Danish professional service firms: Why are they not competitive internationally? A comparative analysis between Danish and U.K. management consulting firms

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 37-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilach Nachum
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Management Consulting ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Management Consulting Firms

scholarly journals Diversification, Branding, and Performance of Professional Service Firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Castaldi ◽  
Marco S. Giarratana
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Panel Regression ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Specific Product ◽  
The Core ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
And Performance

This article analyzes the effects of diversification and brand breadth on firm performance for professional service firms (PSFs). The research aim is two-fold. First, we test whether moving into products may put at risk the core resources that sustain PSFs’ competitive advantage. Second, we study which branding strategies best match their diversification attempts. Broad (narrow) brands characterize a branding strategy with scarce (plentiful) associations to specific product characteristics. We analyzed trademark portfolios of 47 U.S.-based management consulting firms in the 2000 to 2009 time period. Panel regression results suggest that (1) PSFs always benefit from diversification when they remain pure-service providers; (2) performance is positively related to a strategy of specialized narrow brands.

scholarly journals Exploring some marketing practices in management consulting firms: evidence from small service firms in Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Gabbianelli ◽  
Tonino Pencarelli
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Management Consulting ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consulting Services ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Management Consulting Firms

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to investigate the marketing and communication activities carried out by small management consulting firms and how they relate to customers.Design/methodology/approachAfter the framing of the literature on the subject, the study is based on the results of a survey carried out through an online questionnaire. The sample under investigation is represented by 914 small consulting firms located in central Italy.FindingsResults show that half of the sample carried out marketing and communication activities, mainly through the website and social media, while others participating in events as speakers at conferences. It also emerges that management consulting firms carry out activities aimed at maintaining relationship with customers even if they do not invest time in market research in order to find potential and new clients.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that management consulting firms should adopt a systematic and strategic approach to communication and should develop a complete and integrated digital communication strategy, as well as to rethink the consulting business model.Originality/valueThere are no previous studies that provide insight into the everyday practice of marketing and communication of small management consulting services in today's dynamic and changing economic environment.

scholarly journals Staffing policies of leading professional service firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Carme Martínez-Costa ◽  
Marta Mas-Machuca ◽  
Jordi Olivella
Keyword(s):  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Business Consulting ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Professional Business ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Policies And Practices

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the prevalence of the staffing policies associated with the characteristics of the two basic types of organisational configurations identified by Institutional theory (Professional Partnership and Managed Professional Business), or conversely, if they have been evolving as a consequence of contextual factors and trends.Design/methodology/approach: Exploratory research was performed through the case study method. Six case studies were conducted in Spanish affiliates of leading multinational management consulting firms.Findings: Our analysis revealed that the staffing policies and practices of the companies differ significantly. It was further deduced that the origin of companies and the practice of activities other than business consulting could influence their staffing policies. It is concluded that mixed models do exist nowadays and that the origin of companies largely determines their policies.Research limitations/implications: Cultural factors among countries could influence HRM policies and practices. Furthermore, the size of companies could determine (or limit) the implementation of certain staffing policies. The study could be extended to a sample of consulting companies of various sizes and countries to enrich the resultsPractical implications: For HR managers, knowing the staffing policies at these major companies is a benchmark of HRM effectiveness to be applied to their own companies. In particular, these cases are relevant for other knowledge intensive organizations.Originality/value: The paper provides current empirical evidence on the HRM staffing policies of leading consulting firms and their evolution

scholarly journals Understanding social exclusion in elite professional service firms: field level dynamics and the ‘professional project’

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Ashley ◽  
Laura Empson
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Consulting Firms ◽  
Professional Project

This article explores social exclusion in elite professional service firms (PSFs) through a qualitative study of six legal, accounting, investment banking and consulting firms. Employing a Bourdieusian perspective we find that all six firms privilege candidates with the same narrow forms of cultural capital, while acknowledging that this contradicts their professed commitment to social inclusion and recruiting the best ‘talent’. We find that this behaviour is enshrined within the habitus of elite firms. We argue that it represents an organizational strategy generated by a compulsion to achieve legitimacy in a specific field of London-based elite PSFs. We identify a ‘professional project’ of sorts, but argue that this can no longer be mapped on to the interests of a discrete occupational group. As such, we contribute to studies of elite reproduction and social stratification by focusing specifically on the role of elite professional organizations in the reproduction of inequality.

scholarly journals Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-308
Author(s):  
Michael Adesi ◽  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
Frank Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Professional Service ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Professional Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantity Surveying ◽  
Focus Strategy

Purpose Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the non-construction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services.

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