Management Consultancy - Kus Comments

Thanks for having read my email to participate in this Henley MBA survey on buying management consultancy services in Malta, and progressing to this point.

The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is not affiliated with or sponsored by any organisation.

Your participation in this study is highly appreciated and it is important for me to understand your past experience and your opinions. You can withdraw from the survey at any point if you feel uncomfortable answering any question. All your survey responses will remain confidential and all information will be destroyed as soon as the research is approved by Henley Business School, University of Reading.

Should you be interested in obtaining a copy of this research, please leave your email address at the end of the survey. A PDF copy will be sent to you upon completion, as a token of appreciation for your time.

If you have any questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact me, Morgan Azzopardi on 7929 5055 or on my email [email protected]. Thank you very much for your time and support.

Please start with the survey now by ticking off the acceptance checkbox below and clicking on the Continue button.

I understand that participation is voluntary and that I can withdraw from the survey at any time. Any answers identifying my company will be kept in confidence and will not be published in the final research.

Supply chain management

Business process reengineering

It was a previous supplier

It was a new supplier

Do you consider your company as having an ongoing relationship with this consultancy firm? Is this a good or bad thing in your opinion?

Which has the greatest risk impact when buying consultancy services? Staying loyal to a consultancy firm or buying the service from a provider you had never worked with?

It was the responsibility of one person only

The decision was made by a buying group

What level of experience do you consider to have in buying, and particularly buying professional services?

Think back to the time when your organisation bought a consultancy service. Did your organisation put out a formal request to submit a proposal, shortlist companies, and then call them in for an interview? Or was it a more informal unstructured approach? Please describe.

This is the standard approach to buying consultancy in my organisation.

The approach differs depending on how important the purchase of this consultancy is to the organisation.

In your last consultancy purchase, what were the criteria used to evaluate the management consultancy, before giving them the job?

* Please rank the top 10 criteria from the following, for evaluating a management consultant in order of importance.

Ranking 1 is the most important, and 10 is the least important.
Please use all numbers from 1 to 10.
The same ranking cannot be assigned to different criteria.
Some criteria have to be left blank if not considered.

Please note the distinction between the consultancy company and the actual consultant, who maybe an employee of the firm.

Technical qualifications of the consultant who will do the job
Competence of the employing consultancy firm
Firm's reputation with clients or in a specific industry
Firm's experience in similar projects
Consultant is available when we need him
We feel we can trust and be open with the consultant
Our previous experience of this firm or consultant
Consultant shows an understanding of our needs
Price of the consultancy
Consultant's professionalism and quality attitude
Consultant's current clients, who may be prestigious, our competitors etc.
The consultancy firms agrees to our contract requirements
Client testimonials in their work portfolio
Recommendations through word of mouth (from within and outside my organisation)
Consultant gives off good personal chemistry and has good relationship skills

Please indicate which of the following criteria were required and which were desirable, in your last consultancy purchase.

How difficult is it to evaluate each of the following criteria in choosing a consultant?

Was the cost of the service a good indication of its quality, before the consultancy service was bought?

To gain more knowledge of the problem

To see if we missed out anything in our terms of reference

To assess his/her competence for the job

To see who he/she is and how well he/she is to work with

To discuss the bid into more detail

To discuss aspects of the problem in more detail

There was no particular purpose - just a formality

Did any other characteristics of the selected firm emerge in the interview that were important in awarding it the project?

It is our understanding that the selection of a consultancy involves soft factors such as trust, openness, personal chemistry during a presentation or interview. Is this assumption valid?

If interviews were held with other consultants, what did you not like about the presentations made or interviews attended by the consultants, that caused them to be rejected for the project? If this was not the case, state 'Not applicable'.

In response to the previous question, can you explain why you think this is the case?

What indicates good chemistry between the interviewer or buying company representative, and the consultant, in your opinion?

Did the consultant 'go the extra mile' in his/her assignment, and how would this affect his/her chances of securing another project with your organisation?

Is there anything else you might consider important in selecting a management consultancy for a project?

In your particular case, did you use any sources of information (to check, verify, confirm your information) in the run-up to choosing the consultant for the project? What sources of information were these?

* Please rank the following sources of information used during the evaluation of a management consultancy, in order of importance.

Ranking 1 is the most important, followed by 2, 3 etc.
Please fill in all fields.
The same ranking cannot be assigned to different criteria.
Some criteria may be left blank if not considered.

Interview or meeting at consultant's office
Referrals (testimonials) from other firms
Buyers' own experience of the consultant
Personal sources - internal and external network
Tender submission or proposal
Impersonal advertising
Approved supplier lists

Which has the greatest risk impact when buying consultancy services? Staying loyal to a consultancy firm or buying the service from a provider you had never worked with?

What level of experience do you consider to have in buying, and particularly buying professional services?

If it were to need to buy consultancy services, would your organisation put out a formal request to submit a proposal, shortlist companies, and then call them in for an interview? Or would it be more informal? Please describe in your own words.

In your opinion, what are the important criteria for evaluating a management consultant, before giving him the job?

Technical qualifications of the consultant who will do the job
Competence of the employing consultancy firm
Firm's reputation with clients or in a specific industry
Firm's experience in similar projects
Consultant is available when we need him
We feel we can trust and be open with the consultant
Our previous experience of this firm or consultant
Consultant shows an understanding of our needs
Price of the consultancy
Consultant's professionalism and quality attitude
Consultant's current clients, who may be prestigious, our competitors etc.
The consultancy firms agrees to our contract requirements
Client testimonials in their work portfolio
Recommendations through word of mouth (from within and outside my organisation)
Consultant gives off good personal chemistry and has good relationship skills

How difficult is it to evaluate each of the following criteria in choosing a consultant?

Do you think that the cost of the consultancy is a good indicator of its quality, before buying it?

To gain more knowledge of the problem

To see if we missed out anything in our terms of reference

To assess his/her competence for the job

To see who he/she is and how well he/she is to work with

To discuss the bid into more detail

To discuss aspects of the problem in more detail

There would be no particular purpose - just a formality

If you were in a position to conduct an interview or attend a presentation given by a consultant for a project, what would you not like that would influence your decision not to award them the project?

It is our understanding that the selection of a consultancy involves soft factors such as trust, openness, personal chemistry during a presentation or interview. Is this assumption valid?

In response to the previous question, can you explain why you think this is the case?

What indicates good chemistry between the interviewer or buying company representative, and the consultant, in your opinion?

Is there anything else you might consider important in selecting a management consultancy for a project?

Interview or meeting at consultant's office
Referrals (testimonials) from other firms
Buyers' own experience of the consultant
Personal sources - internal or external network
Tender submission or proposal
Impersonal advertising
Approved supplier lists

What is the name of your organisation? This will remain completely confidential and will not be published in the research.

Automobiles and parts

Industrial goods and services

Personal and household goods

Technology hardware, software and services

Do you want to obtain a copy of the dissertation results at the end of the study? If so, please write your email address.