The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting [Paperback]

Charles J. Fombrun (Author), Mark D. Nevins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0130303739 | ISBN-13: 978-0130303738 | Edition: 1

The dramatic growth of the consulting industry in the last 20 years can, in part, be traced to rapid changes in technology that have provoked dramatic changes in the ways companies compete. Consultants provide companies facing such rapidly changing environments with an important means of developing, acquiring, and processing much-needed know-how. Increasingly, consultants have proved to be a vital strategic weapon that companies rely on to improve their competitiveness in a world characterized by technological convergences, strategic consolidations, and growing interdependence. The Advice Business introduces readers to the art, the practice, and the problems that consultants face. The book sheds light on the complex roles that consultants and consulting firms play in enhancing the effectiveness of their clients. Contributions of both academics and practitioners to this emerging field include original case descriptions based on real consulting assignments, and career advice. For consultants in varying areas of expertise, and for the clients and potential clients in need of their services.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Advice Business demystifies the world of consulting. From practical know-how to visionary insights, this book will be invaluable both to those who hire consultants and to those who practice in this demanding profession." — Mark Klein, Global Director Strategic Planning, Deloitte Consulting

"Consulting firms shape the evolution of best practices even as they are crucial in the delivery of those practices to clients. The Advice Business takes a wonderfully comprehensive look at the consulting industry from a practical as well as scholarly perspective." — Michael L. Tushman, Harvard Business School

"The Advice Business is just what the new consultant needs: a rigorous yet applied introduction to the consulting profession, written by experts providing multiple points of view. An excellent guide." — Larry E. Greiner, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

"For those in, or thinking about going into, management consulting, The Advice Business is a must-read. You'll get answers to questions you've been pondering, and come away with ideas that will leverage the strengths of your own practice." — Stephen A. Stumpf, Villanova University

"From the mailroom to the boardroom, we are all in the business of giving advice. The Advice Business will help you become a more valued and trusted source for ideas that make a difference-no matter what you do." — Mark Bain, Vice President, Alticor Inc. (Amway)

"The Advice Business pulls together a rich set of frameworks, thoughts, and concepts that will help consultants do better client work as well as help executives carry out more meaningful change in their own companies." — Ken Harrington, Washington University in St. Louis

From the Back Cover

The dramatic growth of the consulting industry in the last 20 years can, in part, be traced to rapid changes in technology that have provoked dramatic changes in the ways companies compete. Consultants provide companies facing such rapidly changing environments with an important means of developing, acquiring, and processing much-needed know-how. Increasingly, consultants have proved to be a vital strategic weapon that companies rely on to improve their competitiveness in a world characterized by technological convergences, strategic consolidations, and growing interdependence. The Advice Business introduces readers to the art, the practice, and the problems that consultants face. The book sheds light on the complex roles that consultants and consulting firms play in enhancing the effectiveness of their clients. Contributions of both academics and practitioners to this emerging field include original case descriptions based on real consulting assignments, and career advice. For consultants in varying areas of expertise, and for the clients and potential clients in need of their services.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130303739
• ISBN-13: 978-0130303738
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Advice Business - a great refresher for an experienced management consultant, July 12, 2009

By 

Mark Haas "Certified Management Consultant, FIMC" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting (Paperback)

This is a phenomenally well researched, organized and written book. Covering the foundations of the professional services business, Fombrun and Nevins proceed from the tenets and history of the consulting profession, to the process of consulting, and the operation of the consulting firm, concluding with ethics. It is always interesting that, even though ethics underlies the trusted advisor relationship between consultant and client, it often seems to be an afterthought to books about consulting, as if its function was only as a nice bow with which to wrap the package.

The writing is blessedly forthright, and moves along without a lot of filler that weighs down many books on the consulting profession. Written more like a textbook, it might give the uninitiated the sense that absorbing the book is all one needs to hang out a shingle as a management consultant. However, without some years of experience and a dozen or more engagements, this will not make one an effective consultant. This book is probably best as a refresher or complement to an experienced consultant's existing knowledge, judgment and technique.

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice Toolkit for Anyone Consulting on Products/Services, November 26, 2011

By 

Sai S. Srivatsavaya - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting (Paperback)

A very good reference book for consulting engagements. Nice resource for anyone who wants to quickly learn or refresh frameworks and guidelines for any phase of a consulting work.

3.0 out of 5 stars Photocopy Quality Printing, January 25, 2011

By 

Sebastian Kristafor (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Advice Business: Essential Tools and Models for Management Consulting (Paperback)

I was unhappily surprised when I received the book.
While I have not read the content of the book, the quality of the printing is atrocious.
It appears that the original has been photocopied, the pages cut to size and pasted within a cover. While the text is
clearly visible, many figures are faded. The paper itself is not the usual smooth book quality, but the slightly rougher document quality.
This is the first textbook I have ever purchased that has been this quality.

Upon contacting the publishers "Pearson Prentice Hall", I was informed that the sub-standard quality that they are putting out is due to the low demand for the book. I advise would-be purchasers to look to other alternatives and save themselves the $133 for a book that cost about $10 to print.