A fascinating portrait of the Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Their history is one of triumphs and disasters, pioneers and scoundrels. Today, their future is uncertain, thanks to their push into China; their vulnerability to digital disruption; and the hazards of providing traditional tax and audit services in the era of transparency.
Across the globe, the so-called Big Four accounting and audit firms - Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - are massively influential. Together, they earn more than US$100 billion annually and employ almost one million people. In many profound ways, they have changed how we work, how we manage, how we invest and how we are governed.
Stretching back centuries, their history is a fascinating story of wealth, power and luck. But today, the Big Four face an uncertain future - thanks to their push into China; their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition; and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency.
Both colourful and authoritative, this account of the past, present and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working in the industry, contemplating joining a professional services firm, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
PROLOGUE
1. INTRODUCTION: The Big 4 as a global phenomenon
2. GLORY NOT INFAMY: The Medici Bank as a precursor to the Big 4
3. TRANSPORTED: How the Big 4 began in the dangerous world of nineteenth-century accountancy
4. A CURIOUS MATCH: The remarkable founders of the Big 4
5. MERE AUTOMATA: Staking out the Big 4's turf
6. AN INJUDICIOUS CHANGE: Adventures and misadventures in Big 4 branding
7. PORN STAR: The culture of the Big 4
8. THE MOST AVERAGE GUYS IN THE ROOM: Big 4 professional values
9. UNQUALIFIED: Auditing as the foundation of the Big 4 brands
10. CLEAN: The imperilment of Big 4 auditing11. GET READY TO DANCE: Conflicting interests in Big 4 taxation services
12. ONE FOUR TEN: The Big 4 in China
13. DISRUPTED: The obsolescence of Big 4 technology
14. MAGIC: Big 4 futures
EPILOGUE
