CONSULTING SERVICES AS A TOOL IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Consulting services – a relatively young industry in Ukraine, its origins can be attributed to the end of XX century – the beginning of the XXI century. It was at that time that a market economy and all its accompanying elements began to take shape: the emergence of various forms of ownership, free pricing, the development of competition, etc. Today, the Ukrainian market of consulting services continues to develop, to create new business technologies that are progressing rapidly, and the interest of entrepreneurs in this type of services is increasing. Consulting can help companies increase productivity and efficiency. Professional consultants conduct research within the company, find the cause of the problem and offer solutions to various organizational and managerial problems. It is important to note that companies seek advice not only in crisis situations, and if they do not decide on the reform or restructuring of production and economic activities. Business owners also turn to consultants to obtain objective information about the state of affairs in order to move from operational management to strategic management of the company. Therefore, the reasons for applying to the consulting structure may be different, as well as the problems that owners turn to it. This article considers consulting as an activity of providing expert advice to the client. For the organization to be successful and competitive, it must constantly develop and integrate into the realities of the modern world. If the company does not have the resources to do so, it often turns to consulting professionals. It should be understood that modern enterprises turn to consultants when they need help in their activities or create the conditions for a catalyst for change in their system of internal organization. In addition, it is necessary to understand what problems small and medium business owners face at each stage of the organization's life cycle. The main types of consulting were highlighted in the article and the main stages of providing consulting services were considered. There are a number of tools for effective management of consulting in accordance with the life cycle of the enterprise. In the process of research the methods of system and abstract-logical analysis, statistical analysis, graphic method are used.