2 - 1 2012 Prentice Hall Business Publishing, Auditing 14/e, Arens/Elder/Beasley

The CPA Profession

Chapter 2

2012 Prentice Hall Business Publishing, Auditing 14/e, Arens/Elder/Beasley 2 - 2

Learning Objective 1

Describe the nature of CPA firms,

what they do, and their structure.

2012 Prentice Hall Business Publishing, Auditing 14/e, Arens/Elder/Beasley 2 - 3

Certified Public Accounting Firms

The legal right to perform audits is granted to CPA firms by each state.

CPA firms also provide many other services to their clients, such as tax and consulting services.

CPAs continue to develop new products and services such as financial planning, business valuation and information technology.

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Certified Public Accounting Firms

Big Four international firms

National firms

Regional and large local firms

Small local firms

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Certified Public Accounting Firms

The four largest CPA firms in the United States

These four firms have offices in most major cities in the United States and in many cities throughout the world.