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RIP-OFF – THE SCANDALAOUS INSIDE STORY OF THE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING MONEY MACHINE

David Craig Original Book Company 2005 email originalbookco@yahoo.co.uk

A book about consultancy should be one for insomniacs, but Neo Labours obsession with greasing the palms of consultants makes the book timely. The Government claims its extensive use of consultancies ensures “more effective delivery” of policies. But this book from a 20-year veteran of the consultancy business tells a different story. David Craig’s Rip Off outlines the scams used to generate huge fees at the expense of gullible clients. “In my experience, very few consultancy cock-ups ever see the light of publicity. After all, any management consultancy project is normally a joint effort between the consultants and the organisation’s top management who decide to hire them. If the whole thing goes belly up, there are not many management teams who want the world to know that they have made a dreadful and expensive mess. Therefore consultancy screw-ups are typically swept quickly and efficiently under the carpet and life goes on. Management consultancies know this and exploit it.” As Craig questions, “Why are many of the huge multinationals, major hospitals and government departments apparently unable to find the skills they need amongst their many hundreds of thousands of employees?” Why indeed.

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