Discussion
The role of management consultants have always been intriguing to me as they primarily help various organizations in different business sectors to create value within their professions, solve issues and problems, maximize development and growth, and also improve the overall business performance. The primary role of consultants is to make use of their business skills so they can provide their objective expertise as well as advice, and in the way help companies to develop some specialist skills that were primarily lacking (Bicks 2017). The roles and responsibilities of a consultant is mainly concerned with the structure, strategy, operations, as well as management of any given company or firm. The role of a consultant also involves identifying the various options for the company in question as well as suggests suitable recommendations so that the company can change accordingly to better their business (Appelo 2020). The roles further involve identifying various options for the firm and advising on the additional resources so as to implement the solutions (Beard 2017). The primary objectives of the paper is to reflect on the current professional role and analyze the various opportunities for consulting within the mentioned professional context, then to assess the current strengths and weaknesses in relation to the relevant as well as identified career opportunities in consulting. Lastly, the paper aims to develop a strategic action plan based on the skills identified within the gap analysis so that the consulting opportunity requirements can be met.
I work in the Australian retail industry which deals with clothing and merchandise. My professional situation mainly involves me working as a retail buyer. A retail buyer is mainly responsible for seeking, choosing and purchasing vast amounts of merchandise hailing from different brands that can be sold in retail stores. In light of the recent coronavirus pandemic that has taken over the world, my professional situation required me to hire business consultants so that I could enable my company to perform better. This mainly illuminates the idea that consultants were necessary for the smooth running of my company. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, a hybrid mode of work was introduced. This evidently means that the employees of my company were working remotely from the safety of their homes so as to maintain the safety protocols set by the Australian government. In such a situation it was mandatory for me to hire consultants who will not only take care of the employees but would also make sure that the company was fulfilling its purpose. In addition to this it is also imperative to note that the consultants that I hire in my company would be responsible for not only looking after the employees well-being but would also be accountable for customer experiences. This evidently lays emphasis on the fact that the consultants will not only take care of the employees but will also ensure that the company is making appropriate sale and enabling the customers with the experience that they deserve. Furthermore, business consultants are also necessary for me as a retail buyer as they can help me in terms of solving problems should they arise on the customer’s end of things. This means that the consultants that I hire would also take care of any problems that might occur between the customer and the brand. It is also imperative to note that by hiring consultants I elevate the chances of my company flourishing in its purpose and evidently serving the targeted customer demographic with abundance.
Analysis of Opportunities for Consulting within the Professional Context
Consultancy is pivotal in every line of business. This also brings to light the fact that in order for a business to completely succeed both externally and internally files business consultants who look out for the business both on the customer side as well as on the brand’s side. It is also important to note that there are a number of different problems that retail consultants must face on the daily while doing their job. This means that retail consultants also act as a problem solver within the retail industry. For instance, retail consultants are responsible for the overall experience of the customers. This can cause problems such as customers having difficulties finding the right size of the garment and customers facing difficulties in understanding the measurement scale presented in the merchandise. This means that the retail consultants are responsible for analyzing the situation and helping the customers solve these problems. In addition to this it is also important to note that the retail consultants are also responsible for ensuring that the brand can connect freely with the customers which means that they have to ensure that there are no problems on the brand’s side of things while the customers shop in the store. This evidently justifies the fact that retail consultants are extremely imperative to the business. This also brings to light the fact that retail consultants not only help enhance the value of the brand but also contribute to retaining the customers of the brand. This further illuminates the idea that retail industry requires retail consultants in order to keep on flourishing in their designated purpose. This means that in my line of work of a retail buyer consultancy plays an extremely vital role and consultancy services in my professional situation evidently contributes to the betterment of my company both internally as well as externally.
The profession of retail buying in the merchandise and clothing industry primarily deals with trading as well as building the product category search to deliver the organizational vision, strategies, and the financial KPIs. The primary goal of a retail buyer also includes developing relationships that is strong and robust in nature with various key stakeholders such as suppliers. The role also includes influencing the main direction of the work category in collaboration with the key stakeholders so as to build strong assortment plans and drive the profitability as well as sales of the Company in line with their business values (Bothelho et al. 2017). My current professional situation in light of the Covid 19 pandemic includes collaborating with a number of business stakeholders as well as handling other issues that emerged due to the various problems and restrictions that rise from the COVID-19 crisis. Managing the various activities, stakeholders, suppliers, and another significant contributors to the business have become extremely difficult (Casciaro, Gino & Kouchaki 2016). There is also the issue of financial KPIs that needs to be focused upon and aligned with the business values, strategies, and goals so as to ensure success and faster growth (Bourgoin & Harvey 2018). The consulting skills that I currently have and ensure to implement them in the day to day activities mostly include; analytical as well as quantitative skills, good skills for team work, the ability to continuously work under a lot of pressure as well as cope with the various challenging situations, good level of flexibility, good commercial awareness and understanding of business, good skills for problem solving, and good communication and interpersonal skills.
