Apparel Industry Management

Apparel Industry Management 3(3+0)

Lesson 9 : Management Aids

Specialized Professional Services

The number of specialized professional services has increased sharply over the last quarter of a century, and it is to be expected that the process will continue. The extent to which professional services are used and whether the services are jointly or singly rendered by members of the staff, by a department within a company, or by external organizations and individuals depends on the knowledge, background, and ability of the managerial executives and the size of the company.

There is an increasing tendency for senior executives in larger companies not to involve themselves deeply in specialized problems or to apply themselves to time- and energy-consuming investigations but to introduce, or seek advice from, consultants, who are many in kind and number and cover an extremely varied field.

This practice is not without its dangers, for not only does it result in an ever-narrowing horizon for top executives, who should take a broad view, but it also adds a heavy and increasing burden to the overhead costs of a company.

The work of the outside specialists in some fields is empirical and based on a comparative analysis of operations in other companies and industries, but, in a majority of cases where their services are employed, the services rendered fall into well-defined professional categories, such as the legal or accounting profession. In listing several professional aids, available, either within a company, if large, or on a fee-paying basis, it is not intended to resort to any description of the services since, they are to a great extent self-defined. The most important professional services available are as follows:

1. business consultants, including:
1. production engineers (including time and motion engineers)
2. business-organization advisers
3. commercial advisers
4. marketing consultants
5. technical advisers
6. personnel advisers
2. civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers
3. architects
   
4. economists
   
5. chartered accountants and cost consultants
   
6. taxation consultants
   
7. insurance brokers and consultants
   
8. investment and financial advisers
   
9. legal advisers
   
10. estate agents and surveyors
    
11. advertising specialists
    
12. public-relations advisers
    
13. travel services.