Thursday 20 August 2015

Utilizing International Strategic Consultants In Design Effective Plans

By Ruthie Livingston


To survive in the volatile economic times and take advantage of the available opportunities, businesses need to develop a strategic vision. A good business strategy helps the business maintain sustainable competitive advantage without sacrificing its profitability. The business may not have the expertise to develop the relevant strategies in the worldwide marketplace Thus, hiring an international strategic consultants would be the best idea.

A multinational business may seek assistance in developing corporate and business unit strategies in order to line up its personnel and resources into achieving its goals. Such areas that may need expertise in their formulation include design of the strategic planning process, scenario planning, alliance management, and market assessment. The corporate strategy is the base, from which other strategies are crafted.

In the current international marketplace, firms cannot afford to rely on a single source of revenue. There is always an inherent danger of failure owing to change of customer tastes and preferences, government policies, change in technology. With the assistance of a consultant, a business is able to develop its innovative talent, research, and development, and is able to develop brands that result from the new products on a global scene. Further, the business is able to reveal some needs that have not been adequately satisfied and develop solutions that satisfy such needs.

The employees of a firm are its most valuable resource. An effective team is innovative, creates quality and value for clients, and is able to reach the set goals. Business turns to consultants in the development of an efficient business model, organizational design, performance management, leadership management, and selection of quality business service providers for its own needs.

As the business grows, it is important to cater for both vertical and horizontal growth. Mergers and acquisitions are part of horizontal integration that enables rapid growth given that the market is already there and all the systems are in place. To achieve this on a global scene, a company requires an experienced consultant to offer expert support in all areas of mergers and acquisitions, target identification, due diligence, screening, and post-merger integration of both firms.

A functional strategy results from breaking down other strategies small manageable policies. It includes planning of daily activities of the firm that include human resource, finance, information technology, and procurement. A business may be in need of getting finance to expand and access new markets, manage its working capital overseas or training on the use of performance management systems like SAP.

If a business is not able to put the strategies into action, it is better as having never formulated the strategies. Execution is much harder than the formulation process, as it requires training, resources and adopting the best practices. A consultant may assist in the development of a roadmap in strategy development, managing the process of change, training, and measuring success.

Most consultancies develop competencies in a few areas such as human resource, sales, finance, operation, information technology. It is vital for a business to ensure that the consultant it hires has expertise in its area of need. This ensures it gets quality services to achieve its goals.




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