Via Accountancy Age, the news that companies feel they get better client service where their auditor is not from the Big 4 compared to companies with a Big 4 auditor. There are more details here.

One does wonder, though, why companies subject themselves to lower client service when they could just as easily hire another auditor. The tier of firms just below the Big 4 have geographical reach that's good enough to service many global companies. Some investors have even openly supported this view. So why don't companies make the switch?

Could it be that they're actually not that upset, and just used the survey as an excuse to air their complaints?

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Filed under: Auditing, Corporate governance, Current issues with tags accountancy age, big 4, competition and choice, hermes