Consulting Demons: Inside the Unscrupulous World of Global Corporate Consulting

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With the ubiquitous term consultant now being bandied about as practically every second person's job description, Consulting Demons is a book for everyone. At once an entertaining account of one man's personal odyssey through the various levels and organizations of the corporate consulting world, an informed opinion given to fresh-faced MBAs choosing this profession as a career, and an ominous warning to clients not yet privy to its inner workings, Consulting Demons is a compelling read.

Earning an undergraduate degree in political science at MIT, Lewis Pinault channeled his interests in space development into areas more salable in the late 1970s, namely, ocean engineering and Japanese. Hired directly out of college by a Japanese shipbuilder, he spent the next few years living in the conglomerate's dilapidated dormitories, mastering the language and gaining valuable project management experience. Pinault's introduction to the alluring world of corporate consulting came through company contact with consultants from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and a year later he'd been willingly sucked into the vortex of a fast-paced, all-consuming 12-year consulting career. His ensuing adventures led him throughout Southeast Asia, in and out of BCG, the MAC Group, Gemini Consulting, Arthur D. Little (ADL), and finally Coopers & Lybrand, and through a number of less-than-professional exercises in client scamming and industrial espionage (otherwise known as benchmarking).

Having left the sanctums of global consultancies to pursue his original aspirations in science and the law, Pinault has written an exposé of considerable force. Part autobiography, part cautionary manual, the book presents a dark picture of the world of management consulting; in fact, each of its chapters ends with a "Consulting Demonology" tract, including such topics as "Client Beware: Consultants' Spycraft Charms" and "Red Spots and Other Ruses Consultants Use to Close on Large Fees." Though Pinault's tone is sometimes rather arrogant, it serves to reinforce the nature of the consulting game, one that this book portrays as risky and lucrative for the consultant but extremely costly and often not worthwhile for the client. If you're already a bona fide member of the ever-growing management consultant population, read this book and measure your worth as a successful trickster or unknowing drone. If you're thinking of becoming a consultant, read this book and think again. If you're a client about to sign a pact with the devil (or its demons), beware. --S. Ketchum

Book Description

In this gripping and colorful account of the American dream gone astray, Lewis Pinault provides the essential guidelines on how to get ahead and an enlightening perspective on the brutal infighting that can engulf even the most civilized consulting firm. This stunning exposé of some of the most prestigious and respected names in the business leads you into a world where a client's interests are skillfully subordinated to those of the consultants, where money rules the day, and where principles and morals are unwelcome baggage.

Humorous and insightful, this no-holds-barred account takes you behind the scenes of the dehumanizing indoctrination of an academic intellectual into an exploitative -- and exploited -- "global transformation contractor." Featuring new material dealing with the e-consulting industry's boom, bust, and its future, Consulting Demons offers the most complete look at an industry that exacts the highest prices for the most questionable standards of success.

Customer Reviews:

Bill This!.......2007-08-16

By nature secretive and arcane, the world of business consulting long cried out for the same sort of confessional trenchline expose other big-business engines received in Michael Lewis's "Liar's Poker" and Frank Partnoy's "Fiasco". Enter Lewis Pinault, former Asia golden boy turned fed-up burn out, who sheds an unsparing light on the secrets of his trade in this 2000 book.

The result makes for a bracing, funny, often invigorating read. Working for some of the top names in business consulting, including Boston Consulting Group, Coopers & Lybrand, and Arthur D. Little, Pinault tap-danced his way past many moral and factual chasms as he enriched himself upon the ignorance of his employers' clients.

"Simply put, consulting is at its most organized, intimidating best when it is working to maximize its take from the client," he writes. "Its key vulnerabilities, on the other hand, are rooted in using some of the most impressive people in the world to do too many questionable things too fast."

Pinault went from being a physically fit MIT grad with big dreams to a flabby, jaded late-night partier. He was largely a success by his own reckoning, sometimes spectacularly so, but to what end? Pinault found himself in the company of not a few sleazeballs and some intensely demanding bosses and potential bosses. One tells him to pick a restaurant for dinner, and that his choice will factor into whether he gets hired; another has him cut short a Hawaiian vacation to spend an hour with him in Colorado.

