Adviser

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An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs categorically from that of a task-specific consultant. An adviser is typically part of the leadership, whereas consultants fulfill functional roles.[1]

The spellings adviser and advisor have both been in use since the 16th century.[2] Adviser has always been the more usual spelling, though advisor has gained frequency in recent years and is a common alternative, especially in North America.[3][4]

Etymology[edit]

The use of adviser is of English origin, with "er" as a noun ending, and advisor of Latin origin.[5] The words are etymological twin cognates and are considered interchangeable.

Word usage[edit]

Usage of the two words is normally a matter of choice, but they should not be used together in the same document. The Associated Press prefers (AP Stylebook) the use of "adviser", but Virginia Tech (style guide) gives preference to "advisor", stating that it "is used more commonly in academe" and that "adviser is acceptable in releases going to organizations that follow AP style".[6] Purdue University Office of Marketing and Media's Editorial Style Guide gives preference to "advisor".[7] The European Commission uses "adviser(s)",[8] the UK has Special advisers, as well as the Scottish Government,[9] and the United Nations uses Special Advisers. The US government uses both: Council of Economic Advisers, Office of the Legal Adviser, Deputy National Security Advisor (deputy to the President's NSA), Legal "Advisor" (Office for the Administrative Review of the Detention of Enemy Combatants), that was part of the team tasked to conduct Combatant Status Review Tribunals of captives detained in Guantanamo Bay, and laws Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs's Fulbright Program has "advisers".

Specific uses[edit]

Books[edit]

Use of "advisor" appeared in print in the United States in 1889, with The Tennessee Justice and Legal Advisor by William C. Kain and Horace N. Hawkins.[10] The Department of Justice of the United States, Issue 15, printed in 1927 by the Institute For Government Research, uses both spellings: "1. Political adviser and assistant to the President" and "Legal Advisor. Like all the other cabinet officers, the Attorney General is a political advisor of the President".[11]

Consultancy[edit]

  • Business advisor, an expert or a professional in a specific field or a specific subject in business.
  • Tax advisor, an individual or firm expert in tax law

Finances[edit]

  • Commodity trading advisor, any person who advises others re futures or commodity trading
  • Financial advisor, also known as a financial planner, a practicing professional who helps people to deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning
  • Financial Management Advisor, a professional designation of the Canadian Securities Institute
  • Investment Advisor, an individual or firm that advises clients on investment matters
  • Registered Investment Adviser, an individual or firm who has registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or with a state regulatory agency in connection with the management of the investments of others

Publications[edit]

Specific advisory companies[edit]

Specific advisory services[edit]

  • Dipmeter Advisor, an early system developed to aid in the analysis of data gathered during oil exploration
  • McAfee SiteAdvisor, an Internet service that warns users that a site may make them victims of malware or spam
  • MIT Design Advisor, an online tool for exploring the energy performance of building designs

Media[edit]

Examples of the use of adviser and advisor in the media on a particular subject:

  • NPR: "Deputy National Security Adviser Explains U.S. Options In ..."[12]
  • The Washington Post: "deputy national security adviser for strategic communications"[13]
  • The Wall Street Journal: "Obama to Name Deputy National-Security Adviser"[14]
  • The White House: "Briefing by Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes"[15]
  • English Wikipedia: Ben Rhodes (politician), "the current deputy national security adviser for strategic communication for U.S. President Barack Obama".[16]
  • The Foundry: "CBS News President David Rhodes is the brother of Ben Rhodes, the White House deputy national security adviser..."[17]
  • Yahoo News: "President Barack Obama's national security adviser..."[18]
  • Indiana University Bloomington: "Rhodes is assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor for strategic communications and speechwriting".[19]

Other[edit]

Notable Advisers[edit]

Portrait Name Year Origin Notes
Chanakya 375–283 BCE India Indian polymath and a royal advisor of Mauryan Emperors Chandragupta and Bindusara who authored the ancient Indian political treatise, the Arthashastra
Birbal 1528-1586 Madhya Pradesh, India Advisor and main commander (Mukhya Senapati) of army in the court of the Mughal emperor, Akbar and one of the Akbar's Navratnas
Bairam Khan 1501-1561 Badakhshan, Central Asia At the court of the Mughal Emperors, Humayun and Akbar
Henry Kissinger 1923-2023 Weimar Republic, Germany American diplomat, who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor
Yelu Chucai 1190-1244 Yanjing, Jin dynasty Khitan adviser to Genghis Khan and his son Ögedei

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Definition agreed on by both professional advisors and consultants in business magazine along with functional workflow graphic."The Difference Between Consultants and Advisors"
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, s.vv. "adviser" and "advisor" (subscription required).
  3. ^ Google Ngram Viewer, "adviser, advisor".
  4. ^ Oxford Dictionaries, s.v. "adviser".
  5. ^ Adviser versus advisor- Retrieved 2014-05-25
  6. ^ Virginia Tech usage. Archived May 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  7. ^ "Editorial Style Guide". Purdue University. 2014-11-24. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  8. ^ European Commission. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  9. ^ Scottish government. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  10. ^ Google books; title. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  11. ^ Google books; p. 18. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  12. ^ NPR.org. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  13. ^ Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  14. ^ WSJ online. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  15. ^ Office of the Press Secretary. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  16. ^ Wikipedia. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  17. ^ The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  18. ^ Yahoo News. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  19. ^ IU Bloomington Newsroom. Retrieved 2014-05-25.