The European Handbook of Management Consultancy

The European Handbook of Management Consultancy is a comprehensive guide to all aspects of management consultancy in a fast-changing world. Compiled by the European Innovation Programme, a consortium of advisory bodies from Norway, Ireland, Germany, Denmark and elsewhere in the European Union, the book provides 'best practice' advice on the link between new technologies and strategic planning for consultants throughout Europe

The hanbook provides a complete source of practical information on all aspects of consultancy — an overview of new management concepts; critical advice on how to conduct a diagnostic analysis of the organisation; key success factors in developing a coherent strategy; practical measures for project implementations; and concise descriptions of the key functional areas, such as finance, marketing, operations, human resource management, information technology, and product development, among others.

Sponsored by the European Commission, The European Handbook of Management Consultancy provides a standardised approach to the process of management consultancy for SMEs in the EU. It will be an indispensable guide to help small and medium-sized companies in Europe develop a coherent innovation strategy to compete in the global economy.

• Introduction
• The BUNT Programme in Norway
• The National Technology Audit Programme in Ireland
1. Overall Orientation
1. Strategic Management
• Introduction
• The Concept of Strategy and Strategic Management
• The Strategy Process
• Assessment of External Factors
• Assessment of Internal Factors in the Company
• Assessment of Strengths and Weaknesses against Opportunities and Threats
• Formulation of Strategy
• Technology Strategy
• Implementation of the Strategy
  
2. New Management Concepts
• Introduction
• Common Aspects of Modern Management Ideas
• Overview of Different Management Concepts
• Using Modern Management Ideas
• Total Quality Management
• Lean Production
  
3. Management of Change
• Introduction
• Forces that Influence Companies
• Resistance or Joint Commitment
• The Importance of Information
• Employee Expectations
• Development of Employees "Competence"
• Importance of One's Own Thought Processes
• Important Aspects of Good Management
• Conclusion
  
4. Process Consultancy
• Introduction
• The Company/Consultant Relationship
• Consultancy Roles
• Communication and Learning
• Communication Techniques
• Some Consultancy Techniques
• Tact and Diplomacy
• Practical Psychology
  
2. Diagnostic Phase
5. General Strategic Business Analysis
• Introduction
• Business Analysis
• General Strategic Analysis
6. Information Gathering
• Introduction
• The Interview Process
• Selection of Interviewees
• Questionnaires
• Conducting the Interviews
• Processing After the Interviews
• Standard Questionnaire
  
7. Prioritisation of Goals, Issues and Options
• Introduction
• Establishment of Goals
• Issues/Options List
• Prioritisation of Issues/Options
• Prioritisation, A Numerical Method
  
8. Financial Key Ratio Analysis
• Introduction
• Financial Key Ratios
• The DuPont Model
• Use of the DuPont Model for Ratio Analysis
• Use of the Modified Boston Matrix
  
9. Product/Market Priorities:
• Introduction
• Product/Market Priorities: An Example
• Identifying Product/Market Combinations
• Assigning Priorities to Product/Market Combinations — Business Considerations
• Competitive Strategies
• Buying Criteria
• Key Buying Criteria and Fundamental Buying Criteria
• Buying Criteria: Main Principles
  
10. Tools for Operational Analysis
• Introduction
• Activity Analysis
• Information Analysis
• Implementation of the Activity and Information Analysis in Practice
• Material Flow Analysis
• SWOT Analysis
  
11. Problem-Solving
• Introduction
• Different Phases of Problem-Solving
• Creative Problem-Solving
• Formulation of Issues
• Analysis of Causes
• Generating Ideas and Possibilities
• Brainstorming
• "Wallcharting" as a Key Technique
• Selecting Participants
  
3. Strategies and Action Plans
12. Establishing Strategies and Action Plans
• Introduction
• The Strategy and Planning Process
• Drawing Up an Action Plan
• Project Implementation
• Critical Success Factors for Project Implementation
• Suggested Structure for a Strategic Plan
• Concluding Remarks
  
13. The Planning Process, Identification of Measures, Success Factors
• Introduction
• Organisation/Control of the Planning Process
• Identification of Specific Measures
• Success factors
  
14. Assessment of Options Using Cost/Benefit Analysis
• Introduction
• Rough Cost/Benefits Analysis
• Quantification of Benefits
• Detailed Time and Cost Estimates
• Investment and Liquidity Analysis
  