Such pressure can create an environment where bad ethical choices are like a tough hot dog you have to eat for lunch. "For many in the field, the life of consulting is simply a careful calculation of how long normal living might be deferred to assure a certain threshold of financial return," Pinault notes.

The practice of consulting is not wholly corrupt. Rather, it just requires an "eyes-wide-open" outlook going in. In this vein, Pinault presents some handy rules of thumb at the end of each chapter, each set relating to the chapter's story. For example, consultants may befriend contacts within a client company for the purpose of pumping them for valuable information, then abandon them and make sure the contact gets no credit in the final report, so the consultant can appear all-knowing. Billing "cascades" are often the true goal of a consultant's final report, setting up an avenue toward the next lucrative contract.

All this was interesting, but it was Pinault the human train wreck whose the book's real source of fascination. Running a boot-camp-style refocusing meeting at Dutch electronics giant Philips, Pinault tells his frustrated audience they must think more about sales and less about product perfection. "I am not a shoe salesman", an engineer replies with heat, and a bell goes off inside Pinault's mind.

A sometimes smug tone, an offhand explanatory style, and Pinault's use of pseudonyms throughout made me dock this book a star, but it's certainly readable even to a layman like me. Even if it isn't the whole story about consulting, it's a story about the dark side of business and the human heart worth both the reading and telling.

Great Critical Look at Strategy Consulting.......2007-01-22

This book gives an insider's perspective on high-level strategy consulting focusing largely on its negative aspects. Even if you do not share the author's skepticism of consulting, this is still an invaluable read, especially if you are considering a career in consulting. Although it is a mostly negative account of consulting, the author offers very astute and very useful insights into how to be a successful consultant in subsections called "Consulting Demonology" interspersed throughout the narrative.

This book may be considered dated because of when it was published and because it is an account of the author's experiences in the late 80's and early 90's. However, in the final part of the book the author gives some insights into the future direction of consulting, many of which have turned out to be in the right direction.

This book should serve as a warning to students whose primary interests are not business-related. Many consulting firms recruit such students in the misguided hope that academic success in any subject translates into business success. This ultimately results in mostly negative experiences for the academically-inclined recruit as well as the consulting firm and its clients. Unfortunately, the rare success stories are used to justify the continuation of this practice. Ultimately, this book serves as a testament to the simple fact that the best career to choose is one you are passionate about. If you are passionate about business - read this book and learn about the ins and outs of successful consulting. If you are not passionate about business read this book and understand it as a warning that you should pursue a career outside of business.

Searching for advice about how to became a consultant? Search elsewhere!.......2006-06-27

Consulting demons is quite a personal diary instead of a technical book about how the consulting world gets on.

Pinault simply assumes that his experience as a consultant could be applicable to any other person in the business, but naturally this is hardly true.

The only really interesting parts are the few pages of "demonology" at the end of each chapter, but the information contained herein is scarce and easily retrievable from a top consulting company website.

However, a good entertainment, but more in the realm of narrative.

interesting points, but in need of editing.......2004-04-12

Postives
-makes many valid points about greed and unscrupulousness in consulting and the toll it takes on both people who work for the industry and companies that hire these firms
-gives helpful interview advice for people interested in working for these firms ;-)
-section about living in Japan before starting a consulting life v. interesting
Negatives
-self-righteous attitude--he works as a lawyer and used to live in a fraternity--not to stereotype, but I'm sure anyone who has been in both places has seen, perhaps not necessarily participated in, A LOT more than Pinault details in his book
-long rants about issues which may have personal significance but fail to advance plot (ex: weight loss working in singapore office, ex-wife's English class). Ironically, these anecdotes showcased the author's social ineptitude more than revealing anything about consulting.

