Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Its organizational structure includes divisions based on client industry types and employee workforces. Industry divisions, referred to as Operating Groups, include Products (e.g. consumer packaged goods or industrial equipment ), Communications and High Technology, Financial Services (e.g. banking, insurance), Resources (e.g. utilities, chemicals), and Government. Employee workforce divisions include consulting, services, and solutions.

Accenture is incorporated in Hamilton, Bermuda. As of September 2004, the current chairman of the board of Accenture is Joe Forehand. William D. Green became CEO in September 2004.

History

Accenture originated as the consulting division of Arthur Andersen. In 1989, that division split from Arthur Andersen and began using the name Andersen Consulting. Both Arthur Andersen and Andersen Consulting consisted of groups of locally owned independent partnerships and other entities around the world, each in a contractual agreement with Andersen Worldwide Société Coopérative (AWSC), a Swiss administrative entity.

In August 2000, as a result of a conclusion of the International Chamber of Commerce, Andersen Consulting broke all contractual ties with AWSC and Arthur Andersen. It therefore avoided being tainted by the later accounting scandals — most notably, that of Enron — that contributed to Arthur Andersen's demise over the ensuing two years.

On January 1, 2001, Andersen Consulting adopted its current name, Accenture. On July 19, 2001 it became a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

In October 2002, the Congressional General Accounting Office (GAO) identified Accenture as one of four publicly-traded federal contractors that were incorporated in a "tax haven" country.[1] The other three, unlike Accenture, were incorporated in the United States before they re-incorporated in a tax haven country, thereby lowering their U.S. taxes. Still, critics have panned Accenture's original incorporation in Bermuda, generally because they viewed Accenture as a U.S.-based company trying to avoid U.S. taxes, though Accenture was and is a multi-national company, not a U.S.-based company. (The GAO itself did not characterize Accenture as having been a U.S.-based company; it stated, correctly, that "prior to incorporating in Bermuda, Accenture was operating as a series of related partnerships and corporations under the control of its partners through the mechanism of contracts with a Swiss coordinating entity.")

Visual identity

The font used in the Accenture logo is Rotis SemiSans.

External link

• Official website
• Yahoo! - Accenture Ltd Company Profile