I'm surprised this one wasn't picked up yesterday ...http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-the-management-consultancy-scam-2057127.html"There are now half a million management consultants in the world, and they all grumble that they face one question wherever they go: yes, but what is it that you actually do?""...the British state will soon be spending more on management consultants than on upgrading its nuclear weapons. "

Well, it is silly season for the papers. All the competent journalists and experienced editors are on holiday, leaving a few nutters to try and keep circulation figures up.At least the Independent's piece is positioned in the "Opinion" section. Just look at what the Guardian's coming out with as "News": http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/aug/20/health-trusts-private-consultants

Also while I'm having a go at the Guardian (which is usually my paper of choice), have at look at this cobblers which somehow makes it to the front page of the website. It's fairly apparent that a nod to "balance" was only added as an afterthought, and "research" barely got a look in. The whole premise of the piece is blown apart by the last three paragraphs.

Sorry, in my indignation I forgot to paste the URLhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/aug/20/a-level-subjects-blacklist-claim

Hank - picked up on that article yesterday and submitted a rebuffal comment. I was going to flag the piece on here and encourage others to do the same as the piece was totally lacking any balance or objectivity. However my comment was never "approved for publication" so I've concluded the Independent isn't interested in publishing opinions that challenge their own journos; hence I didn't bother wasting our readers' time...Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

A lazily-executed piece of sh1t journalism which represents only the very worst of our industry and conflates a whole range of services and issues.I've stopped giving a toss what people think any more because:a) the vast majority of people don't understand what managers do or how good leadership can add value to an enterpriseb) people fundamentally don't like being told what to do and bolster their meagre self-esteem by assuring themselves that their managers are incompetentc) managers promoted from within are frequently incompetentd) managers appointed from without are usually completely cluelesse) about 25% of employees are petty, ignorant and time-serving wastes of spacef) another quarter are incompetentg) the third quartile is stupidh) of the remaining 25%, who are basically willing, competent and posessed of some intelligence, the majority will have had any spark of creativity, dedication or will to succeed burned out of them by the clueless, malignant three quartersEC

Wasn't it Oscar Wilde who said the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about?As ill thought out as many of these anti-consulting articles are, they reflect the fact that consultancy is still relevant, and worth comment. Sometimes bad news really is good news.

We (and he) overcomplicate this.It is a fairly simple matter of quality and quantity of an organisation's existing staff.In most organisations many of the staff are of mediocre QUALITY. They have neither the skills or motivation to deliver projects outside their own particular niche. They will not pout the hours in no matter what, as many of us to do, in order that things get done; the things will get left undone, they will complain about the excessive workload and the deparutr form their normal routine and the project will fail. If the content is too challenging they will simply say they can't do it and throw in the towel, rather than do whatever is necessary to make sure it does.Even in better organisations, there is unlikely to be the QUANTITY of staff for a project outside business as usual and they will need additional appropriate manpower with the approporiate skills, without the need for short term or permanent hiring and the associated lead in and costs, and that is what consultancies provide.

DCF,An accurate, very succinct and far less rant-like version of what I was trying to get across!EC

Tony, why not post your response on here?

Unfortunately I cannot "retrieve" the lengthy submission I made on the Independent's site - so when they decided not to publish it my arguments were lost forever.Think I'll hold off re-composing my rebuttal as thinking about their misguided rants masquerading as journalism just raises my blood pressure!Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

I am truly interested in consulting and hoping to pursue it after my masters degree. I do hope it will remain a top industry in near future. I do have to raise my concern and partially agree with observations in this article. I often wondered what do kids from ivy league schools and degrees in literature, geography or history, know about business to be hired by top management consultancies and to give advice to CEOs and manager who actually run the companies, who actually employ people, make profit, contribute to the economy and society in general?!?!?!?! On the other hand, the same question some people ask about consulting (what is it that consultants actually do?), can be asked about so many other jobs in marketing, sales, IT, legal, and etc.!!! If people can find ways to make money, so let them, as long as its legal, of course. Markets are open for everyone. MCs are only doing what they know or think they know and are being paid for it. The aren't committing any crime.

Loksi - new graduates do not advise Fortune 500 managers on how to run their company. The reason you find it difficult to believe is that it doesn't actually work that way. Graduates grind numbers and do grunt work to pull together empirical data. This then gets interpreted by the more experienced consultants.Having been part of this process in a number of industries and with dozens of companies, in a few years bright graduates do end up with some very useful experience and insights, which in many cases is lacking in actual industry managers. I could go on with this, but the thing that amazes me is that people who I suspect would consider themselves perfectly logical can hold together the dissonant belief that an industry as successful as consulting does not bring value. On the one hand you praise CEOs and managers as doing wonderful things for the world, and on the other you suspect they are too stupid to not be conned by the consultants. Repeatedly - most consulting business is repeat business.

It was only my concern, Anon. I am glad it works differently, as you pointed out. I do hope to get into consulting after my masters degree. I don't care about others bashing it as a career choice.

OK - am still incensed that the Independent is choosing to publish comments from those who want to bash consultants, but not posting up rebuttals from those like myself who want to try and redress the balance. So here are my thoughts published on Top-Consultant rather than on the Independent where I&apos;d like to have seen them published:<a href=http://news.top-consultant.com/UK/news_story.aspx?ID=7165>Consulting: the lifeblood of UK plc</a>Would be interested to hear what other angles you&apos;d use in our defence...Tony RestellTop-Consultant.com

We should do the response in PowerPoint, with the addition of at least 1 sexy matrix.