Extent and types of management consulting services to SMEs in Vojvodina
Abstract
Growth and development of small and medium enterprises depends on many external and internal factors, as well as the volume, type and quality of support available to them. This paper highlights the importance of management knowledge and skills in small business, and the importance of management consulting in their acquisition and development. We have researched and analyzed the extent to management consulting (MC) services, separately in the micro, small and medium enterprises. In addition, we learn which types of MC services are most commonly used by companies of different sizes. In that way, we provided qualitative and quantitative data for each group of enterprises, both in the type and volume of services used. It is observed that micro-enterprises use a small amount MC services, and those of more general type. With the growth of the enterprises, comes an increase in scope, and sophistication of services used. The results may be useful both for small and medium enterprises, as well as for institutional and private providers of management consulting services.
References
Adižes, I. (1994). Životni ciklus preduzeća – kako i zašto preduzeća rastu i umiru i šta činiti u vezi sa tim. Novi Sad, Prometej.
Applebaum, S. H., & Hinds, D. (1984). The Role of the Management Consultant in Small Business. Business Quarterly, 9(3), 43-51.
Birch, D. L. (1987). Job Creation in America: How Our Smallest Companies Put the Most People to Work. New York, Free Press/MacMillan Publishing Company.
Birch, D. L. (1981). Who Creates Jobs?, The Public Interest, New York, 65(Fall), 3-14.
Bower, M. (1982). The forces that launched management consulting are still at work, Journal of Management Consultancy, 1(1), 4-6.
Christensen, R. P., & Klyver, K. (2006) Management consultancy in small firms: how does interaction work? Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, Vol. 13 (3),.299 – 313.
Crisman, J. J., & McMullan, W. E. (2000). A Preliminary Assessment of Outsider Assistance as a Knowledge Resource: The Longer-Term Impact of New Venture Counseling, Entrepreneurship:Theory & Practice, 24(3), 41-57.
Drucker, P. (2003). The New Realities. New Brunswick (U.S.A.) and London (U.K.), Transaction Publishers.
Dukić, D., & Milivojević, T. (2011). Model menadžment konsaltinga za preduzetnike i vlasnike malih preduzeća, Industrija, Ekonomski institut Beograd, 39(2), 335-354.
Dukić, D., & Nikolić, I. (2010). Menadžment konsalting u sektoru MSSP iz perspektive klijenta, Management – časopis za teoriju i praksu menadžmenta, FON Beograd, 15(55), 69-77.
European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Research - EFER. (1996). Europe's 500. Dynamic Entrepreneurs The Job Creators. Brussels, Belgium, European Union.
Gattiker U. E., & Larwood, L. (1985). Why do clients employ management consultants? Consultation, 4(2), 119-129.
Hagedorn, H. J. (1982). The anatomy of ideas behind a successful consulting firm. Journal of Management Consulting, 1(1), 49-59.
Jovanović P. (2005). Menadžment - teorija i praksa. Beograd, Fakultet organizacionih nauka.
Kubr, M. (2002). Management consulting: A guide to the profession (fourth edition). Geneva, International Labour Office.
McLarty, R. (2003). The Attitudes of British Managers in Small and Medium- Sized Enterprises to the Implementation of Value Chain Concept. International Journal of Management, 20(4), 430-442.
Mihajlović, B., Paraušić, V., & Potrebić, V. (2006). Uloga konsaltinga u restrukturiranju preduzeća u tranziciji. Industrija, 34(3), 81-90.
National Agency for Regional Development. (2011). Report of SMEs - 2010. Belgrade, Serbia.
Mughan, T., Lioyd-Reason, L., & Zimmermann, C. (2004). Management Consulting and International Business Support for SMEs: Need and Obstacles. Education + Training, 46(8-9), 424-432.
Naylor, J., Hawkins N., & Wilson C. (2000). Benchmarking Marketing in an SME: The Case of an Italian Kitchen Furniture Manufacturer. The Marketing Review, 1(3), 325-339.
Rajkov M., Sajfert, Z. (1999) Preduzetnički menadžment. Beograd, Fakultet organizacionih nauka.
Stoner, J., & Freeman, E. (1989). Management. New York, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs.
Storey, D. J. (2004). Exploring the link, among small firms, between management training and firm performance: a comparison between the UK and OECD countries. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15(1), 112-130.
Urbonavichius, S., Dichius, V., (2005). Specifics of Business Consulting Services Used by Small and Medium Enterprises in a Transition Economy. Engineering Economics, 3(43), 74-81.
