Disseminating e-business globally and locally: a rhetorical inquiry into the role of the 'big five' management consulting firms

Abstract

The term 'e-business' emerged in the United States in the mid 1990s, and in a remarkably short period gained worldwide currency to the point that it is now widely recognised as being one of the most pressing managerial imperatives for organisations to embrace. This thesis provides a rhetorical critique of the e-business phenomenon with a view to gaining a better understanding of how and why it has spread so far so fast. It suggests that e-business shares all of the defining qualities of management fashions such as TQM, Reengineering, and Knowledge Management. The thesis also argues that the e-business management fashion can be distinguished from its predecessors by the extent to which the responsibility for creating, promoting and implementing it has been assumed by management consultants. The thesis employs fantasy theme analysis (FTA), a dramatistically based method of rhetorical criticism, to examine the e-business phenomenon at the global and local levels. At the global level, an analysis is undertaken of e-business related material from the websites of five of the most influential 'e-consultancies' in the global marketplace: Accenture, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, KPMG Consulting and PricewaterhouseCoopers. At the local level, a fantasy theme analysis is conducted of data gathered from interviews conducted with the 'champions' from these five firms who have been charged with leading the e-business initiative in New Zealand. Both analyses reveal that the rhetorical visions of e-business that the firms have endeavoured to create possess strong dramatic qualities. Despite the consulting firms' attempts to create and differentiate their own distinctive brands of e-business, the thesis shows that each vision emphasises similar environmental perceptions, recommended actions, and exemplar characters. Each of the five consultancies attempts to construct a vision that convinces potential and existing customers that e-business is essential for survival. The thesis argues that the visions might prove to be compelling because they play on managers' insecurities, activating strong feelings of fear and greed. The consistency with which these messages are presented seems to make their visions all the more pervasive, powerful and compelling. In addition to its empirical contribution, this thesis provides an extensive review of the rapidly growing body of e-business literature aimed at removing some of the confusion and uncertainty that suffuses e-business. It is also hoped that this thesis will raise academics' and practitioners' awareness of the influence that management consulting and management fashions have on contemporary management practice, drawing attention to the need for further critical examination of these phenomena.