It's good but...........2003-12-03

This book starts off really good with a great story about interviewing with a Consulting firm, but it ends up being a book about the author during his "glory days". It's interesting. Gives a few insights, but nothing earth-shattering is in this book. Buy it Used or check it out from the library!

Consulting Demons:Inside The Unscrupulous World Of Global Corporate Consulting

Average customer rating:

Consulting Demons:Inside The Unscrupulous World Of Global Corporate Consulting
Lewiss Pinalt
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFBOT2

Average customer rating:

Consulting Demons: Inside the Unscrupulous World of Global Corporate Consulting
Lewis Pinault
Manufacturer: HarperBusiness
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7CXGE

Book Description

Hardbound. Traditionally, organizations have consisted of collections of people who physically gather together in one place to carry out some kind of coordinated activity. Today, however, business is increasingly relying on "virtual" processes in which people engage in internet-mediated interactions that often span the globe. These processes create intangible "imaginary organizations" that exist largely as a concept in the minds of electronically interacting individuals. As more and more high value-added work is performed by knowledge workers interacting through electronically mediated networks, however, managers and management researchers must evolve new concepts for monitoring, interpreting, assessing, and managing activities carried out in such virtual settings. This volume presents an important multidisciplinary approach to understanding these new kinds of imaginary organizations and their processes. Close reading of the papers in this volume will rew

Average customer rating:

Managing Imaginary Organizations
Hedberg
Manufacturer: BUTTERWORTH HEINEMAN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K1YCDK

Customer Reviews:

A Great Read.......2002-01-22

I found myself reading this book through in two sittings. If you like history, personal stories, diaries or the like, you will enjoy this book. I compare it to Jimmy Carter's An Hour Before Daylight in that it gives a picture of rural life in the early part of the century. It is human, candid, and lean in its verbage. It captures all of the emotions and leaves you with mental images that will last a lifetime. Try it.

A window into a world gone by.......1999-12-07

In an era of urban sprawl and corporate farming, this is a gentle reminder of a world of small towns and kind people. Jackie's experiences growing up on the dairy farm range from laugh-out-loud humorous to tears rolling. "The Round Barn" illustrates what family values truly were before the demogogues got hold of the term: integrity, caring and principles put before profit. The Dougans were--and are--intelligent, hard-working people who have a tremendous joy in living.

Book Description

The much anticipated companion volume to Stories from the Round Barn.

Average customer rating:

Stories from the Round Barn
Jacqueline Dougan Jackson
Manufacturer: TriQuarterly Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VZNDGM

Average customer rating:

Stories from the Round Barn
Jacqueline Dougan Jackson
Manufacturer: TriQuarterly Press/ Northwestern University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M082X0

Book Description

The West Desert is what Utahns call the basin and range salt desert in the eastern Great Basin. This arid region first caught the attention of photo documentarian and author Craig Denton when voices from it spoke out against turning over large desert valleys to roving MX missiles. Intrigued by the region, its people, and their choices, Denton began documenting who they were, why they were there, and how they lived.

Their reasons for living in one of the harshest and driest environments in America are diverse. Different as some of them may be, private as many of them are, these people have the same needs for community all of us have. They must find common ground. Their efforts occur at the intersection of the Old and New West and pose new questions for the future of the American Dream.

Denton portrays the regional society and people of the West Desert with insightful profiles of their lives and their world, probing discussion of common concerns, and striking photographs.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating.......1999-08-17

I had a hard time putting this book down, although I seldom read non-fiction. The case studies were very interesting, and I felt the book gave a good feel for life in the desert.

