Integrated Engineering Business Project Coursework

Integrated Engineering Business Project - Coursework Example Starting a consultancy agency is not a very easy task. A person can become a consultant in a field of his own interest but he must be fully qualified to do so. It is necessary for him to have undergone training in an institute, (In India, the National Productivity Council, for example). A certificate issued by such an institute will make one a person a consultant. Experience, professional knowledge and interest in a specific area are some of the necessary things to start a consultancy agency. In recent years, consulting has been an important term in business. As many big companies have grown smaller in size, they have increasingly outsourced projects and jobs to consultants, many of whom have been the victims of downsizing themselves. Consultancy is a flexible business. One can choose one's own profession that one is interested in and probably spend the rest of one's lives advising somebody on the pros and cons of the business. One has the liberty to take up one's own time and this is a place where one is one's own boss. Consultancy agency is one business where one requires only a low start-up investment but probably giant-sized brains! The American Heritage dictionary defines 'to consult' as "to seek advice or information of." To put in simple words, a consultant is a person who gives expert advice on a profession. To be a good personal consultant, one should have good communicative skills, enthusiasm, and the ability to market oneself. Depending on the service one provides, some of the countries may require a certification or license for the agency. Apart from obtaining a license, one may require to attend a few seminar classes or a course work. A few consultants may work for a social cause for fund raising, for instance. They need not obtain a certificate from law, but they will still require a certificate to remain competent in the business. Consultancy business is to which one has to give a considerable amount of thought before entering. Unless one is confident of giving a professional advice in this field, one has to re-consider taking up this line. Marketing is the lifeblood of consultancy, while knowledge is its life. One maybe an expert in the chosen field (automotive engineering, for instance) but without the marketing capacity nothing can be done in this field. One should be convincing to one's clients. One should be able to win one's clients' confidence. For marketing, one should possess good oratorical skills, and more importantly self-confidence. In consulting, one will learn how to market and advertise. Advertising is one efficient way to make people aware of their existence. The media vehicle that one uses for the same depends upon their financial availability. It