MPH_MZPO Management consulting

Faculty of Economics and Administration
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
Ing. Eva Švandová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Ing. Eva Švandová, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Eva Švandová, Ph.D.
Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Contact Person: Vlasta Radová
Supplier department: Department of Business Management – Faculty of Economics and Administration
Timetable
each odd Friday 10:00–11:50 S308, except Fri 8. 11.
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
MPH_MZPO/01: each odd Friday 12:00–13:50 S308, except Fri 8. 11., E. Švandová
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 24 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 17/24, only registered: 0/24
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Management consulting is a sector where some graduates of economic schools are heading. It offers diverse work, potential for personal and qualification growth, but on the other hand not everyone can become a consultant. The course does not primarily aim to develop existing knowledge of the business process (Doctrines of enterprise, Management, Economics of orgaizations, etc.), but is aimed at developing the student's ability to arrange the consulting process, to acquire and work with data and to present facts to support the final strategic decisions to the client. For the development of the consultant's personality, the courses Project Management, Innovation Management are beneficial for learning creative methods in finding solutions, or Controlling, where students work with sotwars for presenting and reporting data (Power BI).

The aim of the course (from the student's point of view) is to create a picture of the possible work in consulting practice including major decisions, to master the consulting process from building a relationship with clients to presenting solutions, to spread a positive attitude towards consulting in corporate practice.

In the course we aim (from the teacher's perspective) to facilitate students' entry, decision-making and actual operation in the consulting market, which has its own specificities, either as a consultant or as a client requesting consulting services.
Learning outcomes
With regard to the defined objectives, the learning outcomes can be integrated into three basic areas.

Ad 1. Formulating an image of one's own role in counselling practice

- they will know what is the content of management consultancy, its development, types of consultancy organisations, the role of the consultant
- know the business models of selected consultancy firms, be able to analyse them from a risk perspective
- create their own business model for consulting practice and define its risks
- learn and practice how to conduct a "case interview"
- assess their potential to become a consultant and formulate goals for becoming a consultant

Ad 2. Learning the counselling process

- know the phases of the counselling process, their content and objective and be able to define their content with regard to the specific counselling task
- be able to create a consultancy offer, plan a project, calculate the costs associated with the consultant's work and the implementation of proposed solutions to the problem
- can carry out a structured analysis of a problem (decompose the problem) and propose a structured solution
- can argue to the client and present data to the client in a structured format
- be able to create a final report, evaluate and close the project
-can implement the basics of negotiation (BATNA, WATNA, etc.)
Ad 3. Perceive and spread a positive attitude towards consultancy in practice (not only by argumentation but also by "good" example")

- be able to communicate with the client in a structured way (pyramid principle) (routine communication, creating reports for clients including processing and active presentation of the project result to the client)
- argues constructively, responds to the (potential) client's comments and is able to draw up a list of benefits of working with a consultant, based on knowledge of possible reasons for a critical view of the consultancy
- know and be able to implement in practice the ethical principles of management consultancy
Syllabus
  • Thematic areas of lectures:
  • 1. Consultancy industry, Consultancy process, Entry phase, Business model of consultancy organization
  • 2. Structured Diagnosis,
  • 3. Structured solution
  • 4. Data presentation, project closure
  • 5. Case interview, basic counselling skills, counselling approach, working with the client
  • Content of the seminars:
  • 1. Personality of the counsellor
  • 2. Procurement of the consultancy contract
  • 3. Working with data; Problem decomposition; Structured diagnosis and solution
  • 5. Presentation of the solution, creation of the final report for the client and communication with the client
  • 6. Presentation of the consulting organization's own business model or evaluation of the existing one and proposal for change; case interview -
Literature
    required literature
  • BAAIJ, M. G. An introduction to management consultancy. First edition. Los Angeles: Sage, 2014, xix, 580. ISBN 9781446256138. info
    recommended literature
  • BILLINGHAM, Vicky. Project management : how to plan and deliver a successful project. 2nd edition. Wales: Studymates, 2017, 288 stran. ISBN 9781842853238. info
  • CROWTHER, David and Geoff LANCASTER. Research methods : a concise introduction to research in management and business consultancy. 2nd ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2009, viii, 292. ISBN 9780750689533. info
  • BISWAS, Sugata and Daryl TWITCHELL. Management consulting : a complete guide to the industry. Second edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2001, xii, 336. ISBN 9780471444015. info
Teaching methods
The course consists of 3 four-hour blocks of lectures and 3 four-hour blocks of seminars. Teaching is primarily led by the course lecturer, supported by teaching from experts from consulting practice (e.g. PricewaterhouseCoopers, EY, in-house consultants). The experts provide assignments for case studies and act as mentors in their solution and expert supervision in the preparation of the study and presentation of the solution. As part of the lectures, key ideas will be presented in the form of group discussions combined with a lecture by the instructor. The student will have material available for study before the class (max. 3 pages of text); at the same time, there will be work with the text in the form of short case studies to deepen understanding in the context of practice. The lectures will be given by an expert in the field.

