Table of Contents 目录
Introduction 导言
Management consulting sector: Overview 管理咨询行业：概述
Why consultants are hired 聘用顾问的原因
Ways in which management consultants add value for clients 管理顾问为客户增值的方式
Critical reflection and conclusion 批判性反思与结论
Reference List 参考清单
Introduction 介绍
The growing competition among businesses, and the quest to improve efficiency and increase productivity are among the key factors that continue to prompt the management to seek for consultancy services across the globe. In this regard, management consultants play a critical in helping businesses solve problems, find better ways of managing their operations, and provide management insights that help firms stay ahead of their competitors in their respective industries (Sadler, 2001). Whereas the role of management consulting sector cannot be undermined, especially in the modern corporate world that is rapidly changing, there are concerns that this sector only seeks to fleece their clients of their hard-earned cash in exchange for mechanistic, generic advice that is incapable of bringing a real transformation to the organisation in question (Collins, 2004). This report sheds more light on the management consulting sector. In particular, the report will highlight why consultants are hired and how they add value to firms. The report will conclude by offering critical reflections about the role of management consultants.
企业之间日益激烈的竞争，以及提高效率和生产率的追求，是促使管理层继续寻求全球咨询服务的关键因素之一。在这方面，管理顾问在帮助企业解决问题、找到更好的运营管理方式以及提供管理见解方面发挥着关键作用，帮助企业在各自行业保持领先于竞争对手（Sadler，2001）。尽管管理咨询部门的作用无法削弱，特别是在迅速变化的现代企业界，但有人担心，该部门只会试图从客户那里骗取辛苦赚来的现金，以换取机械的，无法为相关组织带来真正转变的一般建议（Collins，2004）。这份报告对管理咨询行业有了更多的了解。特别是，该报告将强调为什么聘用顾问以及他们如何为公司增值。报告最后将对管理顾问的作用进行批判性反思。
Management consulting sector: Overview
管理咨询业：概述
Management consultancy traces its history to the early 20th century. In reference to Biggs (2010), management consultancy traces its roots to the ideas of individuals like Edwin Booz and James O. McKinsey, who believed that firms could achieve a significant level of success if they sought for advice from experts outside their own organisation who were capable of offering impartial expert advice. Biggs (2010) observes that Edwin Booz pursued his idea and establish a consultancy firm that bore his name, Booz Allen Hamilton. On the other hand, James O. McKinsey established the firm, McKinsey & Company, and with the help of Marvin Bower, brought a significant revolution in the management consultancy industry (Edersheim, 2010). One of the critical aspects to note about management consultancy is the fact that during its early years, this industry mainly operated on an alliance between accountant and engineers. Thus, the main services that early consultancy firms offered included auditing services. During and after the Second World War, firms were concerned with efficient operations, cutting down costs and increasing productivity (Biggs, 2010). Therefore, management consultants played an instrumental role in providing advice on ways, means and solutions that could be adopted to enhance efficiency and productivity levels in such firms.
管理咨询公司的历史可以追溯到20世纪初。参考Biggs（2010年），管理咨询公司将其根源追溯到Edwin Booz和James O.McKinsey等个人的想法，他们认为，如果企业向组织外的专家寻求建议，并能够提供公正的专家建议，企业可以取得显著的成功。Biggs（2010）观察到Edwin Booz追求他的想法，并成立了一家名为Booz Allen Hamilton的咨询公司。另一方面，詹姆斯·麦肯锡成立了麦肯锡公司，并在马文·鲍尔的帮助下，在管理咨询行业带来了一场重大革命（Edersheim，2010）。关于管理咨询，需要注意的一个关键方面是，在其早期，该行业主要依靠会计师和工程师之间的联盟运作。因此，早期咨询公司提供的主要服务包括审计服务。在第二次世界大战期间和之后，企业关注高效运营、降低成本和提高生产率（Biggs，2010）。因此，管理顾问发挥了重要作用，就提高这些公司的效率和生产力水平可采取的方式、方法和解决办法提供咨询意见。