Oh No,the Consultants are Coming

Abstract

Management consultants are perceived by some to be increasingly keen to conduct market research on behalf of their clients. As a result, many people suspect that consultants are deliberately trying to steal business from the research community. This paper argues the contrary case. It describes how and why clients use consultants to conduct research and also describes why consultants do not see research as an important revenue stream. The approach described provides a new template for the research industry that will enable good researchers to provide significantly more value to clients and so fill the current gap that exists between researchers and management consultants.