The Rise of Management Consulting in Britain

First published in 2002, this book charts the changing nature of industrial management and indicates how management consultancy services both shaped and reflected prevailing business attitudes.

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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.