Management Consultants Research Articles

The correlation between management consultancy and organizational performance: A case of Lafarge Africa PLC, Calabar, Nigeria

The correlation between management consultancy and organizational performance: A case of Lafarge Africa PLC, Calabar, Nigeria

Development of a Campus Facility Management Operational Framework Using a Modified Delphi Method

An effective facility management process is crucial to overall firm performance and is becoming a core competency for organizations seeking to gain a competitive advantage. The recent literature on facility management reveals that poor facility management is a major cause of management inefficiency, leading directly to budget overruns, maintenance delays, repetition of work, variations, noncompliance incidents, unnecessary risk, and dissatisfied customers. Therefore, facility management firms should pay close attention to the most critical success factors in order to effectively manage and measure performance. This paper presents a multidimensional campus facility management performance framework (CFMPF) that addresses both operational and systematic factors. Facility management companies, owners, contractors, and consultants can use this framework to identify systemic weaknesses using key indicators to specifically assess the effectiveness and success of facility management. The significance of 45 key facility management success factors across seven categories was determined via a literature review, expert interviews, and the Delphi method. The seven process groups are: Campus Facility Work Force Management, Campus Facility Communication Management, Campus Facility Systems Management, Campus Facility Organizational Management, Campus Facility Financial Management, Campus Sustainability & Environment Management, and Campus Facility Assets Management. To verify the overall agreement via the Delphi rounds, the score percentage and standard deviation to mean ratio were examined. Mean value and interrater agreement (IRA) analyses were conducted to evaluate the correlation between the factors and facility performance. This research adds to the body of knowledge by presenting a systematic operational framework for campus facility management that identifies the underlying factors influencing performance and fills the gaps left by previous studies.

A Systematic Study of Application of Cognitive Intelligence in Mphasis – a Case Study

Introduction: The modern definition of intelligence is machines’ capacity to comprehend and adapt to surroundings employing innate skills and acquired knowledge. We have arguably reached a brand-new stage in the development of civilization. In recent years, the advancement of cognitive technology has accelerated rapidly. On many levels, their capabilities—both current and future—are very appealing. Their application in business is intended to save operating expenses while accelerating the rate of business development and improving the quality of services provided. Cognitive systems use logical human processes to interpret data in order to enable computers and robots to precisely mimic human actions, both in terms of repetitive, routine tasks and comprehensive procedures of completing a variety of tasks. Additionally, they carry out diagnostic and predicative tasks. They are used in the most recent technologies because they offer conclusions, shed light on processes, and offer automated actions based on data analysis and contextual human interactions. Since much of the labour done by employees is routine in nature, computers and algorithms may simply take over these activities. Information technology services and integrated solutions are offered by the Mphasis. It covers application services, infrastructure technology, and business process outsourcing. It adopts a customer-in view to transform organisations by utilising the sector-specific X2C2TM framework, which harnesses the power of cloud and cognitive to give hyper-personalized digital experiences to its customers. Background/Purpose: Mphasis is in the industry of: Business Services, Custom Software & IT Services, Management Consulting - leading applied technology services, helping enterprises transform businesses globally by applying next-generation technology. Design/Methodology/Approach: Referred websites and articles related to Mphasis development, services, cognitive applications. Findings: With regard to sales, delivery, and development, Mphasis innovates to produce excellent customer service and successful results. In order to maintain its clients at the top of the heap in a market that is constantly changing, its goal is to be flexible, nimble, and customer-centric. There have been companies with significant AI-related infrastructure in India. IISc has organizations with driving organizations like Robert Bosch, Faurecia; IIIT Bangalore is in association with Mphasis and focus Cognitive Computing; IIT Kharagpur has made AI inquire about focus with Capillary Technologies. Originality: This paper tries to give an overview of how Mphasis focuses on cognitive intelligence applications and anticipates 0the future of applied technology and forecasts tomorrow's trends. Paper Type: A Research Case study paper on the use of cognitive intelligence in Mphasis

