The management consulting industry is a leading component of the world's knowledge economy permeating every segment of industry, commerce and government service. A multi-billion dollar phenomenon, it has yielded its own body of knowledge and set of practices. Exponents do make a lot of money for the consulting businesses they serve. What is not always understood, or transparent, is the value clients receive. This book seeks to make good that deficiency in our perception of the profession. Leaning on his deep and wide-ranging experience, Dr John Louth seeks to lift the lid on the management consulting profession in a critically reflective and accessible manner. With vignettes and examples drawn from his own experience and practice, he dissects the rational explanations usually provided by practitioners. He calls for restraint and self-awareness from both client and consultant, and advocates the reform of.15 a profession that seems increasingly powerful and unregulated. Dr Louth explores the management consulting profession on its own terrain, through its own language and discourses. He disentangles the management consultant's notions of "strategy," "risk management," "change" and "project management" so that these become meaningful to the layperson. Given the complexity that dominates the global geopolitical system and international economy, he asks how management consulting diagnoses can be effective in an uncertain and highly contingent world. With a foreword by Professor Rebecca Boden of the University of Roehampton Business School in London, this book is an accessible and scholarly monograph that is essential reading for those seeking to understand management consultancy and its role in the modern world.

The management consulting industry is a leading component of the world’s knowledge economy permeating every segment of industry, commerce and government service. A multi-billion dollar phenomenon, it has yielded its own body of knowledge and set of practices. Exponents do make a lot of money for the consulting businesses they serve. What is not always understood, or transparent, is the value clients receive. This book seeks to make good that deficiency in our perception of the profession. Learning on his deep and wide-ranging experience, Dr John Louth seeks to lift the lid on the management consulting profession in a critically reflective and accessible manner. With vignettes and examples drawn from his own experience and practice, he dissects the rational explanations usually provided by practitioners. He calls for restraint and self-awareness from both client and consultant, and advocates the reform of a profession that seems increasingly powerful and unregulated. Dr Louth explores the management consulting profession on its own terrain, through its own language and discourses. He disentangles the management consultant’s notions of “strategy,” “risk management,” “change” and “project management” so that these become meaningful to the layperson. Given the complexity that dominates the global geopolitical system and international economy, he asks how management consulting diagnoses can be effective in an uncertain and highly contingent world. With a foreword by Professor Rebecca Boden of the University of Roehampton Business School in London, this book is an accessible and scholarly monograph that is essential reading for those seeking to understand management consultancy and its role in the modern world.

This book analyses UK defence as a complex, interdependent public-private enterprise covering politics, management, society, and technology, as well as the military. Building upon wide-ranging applied research, with extensive access to ministers, policy makers, senior military commanders, and industrialists, the book characterises British defence as a phenomenon that has endured extensive transformation this century. Looking at the subject afresh as a complex, extended enterprise involving politics, alliances, businesses, skills, economics, military practices, and citizens, the authors profoundly reshape our understanding of ‘defence’ and how it is to be commissioned and delivered in a world dominated by geopolitical risks and uncertainties. The book makes the case that this new understanding of defence must inevitably lead to new policies and processes to ensure its health and vitality. This book will be of much interest to students of defence studies, British politics, and military and strategic studies, as well as policy makers and practitioners.

This title was first published in 2002: The history of management consulting in Britain is a subject that has received little attention in the past in terms of research or publication. This work redresses the gap in the knowledge base of business and management history, presenting the historical situation in the context of management consulting. Identifying the beginnings of consultancy services in the mid-nineteenth century, Ferguson charts its progression through a series of time frames that span the twentieth century. Utilizing a series of consistent themes, such as service delivery forms and training, which can be compared and contrasted across time, the book provides not only a history of management consultancy services, but also shows how the take-up and form of services was heavily dependent upon the prevailing attitudes within business to the role of management. The thoroughly researched and well-presented arguments in this book will greatly add to our knowledge of British management during the twentieth century.

This new edition gathers more than 22 experts to outline the theory behind consulting, providing insight into change processes and management issues in the field. The business of consulting has grown faster than most other businesses, due not only to increased demand by clients, but also to the innovative capabilities of numerous consulting firms as they develop new services. Divided into six parts, the book introduces readers to the consulting industry, addressing the major practice areas, contexts, and implementations of the field. Significant updates detail the effect of the economic troubles between 2004 and 2010 and then 2010 and now; analyze the market response to consulting in recent years; and provide a more thorough understanding of how consulting is applied in the different areas of a business, such as operations, marketing, and finance. Introductions written by the editors offer further insight into the themes and learning goals of each section, helping readers to recognize the elements of a successful consultation, and utilize their new skill set. The text concludes with a look at the future of consulting with regards to ethics standards and how strong manager-client relationships contribute to financial growth. Readers will also learn how the developing field of entrepreneurship creates new economic structures and job opportunities. Practitioners, consultants, clients, faculty, and students of business and management will learn not only how to consult, but also gain the skills needed to adapt to and lead organizational change, giving them a competitive edge when they enter the field.