Accounting Firms: Global Spread with Limited Transnationalization

Jochen Zimmermann () and Jan-Christoph Volckmer ()
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Jochen Zimmermann: University of Bremen - Faculty of Business Studies and Economics & ZenTra
Jan-Christoph Volckmer: University of Bremen - Faculty of Business Studies and Economics

No 11 / 2012, ZenTra Working Papers in Transnational Studies from ZenTra - Center for Transnational Studies

Abstract: As financial markets have increasingly globalised, the regulatory framework is still nationally fragmented. One core regulatory element is the provision of assurance services by accounting firms. The Big 4 - the leading international providers of audit services Ð are not as international as are accounting standards or their clients. The paper traces three facets of the transnationalization of accounting firms: explanations for internationalization rooted in the theory of the firm, their modes of internal organization and limits to further transnationalization. Accounting firms are professional service firms with low fixed and high intangible assets. This limits the theories that can explain the internationalization of firms. We examine which theories are the most promising to explain the internationalization of the Big 4. Regarding their internal structures, our empirical analysis suggests that Big 4 accounting firms aspire to develop an integrated network structure which is known from the transnational corporation of the Bartlett and Ghoshal typology. This becomes particularly manifest in international staff exchange. Accounting firms are also deeply embedded in the regulatory framework. Its national fragmentation sets limits to further globalisation of assurance services.

Keywords: Accounting firms; professional service firms; internationalization; regulatory embeddedness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F23 L22 L50 L84 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2012-12, Revised 2012-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-acc
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https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2190836 First version, 2012 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zen:wpaper:11

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