‘Made in Germany’ how companies approach Circular Economy on Linked-In

ABSTRACT In this study, circular economy (CE) relevance in Germany will be discussed based on LinkedIn readily available data. LinkedIn company profiles located in Germany with ‘circular economy’ in their description or any other field were selected and used as a data source to analyze their CE relation. Overall, 514 German companies were analyzed in reference to the 15 German regions they belong. Most companies are located in the federal state of Berlin (126), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (96) and Bavaria (77). In terms of the industry sector, they are self-classified to environmental services (64), management consulting (50), renewables & environment (33), research (31), and computer software (18) etc. Regarding their employees with LinkedIn profiles, 22,621 people are affiliated with these companies, ranging from one to 7,877. All examined companies have a total of 819,632 followers on LinkedIn, ranging from none to 88,167. An increase in CE-related companies was recorded in 13 of the 16 federal states of Germany over a one-year period. This work provides essential insights into the increasing relevance and trends of the circular economy in German enterprises and will help conduct further national studies with readily available data from LinkedIn.

Clinical Profile and Pharmacological Management of Snakebites in Community Care Units: A Retrospective Study Using Two Military Hospital Databases in South Thailand.

Snakebite envenoming is an occupational hazard in remote rural areas of South Thailand, where the highest incidence of snakebites is reported. In this work, a hospital-based retrospective study of snakebite patients from 2012 to 2022 at Fort Wachirawut Hospital and Fort Thepsatrisrisunthon Hospital, located in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Thailand was conducted. Data from the laboratory investigation, physical examinations of snakebite victims, and clinical management, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, were evaluated. A total of 54 snakebite victims were included. The median age of patients was 49 years (IQR, 28 to 63). Males accounted for 74.1% of all participants. The majority of patients were bitten by Malayan pit vipers (68.5%), followed by unidentified snakes (18.5%), other non-venomous snakes (7.4%), and cobras (5.6%). The most common clinical manifestations were swelling (90.2%) and local pain (73.2%). One patient experienced respiratory failure following an envenoming by an unidentified venomous snake. No deaths were observed in this study. In total, 24 patients received antivenom administration (44.4%), most of whom were from Fort Wachirawut Hospital. Patients who were administered antivenom showed a median admission duration of three days (IQR, 3 to 4), compared with two days (IQR, one to three) for those who did not receive antivenom treatment (p < 0.001). In addition, paracetamol and prophylactic antibiotics, namely, amoxicillin-clavulanate and dicloxacillin, were the most common pharmacotherapies following snakebites. Overall, it was observed that these two community hospitals undertook appropriate clinical management under the standard guidelines for snakebite patients. This might be due to the effective emergency management, facilities, and clinical consultations. Finally, the management process in the medical teams also plays a crucial role in minimizing the severity of snakebite outcomes.

Rogue auditors: dark motivations of the Big 4 accountants in regional sustainability and the creative economy

ABSTRACT This contribution develops previous work analysing forms of misconduct by knowledge-intensive professional business services (P-KIBS) firms, globally located and client-interactive on all five continents. Here we focus on accountancy partnerships, having previously investigated management consultancies. In the former, the infractions range from condoning systematic cheating at accountancy examinations, to unchecked client accountancy estimates signed-off as satisfactory, to covering up inflated budgetary estimates, to advising clients on fraudulent practice, to advising on tax evasion, to acting complicitly in corrupt government practices, including engaging in ‘state capture’ by channelling internal state revenue into private holding bank accounts. Because the litany of misconduct is too enormous for encompassing in a single contribution and in the spirit of this task, the spotlight is only on a few cases that represent typical ‘creative economy’ companies contracted to ‘Big 4’ accountancy P-KIBS in relation to sustainability and social equity issues. For interpretation of data discovery, we utilize evolutionary ‘pattern recognition’ methodology set within a ‘Thirdspace-assemblage’ theoretical framework. As a test, we sketch the ‘sustainability’ complexities of the Pacific Gas & Electricity (PG&E) and Deloitte/Lloyds Register relationship. Among the ‘creativity’ studies reported are the PWC-Walt Disney, KPMG-Conviviality and their EY-KPMG-Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon scandals.

The RCS England/McKinsey fellowship: lessons from a world-leading management consultancy firm

A look at the RCS England/McKinsey fellowship and how developing leadership and management skills help surgeons in their careers.

