CS Intermediate Level

Research, Consultancy and Advisory flashcards

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Complete Flashcard Reference

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What three things does Argyris's intervention theory say an effective intervention achieves?

1. It generates valid information. 2. It preserves the client's free, informed choice. 3. It builds the client's internal commitment to whatever is decided. The point is to help the client decide, rather than impose a solution.

How does positivism differ from interpretivism as a research philosophy?

Positivism: assumes an objective, measurable reality that can be studied through observation and testing. Interpretivism: holds that reality is socially constructed and best understood through the meanings people attach to it, so it must be interpreted rather than purely measured.

What is the difference between a Type I and a Type II error in hypothesis testing?

Type I: wrongly rejecting a true null hypothesis, a false positive. Type II: wrongly failing to reject a false null hypothesis, a false negative. The null hypothesis is the assumption of no effect.

What is stratified sampling, and what is its advantage and its cost?

It divides the population into subgroups (strata) and samples from each. Advantage: better representativeness when the strata differ meaningfully, since every important subgroup is represented rather than left to chance. Cost: more setup work than a simple random sample.

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

Reference list: only the sources actually cited in the text. Bibliography: may also include sources consulted but not directly cited. So a report citing 10 sources after reading 20 has 10 in its reference list.

How does an internal consultant compare with an external consultant?

An internal consultant advises within their own organisation, without line authority over the client area. Advantage: already has the organisational context, history and relationships. Disadvantage: less perceived independence, since colleagues may doubt their objectivity.

What are the four consultative approaches?

Expert: the consultant diagnoses and prescribes; the client largely receives the answer. Medical (doctor-patient): examines, diagnoses and prescribes, with the client describing the symptoms. Process: helps the client diagnose and solve its own problem, building its capability. Emergent (EODC): treats change as an unfolding, adaptive process the consultant facilitates.

What are the four stages of the GROW coaching model?

Goal: what the coachee wants to achieve. Reality: the current situation. Options: possible ways forward. Will: what the coachee will actually commit to do. Success is measured against the goal set at the outset.

What four characteristics of services make marketing a consulting firm different from marketing a product?

Intangibility: cannot be seen, touched or evaluated before delivery. Inseparability: produced and consumed at the same time, often with the client involved. Heterogeneity (variability): quality can vary between deliveries, even from the same provider. Perishability: cannot be stored; unsold capacity today is lost, not banked.

What is client discovery in an advisory relationship?

Systematically mapping the client's business, stakeholders, challenges and objectives at the start of the relationship. It is the foundation everything that follows is built on, the advisory equivalent of problem formulation in research.

What are the six boxes in Weisbord's model of organisational diagnosis?