Conclusions
The publicly available proxy measures utilised in this study provide a conflicting picture of
the performance of the two sample publicly listed accounting companies in comparison to the
sample of partnerships. The publicly owned companies achieved substantially higher growth
but a lower level of productivity (revenue per person) than the partnerships. This supports the
call for the use of multiple measures in examining complex constructs (Cording, Christmann
& Weigelt 2010).
The higher growth rate of publicly owned PSFs is consistent with Von Nordenflycht
(2007) findings that larger publicly owned advertising corporations achieve higher growth
rates than comparative partnerships. The high short term growth and subsequent failure of
Stockford also supports Von Nordenflycht (2007) in the use of longer period growth rates and
in the assertion that growth rate is not always representative of profitability.
Potential ways that public ownership enabled greater growth than the sample
partnership firms included access to capital and the use of the companies’ shares as currency
for acquisitions with both companies rapidly acquiring in excess of 50 firms. The change of
structure may also have enabled faster acquisition processes and decision making. The
governance of partnerships with partners voting on decisions such as mergers and acquisition
(Empson & Chapman 2006; Greenwood et al. 1990,1994) can slow decision making when
partnerships become larger (Greenwood & Empson 2003; Pickering 2010) and more diverse
(Greenwood & Empson 2003). Perhaps, the corporate governance of public ownership
enabled faster decision making on acquisitions by removing this vote and placing acquisition
decisions in the hands of a limited number of executives.
The publicly owned accounting companies achieved lower levels of reported
productivity (revenue per person) than the average for the sample of accounting partnerships.
This is consistent with Greenwood et al.’s (2007) findings of lower productivity (based on
revenue per professional) of large publicly owned consulting companies in comparison to
Pickering: Partnership vs Public Ownership of Accounting Firms
81
large partnerships. However, a number of measurement related factors were found in the
current study that under estimated the productivity of publicly owned companies in
comparison to partnerships. If these issues are also applicable to published global consulting
surveys this may partially explain the underperformance of large publicly owned consulting
companies as identified by Greenwood et al. (2007).
Differences in the cost of resources across ownership forms may be important in
comparing the profitability of different forms of ownership of PSFs. Different career
opportunities, with removal of the lure of partnership in PLCs, and even differences in risks
for senior professionals across partnerships (with unlimited liability) and PLC PSFs may lead
to different cost structures for professionals. The specialist skills required may differ in each
type of ownership structure depending on services provided and clients targeted further
differentiating cost structures with the degree of commoditisation of services theorised to
affect the the suitability of public ownership (Greenwood & Empson 2003). Even within
ownership structures, the Stockford and WHK cases suggest that the cost of personnel can
differ substantially. Revenue based measures do not capture cost structure differences across
ownership structures.
The significant difference in the financial performance between the two PLCs of a
similar size, operating in the same industries and same geographic markets at the same time
supports the call by Greenwood et al. (2007) for research that examines organisational
strategies, structures, governance and processes and their impacts on professional behaviour
and company performance.
For practitioners considering selling their firms to PLCs this research indicates that
public ownership can enable rapid growth of their firms, an objective of selling firm partners
identified in prior research (Pickering 2010), but that this growth has risks. Practitioners need
to consider their tolerance for risk and the plans and track records of PLCs in order to decide
whether to sell to a PLC, which PLC to sell to and whether to accept PLC shares as
consideration. For regulators it suggests the need for care in determining performance
measures and data to use and the comparability of samples when evaluating the performance
of different ownership forms of accounting and other PSFs.
Conclusions
The publicly available proxy measures utilised in this study provide a conflicting picture of
the performance of the two sample publicly listed accounting companies in comparison to the
sample of partnerships. The publicly owned companies achieved substantially higher growth
but a lower level of productivity (revenue per person) than the partnerships. This supports the
call for the use of multiple measures in examining complex constructs (Cording, Christmann
& Weigelt 2010).
The higher growth rate of publicly owned PSFs is consistent with Von Nordenflycht
(2007) findings that larger publicly owned advertising corporations achieve higher growth
rates than comparative partnerships. The high short term growth and subsequent failure of
Stockford also supports Von Nordenflycht (2007) in the use of longer period growth rates and
in the assertion that growth rate is not always representative of profitability.
Potential ways that public ownership enabled greater growth than the sample
partnership firms included access to capital and the use of the companies’ shares as currency
for acquisitions with both companies rapidly acquiring in excess of 50 firms. The change of
structure may also have enabled faster acquisition processes and decision making. The
governance of partnerships with partners voting on decisions such as mergers and acquisition
(Empson & Chapman 2006; Greenwood et al. 1990,1994) can slow decision making when
partnerships become larger (Greenwood & Empson 2003; Pickering 2010) and more diverse
(Greenwood & Empson 2003). Perhaps, the corporate governance of public ownership
enabled faster decision making on acquisitions by removing this vote and placing acquisition
decisions in the hands of a limited number of executives.
The publicly owned accounting companies achieved lower levels of reported
productivity (revenue per person) than the average for the sample of accounting partnerships.
