Synergy Study of Accounting Firm：A Case Study on PwC Taiwan
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Chen, Pi-Kuei
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges for nowaday accounting firms is to differentiate their service value for their clients, stand out among the Big Four and be a market leader. However, intensive competition makes professional services getting commoditized and firms therefore struggle with eroding profitability. How to manage synergies across different business units so that resources can be leveraged for better value creation and new capabilities can be built for capturing new business opportunities becomes imperative to management of accounting firms.ndertaking an indepth case study approach, the present study focuses on the identification of synergy areas and the organization architecture in which these potential synergies could be better realized. Based on various literature regarding corporate coherence, competence-based growth, client-centric strategy, and transnational strategy, this study seeks to unravel areas for synergy creation and mechanisms that are able to facilitate organizational learning and competence build-up. By analyzing the professional service content at PwC Taiwan, we attempts to further categorize synergy activities according to the extent of synergy creation (from static to dynamic) and the costs of managing synergy (from low to high). In addition, we will benchmark the experience of other organization within the same corporate context to establish effective managerial measures.his study finds that numerous dynamic and static synergies exist between the business services of different organization units, with differential magnitude according to the content of the business involved. Dynamic synergy is highly relevant to competence building, co-creation, and cross-learning enhancement, as well as for long term operational objectives. Static synergy can be used to leverage existing services to grow revenue, achieve economies of scale and increase employee productivity. Our study finds that business services with high levels of synergies and high complementarity contribute to corporate coherence; business services with fewer synergies and high synergy facilitation cost do not contribute to corporate coherence.he present study also shows how the exploitation of synergies is constrained by the inherent independence of the accounting firm, by the profit center-based organizational design, and the influence of personal experience. The management team can help facilitate and explore synergies by aligning common goals, building relationships and trust, enhancing employee competence and organizational capabilities, encouraging sharing and collaboration, and suitably redefining performance indicators within the firm.
Subjects
Accountant
Professoion service organization
Corporate coherence
Synergy
Competence building
Global account management
Transnational strategy
Type
thesis
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