|
|
|
||||||||
 |
 |
||||
History, Emphases and Capability |
|||||||
|
In 1997, the London management publisher, Kogan Page, released David Murray's book on corporate ethics - a volume widely welcomed as down-to-earth and practical, free of the philosophical mystique so often associated with the topic. |
|||||||
 David is also widely travelled as a speaker,
lecturer, researcher and writer. In recent years work has been
undertaken for businesses, professional institutions, government
and NGOs on five continents. Outside
the United Kingdom much of the work is carried out under our
recently developed banner, Improvement International.
A paper delivered in Cairo to a 1999 international conference
of public administrators illustrated the application of continuous
improvement tools to the attack on corruption. It is intended that an updated version of this
paper will be available on this web site shortly. |
|||||||
|
Methods and styles of working Among the first principles of Maine's approach to consultancy is that each client situation is unique. Each organisation has its own past history, present culture and future aspirations. When we discuss methods of working we do not try to sell neatly packaged techniques or standardised products. The 'productisation' of consultancy has, in our opinion, caused too many organisations to buy inappropriate interventions, and we agree to work with a client only if there is scope and flexibility within the commencement phase of the exercise to investigate and confirm (and then agree between us at senior level) what will be the most appropriate way forward. Rarely does a project match tidily to a single standard method. We work in different consulting modes according to the situation, ranging from research, audit and independent investigation to teaching, training, facilitation and the development of organisational self-assessment tools. Maine can also draw on a body of practical as well as conceptual knowledge of the organisation and functioning of charitable and other organisations which rely heavily on volunteer activity. David spent six years as chairman of the Professional Policy Board at the Institute of Quality Assurance and as a member of the Institute's Council; he chaired its futures project, 2020-Vision, and continues to have responsibility for its Body of Quality Knowledge development group and Professional Ethics Panel. He is Deputy Chairman of the UK chapter of Transparency International, the global anti-corruption coalition; he is on the editorial board of the journal, Business Ethics: a European Review; and is Visiting Research Fellow and acting chairman of the management group at the Ridley Hall Foundation, Cambridge, where he is also co-editor of the journal, Faith in Business Quarterly. Much of our work is for clients outside the United Kingdom, and David Murray's voluntary work on professional institute and NGO boards and committees (e.g. IQA, TI-UK and Ridley Hall) centres chiefly on London and Cambridge. It is now our aim, however, to carry out some client projects closer to the Blackburn base, mixing work which calls for many long overnight flights with other more local commitments in the Northwest and Yorkshire. Contact us at: |
Maine Consulting Services is a small
specialised management consultancy founded in 1991 by David
Murray, previously a partner in a major global consulting
firm following an earlier career in manufacturing industry. Our
consultancy capability has developed since 1979 through widespread
UK and international experience of advising organisations from
boardroom to shopfloor. It centres now around human aspects of
managing organisational improvement - especially in applying
concepts of continuous improvement to service quality, corporate
and professional ethics, and overall organisational effectiveness.
Maine Consulting ServicesP.O. Box 73, Blackburn, Lancashire, England, BB2 7BS Telephone: +44/0-1254-693936;
Fax: +44/0-1254-663774 |