Originally Posted by Unregistered

Big 4 transactions advisory is financial due diligence, true. basically accountants doing book-keeping and valuation for M&A etc., and making sure nothing screws up numbers-wise before the deal is closed. Far less glamorous than what its name implies.

The real "transactions advisory" are done by the suits in Lazard or Goldman Sachs.

In America, I think Big 4 also offers a lower tier of strategy/management consulting services. Certainly they can't compete in prestige with MBBs and powerhouse boutique consulting shops. But they've been making inroads into consulting by buying up some boutique firms wholesale, e.g. PwC buying Booz & Co.

In singapore, for obvious reasons such as market size and undeveloped corporate culture, true strategy/management consulting offering by the Big 4 is non-existent? someone correct me if i'm wrong.

so overall globally, for big 4, there are vast differences in prestige/offerings that vary from country to country. they will always be seen as the not top tier, but fairly decent PMET position to land. i think this public perception is true in most mature economies.

globally, the Big 4 are trying to raise their prestige level though, by buying up consulting firms as mentioned above, and even muscling into legal services