Evaluation of a decision aid for early pregnancy loss: A pilot randomized controlled trial in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of a decision aid on decisional conflict scale in patients choosing management for early pregnancy loss. Study designWe conducted a pilot randomized control trial to assess the effect of the Healthwise patient decision aid on decisional conflict scale in patients with early pregnancy loss as compared with a control website. Patients 18years and older were eligible if they had an early pregnancy loss between 5 and 12 completed weeks of gestation. Participants completed surveys at baseline, poststudy intervention, after consultation, and 1week postconsultation. Surveys assessed participant scores on the decisional conflict scale (scale 0–100), knowledge, assessment of shared decision-making, satisfaction, and decision regret. Our primary outcome was the poststudy-intervention decisional conflict scale score. ResultsFrom July 2020 through March 2021 we randomized 60 participants. After the intervention, the median decisional conflict scale score for the control group was 10 [0–30] and 0 [0–20] for the intervention group (p = 0.17). When assessing the decisional conflict scale subscales postintervention, the informed subscale for the control group was 16.7 [0–33.3] as opposed to 0 [0] for the patient decision aid group (p = 0.003). Knowledge remained significantly higher in the experimental arm from the postintervention to the 1-week follow-up. We found no differences between groups when assessing our other metrics. ConclusionsUse of a validated decision aid did not result in statistically significant differences in the total decisional conflict scale scores as compared with the control. Participants allocated to the intervention were more informed postintervention and had consistently higher knowledge scores. ImplicationsUse of a validated decision aid prior to early pregnancy loss management consultation did not affect overall decisional conflict but resulted in improved knowledge.

The future is relational: management development for today and tomorrow

PurposeThe authors of this study aim to test a possible turn toward relational, as opposed to agentic, management development program (MDP) content.Design/methodology/approachThe authors performed a content analysis of the literature and qualitative interviews of management coaches/consultants from South Africa and the USA.FindingsIn both studies, the authors found more relational than agentic content comprising MDP content. Interviews revealed a predominance of relational strategies and that agentic and relational skills are often interwoven in development efforts.Practical implicationsThis work may guide management coaches and consultants to offer clients management development (MD) with a greater focus on relational skills.Originality/valueFuture studies should build on our findings to explore whether leadership may now require more relational as opposed to agentic skills.

21st Century Universities

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive disruption to business as usual across all industries, including education, and there is a growing consensus that the higher education (HE) sector may never go back to ‘business as usual’. While universities are now developing strategies for 2030, several management consultancies are projecting a very challenging HE landscape in the next decade. Suggestions, from the death of the normal university campus to shutdowns, mergers and collaborations are widely predicted including new opportunities for growth. University administrators should develop innovative strategic plans to address the challenges and harness the growth opportunities. Although other industries have faced such disruptions and have coped with responses such as partnerships and mergers, it may be time for universities to reconsider business models for the future. The strategies adopted in the aviation industry have been used to recommend a way forward for universities.

The End of Management Consulting as We Know it?

Abstract The management consulting business model requires new changes in this new era of disruptions. The typical management consulting business mode is based on consultants either training and developing or engaging in actual management consulting. Today, this has been combined due to operational risk management. The reason is that identifying problems and providing solutions to senior managers is not enough today - consultants need to also be able to offer and execute solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has placed consultants in what is known as a dual role. In this article, we examine the challenges of the management consulting business model and provide an alternative way for large consulting companies and those medium to small organizations to re-emerge with sustenance. These challenges were found in our interviews with 81 senior management consultants at McKinsey &amp; Company and Boston Consulting Group, Inc. in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates.

Business Models of Consulting Firms: What do their Leaders Need to Know?

Abstract Management consultants have found the business model concept to be a useful consulting tool. This article explores its application to management consultancy itself, identifies some business models used by consulting firms, and explores what information leaders of management consulting firms need in order to check whether their business models are right for their markets, and working appropriately.

