Professional services

Professional services are occupations in the tertiary sector of the economy requiring special training in the arts or sciences.[1] Some professional services require holding professional licenses such as architects, auditors, engineers, doctors and lawyers. Other professional services involve providing specialist business support to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors; this can include tax advice, supporting a company with accounting, or providing management advice.[2]

Definition

Many industry groupings have been used for academic research when looking at professional services firms, making a clear definition hard to attain. Some work has been directed at better defining professional service firms (PSF). In particular, Von Nordenflycht generated a taxonomy of professional service firms, defining four types:[3]

  1. Classic PSFs (e.g. law and accounting firms) - characterised by a high knowledge intensity, a professionalised workforce, and low capital intensity
  2. Professional campuses (e.g. hospitals) - characterised by a high knowledge intensity, a professionalised workforce, and high capital intensity
  3. Neo-PSFs (e.g. management consultants) - characterised by a high knowledge intensity and a low capital intensity
  4. Technology developers (e.g. R&D firms, biotechs) - characterised by a high knowledge intensity and a high capital intensity

Frameworks such as this aid the ability of managers and academics to better understand how such firms manage themselves and how to judge benchmark practices.

Example occupations

Provision

Professional services can be provided by sole proprietors, partnerships or corporations. A person providing the service can often be described as a consultant. In law, barristers normally organise themselves into chambers. Businesses in other industries, such as banks and retailers, can employ individuals or teams to offer professional services for their customers.[4]

Marketing

The marketing and selection of professional-service providers may depend on factors such as skill, knowledge, experience, reputation, capacity, ethics, and creativity.[5][6] Large corporations may have a formal procurement process for engaging professional services.[7] Prices for services, even within the same field, may vary greatly. Professional-service providers may offer fixed rates for specific work, charge in relation to the number or seniority of people engaged, or charge in relation to the success or profit generated by the project.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Professional services". The Office of Fair Trading. Archived from the original on 2 April 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "What are professional services?". PwC. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  3. ↑ Von Nordenflycht, A, "What is a professional service firm? Toward a theory and taxonomy of knowledge-intensive firms", Academy of Management Review, Vol. 35, No. 1. (2010), pp. 155-174
  4. ↑ "Corporate Banking - Professional Services". Barclays. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "Choosing an Accountant" (PDF). Duquesne University Small Business Development Center. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  6. ↑ "Selection Criteria". Association of Management Consulting Firms. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  7. ↑ "A Guide on How to Select a Project Management Consultancy". Project Management Institute. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  8. ↑ "Payment By Results". Newton. Retrieved 4 January 2015.

External links

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