz/home On the course website you will be able to find a copy of this booklet, course handouts, announcements and other facilities. It is important that you regularly check the WebCT system in order to keep up to date with the course. You should be automatically registered for all your courses; if you are not please consult the Programme Secretary (email office+mba@business-school.ed.ac.uk) to ensure that your records are in order. A user guide and full details of how to logon and use the system are available on the website. N.B. It is vitally important that you check your WebCT mailbox regularly OR set it up so that it forwards messages automatically to your regular e-mail account.

Advised Preparatory Work

Students are expected to familiarise themselves with the articles and reports listed below for discussion on the course:

Global Management & Marketing Consultancy, Datamonitor 0199-0424, October 2011 The UK Consulting Industry 2011, Fiona Czerniawska, MCA Kesner I and Fowler S. When Clients and Consultants Clash, HBR, 1997 David Maister: The Consultants role, 2004 (available on www.davidmaister.com )

Course Lecturer

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Jeremy Webster

BSc MBA MSc CMC FIC CEng MIET

Originally a Manufacturing Engineer, Jeremy Webster has worked as a Management Consultant since 1988. His work in change management and personal development has taken him all over the world, working with Public, Private and Third-Sector clients. In 2007 he was Chair of the UK Institute of Consulting and is now a trustee of the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes, the umbrella organisation for professional Management Consultancy in 45 countries. Jeremy currently chairs a BSI project committee that has developed a European Service Standard in Management Consultancy, BS EN 16114, launched in November 2011. He runs a small consultancy business that provides strategic advice to consultancies and training and development for professionals. About one-third of his work is outside the UK and he lectures on Management Consultancy at a number of Business Schools. Tel: 07860 365537 Office: Room ___, Business School, 29 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9JS Email: jeremy.webster@silverpebble.co.uk

Study Programme
The course will be taught over two weekends through a variety of learning methods including case studies and role play, the use of visiting professional consultants, and by independent work. The structure of teaching and learning in this course will require you to complete a significant amount of prereading and work between the two weekends.

Course Outline
Schematic course outline Hours may be varied slightly as we work through the programme. We assume that there will be 4 groups of students working together in groups of 5-6 Day Friday pm 11.45-13.00 13.00-17.00 20 Jan 2012 Saturday am 09.30-12.30 21 Jan 2012 Saturday pm 13.30-16.30 21 Jan 2012 Handling ambiguity; styles of When clients and consultancy intervention; risk consultants clash management in Consultancy (Robertson et al) projects; Soft skills in consultancy. Professional Standards and Course codes of practice; Ethics; chapters 8 & 9 Consultancy lifecycles; The Consulting Process. text, Topic Introduction to MC; the MC market in UK and world; MC core competencies; types of MC; main players in the market. Preparatory reading Datamonitor report; MCA report Course text, chapter 2 Notes Please ensure that you have read the set text, chapter 2, before attending the course.

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Sunday am 09.30-12.30 22 Jan 2012 Sunday pm 13.30-16.30 22 Jan 2012

Consultancy management; key Course text, chapter 4 ratios and priorities; Procurement of consultancy good practice from public & private sector; tendering. Communicating; building The Consultants role credibility; client-consultant (Maister) relationships.

Case study introduction & task allocation. Self-directed homework task in allocated groups interpret case study information, presentation & written summary report

prepare

Friday pm 15.30-16.30 17 Feb 2012

Consultancy as a career Course text, destination; assessing firms; chapters 7 & 10 applications and selection

This interactive discussion includes guest speakers from Management Consultancies

Saturday am 09.30-12.30 18 Feb 2011 Saturday pm 13.30-16.30 18 Feb 2012

Present group assignments (exact timings will be confirmed on Friday 17 Feb)

Feedback will be provided on group presentations directly after each presentation

Organisational politics; role of Course text, chapter 6 consultant as change agent. Course review, briefing individual assignments. for

Lecture Outlines and Readings

As above

Exam Papers
Where applicable all available exam papers can be found on the University of Edinburgh website at: http://www.exampapers.lib.ed.ac.uk/

Appendix 1: Further Reading

Because a lot of the material we use is contemporary publications, some materials will be distributed prior to and during the course, in a course pack, others placed on WebCT during the course and after. The following will also be helpful reading. Note that this is not a comprehensive

