This review paper argues that the institutions and sites of professionalization projects and regulatory processes matter.
The institutions and locations where regulation takes place aVect both the outcome of the regulatory process and the
legitimacy of the rules and practices produced. Changes in regulatory processes aVect opportunities for democratic control
and legitimacy. A common position in the accounting literature is to examine both the process of professionalization
and accounting and audit regulation within and around professional associations and related organizations, such as
standard setting bodies and regulatory agencies. We argue that professional Wrms are increasingly important in professionalization
and regulatory processes and have not received the attention that they warrant: an examination of the
multi-national professional service Wrms (currently known as the Big 4) can enhance an understanding of professionalization
and professional regulation. We suggest that these are important sites where accounting practices are themselves
standardized and regulated, where accounting rules and standards are translated into practice, where professional identities
are mediated, formed and transformed, and where important conceptions of personal, professional and corporate
governance and management are transmitted.
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