Management Consultancy And Research Methodology Question Paper

Management Consultancy And Research Methodology

Course:Higher Diploma In Business Management (Business Management)

Exam Year:2007

HIGHER DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
MODULE 1
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
This paper consists of THREE sections; A, B and C.
Answer FOUR questions as follows:
The TWO compulsory questions in section A.
Any ONE of the TWO questions in section B.
Any ONE of the TWO questions in section C.
The marks for each question are as indicated.
This paper consists of 4 printed pages.
Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain that all the pages are printed as indicated and no questions are missing.
SECTION A (60 marks)
Answer Questions 1 and 2 which are compulsory.
1. Read the case below and then answer the questions that follow.
FUTECH MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
Futech Management Consultants was established eight years ago by Ms Leah Mwamboli. The firm provides consultancy services in training, management, employee recruitment and events management.

Ms Mwamboli is a holder of a Bachelors degree in education from one of the reputable universities in the country. She has also, over time, attended many management seminars and short courses, both in and outside the country.

Before establishing the firm, Ms Mwamboli first worked as a secondary school teacher in a high cost private school. However, she later quit her job and freelanced as a consultant for several of the many mushrooming consultancy firms. After some time, she was actually engaged as the manager of one of the few successful management consultancy firms. It was in this position that she developed many contacts with private sector firms, as well as non-governmental organizations. However, this consultancy firm wound up when the expatriate promoter quit to return to his country. The folding of the firm gave Mwamboli the impetus to register her own firm.

Since its inception, the firm has developed valuable contacts with many large firms in the country. It undertakes research activities for several of these firms especially in the fields of training needs assessment, and staff motivation and remuneration requirements. The firm's popularity has mainly grown from the many positive recommendations it gets from satisfied customers. The secret of their success lies in the firm's ability to closely identify with the customers aspirations and expectations, and to closely collaborate with the customers while providing consultancy services.

The firm relies mainly on associates and external consultants. It maintains a data bank of all the people that it works with. This is because such people are professionals who would be too expensive to maintain as full-time employees. By relying on these external consultants, the firm is able to reduce its overheads.

Currently Ms Mwamboli is negotiating with a large national firm with branches all over the country for a contract to carry out an elaborate research on company employee relations. The purpose of the research is to enable the company to come up with an appropriate employee motivational and remuneration packages. This has been necessitated by a perceived deterioration of employee relations in the company. The rate of employee turnover at all levels has risen sharply. Customer complaints in terms of poor services have increased tremendously. Inter-departmental and inter-personal conflicts have also risen noticeably. Many of the company's highly productive employees have been poached by the competitor companies who have been offering them much better packages than what the company provides. Ms Mwamboli has been asked by the company to come up with a comprehensive proposal for the research work for discussion by the Company's Board of Directors.
(a) Explain the qualifications of Ms Mwamboli that make her suited for consultancy work in her chosen line.(10 marks)
(b) It has been stated that Futech closely identifies with customer's aspirations. Explain such customer aspirations that a consultant should identify with.(10 marks)
(c) Outline the objectives of the research that Futech would achieve if given the assignment.(12 marks)
(d) Describe the important sections of an external proposal such as the one to be prepared by Futech Management Consultants.(8 marks)

2. (a) Chebet, a Human Resource Manager in a certain company, intends to conduct a pending disciplinary interview using counselling techniques. Explain the objectives of such an interview that uses counselling techniques.(10 marks)
(b) Describe the sources from which a qualitative research would draw data.(10 marks)

SECTION B (20 marks)
Answer any ONE of the TWO questions
3. (a) A consultant may be contracted to assist in problem solving within an organization. Describe the levels of consultant activity in such problem solving exercise.(12 marks)
(b) Explain the organizational issues that may be subject of a management consultancy.(8 marks)

4. (a) Highlight the kind of actions that a counsellor should avoid during a counselling session.(12 marks)
(b) Describe the categories into which counselling situations could be grouped.(8 marks)

SECTION (20 marks)
Answer any ONE of the TWO questions.
5 (a) As a marketing consultant, you have been invited to give a lecture to group of marketing executives. Explain to the group the importance of having a well drawn research design when carrying out a research exercise.(8 marks)
(b) One of the sections of a research proposal is the literature review. Describe the contents of this section of research proposal.(12 marks)

6. (a) Explain the responded related problems that an interviewer may encounter when collecting research data.(10 marks)
(b) Explain the measures that a researcher should take to ensure that the research report is actually read and acted upon.(10 marks)

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