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Buss 421:Business Consultancy Question Paper
Buss 421:Business Consultancy
Course:Business Administration
Institution: Kenya Methodist University question papers
Exam Year:2010
FACULTY : BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT STUDIES
DEPARTMENT : BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
TIME : 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS Answer Question ONE and any Other TWO Questions
Question One
Read the following case carefully and answer question (a) part i and ii
Luke Skurman and College Prowler
It was 5 o''clock on a crisp October morning, and Luke Skurman was wide awake, on edge, and restless. It wasn''t the first time he had awoken that way. His company, College Prowler, was stuck in a revenue rut, and after months of mulling the problem, he felt that radical changes were needed. Skurman tossed and turned a bit more, then dragged himself out of bed and headed to a nearby Starbucks, hoping that a change of scenery and a strong cup of coffee might jump-start some creative thinking. As Skurman sipped his coffee, he made a list of the reasons he had started College Prowler. First, he wanted to create great content about colleges and universities. He also sought to help as many people as possible make the right college choices. Finally, he wanted College Prowler to be financially successful. Looking over the list, Skurman came to a bitter conclusion: He had succeeded at the first goal but failed at the other two. The only glimmer of hope was an idea he had been pondering to change the business''s revenue model. For the third time. Skurman founded College Prowler in 2002, after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University. His idea was to create college guides written entirely by the students. "When I was in high school, I was obsessed with finding the perfect college," Skurman says. "I used every resource imaginable. But I still didn''t feel like I knew what the kids were like, or anything about the food and the dorms." So he decided to give prospective collegians the real inside skinny. Student authors would distribute surveys to their peers, who would rate their school on a variety of criteria -- including academics, dorms, and food, as well as Greek life, the drug scene, and (of course) the hotness of the girls and guys. In the spring of his senior year, Skurman wrote a business plan and a 37-page prototype for Clark University and entered Ernst & Young''s Enterprise Creation Competition. He was chosen as a national finalist.
a) i) Do you think Luke Skurman requires seeking for the services of a consultant? Give reasons for your answer (10 marks)
ii) What were the likely reasons for the failure by Luke Skuman to achieve to the two objectives and suggest the likely measures to enhance success of the two objectives? (10 marks)
b) There are many consultancy pricing models employed by modern consultants. Identify any four of them and exhaustively discuss them highlighting their advantages and disadvantages (10 marks)
QUESTION 2
Explain the importance of the following tools in a consultancy process
a) Terms of Reference (5marks)
b) Proposal (5 marks)
c) The Contract (5 marks)
d) Negotiation team (5 marks)
QUESTION 3
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), a government parastatal engaged in agricultural research intends to conduct a national customer satisfaction and perception survey. Its customers are spread across the country and include farmers, various government agencies, agricultural institutions and companies dealing with agricultural products. The findings of the study will help KARI to make policy decisions that will improve its offering to its customers. The key deliverables of the assignment include the following.
i) An inception report by the end of the first week of the assignment
ii) Focus group meetings at provincial headquarters during week two to collect information
iii) An interim report by the end of the third week
iv) A management workshop facilitated by the consultant to share assignment findings during the fourth week of the assignment
v) A final assignment report at the end of the fourth week
You have been appointed to conduct this assignment. The task is scheduled to take one month.
You may make assumptions on information you deem necessary that may not be provided in the cases. Please indicate all your question-specific assumptions (if any) before answering each question
a) Develop a general consulting framework for the assignment (7 marks)
b) Develop a stakeholder map/list for the assignment justifying the importance of each stakeholder to the study. How will you collect information from each stakeholder? (7 marks)
c) Develop a detailed work plan for the assignment (6marks)
QUESTION 4
Giving examples briefly distinguish between:-
a) Internal and external consultants (5 marks)
b) General and specialized consultants (5 marks)
c) Training and consulting (5 marks)
d) Consulting and Counseling (5marks)
QUESTION 5
Mr. Taabu is a small business manager dealing with production and marketing of spice products. He believes he is producing high quality products but yet he has not been able to make in roads in the local markets although his targets are set on the regional markets. Mr. Taabu has been trying to get the services of a consultant to help develop his marketing strategy, though it has not been easy.
a) Identify and discuss the key attributes of a good consultant (10 marks)
b) Discuss the likely challenges a businessman might face in identifying a suitable consultant (10 marks)
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