Assessment of the Current Strengths and Weaknesses
My current strengths and weaknesses mostly include the following:
Strengths: The strengths that I have has mostly been honed through rigorous work and skill enhancement through dedication. Other strengths have developed automatically in line with my professional growth and development. The strengths mostly include confidence, agility, innate friendliness, driven or hard working, flexibility, the ability to multitasking, creative and innovative in nature and general decision making, respectful and patient, well managed emotionally, articulate and proactive, empathy, professionalism and positivity.
Weaknesses: My weaknesses typically include being analytical in nature. I also face several issues with analytical software usage from time to time but it is manageable. I often have a tendency to take on too much work or responsibility at a time. I also have issues with task delegation.
The required skills for the role or position of Strategy Associate: Operations Performance in the company of Deliveroo Australia PTY LTD includes;
- Highly analytical in nature along with a strong organizational skills set.
- Good attention to the details.
- Strategically thinking and validating the assumptions with proper data.
- Thinking on feet.
- Fast adjustments with changes.
- Hard working, driven and agile.
- Data crunching.
- Creative and resourceful and ability to leverage data to help the teams.
- Detail oriented and maintaining high accuracy.
- Proficient in Excel and Python, SQL, and others.
Therefore, the gap Analysis suggests that I need to enhance several of my skills so as to enhance the overall professional character to take on the job role of strategy Associate in Operations Performance.
|
Goal |
Specific |
Measurable |
Achievable |
Relevant |
Time |
|
Think on feet |
This mainly refers to my ability to be more present and expressly think on my feet |
This can be measured through my presence of mind while working on strategies |
This can be achieved through practicing agility when it comes to work |
This is relevant as it will enable me with the ability to flourish as an employee |
2 months |
|
Being creative |
This evidently lays reference to my ability of thinking outside the box |
This can be measured through the creative and innovative approaches that I come up with in order to achieve the set target of the company |
This can be achieved through developing my understanding of the market and hence coming up with unique ways to strategize |
This is relevant as it would enable the company with an edge against its competitors |
4 months |
|
To learn to be more accommodating |
This means that I will strive to be more adjusting when it comes to handling changes at work |
This can be measured through my ability to not only embrace change but also adjust to it quickly while working |
This can be achieved through me training my mind to be more disciplined and open to the idea of change |
This is relevant not only because it makes me a better employee but also because it makes work life extremely easy and also makes me an asset for my company |
3 months |
|
Learning to pay attention to detail |
This primarily suggests that I would develop my ability to keep an eye on every detail related to my line of work |
This can be measured through the stellar quality of my work |
This can be achieved through creating a checklist as well as double checking every task that I undertake so that I can pay attention to every detail related to that task |
This is relevant as it allows me to make almost no errors in my work which eventually helps my company to flourish in its designated industry |
5 months |
|
Learn to work well in a team |
This means that I will work on being a team player |
This can be measured through the intensity of my bond with my colleagues |
This can be achieved through creating bonds with my fellow team members and evidently working with one another |
This is relevant as it enables me to be an asset for the company and also allows me to develop my personal skills |
2 months |
|
Communicate clearly inter departmentally |
This means that I will work on developing my communication skills so that I can communicate clearly through the various departments of the company |
This can be measured through how clearly; I vocalise myself and convey my message |
This can be achieved through communicating daily as practice makes perfect. This means that I will communicate with everyone daily not only so that I can practice but also because it will help me convey myself better |
This is relevant as it will help the company function seamlessly especially in light of the recent corona virus pandemic that has changed the world forever |
4 months |
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the roles and responsibilities of a management or business consultant is extremely important even in a busy and important sector like retail. The various roles and responsibilities that define the position of a consultant mainly involves the structure, strategy, operations, as well as management of any given company or firm. The role of a consultant also involves identifying the various options for the company in question as well as suggests suitable recommendations so that the company can change accordingly to better their business. The roles further involve identifying various options for the firm and advising on the additional resources so as to implement the solutions. The consultancy role within business is extremely crucial and gaining fast consensus due to recent crisis and issues. The paper formulated a strategic smart action plan based on the gap analysis done in the previous sections to highlight the areas of growth along with how to achieve them.
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