In this paper Ill discuss the first outcomes of an explorative research concerning the consultancy projects of a consultancy-based learning programme (Minor Consultancy 2006 - 2007, half-year bachelor programme University of Applied Sciences, Hogeschool Utrecht, The Netherlands). In order to improve the programme on consultancy and to get information on the phenomenon of small business1 consultancy, we explored the success and failures of junior and senior consultants in 8 small business consultancy cases. Junior consultants reviewed their experiences by using elements of the Critical Incident Technique (determining and reviewing just after finishing the projects). What, when and how did they learn and was at the same time effective and beneficial for the client / project? Clients and senior consultants were interviewed and we explored their perceptions of performance, interaction and learning. First results indicate that clients perceive the performance of junior consultants as positive. Juniors and clients need to collaborate in order to achieve adequate project results. Junior consultants / students learn from their consultancy experience. They improve their communication skills and become more self-assure in the relation with a client. Senior consultants / teaching staff members learn from juniors and become aware of their complex role. Clients need reflection to understand that they have learned during the project and consultancy can bee seen as a learning opportunity. Future research: we want to continue to collect process-data of small business consultancy cases in order to get a better understanding of the practice of small business consultancy and (consultancy-based) learning.
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Onderzoek naar het gebruik van consultant competenties in teamgerichte nascholingssituaties. IJking van een consultant vaardighedentaxonomie
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Purpose In order to facilitate ageing-in-place (AiP) with dementia, a digital consultancy tool (DCT) was designed to facilitate modifications to the home environment. In the Netherlands, about 65% of the 270,000 older adults with dementia live in their own dwelling. At the same time, 40% of the Dutch housing stock is not appropriate for older adults to live independently1 . Admission to a nursing home is usually caused by stress and a straining of the family carers. Caring for a person with dementia requires constant vigilance. Although admission to a nursing home cannot always be avoided, admission may be postponed by modifying the dwelling and through the use of technology. At present, persons with dementia are not able to adjust their dwelling to suit their needs. Therefore, it is important that carers and installers have access to information on how to design a dwelling in a dementia-friendly way. Method Based on publications about housing facilities2 , thermal comfort3 and dementiafriendly space plan4 , the design for a DCT for AiP was made. The design of the DCT will be discussed in focus group sessions in Alzheimer Cafés with persons with dementia and their family carers. First, sessions will be held about the requirements for the web tool for dementia-friendly design. After gathering the requirements and verification to (inter)national guidelines concerning the accessibility of webpages, focus group sessions will be held with user groups in order to test the usability of the preliminary DCT. Results & Discussion Results of this process are a webpage with descriptions of how to create a dementia-friendly dwelling for AiP with dementia. On the webpage dementia-friendly modifications of the living environment will be ordered by problem/function or space. Problems are categorized by (I)ADL tasks, behaviour, or cognitive problems. Adjustments of spaces are categorized by the combined model of WHO’s ICF and the Model of Integrated Building Design3,5.
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1e alinea column: Wat niets kost heeft geen waarde Een van de heikele punten van de startende ondernemer is wanneer je geld kunt gaan vragen voor je dienstverlening. Bijvoorbeeld in de sociale media hoek zijn er nogal wat van die starters. Daarom deze blog hierover op DC. In de maakindustrie ligt factureren wat gemakkelijker dan in de dienstverlening of consultancy hoek. In de maakindustrie is het product fysiek en de levering objectief. In de dienstverlening en zeker in de consultancy lever je geen fysieke producten en is dat in ieder geval objectief minder duidelijk meetbaar. Je hebt waarde, waardering, het meten van die waarde en het managen van waarde. Verzakelijking van je dienstverlening betekent omzetten naar euri en daarin positie durven kiezen. In de praktijk is dat vaak een hele stap, met name voor starters.
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The global tourism industry witnesses significant challenges and changes when it comes to sustainability, changing consumer preferences and ICT developments. Against this backdrop, tourism businesses need to innovate in order to stay relevant for their markets and stakeholders. Critical tourism professionals with strong analytical skills can initiate and guide these processes of innovation in the future, and reach beyond existing blueprints and organizational frameworks. This is the idea behind Sustainability in Tourism—The Corporate Perspective (SUSCOR), a 6-week, English taught, intensive specialization course that explores how sustainable business practices can create (social) returns on investment. SUSCOR is built around a real-life consultancy assignment for a work field commissioner. Students work in international project teams to assess the client’s CSR activities in order to identify strategic improvements, design a business case, present this business case to the board of directors at the client’s head office, and conclude with a final consultancy report. SUSCOR offers students a platform to practice and develop their problem solving and consultancy skills while simultaneously getting a reality check about their future professional field. As the assignment is embedded in a series of lectures and workshops about contemporary theories about sustainable development, social responsibility and business innovation, SUSCOR links academic knowledge to the reality of today’s professional field. This chapter presents the concept and design of the course, illustrates the course week by week, and provides a number of concluding remarks and recommendations that aim to guide the further development of this type of teaching activity.
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Gisbergen, M. S. (Project lead), Shima Rezaei Rashnoodi (project lead), Guillermo Enrique Lavín Montero (Developer), Carlos Santos (Consultancy), Wilco Boode (Consultancy), Kevin Hutchinson (Consultancy), UDEM students.
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Deze vier artikelen uit verschillende hoeken van de HU illustreren uiteenlopende ervaringen met de koppeling tussen onderwijs, onderzoek en beroepspraktijk. Uit hun verhalen blijkt dat deze verbindingen steeds meer vorm krijgen en dat de ervaringen met de HU als kennisinstelling vooral positief zin. Uitgegeven op het HU onderwijscongres 2008 als Passie & Precisie deel 02.
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In this dissertation, the author describes the development of a practice called Relational Coaching for Management Consultants. This practice has been developed as a resource for management consultants who seek to ‘take a look in the mirror’ with regard to their facilitating role in complex organizational change processes. The author’s ultimate aim is to contribute to decreasing the infamous number of 70% of organizational change initiatives that fail to deliver the expected results.
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