Rip-off!: The Scandalous Inside Story of the Management Consulting Money Machine

I’d say this is more a corporate autobiography than an industry exposé. It does lift the lid on some of the more dubious practices of management consultants, but only by documenting Craig’s career from consultancy bottom feeders through to Big Four prestige assignments.He never reveals the names of his employers, or his clients, but with a little detective work it’s usually easy to figure out. Believing his ex-colleagues would all be reading his book, I found myself being annoyed by his need to periodically state “and if you’re thinking of suing me, I have the recordings/memos/files to prove it”. Like another reviewer, I also found his habit of inserting a single dash into a swear word to ‘clean it up’ offputting. I think the audience for this book is grown up enough to handle some bad language.There are some shocking stories here, but then anyone could write some stuff about the company they work for – just read Scott Adams’ Dilbert Newsletter. It’s only because Craig has worked for some dodgy employers in a ‘smoke and mirrors’ industry, with a wide variety of clients, that he’s got enough material to fill a book.It’s an interesting read purely for curiosity value, not for uncovering the inner workings of the more respected consultancies (and he was never in very senior roles). And don’t expect anything useful on the tools and techniques used by good consultants to improve performance.Now a book from a Partner…..that would make for a good read.

First of all I did read this book right to the end which is a good sign. However, I was left feeling that something was missing or not quite right ... a bit of a so what?. There were some interesting and detailed accounts of how the industry operated during the boom and bust period of the 80s and 90s and this included the authors own experiences of the many highs and lows.What was missing was the structure and development of the story. In places it felt more like the first draft of a book that had not been through the process of re-drafting and editing. In some places it really felt like it was written by a management consultant.Overall it's worth a read, particularly if you have worked in the industry or been on the receiving end as a customer.

I work in the field of management consulting and always find books on the subject to be of interest (regardless of the view they give of the profession). I found some of the information in this book both recognisable and interesting, but as others have commented the grammar and style of writing is so brutal it's hard to make it through the book. In fact I struggle to believe that a management consultant who has worked for some of the top firms could write this poorly. I agree with a lot of what the author has to say in terms of tricks of the trade etc but on the other hand there wasn't really anything new that people wouldn't suspect already. Worth reading if this is a topic of interest, but not great.

The author has some good stories to tell, and as a consultant myself I recognise the ring of truth in the sharp practices which he describes, and the many self-fulfiing prophecies, ego games, and related practices.Unfortunately his writing style is so bad that the book makes for very jerky reading. He uses commas like the grammatical equivalent of crowd control barriers; he also has a strange habit of writing - for example - h-ll when he means hell. I gather that he self-published the book; a good copy editor would have stopped his unfortunate style from interfering with a good story.

full of insight

A wonderfully funny account of the author's time in the world of management consultancy, this provides a warts and all guide to way in which these companies make a huge amount of money for often providing little more than common sense. I've read nearly all of Mr Craig's books and this is a personal favourite. The important point to remember is that a huge proportion of consultants business in the UK comes from the public sector (in other words the tax payer) this book and the excellent follow up (Plundering the Public Sector) really highlight how huge fees spent on consulting is literally pouring tax revenues down the drain. Sadly, Mr Craig really is a prophet without honour in his own land.

Written by the guy who was in the thick of it for decades.If you're considering management consultancy as a career then I highly recommend you read this.Loved every sentence on every page.

If you are thinking of employing Management consultants then read this book and ask your self are they worth the money?