First published 2013
McDonald examines how McKinsey & Company became the world's most influential consulting firm since its 1926 founding. The author traces the company's penetration into governments and corporations across America, Germany, and the Netherlands, showing how McKinsey consultants introduced structural changes that spread American capitalism worldwide. McDonald reveals McKinsey's role in developing the barcode and gaining access to the White House and Downing Street. Yet the firm's prestige comes with significant failures. McKinsey played a notable part in Enron's collapse and the banking crisis. The scandal involving Rajat Gupta, former managing director now imprisoned for insider trading, exemplifies the company's darker side. One of America's top financial journalists unravels how this secretive, prestigious organization operates and maintains its grip on global business.
Genres: history, business, politics, non-fiction
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-perspective, rise-and-fall
Setting: America, Germany, Netherlands, White House, Downing Street
Period: 1926, Enron Collapse, Banking Crisis
400 pages · Paperback · Prometheus Bert Bakker