As part of the seminar block, students will be exposed to different consulting approaches (in-house consulting vs. consulting by Big Four consulting organizations), they will work on assigned case studies, which will be continuously processed in  teams (data analysis using excel, data organization, interpretation, etc.) and solutions will be presented. In addition, one homework assignment will be given, which students will work on individually or in teams (two max) during the semester and present to the lecturer (proposal for a business model of a consultant or proposal for a change in the business model of an existing consulting organization).
In case of a change in epidemiological conditions and the transition of the course to online mode, the group assignment will be replaced by the processing of assignments. Lectures will go into online mode and will be recorded.
Assessment methods
The following areas enter into the final assessment where the student receives a score:


A) Points for the preparation of a case study assigned by the PwC consultants and its presentation (45 points).
Points are assigned by the PwC consultant. The student may receive 45 points.
B) Active participation in seminars (6 points in total)

C) Points earned for creating or proposing a business model for your own consulting organization or proposing a change to a consulting organization model and presenting it (25 points).
To be developed individually or in pairs, discussed in a group. This is a total of 25 points that a student can earn.

D) Points for mini-tests on material covered in lecture blocks (12 points)
This will be three mini tests (max 4 questions in each) that the student has the opportunity to answer online within a week of the lecture. It will test the necessary knowledge of the counselor that will be covered in the lecture and students will be reminded of it - ethical principles, what MECE means, BATNA, etc. Students must earn 70% of the total points (8 out of 12). Tests may be proctored. If a student does not pass the tests during the semester or fails to earn the required 70% total points, he/she has the option of completing the requirement on the placement test where he/she will be tested in all of these areas.

E) Points earned for solving the exam test (example) (12 points).
As part of the exam, learners will be given a case study, a consulting case, for which they will propose a solution (written). To pass the course, students must score 60% of 100 total points, must complete each of the activities, and must score 70% on the mini-tests. Students are required to attend 2 seminar blocks out of 3, lectures are optional.


Any copying, recording or taking out tests, use of unauthorized aids as well as communication devices, or other interference with the objectivity of the examination (credit) will be considered a failure to meet the requirements for completion of the course and a gross violation of course regulations. As a result, the instructor will close the examination(credit) with a grade of "F" in the IS and the Dean will initiate disciplinary proceedings which may result in termination of the course of study."
Students going abroad may enroll in the course in  presidential form and fulfill its requirements by distance learning. In such a case, they write an email to the course supervisor before the beginning of the teaching part of the semester and ask for an exemption from the requirement to attend seminars due to the foreign placement. The course guarantor will then inform them of the exceptional condition for completing the course. The online teaching will be done via the Teams platform.

Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Minimální počet pro otevření předmětu je 10 zapsaných studentů. / The minimum number of enrolled students to open the course is 10.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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