Average customer rating:

More style than substance

An Scientific Treatise on Tennis - dry and with some holes

An excellent primer on the major strokes and much more

Enhanced with full color sequence photographs

World-Class Tennis Technique
Paul Ed. Roetert
Manufacturer: Human Kinetics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Serious Tennis

Tennis Tactics: Winning Patterns of Play

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Winning Ulgy

Complete Conditioning for Tennis (Complete Conditioning for Sports Series)

ASIN: 0736037470

Book Description

Let the game's most brilliant players and coaches teach you World-Class Tennis Technique! Written by some of the world's top experts in biomechanics, tennis technique, and coaching, this book gives you a complete blueprint to develop the modern game. Former world-class players, national coaches, and past or current Davis Cup Captains offer their advice on every aspect of the proper execution of each stroke. Contributors include Stan Smith Patrick McEnroe Vic Braden Mary Joe Fernandez Jack Kramer Pam Shriver Dennis van der Meer Tom Gullikson Andrew Coe David Miley Todd Ellenbecker Craig Tiley Donald Chu Lynne Rolley Howard Brody Ben Kibler Ron Woods Richard Herbst Jim Loehr Miguel Crespo Jose Higueras Frank van Fraayenhoven Michiel Schapers Bruce Elliott Nick Saviano Paul Dent Patrice Hagelauer Duane Knudson

In-depth analysis of the proper fundamentals of each stroke are presented with full-color sequence photos of the game's best players. You'll also improve in other facets of the game, including footwork and positioning, choosing the right racquet and equipment for your style of play, adjusting to different court surfaces, and maintaining proper technique under pressure.

Learn the science behind the strokes to hit the ball with greater force, accuracy, and consistency. Then master and fine-tune your execution to excel in competition. With World-Class Tennis Technique, you'll soon play better than ever.

Customer Reviews:

More style than substance.......2003-10-27

There are some nice stop-action photo sequences of various strokes, but the actual techniques described are pretty basic and can be found free on the internet - lacking the world-class depth that the title would lead you to believe. Deficiencies are quite glaring in the serve section, where nothing is mentioned about hitting the different serves such as slice, kick, topspin etc. As the book is a compilation of many different authors, it lacks a unifying process for describing and teaching the strokes, which are broken up into different chapters, making it overall too general and inconsistent.

An Scientific Treatise on Tennis - dry and with some holes.......2001-12-13

An all-star cast was called to write this authoritative primer on modern techniques. There are contributions from Jim Loehr, Dennis van der Meer, Howard Brody (tennis physicist), Vic Braden, Jose Higueras (reknown clay court coach), Bruce Elliot (Australian biomechanist), Don Chu (strength and conditioning expert), etc. The graphics are quite good and the reseach is based on the latest in sport science. Some problems do exist, however. It appears that the book is written for the serious tennis player in addition to coaches and teaching pros. However, the use of language is dry and scientific in many areas. Even advanced players may find it too theoretical. Practical implications are often up to the reader to draw. The use of high-speed multiple-frame photography isn't exploited enough considering the resources of the contributors and editors. Disappointing sections are the backhand (Braden and Jack Kramer) -- barely an effort considering it follows a brilliant section on the forehand (Crespo and Higueras), volleys and overheads (van Fraayenhoven & Schapers) -- which attempts to cover too much in little details as possible (except for approaches), and tactics and technique (Herbst and Patrick McEnroe) -- also didn't seem very well thought out. Best sections include Revolutionary Rackets (Stan Smith and Brody) --which is written for the player(!understandable and enjoyable!), Kinetic Chain (Kibler and Van der Meer) -- well thought out analysis, court surfaces (Coe and Miley, ITF), specialty shots (Paul Dent and Patrice Hagelauer) and the forehand. A must for the serious coach/pro and a good buy for the serious player if you like reading analyses. Comparable in science for the teacher is the German Tennis Association "Tennis Course" series. Roetert and Groppel's book, however, is a rarity in that it analyzes top pro modern techniques rather than giving a template for beginners and intermediates as most books do.

An excellent primer on the major strokes and much more.......2001-10-24

The full color, high speed sequence shots have already helped my game. The in-depth analysis of each sequence preceding each major stroke have given me the confidence to go to the next level. I play for fun but it's nice to surpass those that I never thought I could beat before.

This book spends a chapter on such topics as forehands, backhands, volleys ( learned alot here), serves and returns, and the tactics of the overall game. From there, there are discussions on the kind of player you are, how to analyze your game and those you play. Other topics include what works for you and what to do when your game isn't working.

