• Know why clients employ consultants, and what they expect consultants to do.
• Have broad ability to identify those concepts, theories, models and frameworks relevant to a specific assignment, then to apply those tools to generate a solution for their client.
• Analyze the interactions among management goals and the varied financial, cultural, political, and institutional regimes in which companies are embedded and operate.
• Develop, propose, and convince clients to adopt your proposals to resolve their issues and problems.

The world is changing, business is changing. This era of un-paralleled change has increased the interest in, and importance of, “a second opinion.” Business students should understand the nature of consulting, to make informed career decisions, or to become savvy consumers of consultancy services. This course aims to help both groups: those who may become consultants, and those who may use consultancy services.
 
Consulting is often seen as a glamorous career. Few understand what is required for a successful consulting engagement. This course will help students develop (1) an understanding of the role of the consultant or advisor in assisting stakeholders to make informed decisions; (2) the ability to identify relevant contextual issues, such as national, industry, and organizational culture; (3) the ability to analyze stakeholder expectations, competencies, and limitations; and (4) an appreciation of the need to assess governance issues, especially those related to sustainable management toward the Triple Bottom Line. Then, having walked in the shoes of “the consultant,” you will be better prepared to engage consultants, as well as to evaluate and implement their suggestions.
 
Participants will develop skills not only in the analysis of complex problems in contexts well beyond their personal knowledge, but also an ability to understand the points of view of the many stakeholders in a client organization, to work with others to pool their collective knowledge to develop a solution to the issues identified by the client, then to sell the solutions that they have developed.
There will be a Preliminary Assignment and a Mid-term Assignment in this course. For the Preliminary Assignment students are required to read a short case and a paper relevant to the main issue in the case, then to write and submit a brief recommendation to resolve this issue by using ideas found in the paper. These submissions will be discussed in Class 3.
 
During the introductory session, participants will also (1) receive briefing on course content, structure, and marking criteria, (2) participate in a case-based ice-breaking exercise, (3) commit to the course and form teams, and (4) receive a case assignment that is due in the next class.
 
Following this introduction, classes will be organized in pairs. During the first of these, selected teams will present their approach to fulfil the terms of reference for the assigned case, and the instructor will lead a case discussion, then provide tools and techniques that participants may use to develop advice to their “client”. For the second class in this pair, the instructor will refine the terms of reference, and a different set of teams will present their proposed solutions to the client. One team will be selected by non-presenting participants and the instructor to “win the job,” and the winning presentation will be deconstructed by participants, forming their lessons learned. All terms of reference and cases are to be posted to LEARN. This pattern repeats for five cycles
 
The Mandatory Mid-term Assignment will be a mini-case competition, with team presentations of a case judged by visitors including professionals who may have a voice in employing students.

Class Schedule
 
 

Required Textbook: Management Consulting: Delivering an Effective Project, 4/e , Wickham & Wilcock (WW below). Pearson Paperback; 352 p., 2012.

ISBN-10: 0273768743 | ISBN-13: 9780273768746

Required Readings (approximately 200 pages in total):
Ullman, D; Analysis of Alternatives – Robust Decisions, www.robustdecisions.com/​AOA.pdf (2009)
Facebook: http:/​/​www.youtube.com/​watch?v=Pj7E6Rs3Sbc
Kawasaki, Guy; Art of the Executive Summary, http:/​/​blog.guykawasaki.com/​2006/​04/​the_art_of_the_.html
TED1: http:/​/​www.youtube.com/​watch?v=iP9QF_lBOyA
Slaper, T and T. Hall, "The Triple Bottom Line: What Is It and How Does It Work?" Indiana Business Review, http:/​/​www.ibrc.indiana.edu/​ibr/​2011/​spring/​article2.html
State of Texas, Energy Calculators & Software, http:/​/​www.infinitepower.org/​calculators.htm (2012)
Hoffman, Donna L. and Marek Fodor. “Can You Measure the ROI of Your Social Media Marketing?” MIT Sloan Management Review, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 14 Sept. 2010.
TED2:  http:/​/​www.youtube.com/​watch?v=ogXT_CI7KRU
Miller, Evonne and Buys, Laurie and Summerville, Jennifer A. “Quantifying the social dimension of triple bottom line: Development of a framework and indicators to assess the social impact of organizations” (2007). International Journal of Business Governanceand Ethics 3(3):223 -237.
Fried, J. (1997), Changing Ethical Frameworks for a Multicultural World. New Directions for Student Services, 1997: 5–22. doi: 10.1002/​ss.7701
Bain & Co, Case Interview Preparation, http:/​/​www.joinbain.com/​apply-to-bain/​interview-preparation/​