so what is the general perception of MBBB by clients? are they seen as genuinely value-adding and helping the business or just hotshot with good accents who put together glossy reports that sound great but end up as shelfware?if anyone can cite examples of where MBBB have really made a change that would be interesting.

Good luck with that one...

Given that the vast majority (90%+) of MBB business is repeat business, there must be at least some people in the organisation who think they're doing a good job. Beyond that I imagine their reputation varies significantly depending on who the client is, what level of the organisation you are in and whether you interacted directly with the team (in my experience those who interact with them directly have a better opinion of them than those who are at one stage removed).

When you talk of MBBB I get the hint that you are talking about their strategy advice? (As this tends to be what makes them prestigious?)Operational consultants are lucky to be able to see noticeable differences within a year or so on the income statements. Whereas perhaps affecting a firm's strategy might only see a gradual change in 5-10 years - also it is important to understand that after that length of time it is difficult to understand where the firm would have been without that advice!So I wouldn't necessarily say that pure strategy is value adding, more like "value directing"!!

smoke and mirrors