Source: business.slu.edu
Topic: Consulting
Sort Desciption: Consulting is not a well-defined field. Definitions of a consultant range ... consulting field is wide-ranging and diverse. While a full treatment of it in ...
Content Inside: CONSULTING Consulting is not a well-defined field. Definitions of a consultant range from anyone who is out of work and owns a briefcase to a specially trained and experienced person who makes an organized effort to help management solve problems or improve operations through the application of judgment based on knowledge skill and systematic analysis of facts. The consulting field is wide-ranging and diverse. While a full treatment of it in all its breadth and diversity is beyond the scope of this summary we will describe the major types of firms that make up the field the activities and functions common to most areas of consulting and the entry- level opportunities that exist. The majority of consulting firms fall into four major categories: Large Consulting Firms - These are firms whose only business is consulting. They typically employ more than fifty consultants; a few of the largest employ more than a thousand consultants. Large firms may either be a generalist firm or have many divisions each with its own specialty. Some examples are the well- known management consulting organizations Arthur D. Little; Booz Allen & Hamilton; McKinsey & Company; and the Boston Consulting Group. Small and Medium Consulting Firms - This type of firm employs from two to fifty consultants. It is estimated that 20-30 percent of all consultants work in firms of this size. These are often specialty firms offering a small range of services or catering to a special type of client. Management-Advisory-Services (MAS) Divisions of CPA Accounting Firms - These are divisions within organizations that also offer accounting auditing tax and other financial services. These divisions are typically quite large and operate internationally. The services offered by MAS divisions usually involve information systems electronic data processing (EDP) financial management and strategic planning. Although these firms are really divisions of larger organizations Business Week repo ...