This is consistent with Greenwood et al.’s (2007) findings of lower productivity (based on
revenue per professional) of large publicly owned consulting companies in comparison to
Pickering: Partnership vs Public Ownership of Accounting Firms
81
large partnerships. However, a number of measurement related factors were found in the
current study that under estimated the productivity of publicly owned companies in
comparison to partnerships. If these issues are also applicable to published global consulting
surveys this may partially explain the underperformance of large publicly owned consulting
companies as identified by Greenwood et al. (2007).
Differences in the cost of resources across ownership forms may be important in
comparing the profitability of different forms of ownership of PSFs. Different career
opportunities, with removal of the lure of partnership in PLCs, and even differences in risks
for senior professionals across partnerships (with unlimited liability) and PLC PSFs may lead
to different cost structures for professionals. The specialist skills required may differ in each
type of ownership structure depending on services provided and clients targeted further
differentiating cost structures with the degree of commoditisation of services theorised to
affect the the suitability of public ownership (Greenwood & Empson 2003). Even within
ownership structures, the Stockford and WHK cases suggest that the cost of personnel can
differ substantially. Revenue based measures do not capture cost structure differences across
ownership structures.
The significant difference in the financial performance between the two PLCs of a
similar size, operating in the same industries and same geographic markets at the same time
supports the call by Greenwood et al. (2007) for research that examines organisational
strategies, structures, governance and processes and their impacts on professional behaviour
and company performance.
For practitioners considering selling their firms to PLCs this research indicates that
public ownership can enable rapid growth of their firms, an objective of selling firm partners
identified in prior research (Pickering 2010), but that this growth has risks. Practitioners need
to consider their tolerance for risk and the plans and track records of PLCs in order to decide
whether to sell to a PLC, which PLC to sell to and whether to accept PLC shares as
consideration. For regulators it suggests the need for care in determining performance
measures and data to use and the comparability of samples when evaluating the performance
of different ownership forms of accounting and other PSFs.
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Conclusions
The publicly available proxy measures utilised in this study provide a conflicting picture of
the performance of the two sample publicly listed accounting companies in comparison to the
sample of partnerships. The publicly owned companies achieved substantially higher growth
but a lower level of productivity (revenue per person) than the partnerships. This supports the
call for the use of multiple measures in examining complex constructs (Cording, Christmann
& Weigelt 2010).
The higher growth rate of publicly owned PSFs is consistent with Von Nordenflycht
(2007) findings that larger publicly owned advertising corporations achieve higher growth
rates than comparative partnerships. The high short term growth and subsequent failure of
Stockford also supports Von Nordenflycht (2007) in the use of longer period growth rates and
in the assertion that growth rate is not always representative of profitability.
Potential ways that public ownership enabled greater growth than the sample
partnership firms included access to capital and the use of the companies’ shares as currency
for acquisitions with both companies rapidly acquiring in excess of 50 firms. The change of
structure may also have enabled faster acquisition processes and decision making. The
governance of partnerships with partners voting on decisions such as mergers and acquisition
(Empson & Chapman 2006; Greenwood et al. 1990,1994) can slow decision making when
partnerships become larger (Greenwood & Empson 2003; Pickering 2010) and more diverse
(Greenwood & Empson 2003). Perhaps, the corporate governance of public ownership
enabled faster decision making on acquisitions by removing this vote and placing acquisition
decisions in the hands of a limited number of executives.
The publicly owned accounting companies achieved lower levels of reported
productivity (revenue per person) than the average for the sample of accounting partnerships.
This is consistent with Greenwood et al.’s (2007) findings of lower productivity (based on
revenue per professional) of large publicly owned consulting companies in comparison to
Pickering: Partnership vs Public Ownership of Accounting Firms
81
large partnerships. However, a number of measurement related factors were found in the
current study that under estimated the productivity of publicly owned companies in
comparison to partnerships. If these issues are also applicable to published global consulting
surveys this may partially explain the underperformance of large publicly owned consulting
companies as identified by Greenwood et al. (2007).
Differences in the cost of resources across ownership forms may be important in
comparing the profitability of different forms of ownership of PSFs. Different career
opportunities, with removal of the lure of partnership in PLCs, and even differences in risks
for senior professionals across partnerships (with unlimited liability) and PLC PSFs may lead
to different cost structures for professionals. The specialist skills required may differ in each
type of ownership structure depending on services provided and clients targeted further
differentiating cost structures with the degree of commoditisation of services theorised to
affect the the suitability of public ownership (Greenwood & Empson 2003). Even within
ownership structures, the Stockford and WHK cases suggest that the cost of personnel can
differ substantially. Revenue based measures do not capture cost structure differences across
ownership structures.
The significant difference in the financial performance between the two PLCs of a
similar size, operating in the same industries and same geographic markets at the same time
supports the call by Greenwood et al. (2007) for research that examines organisational
strategies, structures, governance and processes and their impacts on professional behaviour
and company performance.
For practitioners considering selling their firms to PLCs this research indicates that
public ownership can enable rapid growth of their firms, an objective of selling firm partners
identified in prior research (Pickering 2010), but that this growth has risks. Practitioners need
to consider their tolerance for risk and the plans and track records of PLCs in order to decide
whether to sell to a PLC, which PLC to sell to and whether to accept PLC shares as
consideration. For regulators it suggests the need for care in determining performance
measures and data to use and the comparability of samples when evaluating the performance
of different ownership forms of accounting and other PSFs.
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