Graduate Employability: An Update on Behaviours Prized by Employers

Abstract There is a strong need for MSc occupational psychology courses to produce employable graduates. However, many universities and students want to know what are the skills and behaviours needed by employers? To answer this question, two job analyses were completed in a multinational management consultancy and in a boutique firm specialising in assessment and development centres (Biggs, 2010). This research highlighted eight competencies that could be developed by students making them more employable. Many students have used this competency framework, not only in our successful evening-based MSc in Occupational Psychology at Gloucestershire, but at other universities and on other degrees. As such there was a call by others to ensure that the research completed over a decade ago still had currency today and that the eight consultancy competency framework was still valid. This paper sets out an update to that original research demonstrating that the framework is still relevant today.

Responsible Management Consultancy: Old Wine or New Normal?

Abstract I begin to explore some of the issues involved to help stimulate debate and empirical research on what might be termed (socially) ‘responsible consulting’ (see also Sturdy 2023). How novel, radical, and comprehensive are these developments and what are the enabling or limiting factors? And finally, what does such a ‘normative turn’ imply, if anything, for the dominant critiques of consultancy and the need for improved governance?

Internal Audit and Business Resilience in Power Sector. A Case of Geothermal Development Company

Over years, internal auditors’ roles are changing from checking compliance issues to giving a strategic view of the organization processes. Internal auditors play noble role in evaluating the anticipated level of success of a project. This research sought to establish how risk management, business controls, governance and business advisory contribute to business resilience in Geothermal Development Company Limited. The study was anchored on the balanced score card, strategic choice theory, transient advantage theory, the strategic management theory, complexity theory and the normal accident theory. The study focused on 3 GDC operation regions with a target population of 200 staff based in the office and in the field. The research study used primary data collection method employing a semi-structured questionnaire. Post collecting data, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in the analysis. Correlation and regression analysis was conducted to establish the relationships between the variables. The presentation of results was through tables and figures. The study found that risk management had a positive and significant effect on business resilience of GDC; business advisory had a positive and significant effect on business resilience of GDC; internal controls had a positive and significant effect on business resilience of GDC; and governance had a positive and significant effect on business resilience of GDC. The study concluded that the internal audits positively and significantly influenced business resilience of GDC. From the study, internal audit plays a critical role in enhancing business resilience at GDC through effective risk management, robust governance, and reliable internal business controls. The study recommended organizations to place internal audit functions at strategic hierarchical positions as well as implement its recommendations. To bolster business resilience at GDC, it is recommended the company strengthen risk management practices, enhance governance structures, and improve internal business controls. Investing in internal audit capacity building and expanding business advisory services can further optimize the internal audit function. Additionally, GDC should consider benchmarking and collaborating with peer organizations to identify areas for improvement and share best practices within the power sector. Keywords: Internal Audits, GDC, risk management, business advisory, business controls, governance, business resilience

Advice that resonates: explaining the variability in consultants’ policy influence

The increased presence of management consultants in public policy has resulted in concerns from practitioners and policymakers that consultants are too influential. At the same time, there are genuine reasons to downplay consultant influence on policy processes and to instead see consultants as ‘servants of power’. This tension raises questions about how much influence consultants have and the ways in which their influence might vary. Previous studies have shown how two concepts—openness and trust—are useful in understanding variability of consultant influence. As part of this, public decision-makers must be open to the involvement of consultants in a reform process and must also trust the specific consultants involved. At the same time, limited consideration has, to date, been given to discursive explanations of variability. Focusing its analysis on the influence of coalitions on education policy, this paper’s main contribution is to show that consultants will be more influential when their discursive repertoire demonstrates resonance with the narratives of the coalitions they are trying to influence. As part of this, consultants should deploy concepts and language that are recognisable to those coalitions, but which also align with the coalitions’ underlying narratives about the problem being faced and appropriate solutions.

Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of telephone consultation compared to face-to-face consultation in terms of glycaemic control among patients with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectiveWith the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has been increasingly deployed in lieu of face-to-face consultations for management of diabetes in primary care. There was a need to evaluate clinical effectiveness of...

