How Businesses Can Benefit From International Strategic Consultants

By Ruthie Livingston


Over the years, there have been many challenges that the multinationals have had to cope with in the international marketplace. This calls for businesses to develop a strategic vision and follow that up with strategies on every front. That way, they are able to maintain their competitive edge over their competitors and remain profitable in the end. Enlisting the assistance of international strategic consultants is a step towards the right direction.

An international consultant helps a business develop robust business unit and corporate strategies and align its resources and personnel to the set goals. This deals with such challenges that include market assessment, strategic planning process design, scenario planning, and alliance management. A corporate wide strategy sets the tone that the company integrates in its daily activities.

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.

The growth of a company may be measured by its vertical and horizontal integration. One of the horizontal growth strategies is by merging with others and acquisitions of the rival establishments. These give the business access to already established markets and working systems that were held by the rivals. Assistance is needed in identifying the right target, due diligence the process of screening targets, post-merger integration and all other aspects mergers and acquisitions.

A functional strategy results from breaking down other strategies small manageable policies. It includes planning of daily activities of the firm that include human resource, finance, information technology, and procurement. A business may be in need of getting finance to expand and access new markets, manage its working capital overseas or training on the use of performance management systems like SAP.

Strategies need to be executed in order for them to make any sense to the business. Most businesses have a problem putting the plans into action due to the resources needed, training and logistics that are put in place in the implementation stage. A consultant can be at hand to assist in developing roadmaps for implementation of the strategies, managing change, training the workforce on the new systems and measuring the progress.

Given the broad challenges in the international market, most consultants offer support in a few areas. These include staffing, operations, technology, process improvement, and sales consulting among many more. It is important for a business to pick a consultancy firm that has the expertise in the area that the business requires assistance.




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