I certainly don't win all the time, but since purchasing this book my serve speed and has improved greatly and I've only lost once. That may have been due to the breaking of yet another string on my serve in the third game. Looks like it's time for a new racket as I've broken my fourth string since May. There is a discussion on racket designs in Chapter 2 of the book as well.

Enhanced with full color sequence photographs.......2001-09-08

In World-Class Tennis Technique: Master Every Stroke, Paul Roetert and Jack Groppel have drawn from some of the world's top experts in biomechanics, tennis techniques, and coaching to provide the aspiring or practicing tennis player with a comprehensive guide covering every aspect of the game as it relates to technique. An in-depth analysis of each stoke is enhanced with full color sequence photographs. If you are an amateur player seeking a professional level of mastery, or an aspiring tournament contender, give a careful reading to Roetert and Groppel's World-Class Tennis Technique!

Book Description

FROM THE CREATORS OF WORD SMART
AN EASIER AND BETTER WAY TO LEARN VOCABULARY

Ever look up a word in the dictionary and forget what it means a week later?

*Here's a breakthrough approach! Includes 250 entries (all key SAT words) with original illustrations and simple memory techniques

*Illustrated Word Smart helps you to memorize important words without having to labor over long vocabulary lists

*Provides complete definitions, pronunciation keys, parts of speech, plus end-of-chapter quizzes

*Features a special collection of skill-building crosswords and word puzzles by Stanley Newman, puzzle creator for People, Sport, and Games magazines.

Customer Reviews:

Illustrative but not very didactic........2005-09-18

I would not recommend this book as a study aid to learn vocabulary words for several reasons. Although the book's front cover suggests that somehow visual cues provided by this book will help you learn vocabulary words such as duplicitous, fastidious, and heinous it did not seem like that when I read through this book. The illustrations all seem to come from the same artist and are not particularly pleasing to the eye, at least not my eye. The basic template for all the words in this book contains an illustration of one or two people. When the conversations will simply say a line that is supposed to remind you of the word (usually doesn't include the word) that is meant to be taught. You cannot look at any illustration alone and relate it to the word that is supposed to be taught. The way the book attempts to teach the words is through pnemonic techniques made up by somehow combine the word and an inkling of the definition. This is a terrible book for people over the age of 12. Just get yourself a regular vocabulary book and avoid the tragic attempted teaching style this book has used. With good enough net surfing you can find the actual helpful stuff this book has, such as crossword puzzles, online somewhere for free.

BAD BAD BAD.......2005-04-15

Yeah, this book mught be useful if you have the vocabulary of a paper cup. I genuinely couldn't believe the words in this thing. Who is this for? Eleven-year olds? Seriously-AVOID.

Fun way to learn new words.......2004-10-23

The book has only about 250 - 300 words (250 are offered as key words which are illustrated and other related words are mentioned in a box underneath the illustration). Words are arranged in 17 sections and each section is followed by several drills where you can test your understanding of the words. At the end of the book are puzzles for more word fun.

Start With This Book.......2001-12-20

This book is the best vocabulary builder I have come across; it is great for the SAT. The Illustrated Word Smart has the added bonus of containg some GRE vocabulary as well. Visual space and creativity made it easy for me to learn 250 words in two weeks. My only problem is that there are not more difficult illustrated vocabulary books after this one.

THE BEST WAY TO MEMORIZE.......2001-08-06

I recommend this book wholeheartedly. Simply put, it's just the best way to memorize vocabulary words. For example, I used this book the summer before eighth grade to prepare for a high school entrance examination, and I still remember the pictures and the words I memorized that summer (I'm a rising sophmore now). It's incredible!! This book is especially great for visual learners. The humorous pictures with the captions provide great mnemonic devices that become engraved in your mind. This book is an invaluable tool for anyone. I would choose this book over the regular WordSmart or any other vocab books out there that are in dictionary format. You won't regret buying this book. I definitely didn't!!!

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