Management Consulting

Management Consulting: A Guide for Students bridges the gap between the latest academic research and practical skills to provide a comprehensive new introduction to modern consulting.

David Biggs’s important new textbook walks students through the key dimensions of management consulting — from the contexts, through the processes, and into skills and implementation — using a wide range of examples to provide a refreshing and modern guide for students.

Every chapter deploys a consistent pedagogical framework including clear learning objectives that correspond with the latest standard course outlines, mini case studies, and industry snapshots. Full-length case studies appear at the end of every chapter, either prepared specifically for the text by international academics and consultants or supplied from premium vendors such as Harvard Business Review. A full set of online supporting resources for students and lectures make this the complete resource for management consulting courses at all levels.

• Part 1: An introduction to management consultancy
• Chapter 1: Management consultancy: The context of the industry
• Introduction
• The History of Management Consultancy
• Conclusion
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 2: Benefits and critiques of consultancy
• Introduction
• What is Management Consultancy?
• Criticism of the Industry
• Benefits of the Industry
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 3: Different types of consultancy
• Introduction
• Generalist Versus Specialist
• Fields of Consultancy Activity
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Part 2: How consulting works
• Chapter 4: Models, theories and approaches of consultancy
• Introduction
• Method Driven Versus Laissez-faire Consultancy
• Consultancy Techniques and Models
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 5: The client–consultant relationship
• Client-Consultant Relationship
• Phases of the Client-Consultant Relationship
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 6: Client engagement
• Client Engagement
• The Entry Phase
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 7: Consulting in the internal and external environment
• Introduction
• Differences Between Being an Internal and External Consultant
• Being an Internal Consultant
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Part 3: Performance and management
• Chapter 8: Project management
• Project Management Fundamentals
• Project Management Concepts
• Aspects of Project Management
• Processes in Project Management
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 9: Programme management, power and politics
• Programme Management
  
• Power and Politics
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 10: Types of consultancy projects
• Introduction
• Broad Categories of Consultancy Projects
• The Range of Consultancy Activity
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Part 4: Individual consultancy skills
• Chapter 11: Research techniques
• Research Techniques
• Quantitative Approach
• Qualitative Approach
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 12: Working and problem solving in a team
• Working and Problem Solving
• Teambuilding
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 13: Personal effectiveness in consultancy
• Communication
• Emotional Intelligence
• Communication in a Consultancy Context
• Personal Effectiveness in Consultancy
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Part 5: Professional development
• Chapter 14: Mastering competencies and developing competence
• Mastering Competencies and Developing Competence
• Suggested Development Activities
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 15: Professionalism and ethics
• Professionalism and Ethics
• Professionalism in Occupations
• Ethics
  
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  
• Chapter 16: The Future of the Industry
• Introduction
• The Industry's Future
• An Optimistic View of the Future
• Chapter Summary
• Review Questions
• Assignment Questions
• Further Reading
  

When I read the back-side of the book and the ToC, I was beginning to get my expectations crushed. It seemed to be a run-of-the-mill textbook, badly executed… But after taking my time to read it, I can say it is one of the better books on management consulting, out there, and an excellent teaching book on the same subject. It blends practical advice, theoretical underpinnings with a healthy dose of thought-provoking points that in the end makes it a very worthwhile books and belittles the bad ToC impression. Of course, it is written from a British perspective (in my opinion, it makes it fresh, as I am European) so if you're not dosed in the British culture, you may found some of the examples a bit trite. Overall, a good book which you won't regret reading.