Overview

How do senior executives, such as CEOs and CFOs, interact, select and appoint professional advisors? Based on a successful PhD project, the research in this book explores the interactions between advisors of large professional service firms and senior executive clients on an evidence-based academic level. The research journey and the author's reflections are charted step-by-step, providing an example of how to analyse unstructured qualitative data, reach theoretical saturation and capture emerging substantive theories. Moreover, by taking a unique holistic and inductive approach, this study offers a series of practical insights on how to combine and apply Kathy Charmaz' constructivist grounded theory with an auto-ethnographic stance. Divided into eight chapters, the author uses empirical data and rigorous analysis to uncover two distinct decision-making processes, namely (a) the client's decision to develop and maintain a relationship with the advisor and (b) to select and appoint the advisor for a particular project or services. Mapping these to one common conceptual framework a second complementary model emerges - a type of decision-making matrix with the foci 'competiveness, skills and merit', 'continuity and embeddedness', 'control and manage' and 'trust and empathy' - which offers the reader an alternative perspective of client decision-making. This book will be useful for practitioners and researchers alike who have an interest in understanding either naturalistic decision-making processes, the complexities of relationship development and procurement dynamics, as well as applied qualitative research methods.

Full Product Details

9781622735266

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Wienke Seeger has held various client facing and operational roles for a number of professional service firms over the past 20 years. She has extensive experience in client relationship programmes, ranging from strategic initiatives to operational programmes, as well as large-scale systems implementations. Her academic interest and research in decision-making theories has been inherently informed by her professional experiences; understanding client motivations, preferences and expectations and how these feature in different decision making situations has been a key focus in Wienke's career.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available