STRATEGIC CONSULTING: THEORY, PRACTICE, BUSINESS INDUSTRY

Author
, professor, Kharkiv, Pushinska, 77

In heading

 Economic theory;

Signed print

 10.06.2019

Issues number

 2019 - № 2 (37)

Page

 48-66

Type of articles

 Scientific article

Code UDK

 334.7:005.21

ISSN print

 2411-5584

Abstract

 Problem setting. A majority of consultants consider strategic consulting as the most prestigious segment in the sector of professional services. Nevertheless, there are different views regarding the content and directions of development of strategic consulting.
Recent research and publication analysis. Foreign theoreticians and practitioners have significantly contributed to generalizing and systematizing experience in the field of consulting as the science, academic discipline, and practice of managing a business. These scientists attach particular attention to the following issues: diagnostic tools of consulting (М. Silberman); schemes for managing consulting projects (M. Cope); ways for creating
successful consulting practice (A. Weiss); the role of consultants and consulting firms in the contemporary business (A. Canato and A. Giangreco); development of innovative consulting (T. Davila, M. J. Epstein, R. Shelton, J. M. Cagan, C. M. Vogel, F. Cardenas, and D. Oyon). In Ukraine, scientists such as T. P. Kalna-Dubiniuk, O. Klenin, and O. S. Marchenko successfully develop the theory of consulting. However, there is a lack of scientific papers
on strategic consulting.
Paper objective. The article’s objective is to disclose the essence of the strategic consulting conception and to analyse opportunities of its practical implementing in Ukraine.
Paper main body. Strategic consulting is the science, as well as contract-based professional entrepreneurial activity of specialists in preparing managerial decisions concerning forming and undertaking a strategy aimed at ensuring the best competitive position for an organization (firm), functioning and development of this organization under an unstable external environment, and achieving determined goals in the long run.
The article’s author analyses the following matters:
a) enhancing the theory of strategic consulting influenced by strategic management, theoretical and applied economics, innovation studies, and law;
b) peculiarities of a contemporary product of strategic consulting, which includes: developing and implementing corporate strategies; transforming business models; providing financial and other consultations regarding mergers and acquisitions (M&A); creating organizational and functional strategies of a firm (marketing, personnel, manufacturing, etc.); developing digital strategies, which have recently reach the highest positions in consulting of the business;
c) analysing strategic consulting as a business industry. The author distinguishes between strategic business consulting and public sector consulting. The author examines competitive advantages of the main suppliers of strategic consulting services, namely: global consulting firms, which have own methodical tools of consultancy enabling to do complex researches, including the international ones, to form long-term strategies aimed at developing client organizations and instruments for undertaking these strategies; global networks of consulting firms; internal corporate consulting departments (groups for managing projects, specialized advisory departments); expert analytical centres and universities;
d) future “trajectories” of strategic consulting related to: the orientation of strategic consulting towards transition to the digital economy; substituting an acceleration model of consulting for the business one under conditions of the start-up economy; forming situational and anti-crisis consulting in contrast to the strategic one.
Conclusion of the research. It is expedient to do further researches in the sphere of strategic consulting towards: developing mechanisms for the concerted application of its main models; the system approach to analysing economic, social, political, and legal factors of evolvement; taking into account local and global challenges.
Short Abstract for an article
Abstract. The article generalizes scientific approaches to substantiating the content of strategic consulting. The author has revealed a relation between strategic consulting, strategic management, economics, innovation studies, and law. The author has attached particular attention to development of strategic consulting as a business industry and the main consulting products, including: developing and applying own methodical tools by consulting firms; forming predominantly long-term strategies for developing client organizations alongside simultaneous improving instruments for undertaking such strategy.

Keywords

 strategy, strategic management, strategic consulting.

Reviewer

External reviewer

Article in PDF

 48-66

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Code DOI

 10.31359/2411-5584-2019-37-2-48

24.05.2019