Reading 1/1:
Read the following article about different-sized management consultancies and choose the best answer for the following questions.
A few years ago, when Carol Nichols arrived as head of human resources with NVCI the fast-expanding telecoms and software services company she knew that from day one working with management consultancy firms would be an integral part of her role.'I had already decided on the kind of consultancies I wanted to employ.' she says. When I started, I was pretty much a one-woman department, So it was important for me to form
partnerships to help me support the growth of the department and the company. What I wanted was smaller consultancies with whom I could establish personal relationships firms which would grow with us, and be flexible enough to respond to our changing needs.'Paul Eden, Managing Director of NVCI confirms the desirability of smaller consultancies. 'Larger firms have a tendency to use one person to sell, and another to deliver: with the result that clients may not really know who or what they are buying. With a smaller firm, you are buying the consultant as much as the product the person rather than the brand.'
Penny White, financial services group Interco's Head of Strategic Management, highlights other advantages of the smaller consultancy. 'A smaller consultancy recognises that it cannot do everything, and is much more willing to work with other preferred consultants for the good of the client,' she says. 'And on fees, smaller consultancies can be less rigid and more cost-effective, simply because their overheads are lower. That is not to say that they need to undercut to win business, but part of a small consultancy's strategy must be to thoroughly investigate how to add value to everything it does. Larger consultancies are gaining expertise in business psychology and applying it to running change programmes, but they still tend to bring in their own team to implement projects, which means that when they move on, the know-how goes with them, leaving the client with a knowledge vacuum, not the integrated training that small firms, in particular really need.'
But the larger consultancies do have their advocates, Bill Dawkins, editor of Consultancy Todoy: 'One area where the industry giants have an edge is where major global companies require a
standardised service across a number of different countries. Such clients are frequently spending substantial sums of money in consulting engagements and, not surprisingly, they are
seeking the reassurance of a recognised and respected brand which they know they can trust to deliver.'
When it comes to choosing which kind of consultancy to use, there is no right or wrong In any absolute sense, By their very nature, smaller entrants are able to move more swiftly than the larger firms. But the question is whether they have the necessary substance and track record behind them to see larger-scale programrnes through. Choose a smaller consultancy for pilot implementations where you want 'look and see' solutions in a short space of time. Then turn to a
larger firm for full implementation and transformation programmes. Increasingly the choice between big and small is not mutually exclusive, but complementary. The two often find themselves working together on the same project creating a combination neither of them can achieve on its own.
1) Paul Eden says one advantage of smaller consultancies is that A
. clients benefit from continuous individual contact.
. clients feel they get a better return on their investment.B
C. they have a clearer understanding of clients' brands.
D. they are able to sell their ideas to clients more effectively.
2) Penny White points out that smaller consultancies can
A. be flexible about co-operating with other firms.. provide useful introductions to other firms.
B C. spend time researching a wide range of issues.
D. advise firms on ways to reduce overheads.
3) According to Carol Nichols, what kind of consultancies did she prefer to work with when she joined NVCI?A. Smaller consultancies that could form personal relationships.
B. Consultancies that focused on standardized services
Larger consultancies with well-known brands.
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