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The big 4 in Bangladesh : caught between the global and the local

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Belal, A., Spence, Crawford, Carter, C. and Zhu, J. (2017) The big 4 in Bangladesh : caught between the global and the local. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 30 (1). pp. 145-163. doi:10.1108/AAAJ-10-2014-1840 ISSN 1368-0668.

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1108/AAAJ-10-2014-1840

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the work practices of Big 4 firms in Bangladesh with the aim of exploring the extent to which global professional service firms (GPSFs) can be thought of as being genuinely “global”.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were undertaken with the vast majority of Big 4 partners in Bangladesh. These interviews explored a number of themes related to the professional service work context in Bangladesh and the relationship between local and global firms.

Findings

The central finding of this paper is that although the Big 4 have a long-established presence in Bangladesh, local societal factors heavily influence the realities of work for accountants there. In most cases the Big 4 firms establish correspondent firms (instead of full member firms) in Bangladesh and tend to offer restricted service lines. Additionally, the paper identifies professional, commercial and cultural barriers to greater Big 4 involvement in the local market. Conceptually, the chief contribution of this paper is to explore how the effects of globalizing capitalism and standardised “best practices” in global professional service work are mediated through the societal effects of Bangladeshi society, resulting in the Big 4 having only a tentative presence in the Bangladeshi market.

Research limitations/implications

The findings cast doubt on the extent to which self-styled GPSFs are truly “global” in nature. Future work examining the Big 4, or accounting more generally, in the context of globalization, would do well to pay greater attention to the experience of professionals in emerging markets.

Originality/value

Whilst there has been much work looking at accounting and accountants in the context of globalization, this work has tended to privilege “core” western empirical settings. Very little is known about professional service firms in “peripheral” emerging markets. Furthermore, this study extends the application of the system, society and dominance framework by mapping the interactions and dynamics of these three sources of influence in the setting of PSFs.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5601 Accounting
Divisions: Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School > Accounting
Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): PricewaterhouseCoopers (Firm) -- Bangladesh, Ernst & Young -- Bangladesh, Deloitte & Touche -- Bangladesh, Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler -- Bangladesh, Globalization
Journal or Publication Title: Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal
Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN: 1368-0668
Official Date: 16 January 2017
Dates:
DateEvent
16 January 2017Published
UNSPECIFIEDAvailable
Volume: 30
Number: 1
Page Range: pp. 145-163
DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-10-2014-1840
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit: 21 July 2017
Date of first compliant Open Access: 21 July 2017

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