jeudi 27 août 2015

The Role Of International Strategic Consultants In Building Successful Multinationals

By Ruthie Livingston


The economy nowadays is very volatile and the businesses that are reaping good profits and grabbing the opportunities are those with good strategic visions. Such strategies enable business rake in profit while retaining a competitive advantage over their rivals. It is always important to seek assistance from competent international strategic consultants that have knowledge about the international market when for strategy formulation.

An international strategic consultant assists firms develop corporate strategies and business unit strategies that incorporate a global outlook and in turn helps put all the synergies towards achieving the set goals. Corporate strategies deal with such challenges as scenario planning, alliance management, market assessment and the design of the strategic planning process. A good corporate strategy provides the foundation for other strategies that are formulated later.

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 success of any organization is largely dependent on its workforce. An effective workforce enables the firm innovate, hit targets and offer quality services and products to its clients. International strategic consultant assist in coming up with effective organizational design, leadership development, performance management, workforce development and hiring of quality business services to meet the market challenges head on.

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.

All business strategies are supported by a functional strategy. This is the actual planning of the daily activities that will assist the business in achieving the main goals and strategies. A business may require expertise in planning for its back office operations that include procurement, human resources, finance, and information technology. Some of the solutions that consultants assist a business in leveraging include outsourcing for finance for expansion, working capital management, and performance management solutions such as 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.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire