LEADER 00000nam  22004091i 4500 
001    frd00025551 
003    CtWfDGI 
005    20181005135553.0 
006    m    eo  d         
007    cr un ---anuuu 
008    181005s2018    xx     eo     000 0 eng d 
020    9781523098033|q(epub) 
024 3  9781523098033 
040    CtWfDGI|beng|erda|cCtWfDGI 
050  4 HF5628 
082 04 338.7/61657|223 
100 1  Gow, Ian D.,|eauthor. 
245 14 The Big Four :|bThe Curious Past and Perilous Future of 
       the Global Accounting Monopoly /|cIan D. Gow. 
264  1 [Place of publication not identified] :|bBerrett-Koehler 
       Publishers,|c[2018] 
264  4 |c©2018 
300    1 online resource (272 pages) 
336    text|btxt|2rdacontent 
337    computer|bc|2rdamedia 
338    online resource|bcr|2rdacarrier 
506    Access limited to subscribing institutions. 
520    With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian 
       army and combined revenues of over 130 billion a year, the
       Big Four accounting firms -- Deloitte, 
       PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG -- are a 
       keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow 
       and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of
       cards may be about to fall. Stretching back to the Medicis
       in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story 
       of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four 
       lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for 
       example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, 
       Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also 
       hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home. 
       All four firms have endured major calamities in recent 
       decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal
       prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches
       of independence. The firms have come so close to 
       "extinction level events" that regulators have required 
       them to prepare "living wills." And 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. 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 or considering working in 
       the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the 
       global economy. 
588 0  Print version record. 
650  0 Accounting. 
650  0 Corporate governance|xHistory. 
650  0 Accounting firms|xAccounting. 
650  7 BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Corporate & Business History.
       |2bisacsh 
655  0 Electronic books. 
700 1  Kells, Stuart,|eauthor. 
776 08 |iPrint version:|aGow, Ian D.|tBig four.|dOakland, CA : 
       Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc, [2018]|z9781523098019
       |w(DLC)2018019440 
914    frd00025551