15. Risk Factors and Risk Assessment
• Introduction
• What Is Risk=
• How to carry Out  Risk Analysis and Establish Risk Management
• Implementation Risk
• Financial Risk
• Risk Related to Cost/Benefit Estimates — Sensitivity Analysis
• Key Issues in Risk Identification
  
4. Implementation
16. Project Implementation
• Introduction
• Consequences of Strategic Innovations
• What Does the Implementation Process Involve?
• Funding
• Planning and Organisation
• Company-Internal Organisational Activities
• Supplier-Oriented Technical Activities
• Company-Internal Technical Activities
• Follow-Up
• Evaluation
  
17. Critical Success Factors for the Implementation of Measures
• Introduction
• Critical Success Factors in the Preparatory Phases
• Critical Success Factors in the Implementation Phase
  
18. Specification of Requirements
• Introduction
• Why Compile a Specification of Requirements?
• Evaluation of Alternative Requirements
• Contents of a Specification of Requirements
• Characteristics of a Good Specification of Requirements
• Pitfalls to Be Avoided When Drawing Up the Requirements
• Who Should Work on Drawing Up the Specification?
• Pitfalls to Be Avoided When Drawing Up the Specification
  
• Quality Assurance
  
19. Project Planning
• Introduction
• The Planning Process
• Project Organisation
• Reporting and Follow-up
• Project Scheduling
• Organisation of the Schedule
• Establishing the Schedule
• Follow-up and Monitoring Against the Schedule
• Checklist for Individual Schedules
  
5. General Topics
20. Financial Management and Accounting Systems
• Introduction
• Financial/Management Accounting
• Principles of Accounting
• Balance Sheet
• Profit and Loss Account
• Financial Control Systems
  
21. Project Financing
• Introduction
• Calculating the Capital Requirement
• Types of Loan Financing
• Equity Financing
• Drawing Up the Loan Application
  
22. Marketing
• Introduction
• Market Strategy
• Resources of Marketing
• Personal Sales
  
23. Integrated Customer-Based Product Development
• Introduction
• Product Development Stragey
• Integrated Customer-Based Product Development
• Product Safety
• Examples
  
24. Production Technology Overview
• Introduction
• Production Engineering
• Computer Numerical Control (CNC)
• Design for Manufacture (DFM)
• Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
• Computer-Aided Manufacture (CAM)
• Automated Assembly
• Materials Handling
• Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
• Just-in-Time Manufacture (JIT)
• Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM)
  
25. Organization of the Production Process
• Structural Organisation
• Fundamental Principles of the Operational Organisation: Process Orientation
• Relevant Process-Chains in Production
• The JIT Philosophy within the Lean Production Philosophy
• Regional Headquarters for Order Management as One Tool to Lean Production
• Segmentation of Production
• Introduction of Teamwork
  
26. Human Resources
• Introduction
• Changing Society
• The Learning Society
• Employee Resources
• The Demands of the Enterprise on the Employee
• The Employees' Demands on the Enterprise
• The Economic Dimension
• The Organisation's Role
• The Changing Nature of the Personnel Function
• Labour/Management Relations
• Union/Management Relations as a Process of Psychological Growth
• Conditions of Effective Leadership in the Industrial Organisation
• Summary
  
27. The Need for Competence-Building
• Introduction
• Analysis of Organisational Structure
• Competence-Building and Training
• Organisational and Personnel-Related Consequences
  
28. Information Technology
• Introduction
• Information Analysis
• Analysis of Existing Systems
• Data Processing Technology Platform
• Information Required by Operational Management
  
29. Industrial Co-operation/Networking/Clusters
• Introduction
• When Are Industrial Co-operation Projects the Right Approach?
• Phases of the Co-operation Process
• Scheduling a Co-operating Process
• Handling the Relationship with the Board and Management
• Pitfalls in the Co-operation Process
• Analysis of Motives for Co-operation
• Searching for Co-operation Partners
• Conclusion
  
30. Purchasing
• Introduction
• Specifications
• Purchase orders
• Purchasing Management
• Vendor Assessment
• Vendor Rating
  

Learn what's in this book as well as Sadlers and Kubrs, and you'll have a brilliant future in management consulting.