THE NEW CHALLENGES OF ECONOMIC CONSULTANCY: AN EMPIRIC INVESTIGATION

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyse the new challenges required by economic consultancy area, due to the evolution of its demand both in Spain and in the European Union. The adequation that should be done to the consultancies to satisfy the necessities of the companies for the administrative and management functions is studied. This paper carries out a critical revision of the necessities of managerial advice and a double empiric investigation, based on two surveys: one capturing the perception of the managers and the other one, of the business professionals. The study evidences the dependence that companies have on economic consultancy entities. The necessity to improve the professionals qualification and their organizational structure, as well as taking care of the ethics, the quality and assumed responsibility. Also, the advantages of creating consultancy that can offer integral services (business, financial, accounting, tax, labor...) are presented, outlining the convenience of offering specialized services, especially those of information technology and systems integration.