181 A detailed analysis of consultations between equine nutritionists and a client

Equine nutritionist is a relatively new profession with no formal educational entry pathway in the UK. Equine nutritionists are typically employed by commercial feed companies and offer advice freely or operate independently and charge for advice. The objective of the study was to compare consultations with a standardised client conducted by 3 employed and 3 independent equine nutritionists measuring their ability to empathise with the client, structure consultations and set goals. Nutritionists were invited to participate in a study and to conduct a consultation as normal. The dialog of their consultations was recorded, anonymised, transcribed and evaluated in accordance with the University of Glasgow's ethics policies. The client immediately assessed the nutritionists using a CARE questionniare adapted from medical consultations where it is used to determine clinicians' ability to empathise with patients. All 6 consultations were transcribed and assessd using a Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS); a quantitative medical communication coding system used to evaluate primary medical weight management consultations. RIAS divides professional consultations into discrete communication variables that reflect the 4 tasks of the clinical appointment; data gathering, education and counselling, building relationships, activation and partnership. All consultations by independent nutritionists were longer durationthan those by employed nutritionists. The longer the duration, the more relationship building statements were made. There were no significant differences between employed and independent nutritionists for RIAS categories. All nutritionists raised the potential for obesity in ponies and gave advice relating to weight monitoring. The client scored all nutritionists very highly for ‘human’ empathy aspects. Weaker areas for all nutritionists were planning and clarity of actions. Language used by all nutritionists was colloquial and humorous. The results suggest nutritionists raise the issue of obesity with clients which contrasts with reports that vets can find this difficult or lack time to do. Informal, euphemistic language appeared to allow the nutritionists to demonstrate empathy and build a relationship with the client, which independent nutritionists spent more time doing, but risks downplaying the seriousness of the issue in the client's mind. The impact of this on adherance to advice is an area for further research. An opportunity exists for nutritionists to assist horse owners in managing their horses weight by providing a structured approach based on the principles of SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed).

Severe cutaneous drug reactions in children

Severe cutaneous drug reactions also occur in children and range from reactions withblister forming of skin and mucosa to extensive exanthems with altered differential blood count and involvement of internal organs. The first group includes Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), which are considered as one disease entity with different degrees of severity and are also referred to as "epidermal" or "epithelial necrolysis" (EN). The group of drug reactions with primarily systemic alterations is represented by acondition known as drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS).Although EN is generally considered as adrug reaction, acausative agent can only be identified in about 50% of all pediatric cases. Once aclear diagnosis is established, specific treatment measures should be carried out, whereby discontinuation of the causative agent plays adecisive role in drug-induced cases. In order to be able to identify and discontinue the drug responsible, adetailed medication history must be obtained. Certain antiepileptic drugs, sulfonamides and sulfasalazine are among the most frequent triggers of EN and DRESS in children. Supportive therapy including appropriate topical treatment, pain management and ophthalmological consultations are of utmost importance in EN but ashort-term immunomodulating treatment with cyclosporineA has been shown to be helpful. In contrast, in DRESS middle to long-term systemic treatment with glucocorticosteroids is recommended.

SELECTION OF SOFTWARE TOOLS FOR AUTOMATION OF BUSINESS PLANNING PROCESSES

The article discusses the recent significant increase in interest in the practical ap­plication of business software (SW). Today, it is clear to everyone that management prospects are in the field of information technology. There are many software products on the market that are used for business software, management, financial and business consulting, enterprise or holding management, project management, business cycle optimization and document cycle automation.The article discusses the selection of software tools for automating business planning processes, as there has been a growing interest in the practical application of business software. Business software can be classified into several categories such as enterprise management systems, accounting software, document management systems, etc. The article emphasizes that the choice of a specific software product is related to its functional features and the environment in which it is used. The article identifies three levels of management, and for each level, different requirements for software are identified. The article divides project management software into two groups, entry-level programs, and professional systems, and discusses their functionalities and costs. The article concludes that there is an intermediate position for project management software, which integrates features of the first two groups. Furthermore, it is emphasized that domestic developments in project management software are preferred by many users due to their availability and low cost. The article suggests that with project management packages, financial managers can obtain detailed financial plans, financing schemes, and business evaluations for decision making. The article concludes by outlining key factors that must be taken into account when selecting project management software, such as complexity, updating options, scalability, user interface, resources, coding, calculated fields, risk analysis, and task distribution. The article emphasizes the importance of business-planning-analytics packages in helping managers build effective financial models by dynamically simulating time-varying factors.