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bibliography of the subject and students will be expected to read outside and beyond this list. Sadler, P [ed], Management Consultancy, (Kogan Page:1998 Edition 2 2001) A collection prepared by the IMC [Institute of Management Consultants] for education/training purposes Clark, T & Fincham, R 2002. Critical Consulting. Blackwell A collection of papers focused on different aspects of consultancy Schuyt, Theo NM and Schuijt, John JM: Rituals and Rules: About Magic in Consultancy (available via course materials) Block, Peter, Flawless Consulting (Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer, 2000) (available via Amazon) Pinault, Lewis, Consulting Demons.(Wiley, 2000) (available via Amazon) Mats Alvesson Knowledge Work and Organisational Forms Journal of Management Studies, 1993. Chris Argyris, Intervention Theory and Method, (Addison-Wesley, 1970). Chris Argyris, Action Science, (Jossey-Bass, 1985). Richard Beckhard, Strategies for Large System Change, Sloan Management Review, 1975. Richard Beckhard and Wendy Pritchard, Changing the Essence, (Jossey-Bass, 1992). Roger Bennett, Choosing and Using Management Consultants, (Kogan Page, 1990). Biswass, S. & Mitchell, D: Management Consulting a complete guide to the industry (Wiley, New York, 2000) Frank Blackler, Formative Contexts and Activity Systems in M Reed and M Hughes (eds) Rethinking Organisation, (Sage, 1992) Burke, A. E. (2000), Legal Structure and Strategic Regulation of Intellectual Property: Who Pays for R&D in Arts Markets? Recherches Economiques de Louvain, vol 66(1), 2000. W French and C Bell, Organisational Development, (Prentice-Hall, 1990). Keith Holdaway and Mike Saunders, The In-House Trainer as Consultant, (Kogan Page, 1992). Labour Research Department, Management Consultants and Management Techniques, (1992). Maister, D., Managing the professional service firm. (Free Press: 1997) A stimulating collection of work by a man who has a long track record of working with partnerships of various kinds. Charles Margerison, Managerial Consulting Skills, (Gower, 1988). McGivern, C [1983] Some facets of the relationship between between consultants and clients in organisations. Journal of Management Studies Vol 20 pp367-386

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Adrian McLean (et al) (eds) Organisational Development in Transition, (Wiley 1982). Danielle B Nees and Larry E Greiner Seeing Behind the Look-Alike Management Consultants, Organisation Dynamic, Winter 1985. Louis R Pondy (et al) (eds) Managing Ambiguity and Change, (Wiley, 1988). Edgar H Schein, Process Consultation Volume 1, (2nd edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1988). Edgar H Schein, Process Consultation Volume 2, (Addison-Wesley, 1987). Wickham., P Management Consulting. Financial Times Publications 1999 Micklethwait, J and Wooldridge, A. 1996. The Witch Doctors. Heinemann , London [Two Economist staff writers] OShea J, & Maddigan, C. Dangerous Company - the consulting powerhouses and the businesses they save and ruin. 1998 . Nicholas Brealey Anonymous Confessions of an ex consultant 1996 Fortune 14.10.1996 Ashford, M. 1998. Con tricks - The shadowy world of management consultancy, Simon and Schuster. London 1998 Pinault, Lewis, Consulting Demons. Harper, New York Alvesson, M Knowledge Work and Organisational Forms Journal of Management Studies, 1993. Chris Argyris, Intervention Theory and Method, (Addison-Wesley, 1970). Chris Argyris, Action Science, (Jossey-Bass, 1985). Richard Beckhard, Strategies for Large System Change, Sloan Management Review, 1975. Richard Beckhard and Wendy Pritchard, Changing the Essence, (Jossey-Bass, 1992). Frank Blackler, Formative Contexts and Activity Systems in M Reed and M Hughes (eds) Rethinking Organisation, (Sage, 1992) Economist Survey [1997] A survey of management consultancy The Economist 22nd March 1997 W French and C Bell, Organisational Development, (Prentice-Hall, 1990). Gill, J & Whittle, S [1993] Management by panacea; accounting for transcience; Journal of Management Studies. Vol 30 pp 281-295 Keith Holdaway and Mike Saunders, The In-House Trainer as Consultant, (Kogan Page, 1992). Kesner, I & Fowler, S [1997] When consultants and clients clash Harvard Business Review. November December 1997. Kubr. M [1996] Management Consultancy: a guide to the profession. ILO, Geneva

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Labour Research Department, Management Consultants and Management Techniques, (1992). Charles Margerison, Managerial Consulting Skills, (Gower, 1988). McGivern, C [1983] Some facets of the relationship between consultants and clients in organisations. Journal of Management Studies Vol 20 pp367-386 Adrian McLean (et al) (eds) Organisational Development in Transition, (Wiley 1982). Danielle B Nees and Larry E Greiner Seeing Behind the Look-Alike Management Consultants, Organisation Dynamic, Winter 1985. Louis R Pondy (et al) (eds) Managing Ambiguity and Change, (Wiley, 1988). Edgar H Schein, Process Consultation Volume 1, (2nd edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1988). Edgar H Schein, Process Consultation Volume 2, (Addison-Wesley, 1987). Sturdy, A.J. [1997] The consultancy process: an insecure business Journal of Management Studies. Volume 34;3

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