Definition of Managment Consulting   Ive modified the paragraph discussing the types of firms to use the more narrow term strategy consulting rather than management consulting  Managment consulting currently has a very broad meaning  IT intellectual property management law and accounting all involve choices that can have a profound effect on the opportunities and resources of an organization  In current usage it seems that the term management consulting refers to any sort of consulting activity that   has strategic implications for the future  requires senior or upper level managment champions and buy in  To distinguish a Bain from a PWC we need to focus on difference between strategy and implementation  Strategic IT strategic IP management and management accounting and other new forms of consulting all have a blend of implementation and strategy in common  I think what distinguishes a Bain from a PWC is Bains exclusive focus on the strategic elements of a problem  Bain will tell you why you need to do something and some general ideas of how given your current resources but leave the rest to you  Firms like PWC and  Proudfoot have built their reputation on taking at least joint responsibility for the implementation