Accenture vs KPMG

Accenture plc is a multinational management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. Accenture common equity is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, under the symbol ACN, and was added to the S&P 500 index on July 5, 2011. Accenture began as the business and technology consulting division of accounting firm Arthur Andersen. The division's origins are in a 1953 feasibility study for General Electric. GE asked Arthur Andersen to automate payroll processing and manufacturing at GE's Appliance Park facility near Louisville, Kentucky. Arthur Andersen recommended installation of a UNIVAC I computer and printer, which resulted in the first commercially owned computer installation in the United States in 1954. Joseph Glickauf, an early pioneer of computer consulting, held a position as head of Arthur Andersen's administrative services division for 12 years.

KPMG is one of the largest professional services companies in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, EY and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. KPMG employs 162,000 people and has three lines of services: audit, tax, and advisory. Its tax and advisory services are further divided into various service groups. The name "KPMG" was chosen when KMG merged with Peat Marwick.