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Amy Ka Ling Moore

Consultancy Project

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A week ago, yes, naively I was ready to believe everything our consultant is going to tell us next week.  Seriously, after the Tutor Group Exercise I now see things in a different way.  So we pulled apart the Consultant's report to conclude:

- The report did not address the aims or objectives.  They are not answered.

- Was the brief clear?  Who briefed the report?  Is there an ulterior motive.   Who commissioned this and why? 

- The conclusion did not help the end user.  Interviews were conducted with 4 directors, 2 customers, and 4 production managers - so that's 80% stakeholders and 20% customers?  How is that valid research?  The sample is too small.

- What benchmark, what industry best practice proof is there?

- The findings are based on opinions not evidence, the conclusions are not evidence based.  These are merely assumptions.  Who was the stakeholder who initiated this, is this purely a report that supports his intentions? 

- The recommendation is not flexible.  It goes against their core values.  Why charge the extra £50?

- The research is incomplete.  There should be an analyis on the clients interpretation not just internal stakeholders.

- Quite often a consultant can replicate a model that worked elsewhere, and simply say that it'll work for you too without doing the research or making adaptations.

- It should be a clear report, not me doing the analysis.  Go back and do it again.

Permalink 3 comments (latest comment by Jan Pinfield, Monday, 3 Dec 2012, 08:38)
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Amy Ka Ling Moore

EBI

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social collaboration software

http://mashable.com/2012/09/07/social-collaboration-tools/

what co. looking for

http://jobs.mashable.com/a/jbb/job-details/769258

collaboration improves efficiency

http://mashable.com/2012/02/05/tools-collaboration-agency-client/

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Amy Ka Ling Moore

New blog post

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I am not sure how to structure this blog!  Do I edit each entry to add in new info relating to the title header, or do I simply keep this log in date order and add the subject in the tag below?  Brain dead.

Anhow, an interesting article Martina Baugh posted in the cafe today, have saved it on my usb:

The Relevant Past: Why the History of Management Should Be Critical for Our Future (Stephen Cummings, Todd Bridgman - Victoria Uni of Wellington)

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Amy Ka Ling Moore

EBI

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Edited by Amy Ka Ling Moore, Monday, 5 Nov 2012, 22:26

A random thought about the EBI - so we're all studying via long distance learning.  10 years ago this was sneered upon, but now we're all very tech savvy it's easy for people to connect with others all over the world via social networks such as facebook, twitter etc.  We're pretty familiar with Skype, Google Chat Rooms, Salesforce etc so how can I relate this to my EBI?

So I work in Direct Sales, and I am managed at a distance.  I only see my boss every few weeks, and I get to work from home.  I spend more time interacting with my clients than the company I work for.  I wonder how I can share best practice amongst other offices all over the world, by utitilising the technology we have today.  Whether it be sharing client photos, testimonials, case studies, category mailers etc via a network.  Our IT system always crashes internally, so let's not rely on that.  We have huge IT issues within our company.  Literally to the point where laptops, phones, our systems crash every few days.  For the world's largest outdoor advertising company, it's pretty suprising that we have this huge issue.  So, as an alternative tool how can we use the cloud?  The company won't explore amazing tools like Sales Force which is incredibly successful in the U.S (I know this having worked in California).  So if budgets are restricted to by extra software etc, I have to consider that too.  How can our Direct Sales Team utilise apps, and social media to share best practice?  So it's all about COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, how can our teams across Europe all share best practice?

I love the way there are MBA students from all over the world in this cafe, sharing notes etc.  They feel open to express how they feel too, are we hidden behind the computer and feel more comfortable to express our thoughts perhaps even moreso than sat face to face in front of our boss?  How can we utilise technology to bring out the best in our teams?  Are there management busines models re: long distance management?  Isn't the world going that way anyhow, with satellite offices etc?  It's cheaper for people to work from home and takes less time.  I remember doing A-Level Geography, and even back then we were writing about how Working from Home would be the way many businesses would go?  I have no idea actually, I'm just thinking out loud and maybe even one sentence in this blog maybe useful.  But hey, I've got to start somewhere and I guess the first stage is simply to THINK!!

....BOOK 1: EXPLORING MANAGEMENT, page 30

However, in an increasingly global environment this becomes even more important, a point made by Anders Dahlvig, president and CEO of the furniture chain Ikea:

The world has changed enormously in the past decade...All of us now act in ways we did not 10 years ago.  Gobalization means stakeholders and responsibilities everywhere, which have to be managed.  It's quite a different level of complexity.  (Dahlvig, 2000, cited in Neely et al., 2002, p.4)

(although this quote is relating to stakeholders, it reminds me how the world has changed so much, if we think of how social media has changed the way we communicate, interact etc, how we study, how we do business etc.  Also, in the activity where we had to analyse how we have been managed - it reminds me of a boss who always says some people have 1970s style management, yet if we look at some of the earlier theories actually he could be more of a late 1800s style manager attempting to perform in the 21st century.  It could be an example of how some managers really need to change the way they manage, to succeed in this era, and that can be subject to the company culture.  Very different from when I worked in California where they are far more forward thinking).

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TMA 01: Scouting your evidence-based initiative (EBI)

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Edited by Amy Ka Ling Moore, Monday, 5 Nov 2012, 22:28

http://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=152622

Check Assessment Guidance http://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=152621

Check Assessment Criteria http://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=152621&section=5.1

Activity 1.8: starting the scouting cycle of your EBI http://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=152038&section=6.2

EBI 'Thinking Space' - word document

And TGF Submissions

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EBI

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Edited by Amy Ka Ling Moore, Monday, 5 Nov 2012, 22:28
http://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=152072
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