So the large audit firms face a dilemma. On the one and, their clients would like the security associated with being audited by one of the largest audit firms, and the prestige associated with a large firm’s name on the audit report. On the other hand, the audit firms themselves need to make it clear that they function as a network of independent national partnerships, if they are to minimize the damage to the remainder of the network when something goes wrong in a particular country. In the case of Grant Thornton International, the Italian partnership was quickly dropped from the international network soon after news of financial problems became public knowledge.